Und er gewann die Hand der schönsten Frau im ganzen Lande. Sie hatte Angst um ihn gehabt, wie er im Turnier sein Leben riskierte. Er hatte es getan, um sie seiner Liebe Zeuge zu machen, um Allen zu zeigen, dass ein gewöhnlicher Junge, vom Dorf, von normalen Eltern, den besten der Ritten schlagen konnte.
A couch sits in one corner, unused, but dusted and vacuumed, from time to time. The couch had been cause for a major disturbance, at the beginning. She had insisted they couldn’t afford it, that the kids needed other things more than a couch. But he had held fast, insisting on buying it. He didn’t know why, at the time, but hadn’t spent a dime on himself for a year without letting her know because of the cost. Now, quietly thinking to himself that he had been right, the man smiles a tiny smile at the absurdity of the arguments, the time when they would yell at each other, over it. Catching himself short as he sees movement in the corner of his eye, he straightens his back, and turns to face his daughter, just coming into the room, a concerned look on her face.
Immediately, she knows that he will be fine, that he will get this, that he will, as he always has, at the end, be somehow better for it. Beginning again to think of what happened, she finds her throat closing, a mild panic rising in her belly.
Fleeing from the room, she can’t but hate her father for the fact that he will be ok in the end. She fears for her younger sister. Her brother. Someone is going to have to tell him now. Tears soak her ears, and she is running down the street.
Fuck this. This sucks. I hate work, the young man thinks to himself, every day I come in here and unload these trucks, and stack the stuff in the store room in the back, and every day it sucks. It wouldn’t be so bad, if I didn’t have to work with the old man. His son is cool, he doesn’t give me any shit, tries to work with me. If they let me mess with the copiers and such, but the old fucker, he just likes to boss everyone around, even the customers sometimes. Randy works at Cold Stone, says it isn’t too bad, and you get to talk to hot chicks, says he can get me a job there. Maybe I should talk to him.
Shit, are they calling my name?
“Coming..” He says, walking toward the door. Is there someone crying inside. Wait, it sounds like Jenny, he thinks to himself.
“Redmond. Red.” Sniff. Just tell him she thinks, straight up. “Red, oh god, I gotta tell you something. It’s about Mom.”
“Jenny, what are you talking about.”
At that moment, they hear tires screeching in the parking lot out front. The door to the store flies open, little chimes banging violently on the aluminum.
“Jennifer! Red, have you seen Je ... thank god, there she is. Jen, why did you run off like that? You scared me ... I got your sister in the car. Red, I got to tell you something.”
“Dad, no. I’ll do it. Redmond, it’s Mom. She uh she was in an accident.” Fighting back tears, “She’s in the hospital. It just happened, like, fifteen minutes ago. Red, I’m so scared.” Finally, she cannot hold back, and falls into her brother’s arms, sobbing quietly into his warm side. Red looks at his Dad, and knows he is being strong for them, for him. He knows he will be strong too, for everyone.
“Dad, could you go tell Mr. Rostone that I’ll be leaving early today? I’ll get Jenny in the car.”
Dad seemed really mad, she thought. But maybe he was just scared. I’m scared, but I’m glad I have Nancy, she’s my best friend, and she’ll make Mommie better, when we see her. Mommie says I can’t take her to school next year, but maybe I can sneak her with me under my shirt, and she can protect me there too. I think this is where Roro works, Mom and I came here last week, but she and Roro were yelling at each other in the car.
“Hey Tyler, could you give your sister a hug? She really needs one now.” As he shuts the door, and moves forward to shotgun, the sight of the two hugging in the back, a small form cradling one far larger, he fights back panic, bracing himself against the car door. His father pauses at the driver door, and meets his eyes. Red can see the slightest, fleeting panic.
“Son. Your sisters and I need you to be strong, now. We’re going to see her at the hospital. It’s pretty bad, from what the nurses could tell me. She’s a strong woman, Red.”
Hassan watches, from the window, as the family drives off. He had class with the older girl, Jenny, he thinks, and hopes that their Mom will be ok. He feels his father, close behind him.
“Hassan, there are customers waiting. I’m sure everything will be all right, with them.”
“Dad, they all looked pretty upset. I hope nothing like this happens to us.”
“It may, it may not. We must leave that up to God. Now, come back to work.”
No comments:
Post a Comment