The Broken Mirror

by Tshombe

  “Okay. We’ll talk in a few days, E.”

  After practice that evening Ethan arrived home to find his dad waiting for him. His job took him away on business a lot. He’d rarely be at home for longer than a month before taking off again on another trip. Ethan longed for the days when his father was home more, and they could spend time talking together, playing catch, or going for pizza after practice. Ethan admired him and owed the creation of his kingdom to the wisdom passed down from his father.

  In his deep, authoritative tone, his father beckoned, “Sit down and talk to me about how things are going with you. It’s been a while since we talked man to man.”

  Ethan assessed his seating options and chose the couch instead of the recliner. His father, smiling with approval remained standing.

  “Son, you have always been smart when it comes to handling affairs in your life. I commend you on that. It’s not always easy being a young man. A lot of pressures come from your peers that may tempt you in the wrong direction. I came here for you, son; I’d like to know how you’re doing.”

  Ethan approached the question with caution.

  “Well, Dad, I’m doing as well as can be expected, getting ready for college. I’m preparing myself for that transition, and I’m pretty much just maintaining my normal routine with training and practicing for football.”

  The older man grinned, as if each of his son’s words meant the world to him. His smile faded into sorrow as he let out a deep sigh. This strong, powerful man seemed on the verge of tears. What could cause a man’s countenance to change so quickly?

  “Pop, are you ok?”

  His father’s arms shot straight out swift and stiff, signaling Ethan to stay away. “Ethan, I don’t know how to tell you this, but your mother and I are getting a divorce. Things have been different between us for quite some time. We thought things might work out, but it’s better if we’re apart. I love your mother a lot, but we have grown in different ways over the years…”

  After the word ‘divorce,’ his father’s voice faded until no sound came from his moving lips. Ethan was old enough to deal with the situation, but not old enough to accept the fact: A divorce!

  That night Ethan’s thoughts were filled with too much pain to accept the tranquility of sleep. His father stayed at a hotel while his mother cried herself to sleep. Desperately wanting to cry, Ethan would not allow tears to come. Ethan evaded sleep until the sun’s rays pierced the lingering tendrils of the night, it was then when he vowed not allow his parents’ divorce. With this vow, Ethan finally found an hour’s rest before school.

  “Mr. Smith!” Dominic shouted as he ran down the hall toward the cruising entourage. “Mr. Smith!” He yelled. “I have something important to tell you.” The crowd stopped and allowed the young man through.

  Ethan turned around smiling, politely excusing himself from a conversation with two girls, who giggled at the nerdy-looking Dominic.

  “What’s up, Dom?”

  “I’m sorry to bother you like this, but Ms. Howard wanted me to tell you that she has made contact and will speak with you tonight.”

  Grinning at his success Ethan put his arm around the messenger’s neck, flexing his muscle to apply the precise amount of pressure to the hold. With his mouth close to the young man’s ear, Ethan whispered.

  “Stop yelling my name when you need to speak with me. All you need to do is walk up and request a moment of my time. Do you understand?”

  The pressure around the messenger’s neck grew more intense. “Yes, Mr. Smith. I will not call your name out loud like that again. I’m -- I’m sorry.”

  Ethan released his hold and fixed the young man’s shirt collar.

  “I’m glad we could work that out, Dom! You tell Denise I’ll meet her tonight at 8:00, over at the lake.”

  “Alright, Sir. I’ll tell her.” The young man scurried off through the crowd and Ethan resumed his conversation.

  Ethan reached the meeting point an hour early so that he could watch who came and went. The lake was a secluded area covered in a canopy of trees, amid a landscape sprinkled with meadows. A place for family bar-b-ques by day and a rendezvous point for young couples at night. Most weekends you could find teenagers gathered around a keg or two, but tonight the place was deserted. Ethan climbed a tree by the front entrance, gaining a panoramic view of the entire scene. As he sat in his perch, he thought about his parents and how he was going to be a hero by bringing them back together. He could see by their reactions that they must still love each other. He couldn’t imagine all of them being alone in the world; him at college, his mother at home and his father God knows where. That thought troubled him greatly. He knew there was a way. He just had to figure it out.

  At 7:59 Denise came through the entrance. He watched her walk timidly beneath the trees, her arms folded across her chest. Despite her buttoned coat, he could see her beautiful figure in the darkness. As she passed under the tree he jumped down landing behind her, eliciting a scream that shattered the calm of dusk.

  “Calm down girl, damn!” He said, rubbing his left ear. “You knew I would be here.”

  Her hand was over her heart as she worked to catch her breath.

  “You scared me! I wasn’t expecting you to jump out of a tree.”

  “You’re right, my bad.” He said wrapping his arms around her. “Everything is gonna be alright. I got you girl. You don’t have to worry about anything now.”

  She grew calm with his arms around her, feeling the warmth of his body. Her fears drifted away in his embrace, she never felt safer than in his arms. Ethan pulled back just enough to look in her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart seemed to stop. She blinked, and all thoughts vanished from her mind. At that moment, all that existed was him.

  “Niecey, you alright honey?”

  The words brought their surroundings into focus and she felt the earth beneath her feet again.

  “Oh yeah, I’m cool. I’m cool.”

  His fingers slid down the back of her arm, taking her hand in his. “You want to walk over to the water?”

  “Yeah. I’d like that.”

  The two walked casually, speaking of the fun times they had shared at the lake, laughing as they reached a bench in front of the water. The moon cast a shimmering reflection on the lake’s glassy surface. The whole park seemed to glow in silver moonlight. With his arm around her, Ethan pointed to the moon.

  “I’ve never seen it shine so bright, Niecey. Maybe it’s because I’m with you, huh?”

  She smiled back, “No, Ethan, it’s because I’m with you.”

  He nodded, bringing a more serious tone to the conversation. “I guess it’s good that we’re together.”

  “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  The two sat in silence a moment, then Ethan spoke. “So, what’s up with our new stranger?”

  Cross Walks

  Near midnight Ethan came through the door of his house. The place held a new kind of quiet and darkness. He had lived there all his life, yet he now felt he was entering a strange new world. Before reaching his room, Ethan peeked in on his mother. Her room glowed with light from the television, left on while she slept, snoring lightly. An empty bottle of vodka surrounded by crumpled tissue paper told the story of her night. Ethan’s heart ached seeing her in so much anguish. Covering her with a blanket, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and turned off the television.

  Reaching his bedroom all he wanted to do was sleep, but he had to remove the smell of Denise from his body. Sleeping with the smell of a woman’s body on his skin was something he would never do. In the hot shower he let the water wash away all his worries for a moment, reflecting only on Denise’s account of the new, mysterious stranger in his kingdom. The new girl, Rio, was attending Skyline because it’s the best high school for the arts.

  The week flew by for Ethan and it was finally his night to shine for all to see. The first home game of the regular season a
nd the stands were packed with fans, all wearing the school’s colors. Ethan took to the field and the crowd erupted in pent up excitement. The kingdom was happy to receive their king. Ethan scanned the crowd for his father’s face; he’d promised to be at the opening game.

  “Smith!” Coach yelled from the sideline, “Smith!” Coach yelled again. “Get your ass over here!”

  Ethan hurried over to where the coach was standing.

  “Aye, coach, what’s up?”

  “Your father called. Said he’s going to be late. He wanted to let you know before the kick off.”

  Ethan nodded, “Thanks, Coach!”

  “You’re welcome kid! Now get your ass in there and win this damn game.”

  Ethan was a bit on edge as he played through the game. His father always had that effect on him. He played the game to his best ability, but it wasn’t until the third quarter when his father appeared on the sideline next to the coach that the game became a blur of connections and touchdowns. By the time the referee called the game, Ethan had four touchdown passes and had rushed for a touchdown himself. They had blown the other team out of the water but having his dad on the sideline gave Ethan a feeling better than any game he’d ever won.

  “Dad!” Ethan ran from the crowd on the field to the sideline, his helmet in his hand, “Dad! How’d you like the game? Scouts think I’ll make pro!”

  His father was beaming as he looked at the glow of child-like excitement in his son’s eyes.

  “Go pro?” He said. “Go pro? You’re going to be the greatest quarterback that ever lived! People will tell their grandkids about games they saw you play in. You’re a living legend son!” His arm stretched around his boy’s shoulder. “Now you go get cleaned up, so we can grab something to eat.”

  “Alright, Pop.”

  Shaking more hands and accepting accolades, Ethan made his way into the locker room. His teammates were headed to a party at Barry’s house. Ethan really wanted to go join his teammates, but as his father had always told him, “A true king must always sacrifice what he wants, to have what is best.”

  Ethan was going for the best thing he could imagine, and that was his parents getting back together. He exited the locker room and was greeted with a surprise that made his heart skip: Denise and Rio coming his way.

  “You played a great game!” Rio said.

  “Yeah,” Denise purred, “you played a great game.”

  Ethan maintained his cool, even though his heart was beating rapidly.

  “Thanks, ladies! I really appreciate that. I’m sorry if I’m being rude, but there’s somewhere I need to be right now, so you’ll have to excuse me.”

  Rio looked at him playfully. “Are you on your way to Barry’s party? Because that’s we’re going!”

  It was just what he had been waiting for, the opportunity to strike his target.

  “I don’t know. I’ll try to make it later, but right now I have to go. Excuse me ladies.” He left the two young women in wonder as he rushed to the car where his father was waiting.

  The ice cream parlor was the place for families after a winning game, and tonight was no exception. Ethan and his dad didn’t wait long for a table, there always seemed to be room for the star quarterback. Ethan remembered going there as a kid and watching the team’s quarterback courting the town’s attention like royalty, thinking one day that would be him. Ethan’s father would tell him, “Every position must be fulfilled by an able body, and a true leader will rise by knowing how to play every position.” Now Ethan was the star quarterback looking into the eyes of young boys who wanted someday to fill his position.

  “Great game, Ethan!” Mrs. Robinson said, her three small children gathering around her.

  “Yeah champ great game!” Mr. Davis said, patting Ethan on the back.

  A young boy held out his football. “Will you sign my ball?”

  This was Ethan’s reward for his many years of hard work and all the days he had to sacrifice the fun things he wanted to do so that he could reach the goals he sought.

  “Okay, okay, that’s enough, people!” Mr. Johnson, the portly owner of the ice cream parlor, announced as he put his arm around Ethan. “I’m sure our star quarterback would like to enjoy his favorite sundae with his father.”

  Ethan handed the signed ball back to the young boy. “Someday this team will be yours if you work hard. Stay focused kid!”

  Sitting with his father, Ethan searched for the proper thing to say, but the energy of the moment didn’t fit his feelings.

  “I’m sorry I was late to your game son, but I had some important business to take care of that came up unexpectedly.”

  Ethan wanted to lash out about the business that was destroying his family, but he held his tongue. “Dad, why are you and Mom getting a divorce when it seems like you both still love each other so much?”

  His father closed his eyes, as if searching for right words to say. “Son, I love your mother very much and I know this divorce is tearing us both apart inside, but we just can’t be together anymore. When you get older you will understand. It’s very complicated.”

  Ethan stared at his father wondering why he had gotten such an ambiguous answer. Instead of pushing for more, he would do what great kings must do, discover the answers for himself. “Dad, can you and mom attend my next home game together, for me?”

  His father looked down solemnly at his ice cream, then back up at his son. “I will be there, Ethan, but it’s up to your mother if she would like to attend.”

  “Alright! I really appreciate that. I’ll talk to Mom about it.”

  Having them back together, if only for one moment of happiness, would be a step closer to his plan.

  Barry’s street was lined with cars. Music blared into the neighborhood and kids were walking to and from the house. On the front porch and lawn kids were making noise, laughing and talking. Through the window Ethan could see people dancing. This was typical after a game.

  “E-Nut!” Barry screamed, alerting the others their champion had arrived.

  “Man, this party is off the chain, dude. Go Spartans! Go Spartans! Go! We are some muthafuckin’ winners! You wanna beer, E?”

  Ethan smiled through his annoyance at Barry’s drunken behavior.

  “Naw, I’m cool without drinking tonight man. Let’s go in the house so I can see what kind of party you got going here.”

  “Yeah Man!” Barry screamed. “Excuse us, coming through. Pardon me, people. Move out of the goddamn way!”

  The two young men entered the house like celebrities. Ethan began the ritual shaking hands and hugging babes like a politician. Then everything seemed to stop he saw her across the room. She turned to meet his gaze as if summoned. Oblivious to those around him, Ethan moved under a power not his own.

  “I told you I’d try to make it.” He said, grinning.

  She returned his playful look, giving him a mirror into his own expression.

  “It’s really loud in here. Would you like to take a walk?” She startled him by saying the words he’d just formulated in his mind.

  “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’d love to.”

  In an instant, they were alone, walking down the street lost in the tranquility of the night. Ethan broke the silence.

  “What made you come to Skyline?”

  With a sparkle of life in her eyes she replied, “Love! I’m on a mission to understand it. The art of passion and how it relates to form connections.”

  Ethan was impressed and almost at a loss for words. “Have you been in love before?” He asked.

  “Oh, there are a lot of different definitions for that. I know for me, love is life and what life has to offer. Love is being in the story of existence and feeling my connection to it.”

  “You sound as though you’ve learned the secret to life,” he said with a hint of sarcasm.

  She laughed. “There is no secret to life, only answers you don’t have questions for.
If there were a secret to living, then everyone would be dead until they figured it out. Don’t you think?”

  He considered her statement with skepticism. It didn’t make sense. He had to ask, “Why would we be dead if there was a secret to life?”

  “Don’t you see? If there was a secret to being alive, then how could we exist? The secret of life… Just as a man and a woman create life, so do the earth and sun. What’s the secret? There has been nothing hidden. It’s right in front of our eyes. Even if we don’t like how we are living that doesn’t mean we are not.”

  The noise of the party brought Ethan out of his thoughts and back to the moment. They had rounded the block and were only a few houses away from Barry’s. Ethan wondered if he had walked this route on his own intentions, or had he made a mistake in direction? He looked into Rio’s eyes and none of that mattered. All he wanted now was to kiss her. He leaned in to sample the sweetness that he so desired, when she shattered his expectations yet again,

  “My step-dad’s here! I have to go. I’ll see you at school Monday.”

  She was gone, and his cravings were left unsatisfied.

  Standing on a cliff at the edge of the world with Rio by his side, Ethan knew what he had to do. He took her hand and they jumped. They jumped into the light. Falling and falling without end, and right before they reached the brightest part of the universe, they began to fly. Ethan awoke to the loving sound of his mother’s voice.

  “Ethan, wake up honey. You overslept. Barry is on his way over for your weekend jog.” Her face offered warmth and love, a vision he welcomed all the time.

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Oh, it’s no problem honey. I’ll have a nice big breakfast ready for you boys by the time you get back.”

  “Mom, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Oh, I know what you’d do. You’d starve to death and sleep all day.”