– Oh my God, Armando, you didn’t change since I let you with your dad – said the mom hugging her son.
– Don’t tell me lies, mom, or I’ll come back to Brazil – joked him giving his affection to that young lady who was a little bit smaller than him.
– I don’t lie; your beautiful, son, how was the trip?
– It was great, mom, I came driving from the airport to here.
– Oh, and what did you think of the new Three Forks?
– Nothing is different, only the color and the front of the houses, isn’t it? – said him smiling and hugging his mom once more time.
– Come on, you arrived at the teatime.
– Mm, I wouldn’t arrive in best moment.
Armando remembered a lot the strong coffee his mom was doing in the afternoon, when he asked the reason, his mom only said that was a family recipe and it was his grandmother who taught her. When he went to the kitchen, he noticed that even the furniture was the same and some alterations were made, but it didn’t change the true essence.
They were sat at the table each one with a cup of coffee, Armando told his mom about his divorce and his talk with his dad, his mom didn’t ask questions and showed no reaction when heard about his father. Armando was surprised with the only question about his reason to come back to Three Forks, maybe he wasn’t right, but the answer was impulsive.
– I think here was always our place, mom – started to say while his mom filled again his cup of coffee. – Since more than two years ago this idea was bothering me, something said that I should leave everything and come back to revive what I can’t, or the way I can’t.
– Maybe it was also happened to me, son, but too late – said his mom sitting close to him.
– When I saw that Glória wanted a part of the company, I noticed my chances to come back, I confess that for a period of time I thought I couldn’t, but God change things in the best way – said him smiling to his mom with his eyes shining.
– Well, anyway, welcome back and I hope you stay here for a long time.
– Who knows if Stephany is still single – joked him because of his mom’s expression.
–Oh son, don’t say it; she went away from here and I don’t think you would like her six children.
– Six children? Stephany Malcolm? – said Armando surprised.
– Yeah, she isn’t that ugly girl who used braces around her face anymore.
Sthephany Malcolm was the “Carrie” of the neighborhood, both Armando and James and all the boys, dreaded of being in front of her, when every boy were together, she asked kisses and dreamed that would date with all of them. Once Armando and James kissed Stephany because of a bet that they lost for another two boys, in the next day everybody in Three Forks heard that they were Stephany’s boyfriends, then Armando and James ran way her during a week.
When Armando finished packed in his bedroom, he remembered that he still had not asked for James, so he asked her mom about his best friend when he came back to the room.
– James? – repeated her a little bit surprised.
– Yeah mom, have you been gotten in touch with him?
– No, I haven’t seen James Fel for a long time, the last time I met him and a woman who I think it was his wife at the mails market.
– Didn’t he talk with you? – Armando was disappointed with that.
– No, since I came back, James Fel didn’t looked at me anymore, he never accepted that we went away from here and after his mom died, everybody says that he is getting worse.
– Got worse? What?
– Ah Armando, I think you must rest, it was a long journey, tomorrow morning we can talk more – she wasn’t smiling anymore and seriousness made her voice seem harsh.
– Okay mom, go to bed, I’m going to see the news.
– Great, have a good night son and welcome back to your home dear – said her while up the stairs looking at his son stopped on the handrail.
Something was wrong an Armando can’t stop thinking in his mom’s words, James was a good boy and would remain the same when he became an adult, but when Armando thought in James’s loss, Armando stranded next to his friend.
Once in the afternoon in the old hiking trail, James cried when told Armando how it was with his parent’s separations, he couldn’t stop to cry and the sun gave a brightness to his eyes. Armando didn’t know what to do. It was the first time he saw his friend crying that way and even if they were best friends, he didn’t find the rights words to comfort him and started to cry like James.
Looking at the TV, sat on the couch, Armando looked at his Dumont clock and saw it was early yet. Tired because of the trip; he preferred to go to bed to rest his mind. When he lay down and saw an image on the ceiling that came from the window’s light, he had a kind of recall and the nostalgia made him felt asleep forgetting everything.
CHAPTER 05
In the morning Armando was surprised by the strong coffee smell. He didn’t get up, he was looking at the bedroom like it was a new house he had moved. He noticed that some furniture were the same when he was a child, the wardrobe he hid was with new doors, but the desk was the same. The old Captain America’s comic books graced a shelf on the desk, and some colorless little cars also made part of the decoration.
When he got up, went to the window and saw some children leaving their home to go to school, now there were more children than before. Many people weren’t like the neighborhood of the last fourteen years ago. Vicents’ house was with a matt and horrible painting, they hated children, they were over than fifty years old but they still hate any children’s mess.
Armando remembered the day when all neighborhoods got together in front of Vicents’ house to bother the couple on Halloween. This day the old Vicents had his first stroke, and which was to be fun, became a tragedy for all.
Now, it’s sure they passed away, the last news Armando heard about them, was about Sr. Vicents’ health got worse, he was internee for months in the same hospital Mrs. Vicents also spent a long time.
When he left the bedroom and down stairs, a strange and emotional strength, affected his mind, he had never felt something like that before, it feels like crying, but seemed like a memory of the past. Ignoring for a while, he continuous down stairs and noticed his mom already went out and left a note on the table.
“Good morning son, there is coffee and some cookies in the oven. I came back at three o’clock, if you are hungry, heat the food that is on the refrigerator, have a nice day, kisses, mom.”
The he sat on the table and savored the coffee looking at each corner of the house like he had just built. The sun shone very intense trough the kitchen’s window, he looked at the backyard access door behind the house and asked to himself if his swinging was in the old oak tree his grandfather planted before to build the house, he got anxious and left with the cup of coffee in his hands to see the backyard.
Outside seemed like he was in a kind of garden, there were many kinds of flowers and roses around it and the tree was in perfects conditions, but the Armando’s swinging wasn’t there anymore, even the branch that held it in the tree, but there were a new swinging in the other side for adults, it was a kind of coach for two people. Walking towards the tree he looked around admiring the flowers and roses were blooming, he didn’t know his mom liked flowers a lot.
He sat on the swinging feeling his memories arrive. Remembering when he has spent a long time in the afternoon in the that garden, most of times he has been swinging alone when James got out with his mom or when he was at the doctor or in punishment. Remembered when they have been dug the garden trying to find something new, remembered how his dad swung him on weekends in family that happened once a month. Maybe it was the only moment his parents seemed happy. When he got out off the swinging, he noticed something in the tree he hasn’t remembered to have done, it was written near the grass in a frightening way, a message which they wrote when there were ten years old: “If one day back after death, here is
the evidence we remember everything”.
He scared of read, but he remembered they wrote that with James’s father’s penknife after they heard a conversation between their mothers; about a reincarnation case they watched on TV. They got terrified with that news, they had the idea to write that phrase on the tree, because they knew it would take a long time the oak tree leave there, and if something happened to them, maybe, if the memories came back, they could search for the tree and know they have already been in that place.
Armando smiled when thought about it; after all he came back there fourteen years later. Looking around the garden nothing brought memories anymore and like a flash back, he got out to meet his friend, something he would have done earlier.
CHAPTER 06
The front of the house was the same, two windows on the top and one door with a kind of fabric in front, it was painted with a dark color and made it to seem like it was recently built, the number 628 brought a lot of memories to him, he always looked for this number when he had been visited his friend’s house fourteen years ago, it was a kind of addiction.
When he stepped on the grass, Armando had been thinking in his friend’s reaction and how he would be, once Armando was tall and strong, he hasn’t changed a lot, only got a paunch because of the beer he drunk in some celebrations. He didn’t know what he would say neither if James would welcome him, anyway he has just ready to get a beating of his friend; if it were necessary.
When he knocked on the door, his hands sweat it out and his legs started to tremble, he didn’t heard anything and after to knock on the door again, and someone appeared behind the door’s protection. It was a woman, a pretty woman, he noticed it. She opened the door, but not the door’s protection and looking at Armando’s back, she asked what he wanted.
– Please, James Fel – he said a little bit happy because it hadn’t been James welcome him.
– James Fel? – asked the pretty woman.
– Yeah, I’m Armando, his childhood friend.
– Friend? Childhood friend? – repeated the woman looking at nowhere. – He didn’t say anything about childhood friends!
– No? Excuse asking it but, would you be James’s wife? – said Armando feeling ashamed.
– Yeah. I can say that I’m.
– Is he home?
– Are you his friend? – She asked again.
– Yeah, I’m Armando Zie, I live one square from here – he started to explain, finding it strange because his wife didn’t know who he was. – We grew up together until fourteen years old.
– Until fourteen?
– Yeah.
– You aren’t seemed less than twenty, and I’m sure James isn’t a teenager – she said closing the door.
– No, you didn’t understand me, I had left this city when I was fourteen and now I came back to Three Forks, please, it’s very important to me meet him.
– If you are James’ friend, you should know that he hasn’t been appeared at home more than a month, and if you meet him, give a message to him – he isn’t so friendly anymore. – Said to James Fel that his bitch wife needs money. – She shouted while closed the door on Armando’s face.
Stopped outside his friend’s house, Armando was trying to think in what have just happened. How it would be possible, James out of home for a long time, he was always so kind to people he liked, and that girl so beautiful and so young, James’ wife? There was something wrong.
Walking to home, Armando thought in the words which invaded his mind. All the houses were alterations, but it was like before. When he arrived in a dead end, Armando remembered the track he used to come back home from James’ house, and feeling a strange intuition, he followed the same track.
After a few steps he was in front of the old train’s road, where fourteen years before, he had said goodbye to his friend. He took another way, he went to the train line, then he noticed the old railroad vehicle were still there, motionless, rustiest and some of them with a kind of urban painting probably made of a teenager.
He remembered the railroads vehicle they preferred, it was an executive body one that had a great upholstered and some cabinets they used to put their secret things. James choose that railroad vehicle because he thought that if one day he had to run away from home, he could be there for a long period and nobody would notice him, it was really there we made our fortress.
Armando walked in a hurry when saw the same railroad vehicle motionless like nothing changed during these years. Two embraced children’s image was painted on it, the image was decorating it, that image seemed like when they said goodbye to each other, a sad and sincere hug.
When he got closer the railroad vehicle, Armando felt a strong smell of drops inside it, he didn’t care if there was a drug addicted or a thief, he just wanted to meet his friend so; he entered in the railroad vehicle.
Two guys dressed smartly; they were with a kind of pipe in their hands and were giving off the other’s cigarette a lot of smoke When Armando entered got inside he stopped, soon one of the guys was scared by him, drew a gun and aimed it at him.
– What’s the fuck? – said a clear skin man who was back to Armando.
– Who are you? – asked the dark guy was holding the gun.
– My name is Armando, I don’t want anything with you, I’m just looking for a person – Armando didn’t believe in that situation, he felt like his legs wanted to run way from there immediately.
– There is nobody you want here – said the man with the gun.
– Calm down, let him talks – said the other guy.
– I’m looking for James Fel, we came here when we were children.
– James Fel? – repeated the dark guy looking at his friend.
– Did you say James Fel? – asked the clear one.
– Yeah, do you know him? Do you know where I can find him?
– Who are you? – asked again the dark guy sitting at a bench.
– I’m Armando Zie, I leave one square from here.
– Armando Zie? It can’t be truth – said the clear guy taking his bonnet off. – Are you Armando, that’s it right?
– Yeah, do you know me?
– Just kidding? Kenny Rorbs from the back street, didn’t you remember?
– Rorbs? From the back street? – He was trying to remember. – Angry Kenny?
– All right, where have you been? – said the man hugging Armando, who returned the clumsy hug.
– What the hell? – The dark guy said and got up without understand anything.
– This is Armando, James’ little boyfriend when we were child – said Kenny looking at Armando from top to toe.
– Is James gay?
– Don’t be thick T-u, they got together all the time, then we said they dated.
– And you don’t know how much it bothered us – said Armando remembering the jokes their colleagues did.
– Come on, let’s get out from here – called Kenny taking Armando off the railroad vehicle.
The sun was intense, but didn’t burn his skin. They walked on the dirty grass near the railroads vehicle, he hasn’t thought that place would be so ugly as it was; he could remember that little flowers on the green grass which grew up everywhere with no one’s help, and now, there were only trash and dead grass.
– What did happen with this place? – asked Armando looking around the place.
– Many things changed in Three Forks.
– So, do you know where has James been?
– Fel doesn’t interact a lot – said Kenny laying his head down while kicked something in the grass. – He has changed since you left.
– How?
– First of all, you left, so he didn’t have another friends, after a period of time he didn’t talk with his mom anymore, and she died he showed his new side.
– Oh my God! – said Armando in low voice.
– First was the dope, he has been always with us at the school parties. After he has gone to something heavy. Peo
ple say that he sold drugs for one or two years, but I think it was worse than it.
– How did he deal in drugs?
– Yeah, some dealers died, and one night, James was with us at a farewell party. Two guys arrived in a motorcycle and shot at every one. Nobody died, but James didn’t like what he saw and in the same day the two guys were found dead in that railroad vehicle – said him showing the only railroad vehicle far from others.
– But where is James in this history? – asked Armando.
– That was James’ railroad vehicle. Nobody went there, unless it were invited by James – said Kenny spitting at the ground. – After the deaths, James wasn’t well-regarded by another dealers and no one knows if he killed that two guys, the truth is that one of them was Takaso, remembered him?
– Mark Takaso? – repeated Armando amazed.
– Yeah, Mark Takaso.
***
Mark was called only Takaso by all the Three Forks’ teenagers, he was Enzo Takaso’s youngest child, a dealer. He was the head of traffic and everyone knew that Mark would be the head of a mafia one day. Nobody got to the schoolmate and the speculations about what he did, made everyone be afraid.
Armando wasn’t believe in what Kenny was saying, the people he described, wasn’t like the James Fel he has known, but he knew that everything could change in fourteen years.
– Then, Takaso’s family started to pursue James in everywhere because the two dead guys was found in his railroad vehicle, they didn’t enter here and in his house, because the dealers confronted each other.
– And James, what he did?
– This is stranger, he wasn’t afraid of death and got out anytime in the day or at night. His aunt called James to spend a period of time with her because she was afraid that a war could happen.
– Did he accept? – Armando didn’t know what he was listening.
– Yeah, he spent one year there, and during this time a big fight because of the traffic happened here and Takaso’s family got away.
– What about the girl in James’ house? Who is she?
No Trace Page 2