by Jolie Damman
It was Sunday, so she didn’t have to work. She was as attractive as ever, with a red top and usual pair of jeans.
She was in front of the GameStop store, and her hand was holding a little boy’s. He couldn’t be more than 10, and he was crying.
His tears, however, weren’t out of sadness. That was as clear as this sunny day to me.
This was most likely the gladdest day of his life.
She pointed at the store and the two walked in. I finally relaxed and shuffled to the store. I didn’t have to be doing this, but I was.
John’s apartment was on the other side of the road, but I felt compelled not to go there and, instead, stalk them.
I halted in front of the store. The panels were made of transparent glass, and despite how crowded this GameStop was, I could still see her.
Alide and the boy were in front of a shelf with several PS4 boxes. She was pointing at them, and I wished I could make out what she was saying.
I wished I could hear her gentle and tender voice again…
A woman smacked against me, but remained where I was. It was as if the world around me didn’t matter at all.
Alide picked up one of the blue PS4 boxes, and the little boy smiled so broadly I thought he would never smile like that again in his life. They both turned and headed to the desk. I spun and hid behind the alleyway by the building.
Some minutes later, Alide and the young boy got out of the store. They stopped in front of it, and now I could finally make out their words.
The young boy was the first to speak, “I can’t believe I finally have it! Thank you so much, big sis!”
Big sis? He was her brother?
I had no idea she had one. I inched my head past the edge of the wall I was hiding behind at, and peeked at them. Alide had bent down and was hugging her little brother.
She was crying.
Witnessing them like that warmed my heart. There was still hope for this world.
In her hands was a white plastic bag with the PS4 box in it, and when they turned to leave, the boy coughed.
Blood came out in beads.
Despite not knowing him, I worried. Was he ill? Was there something I could do to help her?
Would she be okay with that?
She got on one knee, much to the displeasure of a hurried businessman who grunted as he barked on his phone. “I’m going to need to save up money to send you to a clinic. Your coughing has been going for far too long.”
The boy’s head lowered. “Okay. I know.”
She ruffled his hair. “It’s not your fault.”
And with that said, she grabbed his hand and led him out of there. I leaned back on the wall and looked at nowhere in particular. I didn’t think she had a little brother – like I did – and had been saving up money to buy him a console.
Jesus, and here I was thinking my problems were unfair.
She could be naïve to my style of life, what it was like, but there was no denying she knew pain too.
I reckoned Alide was carefree – at work, she always seemed like that. But she understood what it was like to feel pain, hardships, and to battle through them.
They were just different adversities, but in the end, maybe she wasn’t so different from my world after all.
And about her younger sibling… What did he have?
✽ ✽ ✽
Outside, there was nothing more than a dense fog in Little Italy. I couldn’t see more than a couple of meters in front of me. I leaned off the balcony and walked back inside my bedroom. It was neatly kept, and there was nothing scattered on the floor.
The maid father had finally hired was doing her job well.
I opened the door and walked out. It was night outside. The street was as silent as it could get in a nighttime in New York city. There were the occasional honking and plane flying overhead, but other than that, I could almost feel like I was all alone.
I padded to the ground floor, and my ears picked up the sound of someone weeping and crying.
I didn’t panic.
It appeared to be a woman. Maybe it was one of the maids. They usually stayed late after their shift to finish some stuff up, after all.
We paid them extra whenever that happened, so it was a nonissue.
But that tone… I thought I knew it.
I crept to where the crying was coming from, and inched my head past the wall. My eyes landed on none other than Alide.
She was all alone. She was sitting on a chair, using her white napkin to wipe her tears. Witnessing her like that broke my heart.
Her whole face was red, like she was frustrated with something. Should I go there? Should I talk to her?
The query of the century it was.
She still felt so distant now, like there was a whole void between us.
That’s when she lifted her head, and her eyes landed on me. Well, now I had no choice but to approach her. My whole body felt like it was made of rock.
I cleared my throat and shuffled to her. Despite not making much noise as I walked, it felt like I was stepping on eggshells.
“I’m sorry, sir. I shouldn’t be crying on the job,” she vocalized, breaking my heart even more.
She sniffed twice, and it was then I knew I couldn’t escape her. I thought she was carefree, but seeing her like this and having witnessed her with her brother before, I knew I was wrong. I had been wrong about her this whole time.
She’s a woman who knew agony.
And we connected in more ways than I thought possible.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. We are all allowed to cry every once in a while.”
I opened a comfortable smile, drawing her eyes to me. She chuckled and stated, “No need to sugar coat it for me. It won’t happen again, I promise.”
I knew why she was talking like this to me now. She was worried she was going to lose her job. If there was something wrong about her younger brother, like some kind of illness that couldn’t be cured, she needed money for his medicine.
And, bearing in mind how much she loved him, also more money for his PS4’s games.
She stood up in a flash and was saying how sorry she was about all this when I grabbed both of her wrists.
Her eyes locked with mine, and they were permeated with red veins. The skin around them had been brushed by a tone of red mixed with purple.
What was making her feel this much pain?
I let go of her wrists, which then fell to the sides of her body. All I needed was to talk to her.
“Alide, I know I’m not your friend or anything, but if there’s someone or something here bothering you, just tell me. I can teach him a lesson he will never forget.”
She sniffed, and her cheeks had been painted by the lines of her tears. She didn’t deserve what was making her so depressed.
Alide shook her head.
“It was nothing, really. I have these breakdowns sometimes, but they always pass.”
She smiled, but I knew it was fake. There was a speck of dust on her cheek. I inched my hand up to it, and she noticed it. I continued inching it, slowly and carefully. The last thing I needed was to make her feel more scared than she was.
I brushed the speck of dirt off her face and said, “If there’s anything you need of me, don’t hesitate to ask. I might not be your friend, but I’m still here to help.”
Alide grinned and said, “It’s okay. It’s a deal, but right now, I just need to get back home.”
She hurried to the door, but I put an arm in front of her. I knew what still was going on in her mind.
She was so apprehensive I was going to tell my father about this. But I wasn’t.
“Want a ride back home? Like on your first day here?” I offered.
She seemed like she didn’t know what to do with her hand. I knew she was distraught, but I didn’t envision my offer was going to have such an effect on her. At long last, she smiled, and despite the sadness that tainted it, it was beautiful and white like a wedding dress.<
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“Yes, sir. I would like that.”
A moment of silence as I cherished her beautifulness, yet sad face some more. She was the kind of woman who hid so much and didn’t share it with anyone, other than her friend, Rita.
Her eyes gleamed under the fluorescent light of the kitchen, and they were the perfect representation of the past that molded Alide.
Despite all the shit she went through, including the passing of her father, she was still a citizen willing to battle all obstacles that dared to stand in her way.
And now, more than anything, I venerated that about her.
✽ ✽ ✽
She changed back to her everyday clothes and hopped inside my car, as if nothing had happened. Her face was sporting a gentle smirk.
It was like Alide had nothing that could worry her. Despite how hard she was trying to keep it hidden, it was evident, though, how much she wanted to make me think she wasn’t going to be an issue.
If only I could tell her not to be concerned about that.
But I couldn’t.
We didn’t have the intimacy for something like that, and I was taking her home – nothing more than that. I couldn’t deny, however, that getting to know more about her life made her more reachable to me.
Maybe I could make the marriage work then, though there was still the question of her wanting a baby and me being infertile.
Most of all, I didn’t want to disappoint my future wife, even if she didn’t know her father vowed to make her marry me.
I still remembered that stormy night, when I was a teenager and he and dad had signed that agreement…
I began to drive her through lower Manhattan, following the roads to Brooklyn. During the first few minutes, she didn’t speak, but when the Brooklyn bridge was within viewing distance, she finally did.
“I’m still so sorry you had to see me like that in your kitchen, Mr. Angelo. It won’t happen again.”
Despite being aware of the possible repercussions of revealing this, I declared, “It’s okay to cry. I do too, from time to time.”
I smirked and turned to face her. Her expression was one of surprise mixed with alarm.
Alide then nudged my shoulder and said, joy in her tone, “You? Crying? You don’t need to lie to me to make me feel better. See? I already do.”
She jutted her chin and looked ahead, like she wanted so hard to guarantee she wasn’t lying. But that still present redness in her eyes… It made me sure her past and current life were still bothering her.
I wished I could know her full story, and I kind of blamed dad right now for not taking better care of them.
I smirked gently as we crossed the Brooklyn bridge and continued to make our way to her home. She was better now, more jovial, but still a bit bothered by what made her cry.
A wild thought crossed my mind. Should I make this one question that’s nagging me?
I cleared up my mind, and the answer was a solid NO – for now, at least.
I pulled over by her house. I knew where it was since coming here that one time. It was strange how I could remember the exact address after having come here just once.
Maybe Alide detected that as well, but she made no comments on it.
She opened the passenger’s door and turned her head to me. She grinned, looking as gorgeous as ever. I also couldn’t help but notice how her eyes and her whole face looked better now. What depressed and angered her back in the kitchen was gone, for the most part.
“Thanks for taking me here,” she observed, her voice jovial once more. She was going back to being her normal, carefree self.
Just when she was going to close the door, I inquired, “How about a ride back home every day?”
Alide blinked twice, her grin fading. “Oh, you don’t need to do that. I’m fine with taking the bus.”
Once again, she didn’t know what to do with her hands. “It’s okay. It wouldn’t be a bother to me.”
She opened her mouth, but reconsidered her words. “It’s a deal, then. From tomorrow on, I’ll have my knight to bring me back home every evening.”
I smirked softly and she closed the door. As I drove back to the Bello Italiano, I couldn’t help but feel happy about the outcome of this.
Things were progressing well, and I just had my first normal conversation with her.
Truth was, now that I knew more about her, I grew more confident and assured about our wedding. And maybe, soon, I was going to tell her about it.
That, though, still stood like a sky-high mountain to climb.
Better to keep taking baby steps for now.
Alide
I heard a couple of gunshots in the distance, but thought little about them. Rita was sleeping in her bedroom, her snores audible even here in the living room.
Luca was sitting on the couch, and his fingers were playing with the controller of his PS4. He couldn’t stop playing it. I even had to control him sometimes so that he didn’t slack off on his homework.
That’s when, all of a sudden, I heard a loud knock outside. Someone then grunted. I snapped my head to Luca, who was still so worried about that horde of Locusts he needed to exterminate in Gears of War he couldn’t blink.
My heart leaped when I heard the man grunting again. I took one last look at Luca, and bolted to the door. If there was someone in pain in the front yard, then I needed to do something.
Help him or call the ambulance. Whatever he needed and I could do, I was going to.
I threw the door open and my eyes landed on none other than Angelo. He was on the grass, clutching his belly. I ran up to him, and his eyes darted to me. He had been grunting up until that point.
Upon noticing I was coming, he stopped doing that, though it was evident he wasn’t lying about having been hurt.
I got on my knees beside him in a wink and asked, “Did something happen? Why are you here?”
Slowly, he sat up on the grass and smirked. “I was chasing this bastard when he hid behind your wall and kicked me in the stomach. Fucking lunatic will get what’s coming to him.”
I smirked, not believing what he had just told me and that he was here at this time of the night. It was nice having him take me back home every evening, and even better being able to talk to him like two normal citizens of New York, but of all the things I expected to happen between him and me, this wasn’t one of them.
An idea flashed into my mind. “I have something for the pain. Wait here.”
I stood up in a shot and was going to hurry to the cabinet in the bathroom when he said, “No need. Thanks for worrying, but I think you are going to need the pain medicine more than me.”
He stood up and continued, his hand not clutching his belly anymore. “It was nothing. I’m going to get that son-of-a-bitch and teach him a hard lesson.”
I weighed the option of stopping him, considering I knew his pain hadn’t faded yet, but he just sprinted and rounded the corner before I could as much as step forward to halt him.
His racing footsteps faded in the darkness of Brooklyn seconds after, and all I could do was to sigh.
Angelo was so disinclined to let me help him. He had been helping me for so long already I wished I could retribute the favor one day.
Angelo
I ran on the cracked sidewalk after him. John promised me the guns. Why the hell was he running away from me? I zipped past by one light pole to the next, the wind kissing my cheeks and lifting the lower end of my leather coat.
Halting, I glanced at one side of the corner of the block, and then, at the other.
I found nothing. There were no signs of him. It was as if he had turned into a ghost or something like that.
A short, soft sound echoed, and I snapped my head in its direction. A wall stood a couple of feet from me. Behind it was a house. The windows of it had long been broken, and dust had settled in.
If it weren’t for the outlandish little noise, I wouldn’t have bothered to give it as much as a look.
But I knew t
hat shadow. It lasted nothing more than a second before dashing out of existence. I rushed to the door, tried it while throwing my weight against it, barged with my shoulder, but it didn’t budge.
Fuck.
That motherfucker wasn’t going to foil me now, and where was he going anyway?
I shot a look to the side and dashed to the half-broken window. Cutting myself or not by doing this, I was still going to do everything to get to him.
He guaranteed me the guns, after all, and I was going to have them one way or another.
I jumped through the window, rupturing it into pieces, and barrel-rolled before shooting my head up to take a long look around.
This was the living room, as I suspected it was. A solitary couch, worn by time, stood in the middle of it. The TV was an old Sony CRT model. No light bulb stood hanging from the ceiling, and there was a thick layer of dust all over the interior.
It was like having just trodden into the lair of an infestation of cockroaches, and the stench was just as bad.
I stood up as I tallied the seconds and trained my ears for any stray noise that might happen to occur. The house wasn’t big – it had nothing more than a couple of rooms, but I still needed to keep my guard up.
I chased John from Manhattan to here, and if I knew him well, he had a plan, and it wasn’t going to be good for me.
I lifted my arms over my head and challenged, weighing each of my words, “John, I only need the guns, and then, once this is over, you and I won’t have to talk again.”
Silence. He didn’t want to talk.
I continued ahead, making sure to catch any noise – anything that might give away his location. I was content I wasn’t panting anymore. I chased him through some blocks in my car before he finally crashed against a tree.
The woman in the house behind it had then shouted something in Russian, and neither of us had paid any attention to her.
To be honest, I couldn’t care less that we ended up ruining her endearing Japanese garden.
I put another foot frontward.
The wood creaked.
Through one of the doorways, John popped out, going as fast as he could, his Desert Eagle pointing at me, and pulled the trigger. The outcome of this flashed through my mind, and I thought that this was it.