But Daphne didn’t even begin to notice.
Her mind was a million miles away.
“Why does that tiger keep looking at me?”
“What tiger?”
He pretended to care, but all he could think of was the third degree burns her cup of coffee had inflicted on his tongue.
“In the window seal.”
Her brother’s Noah’s stuffed tiger lounged comfortably in the sunlight of the window with his white stuffing entrails hanging out for all to see. It had apparently been through hell and back, and wasn’t even remotely shaken.
Haiku was hiding a boner with a pink notebook and wincing from third degree burns on his tongue and her biggest problem was a spooky stuffed tiger!
Women. Apparently, they were all crazy.
Play along … just play along …. He coached himself.
Maybe she was joking, he thought.
But she wasn’t.
“Look at its eyes.”
It was clear to Daphne that it was one of those stuffed animals that had been reincarnated. Furthermore, it had been following her all over the house.
Lying on her bed, peering from her closet, even floating by itself in Noah’s leftover gray bathwater. He had apparently drowned it on numerous occasions during his bath, but its eyes were as alive as ever. They were tiny black eyes. They were so shiny they reflected light in the room from any and every direction. No matter where she moved, the eyes followed.
How could he not see that?
Now the mangled up tiger was nearly hanging in two pieces from the window.
“I think you’re brother’s trying to mess with you.”
“I hope so.”
She furrowed her brow with fear.
Haiku found it hard to believe she was serious.
“If it’s bothering you that much, I’ll take it home with me.”
“What if my brother gets mad?”
“If he notices, I’ll bring him back. And I promise to take good care of him, much better than Noah.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, she stuffed it down into Haiku’s book bag, pushing its head all the way to the bottom.
“There. Go with your new Daddy. Now don’t ever try to say I never gave you anything.”
“I would never say that.”
He was serious now, and Daphne’s face filled with pink color.
Haiku Makanura wasn’t sure why, but he felt like a different person from the moment he peered at her from around the Captain Crunch.
Was he in love?
His heart felt as if it would explode.
He was beginning to think his boner was permanent.
He was beaming with pride over rescuing her from a stuffed tiger.
It was all so ridiculous.
Now after an entire hour of pretending to study, her parents were on their way home and she was practically kicking him out the door.
Obviously, she didn’t feel the same way.
Dejected and defeated he tossed the book bag strap over his shoulder and headed back out into the real world – back to reality.
But something told him to look back, and when he did, everything in the entire world stopped for one moment. Everything in his life fell into place. Everything made sense.
She was watching him out the window.
She was watching him walk away.
She DOES feel the same way, he thought.
He resisted the urge to break out in a skip.
But she wasn’t looking at him.
She only saw the tiger.
As he disappeared into the distance, it’s mangled dirty head stuck straight out of the top of Haiku’s book bag – smiling – staring – and laughing the whole way.
YUKA MAKANURA
From the day Haiku arrived home from the Piggly Wiggly, Yuka Makanura knew something had drastically changed.
Haiku had always loved to fight, but that day he had a different glow in his eyes. He looked at her like a crazy person.
“Mom, what if I say to hell with school and just become an MMA fighter?”
Yuka Makanura couldn’t believe her ears. Her child was one of the smartest individuals on planet earth, and he wanted to make a living getting his beautiful brains beat in like a common thug.
He tried to keep her a secret, but Yuka was no dummy either. She read his text messages every night after he went to sleep.
It made her sick how filthy that girl could talk, and it was no wonder she had poor Haiku by the balls.
Though his father had abandoned them long ago, she had worked hard her entire life as a single mother just to make sure Haiku had a better life than she had. And was he grateful? No. Now there was no way she was letting some American bimbo come in and destroy all of their hard work.
All the sacrifices she’d made … All the millions of toenails she’d painted … All the calloused feet she’d sanded …
And although she would never have admitted it to Haiku, she had even been forced to work as a prostitute for two years to pay for the boat ride. All those disgusting men she’d had to sleep with … all those bad memories.
Now every time she looked at Haiku, she knew it wasn’t all for nothing, and she’d be damned if she let some bimbo take her one and only son away from her. She didn’t have much time and she didn’t have many resources, but she would spend every penny in her bank account to make sure Haiku would never see Daphne Delray again.
STERLING HEIGHTS BRIDGE
Sarah Battles drove over Sterling Bridge every day on the way to work for ten years, and not a day went by that she didn’t get the urge to jump in.
Sometimes she would slow her car, and just wonder. Would she change her mind at the last minute? Would it be too late?
In those days she knew she wouldn’t seriously do it, but today was different.
With the pearls clutched tightly in her hand she felt powerful.
Pressing on the accelerator she broke out into an evil laugh.
Fuck you, John. Fuck you. See how many hoes want you when you have to raise three kids by yourself asshole!
Kids?
She let up her foot a little.
I should tell the kids I love them first.
The phone rang in agreement.
It wasn’t her kids, though. It was John.
“Sarah, thank God you picked up.”
“I don’t want to talk to you, John.”
“Fine, don’t talk to me, but please come home. You have a visitor.”
She could tell it was a trick. He’d do anything to get her home. God, at the excuses she imagined he’d come up with.
“Yeah, I know we had a visitor, and what a lovely visit it was.”
“No, really. Daphne Delray is sitting in the living room.”
“I thought she was in jail.”
“She’s out on bond, and she’s been talking my ear off about some dream where she saw you drowning.”
“What the hell are you talking about John?”
Now the car was moving in slow motion, and she felt as if she were dreaming again.
She tapped the brakes.
“What does she want, John?”
“I don’t know, Sarah. I really don’t. Just please come home. I know you’re mad and you have every right to be. Just please don’t do anything stupid.”
She still held the pearls in her right hand. Knuckles white, she was squeezing the life out of them – the way she wished she could squeeze John’s neck.
What the hell was she thinking? She couldn’t kill herself over a douche bag like John.
“Fuck you, John. I’ll be home when I’m done fucking my new lover. He’s hung like a horse. He has rhythm.”
“Sarah, please don’t do anything crazy.”
“Don’t worry, John. You’re not worth it.”
She hung up as the car skidded smoothly to a perfect stop at the mouth of the bridge. And for the first time, she saw her life with perfect clarity.
He really wasn’t worth it.
“God, do you hear me? I’m ready. I’m ready to fight now!”
As if to answer the question, a car shot out of nowhere like a blue bullet and slammed into the side of her Prius like an oncoming train.
The tiny white car flipped three times, sailed over the side of the railing and sank slowly into the black blanket of water.
READY FOR TAKEOFF
Haiku felt pressure in his chest as the plane lifted his body off the ground. It was a smooth pressure, but so heavy he felt his hoagie sandwich do a fly kick in his stomach.
He knew it was ridiculous for a fighter to be scared of heights, but now Haiku the great warrior found himself clinging onto a stuffed tiger for dear life.
He could still remember her last words to him, “Don’t say I never gave you anything.” He never in a million years dreamt that little stuffed tiger would be all he had left of her.
From the moment he first saw her, he knew he would never let her get away, but now somehow he did. He did let her get away.
Now he was flying over an ocean for no reason wondering what the hell happened, and there was only one woman to blame – his mother.
“Why did you bring that stupid tiger?”
Yuka noticed how he carried it with him like a child.
Haiku ignored her.
Sometimes he hated her so much.
He’d finally found one shred of happiness in the dark world of shit she’d brought him into and she had she snuffed it out once again.
Even though he’d never met his father, he felt sorry for him. He wouldn’t have wished living with her on his worst enemy.
Would she finally stop torturing him now that he was clearly as miserable as she? That’s all she’d ever cared about – her own happiness.
“When are going home, Mom?’
He could see the clouds floating by his window. It was weird how the clouds were moving so slow, but the plane so fast.
“How can you want to go home already? We haven’t even made it there yet!”
“Excuse me, would you like some peanuts and a beverage?”
A tall stewardess with a heart-shaped face interrupted their argument with a cart of beverages.
“Yes, please. Ginger ale and peanuts.”
“And for you sir?”
“Sure thanks. I’ll have the same.”
Haiku flipped his tray down and propped his tiger atop it in sitting position. Unlike Daphne, he liked the way it looked at him, especially now that it was all he had left of her.
Yuka rolled her eyes.
Here we go again with the tiger.
Probably the soul of that whore hunting him down.
The stewardess carefully poured the carbonated beverage into the plastic cup.
Haiku watched the little bubbles for a little while, wondering what the hell his mother was up to. She had told him they were going on vacation to see their family in Japan, but she’d never mentioned family before.
Under ordinary circumstances he would have never got on that plane, but there was something in the back of his mind – a hope. He couldn’t help but to wonder if by family, Yuka meant his father.
The plane hiccupped, startling him out of his thoughts.
The tiger tipped over head first into the cup of ginger ale.
Yuka’s opened peanuts fell to the floor board.
“Crap,” she cursed.
It never ceased to amaze him. The plane could have been about to crash and his mother was cursing over peanuts.
“Ladies and gentlemen please keep your seatbelts fastened; we are making an emergency landing. There is a mild malfunction with our landing gear, and so we are not anticipating a smooth landing. Please brace yourselves.”
No longer worried about peanuts, Yuka squeezed Haiku’s hand.
With his other hand he pulled his tiger out of the ginger ale cup and tucked it under his armpit. Oddly enough, the ginger ale had turned the tiger’s head green. Probably typical for airline food.
“Ladies and gentlemen please brace yourself we are landing now.”
The plane knocked the ground with a stiff jolt. For Haiku, this was rather exciting, until he smelled the smoke coming from back.
“Please evacuate the plane immediately. This is an emergency. Do not remove items from the overhead. I repeat, EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY. All emergency exits are open!”
“I’m not leaving without my bag. I’ve got $3000 dollars in there.”
“Mom, no! Just go. We’ll get it later.”
Haiku pushed his mother into the main aisle where she quickly disappeared in the crowd. He was beginning to smell gasoline when finally a fat, bald man let merge into the main aisle.
The people poured out of every orifice of the plane in every direction.
“It’s gonna blow!” someone bellowed.
Haiku bounced down the slide and took off.
First he was running. Then he was flying.
The blast blew him away, sending him sailing headfirst into the hard pavement and rendering him deaf, dumb, and blind for several seconds.
Where’s Mom?
A rush of adrenaline reinstated his senses as he weaved in and out of all the terrified faces.
Frantically he searched.
No Yuka.
The flaming plane was as bright as the sun – nearly blinding. The thick, toxic smoke billowed, darkening the sky overhead.
Still no Yuka.
As Haiku approached the explosion, four firefighters quickly seized him.
“My mother’s still on the plane!”
“I’m sorry, son. There’s no one alive on that plane. We’ve already searched for survivors.”
Haiku could hear them talking, but it sounded like they were talking from so far away.
“Somebody get this kid on an ambulance. He’s in shock.”
A news guy walked toward him with gigantic camera as if he wanted some answers. To escaped, he allowed the paramedics to hoist him onto the stretcher. The ambulance sirens penetrated the night with no apologies.
Once aboard the ambulance, he was given an oxygen mask and an I.V. “Were there any people who didn’t get off the plane?” he asked through the oxygen mask.
“Only one lady. We tried to stop her, but she ran back for her luggage anyway.”
MARY BETH BRUNSON
Mary Beth Brunson remembered three moments in her life above all others.
One was the happiest, one was the saddest, and one was the most life-changing.
She could never forget the day her sweet Samuel looked into her eyes for the first time. She and her husband George had been married for five years and spent all five trying to have a child.
Finally, God made her wish come true the day she looked into her new baby’s eyes.
It was the most glorious day of her life, and all the pain and suffering of twenty-two hours of labor floated away in those blue eyes.
It was a boy, and George had always wanted a boy. He was her miracle – a little miracle she created just for her husband.
Those were the happiest days of her life, even happier than her perfect childhood.
Mary Beth had always lived such a sheltered life, with her parents taking her on trips to the beach house and to the theater. They always told her, “You’re a princess. Don’t ever accept anything less.”
That’s how she knew George Brunson was the one when he staggered up to her sorority dorm drunk.
Her sorority sisters wouldn’t even let him in.
He yelled from the street, “But that’s my princess! You can’t keep my princess from me!”
Her parents always told her that her prince was waiting for her, and that day she finally saw they were right.
Being that he was a bright young law student, her parents never said anything about his obvious drinking problem. George had only recently returned from military service and God knows what he had been through.
“If a man wants to drink, let him drink,” her father always told her. Why would
she fuss about George’s only Achilles Heel? Everybody had their problems. She knew that much, and she loved George more than life itself.
Her parents had always told her to save her virginity for someone who was worthy of her love, and she was so glad to find it worth the wait.
A decorated military officer, he was truly her night in shining armor. Not only did he provide a big house with a pool and every luxury a girl could imagine, but he always took her with him as he was stationed to military base after military base all over the world.
They had an incredible life and George made her every dream come true except one – a child.
After five years she was really beginning to get impatient. The doctors said something about her ovaries being tilted.
She didn’t give up, though. Month after month she checked the tests, but they were always negative.
George was starting to twitch in his sleep when Mary Beth finally realized her obsession was taking a toll on her marriage. In a last ditch attempt to feed her dream, she finally began looking at adoption agencies while they were stationed in Okinawa.
She thought George would be thrilled when she told him of her plans to adopt, but to her disappointment, he was devastated.
“Am I really not enough for you?”
Now he was drinking again.
Through tears she assured him that he was, but he didn’t believe her anymore, and he stormed out with a bottle in hand. It was the only night he’d ever left her.
She stayed up reading her Bible and praying all night. She asked God, “So many babies born to bad mothers … Could you not even spare one for me?
God answered her prayer that night. In her heart and in her mind, Mary Beth Brunson clearly heard the words, “Go take another pregnancy test.”
He was listening, and he did love her. She knew that much.
The next morning when George staggered in at 4 a.m. she couldn’t even be mad. No amount of drunken revelry on earth could have dampened that day.
“We’re pregnant,” she squealed and practically knocked him over as he was three sheets to the wind.
She had never before seen George cry, but that morning he did. He cried like a baby.
He told her he was so, so sorry for ever doubting her.
Soul Snake: Two Thrones, One Queen Page 7