Trapped with a Way Out

by Jeffery Martinez

  "Reports, paper work you don't have the authorization to read, Vincentimir." A glance at the time told the woman that it was not yet six o'clock. Begrudging the boy slightly, she changed the window on the screen and began to look up the morning's news reports instead. Vincent watched, enamored by the routine.

  "Why are you watching the news on your computer? You have a big-ass T.V. over there…" Richard frowned at his language, and Vincent paused to chew over what he was going to say next, to make sure that it didn't include curse words. "…and a…very comfortable couch. Why use MSN…?"

  "Because I prefer it." Richard cut in, watching the bar that told her the video was loading. "I can choose specifically what news story I want to hear and I won't be bothered by more than one fifteen second commercial at a time."

  Vincent blinked at the monitor as a commercial commanded the screen for a moment before fading away to reveal the news report. "Can I watch?"

  Richard couldn't come up with a reason why she would want to say no, so she nodded at her computer, giving the boy a careless, 'Sure, if you want to Vincentimir. But don't disturb me if you get bored'.

  Vincent smirked at her words, finding humor in her resolute expression of concentration. He watched the internet video, his arms resting on the desk as he leaned on it. NBC News…Egypt in Revolt…

  "Focused on looting…people are afraid….basic collapse of law and order….the army has been called in, but the soldiers have not been firing on protestors…government is allowing a degree of chaos to punish them…thousands of inmates were allowed to escape onto the streets…all allowed to happen to show an alternative to a strict state…if you protest, the alternative is chaos…"

  Egyptian-Americans…another video replaced the last.

  "Calls for Egypt political reform echoed a world away…information isolation left a terrible hole…what about my father, what about my family, what about my sister…boil over…especially the poor people that make up the majority, supply the animal instinct…"

  Richard had forgotten the boy as she clicked on a new video, also related the Egypt and the Middle East.

  "…we do not want to be on the wrong side of history…Egypt related Tweets…21st century revolution…didn't have anything until Tweeter and Facebook came along…impossible to suppress the views of their people now…military is critically important in Egypt now, you can see them in the streets taking order but embracing the demonstrations…they will oversee a democratic revolution…"

  A Boeing commercial came up, so Vincent took this chance to speak. "Is it like an American Revolution, or the Civil War, but…you know…in Egypt? And it's not about the colonies or the representation or slavery…it's about something else? Just government stuff? Do they not like their president?"

  The next video was already beginning, so Richard paused it so she could sigh and look at the boy, barely impressed by his broken knowledge, but still able to appreciate his thoughtfulness. "You're on the right track. There's no fighting, as of yet, only peaceful protests against the thirty year reign of their president, Mubarak. Mubarak is a democratically elected president, which, on the surface, seems innocent enough, but when one considers that their government runs as a one party system, this presidency takes on the form of a dictatorship… The citizens are also upset over other issues such as Egypt's inverted unemployment. In the US those who go to college and earn a degree tend to be employed while an individual who only has a middle school or high school education is more likely to be unemployed. People with a higher education only make up one and a half percent of the population that is currently unemployed in the US. But in Egypt, this is not the case. It's the opposite. Educated people find themselves in a position where they can't get jobs because there is simply no industry for them. Many of the college graduates leave the country in search of employment…but they would prefer to be able to find work in Egypt instead... If you watch and pay attention, you'll understand, Vincentimir."

  "I was paying attention." He mumbled back as her mouse clicked. "I didn't know that they were having a Revolution…or whatever…over there."

  "Shh."

  Dictatorship, Egypt, Arab world, vacation for one hundred years, has to play rapid catch-up, Mubarak…thirty years…okay, for sure that's their president. Vincent's brain began to fuzz as he continued to concentrate, trying to understand the familiar English language. He would hear the words but then they would slip away and he would try in vain to retrieve them while he struggled not to let the oncoming information escape him as well. But he did not have enough background to understand the significance of what was going on. How did this affect him? He had never heard of this problem before, hence, it was not important…was it? Muslim Brotherhood…it sounded like a gang to him…did they want two gangs to cooperate with one another to help rebuild their government? No. Then WHAT WERE THEY TALKING ABOUT? His brow furrowed as he helplessly frowned at the screen. The people in the nice suites and ties and their fancy tables and their book shelves and giant T.V. screens, made him feel stupid. Well, this was the government's problem. It was up to the elected politicians to deal with it. Even if he knew what was going on, he was in no position to do anything about it. Understanding anything about this, would only quench his curiosity and give him something to talk about with the Chief. But...he didn't get what was so important. Peace Treaty…like the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and the Treaty of Paris…peace, land, end of war…? He saw tanks but the protestors that, he thought, the tanks were supposed to be enemies with, were cheering the tanks on...and being friendly with the soldiers. Oh…Terror Threat to the United States…he knew about 9/11, and the Taliban, but what did this have to do with them? Was this discrimination against the people in the area? No. It didn't seem like it. A 21st century Revolution….moving quickly…that connected with Facebook and Twitter. Now they were looking at a video about the president of the United States… Vincent gave up, and set to watching and listening to the arguing news people. He couldn't pick up the purpose of their discussions, but that didn't matter. It was nice just listening to the news and watching the screen with Richard. She seemed to understand what was being said. That was good enough.

  As they continued to watch video after video, relating to different topics, William appeared by the three descending steps, her hand holding the edge of the wall so she could hang over the steps, leaning forward without the fear of falling.

  "Hi Mom. Hi Vincent, you're up early." Richard paused the internet video and gave her attention to the girl so she could tell her 'Good Morning'. Her daughter smiled, anticipating their reaction to what she was going to say. "I'm going to make some pancakes. How many do you guys want?"

  Pancakes? It's not Christmas, is it? Had he lost track of the days…? Vincent stared at William while Richard gave the question some thought.

  "I'll have two…if they're the medium sized ones, William. Can you put them on a plate and leave them at my spot on the table? I'll be there when I'm finished." She returned to her news, and then waited for Vincent to respond to the question so she could select play. But Vincent wasn't saying anything. He was just watching.

  William noticed, blinking expectantly. "How about you, Vincent? How many do you want?"

  Oh. "Two…I guess." Vincent flinched when the news blared from the computer speakers and William left. The teen searched for the time on the computer. It was passed six. Okay…now what? He didn't feel like watching the news reporter people anymore…could he leave? Or would the Chief be mad? But…why would she be mad? She probably wants him to go…

  "You can go or stay if you want, Vincentimir, but let Rodriguez sleep for a while longer…at least until breakfast is ready."

  She did want him to leave. "Okay…" Vincent watched the back of the woman's head, and then the glass door where the pool was. He wanted to go outside, but he felt like he shouldn't, so he wandered back to the steps and left the office. Might as well see how William was going to make them all pancakes... He hadn't watched someone make panc
akes…he hadn't had someone make him pancakes since he was ten, or even nine years old. He recalled the mix, the eggs and measuring cups, water, milk, and the frying pan… The teen followed the sound of opening and closing cabinets and the clang of a pan hitting the stove top, so he soon found himself standing by the counter with the hanging lights, where Rodriguez had been studying one night. He watched as William measured out the ingredients and mixed them in a large metal bowl. A few minutes sneaked by before she gasped, discovering the spy when she closed the refrigerator doors. Recovering, William laid the milk carton on the counter and unscrewed the pink cap. She smiled at the mixing bowl when she poured some of the white liquid into it.

  "I make awesome pancakes."

  I'm glad you're proud of that…Vincent's mouth twitched, unable to decide if this girl annoyed him or not. As he watched, William moved the bowl to a different counter so he could see what she was doing. Okay, mixing…now checking on the pan…somehow it was kinda boring. Not at all like how his mom used to make pancakes. With her, it had been fun and exciting. He felt no excitement when he watched William…it was only slightly interesting. He moved around to a stool and sat down as William poured out a half cup of batter onto a pan…but it wasn't really a pan. It was big and flat…what was it called? A grill? No. A…skillet? Maybe. That sounded okay. The big black rectangle thing was a skillet. Whatever, he wasn't a cook…he was a guy, it didn't matter if he knew the name or not.

  "Do you want blueberries in your pancakes, Vincent?" William asked the boy as she held a transparent box of berries in her hand. She had made two pancakes at the same time…Vincent assumed that they were for the Chief.

  "Okay." The girl whipped around and cheerily poured some more batter onto the skillet and then began to stick berries into the pancakes. That was a weird way to do it, Vincent frowned, but then felt bad when the girl hummed and chatted to herself….or maybe she was talking to him, he couldn't really tell. William was being nice, and here he was getting annoyed. He sighed and closed his eyes, opening them to view the marble counter top beneath his nose.

  "Do you play any sports Vincent?"

  A twinge of pain stabbed into the boy, but he ignored it, keeping his eyes on the counter after glancing at the girl. "No."

  "Then what do you like to do?"

  "I don't know…" He muttered back, but William was not to be deterred.

  "Well," She smiled at the pancakes, exaggerating the word. "…I like to swim and I used to really like gymnastics, but ever since…" She stopped, blushing slightly as she caught herself. The girl looked at her chest and chewed her lip, flipping over a pancake to distract herself. Yeah…those had made the floor routine a challenge. She cleared her throat to continue. "Since I got to the high school level, I stopped. I was…too tall." She pressed the spatula on a pancake. "How about you? Do you like swimming, or football…soccer or something?"

  Vincent didn't say anything so she looked back at him while she waited for the pancakes to cook. "Vincent?" She began to frown, but she recalled the night before and her eyes flew open with another gasp she turned into a beaming smile, startling Vincent who stared at her. "Oh yeah! You like to play the piano, I forgot, sorry. How long have you been playing? Do you still take lessons? Because a lot of people stop taking lessons when they're your age…"

  His mother had started teaching him how to play when he was three and a half…and his lessons had stopped when she died…so that was seven…no, six and a half years? "I took lessons for a little over six years. I started when I was about three and stopped when I was ten."

  William frowned, unable to make sense of why he had stopped if he liked playing so much. "Why did you stop?"

  "Just did…no reason." Red was directed to the counter.

  "But if you liked it, actually liked it, then you should have continued, Vincent. Why would you stop…? You can't just be like, oh I'm good enough, and then stop…"

  "I stopped because I moved in with my uncle and he didn't have a piano and I didn't have the money to pay for lessons." Vincent cut in to stop the girl before she succeeded in making him mad. It wasn't her fault…she just didn't know.

  "Oh." William was stiff as she tried to take the pancakes off of the heat and transfer them over to a plate where she planned on stacking them all so they wouldn't get cold as quickly. "I'm sorry." I forgot he was poor…William' lips quivered as she was overcome with guilt. "I'm really sorry, Vincent. I didn't mean it…I take it back. It's not your fault."

  "I got it…I got it, Female Rodriguez. Just calm down. You're gonna spill the pancake glop everywhere." William poured the measuring cup of batter onto the skillet and refilled it again while Vincent watched. He didn't realize he was carrying on the conversation. "How long have you been playing the piano?"

  "Oh, um…" William lifted the spatula as one of her fingers flicked her cheek, trying to think past her guilt. "My mom got me started when I was five and I stopped taking lessons when I graduated from high school."

  "Do you like it?"

  "Yup." The girl chirped brightly and checked to see if the pancakes were browning properly. She stuffed another blueberry into one.

  "You ever thought of becoming a pianist? A concert pianist?"

  Now William was smiling at the compliment she found in Vincent's words, and in his social mood. "No, but thank you. I don't think I'm good enough to become a professional pianist." A giggle slipped passed her lips and then she sighed, flipping a pancake while Vincent watched the side of her face, and then the circled pancakes.

  "What do you plan on being then, after college?"

  "I'm not completely sure…but I might just enroll in the police academy and follow my Mom's footsteps." William spun on her heals suddenly, holding the dangerous spatula like a gun, aimed at Vincent. A smug smile showed her white teeth when Vincent gave her a peculiar look. "So you better watch out, Vincent, because one of these days I might arrest you." She laughed after the joke, moving the spatula harmlessly through the air and beaming when she received a crooked smirk from the teen. It was fun making Vincent smile, she decided, and focused on her pancakes for a while, putting on the next batch. Minutes blinked by on the microwave's mini black screen, noted by William who had finished off the batter and was beginning to clean up some of the mess she had made. "Hey Vincent, can you go wake up my lazy brother and tell him to set the table? Tell him he also has to remember to get the drinks out too."

  "Alright." Vincent slipped off of his stool, spinning the revolving seat as he left the kitchen, and then stretched his arms over his head, trying to crack his back as he walked over to the carpeted staircase. Releasing his arms with a deep breath, he jogged up the steps and pulled on the end of the rail to help propel himself down the hall towards the jock's room. After a rapid knock hit the door, Vincent casually waltzed in and went to Rodriguez's bed, smirking at the sleeping lump. A lonely pillow was very handy in this situation as it successfully managed to wake up the blonde teen when Vincent smacked the deflating object onto his sideways face. Rodriguez gasped, eyes snapping open as he jumped out of his sleep, turning over and sitting stupidly with his mouth open. He groaned and threw himself onto his warmer pillow, throwing aside the colder one that had come to cover it, and he mumbled into the soft fabric.

  "Go away, runt. I'm sleeping…."

  Vincent stared at the boy and found an uncovered foot. He grabbed it and began to tug and pull the teen out of bed, causing Rodriguez to yell in surprise and come close to falling off his mattress. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He demanded angrily, grabbing at his sheets to keep himself where he was.

  "Pancakes." Vincent dropped Rodriguez's foot, and a confused face looked back at him. The pale boy smirked. "Your sister made pancakes and you have to set the table and remember to get the drinks. The longer you wait, the colder they'll be…and they have little blueberries in them too."

  "Oh…" Rodriguez blinked, his face split by a yawn a second latter. He got up and shook his head a bit to dislodge his remaining fatigue
. "Okay…" Green shot a glare at Vincent who was quietly laughing at the blonde. "Don't do that again…wake me up like a normal person, alright?" He sighed when his growl was dissipated by the chuckles coming from the departing figure. He got up and followed Vincent down the stairs, grumbling when he had to set the table, though Vincent helped him out with the plates and knives. Because Rodriguez had to get the maple syrup, he forgot about the drinks. At least…that was his excuse when William reprimanded him mockingly and pointed towards the kitchen.

  "I even got Vincent to remind you, Andy-Alex, but you still forgot? Maybe we should write it down on your plate every meal, and then you'd remember, most of the time."

  "Oh, be quiet." The teen muttered back, stifling a yawn. Richard was not yet seated at the table, so Vincent and William were alone again, for the moment. But Rodriguez soon reappeared and he passed around the orange juice, cranberry juice, and finally the milk after he finished pouring himself a glass. He eyed Vincent's cranberry juice as he gulped down some of the milk. "You should really drink the milk instead…it's better for you."

  Vincent chewed on a piece of pancake, not having bothered to put butter or syrup on it. He was unscrewing the cap for the syrup as he spoke. "I don't like milk."

  "You should drink it anyway."

  "But I don't like it."

  "But you should still drink it anyway."

  "Eat your pancakes and leave me the hell alone, nosey fat ass."

  "You're so rude…" Rodriguez sniped back, but then stuffed some of the soft, sugary breakfast cake into his mouth. Vincent looked down at his pancakes and paused. He stared at them for a while.

  "There are faces…on my pancakes."

  William smiled at the teen's blank expression. Rodriguez noticed as well.

  "They always have faces, Vincent. My sister makes pancakes out of people."

  "Alex!" William frowned in disgust while Vincent chuckled and took a bite that contained an 'eyeball'. He swallowed.

  "Now we're all cannibals."