by DK Andrews
pretty woman with strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes answers the door.
“Good evening.”
“Um…” I get very shy around people, especially adults.
“Are you Micah’s sister?” the woman asks with a smile.
“Um…Yes, I’m—”
“Oh great! I’m Christina,” she says, extending her hand to me.
“I’m Alina,” I say as our hands meet.
“Very nice to meet you darling, please come in.”
Nobody has ever called me “Darling” before—it’s bizarre.
The home is warm, and I can’t help but breathe in the delicious aroma of food coming from the kitchen.
As soon as Micah sees me, he runs to me and wraps me in his little arms. I hold him tight. All the bad memories of today fade away; I want to forget the Mentior, Elaine, and Gloria, pretend nothing has happened. I have everything I need right here in my arms.
“Lina!” he shouts, delighted.
“I’m here, my sweetheart,” I say as I run my fingers through his hair.
“Hi,” I say, turning to the boy behind Micah. “You must be Bennett, “I’m Alina.” He smiles shyly and runs into the kitchen to find his mom.
“Did you have fun?” I ask.
“Yeah, it was fun. We did our homework too,” Micah answers proudly.
I’m very pleased—he’s got a friend. I never had any. I was always bullied throughout school. All I wanted was to avoid everyone; I only expect the worse from people. May be that’s why God has been punishing me for so long.
“Are you guys hungry?” Christina calls from the kitchen. Whatever she’s cooking smells so delicious that my mouth is watering. I never learned how to cook, and even if I had, we never have groceries in the house for long anyway. Micah and I survive on sandwiches and dry noodles.
I can see that Micah is hungry—the small lunch that I’d made for him this morning isn’t enough for his growing body.”
I’m hesitant to answer.
“Don’t be shy! I’ve made plenty of food,” Christina sweetly calls from the kitchen.
“Yes, Micah! Stay!” Bennett screeches as he runs back into the living room and sits down next to us cross-legged on the carpet.
“Can we stay Alina?” Micah asks quietly. I can’t resist his beautiful green eyes and their pleading look. Plus, I should try to enjoy my last days—I know tomorrow will be another terrible session inside that machine, so why not get some pleasure today.
“Sure, we can stay,” I call back to Christina.
“Dinner will be ready in five minutes,” Christina says, as she walks into the room.
I follow her to the kitchen. “Christina, I was wondering if by any chance Micah can use your bathroom.”
“Of course, it’s down the hall on the left” Christina nods towards the long corridor.
“Thank you,” I respond.
I go back to the living room and get Micah. I know it’s very rude, but I have no choice. We have no water at home, and Micah can’t go to school dirty.
We sneak quietly in into the bathroom. God, we are lucky there’s a shower. I tell Micah to get in the shower quickly and wash himself as quickly as he can.
“Just use that towel, OK?” I point to a small pink towel that’s hanging on the rails beside the shower. “I’m sure it’s clean.” I let the water run for him and leave the bathroom.
I wait outside the room, terrified that we will be caught. I have no doubt that Christina would think we were crazy and kick us out of her cozy home if she found out I see Christina coming down the hall.
God no!
“What are you guys doing?” she asks.
We’ve been caught! I figure since I don’t have that long to live, I might as well tell the truth.
“Micah’s taking a shower,” I say, shrugging.
“I see,” Christina says, stunned. “Did he have an accident or something?”
“No,” I say. “It’s just, you see, we don’t have any water at home right now, and I don’t want Micah to go to school dirty.” I don’t really care about myself; I can stink up this world and Dr. Kismen’s office as much as I want.
“What a shame!” Christina says sympathetically. “You are both welcome to take a shower here anytime! I’ll bring you some clean towels.” She gets two clean towels from the linen closet in the hallway and hands them to me. I’m just holding back my tears. Why am I so emotional? My period must be coming. This is the second time today someone has shown me what kindness is.
“After Micah is done, you go ahead, and we’ll wait for you,” Christina says as she turns and heads back to the kitchen.
When I hear Micah turn off the shower, I knock on the door and give him the fresh towel.
After he is done, I jump into the shower. For the first time in my life, I am not worried that someone might stumble into the bathroom and scream at me. I am enjoying the warm water, taking in each drop with my skin. I fill my mouth up with water and keep it open, then I pretend to be a beautiful fountain statue as I spit it out in a stream. I’ve never taken pleasure in the small things before, but now I am enjoying something as taking a shower. I wipe my face and notice the bracelet on my wrist; it reminds me that tomorrow will be another horrendous day at Ultima. The Mentior will make sure to point out that my life is just one big mistake. I finish my shower, dry off, dress and put my long hair into a ponytail. I walk down the hall and see Christina, Micah, and Bennett sitting at the dining table, waiting for me. For a quick moment, I forget about Ultima, Gloria, Elaine, and feel happy. This is how a family should be—a home cooked meal, children’s laughter, and a caring, affectionate mother.
I stand by the table and take in this moment. This might be the last time I see Micah so happy.
“Come on, Alina, sit down,” Christina says.“How was your shower?”
I pull out a chair and sit next to Micah.
“The shower was great, thank you.”
I stare down at the plate in front of me. The appetizing chicken makes me drool. I can’t wait to try the mashed potatoes and vegetables. Everything just smells so delicious.
“OK, guys, please start eating, otherwise it will get cold,” Christina says with a smile.
Micah and I glance at each other and then dig into our food.
Micah and I finish first, of course, and then we all talk and joke around, while Christina and Bennett finish their meal. After dinner, I help Christina with the dishes. This seems so normal, so natural. The happiness I feel is truly simple. Not once throughout dinner did I think about Gloria or Elaine, or about Ultima.
“How are you guys getting home?” Christina asks while handing me the last plate to dry.
“We’ll walk, it’s still light out.” I check the time; it’s getting close to eight o’clock.
“Are you sure? It might be a little dangerous, no?”
Little did she know that Micah and I walk around our neighborhood way past eight o’clock nearly every night. Sometimes we walk all night, just to get away from Gloria and her drunken buddies. I hate all of them; they always bother Micah and me, coming to our room and waking us, inviting us to the party…so we usually choose to sneak out and get away to the safety of the streets at night. At least it helps keep Micah safe from all the horror.
“I can drive you home, Alina. It’s not a problem.” Her offer is kind, but I don’t want her to drive us home—I don’t want her to see Gloria, who might be smoking outside on the front porch in the dark. Christina doesn’t need to know about our pitiful life.
“We’ll be fine,” I say politely.
“OK, well, let me at least give you my cell number just in case you guys get lost or something,” she jokes.
“Thank you,” I say. “Thank you for everything Christina—for the delicious dinner and the shower.” I want to hug her.
“Anytime.”
“Christina, would it be possible for Micah to spend a few hours at your place tomorrow, too? I’m very sorry to ask, it’s ju
st that I’m in the process of…finding work.” I try to avoid an eye contact with her.
“Absolutely! That’s not a problem at all. It’s great having Micah here. Bennett really enjoys his company,” Christina says.
I smile at her and get Micah ready to go.
We leave their house and walk down the street. I want to take Micah on the scenic route back to our house. I know a little park down the street overlooking a pond where we can watch the sunset. We walk on the park’s narrow path and are surrounded by trees. They are changing colors already. Fall is the most beautiful time of the year. I love to watch the leaves dance in the fresh, crisp autumn wind—they are so carefree.
As we walk, Micah tells me excitedly about his day at school and how much fun he had with Christina and Bennett. I smile at him and see his beautiful eyes sparkle.
We find the bench that overlooks the skyline as the sun is about to set.
We sit quietly, both enjoying this moment. My heart fills up with care and love for Micah. I’m going to miss him so much. I gently clasp his face in my hands and give him a kiss on his forehead.
“I love you, Micah,” I whisper.
“I love you too, Lina,” Micah replies, kissing me on the cheek. His kiss is so soft. The wind is playing with my clean hair; I love the smell of the shampoo.
It takes us 30 minutes to walk back to our house. I don’t want to see Gloria—I despise her even more now after my first Mentior session and the memories of how much she hated me when all I wanted was her love.
I tell Micah to be quiet, so I can hear what’s happening inside the house. I only hear the TV, so I signal Micah to come up behind me and take his small hand