We climb up
the
steps and
There is glitter on the floor.
A yellow leaf enters alongside us and the wind. As the doors close
The smells, of butter chicken and farts and chocolate and juice
Suffocate us, or at least me, as I hold mother’s hand
Stiff, with bruises that still have dark red and blue blood inside just dying to seep out at any
moment.
The world starts moving before our eyes.
Mother’s eyes are red, and I see silent tears quietly tiptoing down her face
Like their life depends on such stealth.
She notices my gaze and claims she has a cold
But she has had a cold most of the year now
“Everything will be okay. I am okay.” she has always claimed.
Dad is at work, and I was supposed to be at school
But mother said to pack my bag and take my most dearest things.
No one else has the amount of bags we do. Sure, there are teenagers with their backpacks,
businessmen with suitcases, and toddlers with their cute hello kitty and bluey bags
While we have a wheely, my mother’s purse, and a backpack each behind our backs.
I ask mother, “Is our stop nearby?”
And she says “Not quite” as she blows her nose.
I check my Sonic watch from time to time which is
The only gift of dad’s mother allowed me to bring.
I can feel my butt sting, and my legs are asleep
My stomach roars loudly.
I unzip her purse to find a mouse for this lion of mine
And find one that fits in the palm of my hand, with an orange spotted jumpsuit and a tiny green
hard hat. It is pretty shriveled up but still kind of plump, and I look to mother for permission to
unwrap it
She nods and I open it like one does a present on christmas day.
I peel off the tangy suit, little by little
But I am quite slow, and before I can peel off the last layer my mother’s phone rang.
The caller name is “Hubby”, dad’s nickname mom calls him,
I looked at her face, which was pale, and her eyes wide like she just saw a ghost
After escaping a cemetery to her home.
I wanted her to pick up the call. I wanted to know if dad will still throw me a birthday party at
the alley like we talked about. I wonder if he knew where we were. I wanted to tell him mother
and I were on an adventure to grandpa’s house.
I didn’t say a thing though. Mother was shaking and put her phone in her purse. She quickly
Zipped it and told me to continue peeling the clementine. I peeled it
Faster this time. Mother and I each took seven kidney-shaped pieces.
Mother looked out the window in front of us, then at the screen by the entrance
“We are about to reach” she told me, some of her colour coming back.
I held my water bottle with one hand and my mom held her wheely tightly. We held each others’
Hands with our free ones, and when the world stopped moving, we walked out
Past the smells of juice, chocolate, farts and butter chicken,
Past the bunches of legs,
Through the refreshing breeze flooding in the open doors,
Down
The
Steps
To grandpa’s house.
Aaira's Life 