Water

"Leorio!"

Alda Paladiknight's shout, closer to the roar of a lion than to the voice of a human, called out for her son. "Take your share of bottles and follow your sisters right away! The water truck is here." she urged him, hands on her hips, expression stern but not particularly threatening. "Quickly! The bottles are in the kitchen."

She watched as her youngest son sprinted before her from his daydreams and pulled his undershirt over his head, and she followed him as he snatched the bottles from the kitchen and shot out of the apartment. "Don't you dare drop any of it, you hear me?"

The little boy ran through the streets, the cool morning breeze blowing through his undershirt, and once he spotted his two sisters, he skipped towards them, balancing the empty bottles under his arms. His sister Leen smiled at him, pumping her still empty bucket against her knees.

There were many people huddled together around the truck, waiting for their share of water; there was no queue and no order, people shouted, argued, pushed one another out of the way, and shoved their empty containers in the trucker's face.

Leorio, being a small, lean fellow, slid among the crowds, taking the lead before his sisters, raising the bottles he carried over his head, sidestepping feet and daftly avoiding wild hand movements. People really forget themselves whenever the water truck arrives, and he knew no one is gonna help if he fell or injured himself, and so the conduct was to always look unfazed and act it. No survival for pushovers, that's what his mom says.

The water trucker lifted his head after closing the faucet to one of the water tanks, and his eyes widened in delight. "Oh boy you sure keep sprouting up!" he laughed, taking one of bottles from Leorio's hand and sticking its neck under the faucet. "Every time I see you you're a bit taller than before. You're as tall as me now!" Leorio grinned, taking one full bottle and handing the man another. "But you see, I'm a short man!" Leorio rolled his eyes while the guy laughed at a joke he had already said five times before.

The man gave him the bottle and took the last one from his smaller hands, and Leorio watched as clean water cascaded down his bottle, filling it to the brim. After his load was filled, he balanced one under his armpit, and carried the other two clutched between his fingers. He stood to the side, waiting for his sisters to get their turn so they can go back together.

The water truck, driven by Mr. Su, came once every week, and it's the only time when people probably appreciated having many family members. More people meant more water for a single household, and that was never a bad thing. You had to be strong enough and fast enough and daft enough to get more water than the rest, but that hardly meant that you could spend an entire week in the bliss of water security. The last two days before a week ended were always difficult, especially when there was not enough water to clean or wash or even drink, sometimes.

That's why, when a familiar man with a mellow face appeared behind the crowds, Leorio ran to him. "Mr. Tono!"

The man graced him with a bright morning smile. "Good morning Leorio." He balanced a heavy-looking bucket with a hand that already held a large can to pat the boy's head. "How are you today?"

"Do you need help?" Leorio offered enthusiastically. "I can carry one more bottle."

To make sure the man believed him, he carefully moved a bottle from one hand to the other, waving his now free hand in the other's face.

Mr. Tono shook his head. "No it's fine, you're already carrying a lot."

"No it's alright." Leorio insisted. "I'm strong see?" he flexed the muscles in his free arm, and that got him a delighted guffaw from the man in front of him.

"You're strong alright. Here, carry this one, it's Pietro's bottle."

Leorio knew not to ask where the man's son was, because he already knew the answer, but that didn't stop him from eagerly taking the bottle and walking back to the crowds around the water truck. Once he was finished, he held on to his four bottles and waited for Pietro's dad to emerge from the crowds, even when his sisters, now also finished, passed by him, throwing him knowing, pointed glances. Leorio ignored them and waited a bit more.

"So, your sister is leaving tomorrow, huh." Mr. Tono said.

Leorio nodded, walking by the man's side. "We'll get to visit her in the city, so that's really great."

He glanced at the bucket and the plastic can in the man's hands, and his mouth automatically curled downward into a sad scowl. "I'm sorry I can't come with you today, I have to help in the house."

Pietro's dad waved him off. "Don't apologize for nothing. Pietro knows you're busy." He looked down, smiling at the boy at his side. "You're a very good boy, Leorio. I truly appreciate your presence by Pietro's side, he's always better when you're around."

That made Leorio feel awful instead of good. He hadn't been around for several days now, busy with the affairs of his newly-wed sister. He really wanted to see his friend, but he felt a responsibility towards his family and knew that Pietro wouldn't really mind. It still hurt a little, though.

"Go now, I'll carry the water." The man said, not leaving a chance for Leorio to object before taking the bottle from his hand.

Leorio frowned. "Are you sure? I can carry it."

"No your mom needs you, now go." He walked ahead, nodding to Leorio since he couldn't wave. "Stay strong kid, goodbyes are very hard affairs."

Leorio stared at the man's back as he swerved inside an alley and away from the boy's sight. Leorio quickened his pace, wanting to catch up with his sisters before they arrived to the house, and when he saw the long brown braid of Salma, he ran towards it.

His second eldest sister shot him an annoyed glance once he fell in step beside them. "Didn't mom tell you to stop hanging out with that man?"

He shrugged. "I was just helping, he was carrying all the water by himself."

Leen huffed. "We carry the water by ourselves too I don't see you helping us."

He didn't know what to say to that. His mom really didn't like Pietro's dad, and no matter how much Leorio reasoned with her about it, she was firm in her beliefs about the man.

Leorio was twelve now, he was old enough to notice things he had been blind to when he was younger, he was old enough to be more aware of people and their words and actions, of the meaning of their different attitudes, and his mother respected that to the point where she was pretty straightforward with him about why Mr. Tono wasn't the best company. He understood her reasons, on some level, but he didn't obey her, and felt no small amount of guilt for valuing his immediate experience over her motherly concerns. She let him off the hook sometimes only because of Pietro, since no matter how much she huffed and buffed, she actually liked the boy, and was genuinely distraught and sad over his situation.

Salma waved to the old woman sitting in front of her house. "Hey Mrs. Vern."

The old lady sucked at her cigarette, unimpressed by the three children walking past her, gazing at the water containers burdening them. "Tell your parents about the rent, it's been a week already."

Salma replied with an awkward, ashamed nod, and shot her younger siblings glances urging them to walk faster toward the staircase. Leorio skipped quickly to hide behind Leen, shielding himself from the woman's cold blue eyes.

When they were away from her stare, Leen chuckled. "She's really cranky today, right Salma?"

Leorio giggled at the comment, but Salma didn't answer, she was climbing the stairs ahead of them, her arms burdened with the heaviest load. She kicked the apartment's door open and hurried toward the kitchen, dumping her load and zipping to the room where they all slept.

He left his mom and Leen talking about something while he followed his sister to the room, finding it a good moment to share some of the candy he bought with the few extra Jennies he had on him the other day. However, when he entered the room, his eyes met angry ones red with tears.

"Get the fuck out." She hissed at him.

Leorio considered leaving her but then decided against it, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him. "I have candy." He whispered, pulling the rounded treats from his pocket and offering them to her.

Her eyes grew wide and furious. "You dumb idiot." She groaned. "They're going to kick us out of the house and you go and buy candy like we have money."

The gravity of the situation didn't pass entirely over his head, yet he ignored her comment and sauntered closer towards her. "So? That's my own money I earned it myself."

The unintended implications of his own comment, however, did escape him. He only realized how it hurt his sister when she violently shoved him away from her. Only then did it hit him.

Salma has lost her job, a week ago when the lady she worked for left the neighborhood to settle somewhere else, and since then she couldn't look their mother in the eye. She's been adamant about finding another job, but there were so little a girl can do in a poverty belt surrounding the city, other than go to the city itself, that is, and their mother refused to even consider that idea, no matter how much Salma was capable and self-reliant.

Nothing scared his mother more than the city. She could barely handle one daughter permanently going there, much less two, especially one who lacked the security of a husband and a house.

Salma was his favorite sister. Just like him, in both appearance and disposition. Prideful, easy to anger, quick to forgive, and ridiculously prone to tears. It seemed one comment about unpaid rent was enough to prick and slash at her. Another comment about Leorio, a twelve year old, being able to make his own money while she, an eighteen year old -and his big sister- couldn't, also hurt her.

Still, Leorio nudged the handful of candy towards her. "I'm sorry. After Arcilla leaves tomorrow, I'll look for a job with you, ok?"

Salma regarded him for a moment, her eyes, a little darker than his, browner than his, glinted with unshed tears. "Idiot." She took a piece of candy from his hand. "Promise to never buy this shit again. It's unnecessary and we don't need it."

Leorio shrugged, watching her pop the sugary pink ball in her mouth. "It really puts you in a good mood though."

She wiped her tears, swallowing a giggle before it escaped. "Yeah it does."

The two grinned at each other, one a reflection of the other, and hid their candy when their mother's impatient, loud uttering of their names jolted them to the kitchen to help.

It was going to be a long day.