Chapter 78
I feel it.
It's just as I was thinking.
I walk out of the building huddled up in my long black coat, I raise the hood over my head, the wind has picked up again. There seams to be a very particular fenomenon in this city, or in this area of the city. As soon as the clock turns to 5:00 pm, the wind pickes up and sweeps the street, it really doesn't matter what day it is or what season, this always happens. I've lived here for almost a year now, and I usually go to work around this time of day. The club opens at 6:00 so I have to be there earlier to get ready and to find out my schedual.
I walk to the corner store ready to shell out some cash to get descent food. I'll miss Alice's cooking and her taking care of me, chiding me about eating to little or making me eat and extra serving or take and extra piece of pie or browny. Yeah, her brownies are deadly you definitely can't just have one. I'll miss them. I'll miss David's cute little giggles, and his curiosity, the way he would hold my hands with his chubby little fingers, the way he loves his baby sister, he's a great older brother, he helps Alice take care of Dallas, and they way he looks at Jasper, like he's his heroe.
Dallas is the most beautifull baby girl I've ever seen, she is a very sweet baby, Alice and Jasper are lucky to have her and to be able to have eachother.
The wind blows my hair agains my face, it goes inside my hood and flings it over my eyes and mouth. I try to hold in behind my ear and I move faster. As soon as I'm inside the old little corner store, the lady behind the register smiles at me. She doesn't speak a word of English, she looks at me with narrowed eyes, her bad black died hair looks too harsh against her pale skin, instead of contrasting and making her look good she looks sickly, sallow even. Her small eyes and crocked nose make her look older. She wears old ratty clothing that smell of marihuana and incense. The fit of her chilly sauce stained shirt is probably one or two sizes too small for her frame and the skin of her belly and back hang bellow the hem. Her jeans are thight, too thight that the seams on the side of her legs look like they are about to burst as she sits on the small stool.
I go around the store filling my arms with the essencials, breat, butter, mayonasse, toilet paper, a can of beans, a gallon of fresh water and a half gallon of milk, I walk to the register and carefully put everything on the glass case, I ask for some eggs, cheesse and a jam. She moves sluggesly to get my order ready. I wait patiently for her. Her husband comes in to the store, his eyes roam my body. I'm always covered up. He can't see anything, the only skin I'm showing is from my face and hands. He smiles still staring at me. I look up to see his bloodshot eyes. He reaks of pot. I see it in his stand and his lazy smile. There kids are in the back I hear them arguing, there oldest is slapping someone. Then I get a glimpse of dirty sticky curls, and small eyes, his skin is light but covered in a sheen of sweat and dirt. He's wearing a t=shirt a dipper and that's it.
He smiles at me from his place next to his mother's leg. He's holding a toy car, it's broken and old, but he holds it thightly to his chest. I wave my hand hesitantly and he smiles wider, he looks to my right as if he's looking for something. He leans away from his mother to get a better look, but when I turn to see to where his gaze has gone, I fell a tugging on the hem of my coat, I look down to my right to find another little boy, this one with short cropped light blond hair, his face also dirty and smudged, he wears a spiderman t-shirt and ratty and wholey jeans, his feet are bear and dirty. He smiles at me and whispers.
-"Oscar, metete cabron"- I hear the male slurring voice. They little boy looks to where his father stands waiting to hit him as he passes, he turns to me and pulls on my arm so that I bend down to his leavel. I kneel on there dirty floor and look into his eyes, he moves my face with his small dirty hands and whispers in my ear:
-"Sigue contigo, no te quiere dejar. Dice que esta preocupado por ti. No lo vuelvas a hacer, te quiere mucho, pero te va a dejar. No lo hagas otra vez"-
He has a little lisp and he talks so fast and my Spanish is not too good to undestand him, he is small and thin, he's eyes move around my form as if looking towards someone that isn't there. I know what he's trying to see. I stand quickly and rubb his head lovingly. He smiles at me and walks towards his father who's staring at me with a confused face.
I shy away from his stare and move closer to where the woman shows me the add up of my purshes and I pay her.
I walk back to the apartment, the wind has let out.
TRANSLATIONS:
^^ -"Oscar, metete cabron"- = Oscar, come back inside, motherfucker"-
"Sigue contigo, no te quiere dejar. Dice que esta preocupado por ti. No lo vuelvas a hacer, te quiere mucho, pero te va a dejar. No lo hagas otra vez"- = He is still with you, He says he's worried about you, Don't do it again, he loves you very much but he's going to leave you. Don't do it again.