Blood Brothers
Chapter 11
When I arrived home, I knew I had to do something to release all of the pent-up emotion I felt from listening to their conversation. As usual, the only thing I was able to do when I was upset was write, so I wrote a quick poem about Alicia.
There’s a girl inside the woman
Who’s waiting to get free
She’s washed a million dishes
She’s always making tea.
They think she’s just a mother
With nothing left inside
Who swapped her dreams for drudgery
The day she was a bride.
But the dreams were not forgotten
Just wrapped and packed away
In hopes that she could take them out
And dust them off one day.
I smiled a little as I wrote, hoping I was right about her. There seemed to be some kind of spark left in her, though I had no way of knowing what it was.
There’s a girl inside the woman
And the mother she became.
And a half-remembered song comes to her lips again.
The girl would sing the melody
But the woman stands in doubt
And wonders what the price would be
For letting the young girl out.
After an hour or two, I decided to go for a walk and do some thinking about everything. The weather was still nice outside, and there was a park not far away. I took a few slices of bread for the ducks, grabbed my iPod, and left. I walked at a slow pace, letting thoughts run through my mind with no specific direction or purpose. Once I reached the park, I sat down at a bench next to the pond and threw a few crumbs of bread to the waiting birds. They happily gobbled them up and waddled around to search for more.
Through the quiet song I was listening to, I heard a girlish giggle nearby and inwardly groaned, hoping it wasn’t two teenagers who wouldn’t be able to keep their hands off of each other. I was about to stand and keep walking when I saw Alicia out of the corner of my eye.
With Frank.
“I don’t know how I could thank you for everything you’ve done for us,” she said happily. He pulled her into a hug, also smiling.
“You’re my friend, Ali. I’d do anything to help you.”
The song changed to a quiet piano melody. I was startled at how much it seemed to fit the mood.
It’s just a light romance
Nothing cruel
They laid no plans
How it came
Who can explain?
They just said “hello”
And foolishly they gazed
They should’ve gone
Their separate ways…
I smiled sadly as I heard Alicia ask Frank to dance with her, even though there was no music for them. Frank placed one hand on her waist and took her other hand in his own, slowly leading her through the steps of the classic waltz with practiced ease.
It’s just the same old song
Nothing cruel, nothing wrong
It’s just two fools
Who know the rules
But break them all
And grasp at half a chance
To play their part
In a light romance.
I turned the volume down enough to recognize the level of my own voice and, softly, began to sing along to the chorus.
“Loving on the never never
Constant as the changing weather
Never sure who’s at the door
Or the price they’re gonna have to pay…”
I went silent as the rest of the song played out. I had noticed a person standing in the shadows behind a tree nearby, watching Frank and Alicia carefully and silently. I couldn’t tell who it was, but the form seemed familiar. I stared at the person for a few seconds before realizing with a shock that it was none other than Mrs. Iero.
It’s just a secret glance
Across a room
A touch of hands
That part too soon
That same old tune that always plays
And lets them dance as friends
Then stand apart as the music ends…
Loving on the never never
Constant as the changing weather
Never sure who’s at the door-
I paused the song and slid the music player into my pocket, locking it so it wouldn’t suddenly start playing again and run the battery down to nothing. Mrs. Iero watched them for a few seconds more before she suddenly turned and began briskly walking back towards the sidewalk, then proceeded in the direction I had come from. I followed her as clandestinely as I could, only one thought on my mind.
She was going to tell Mikey.
I stopped walking once she entered the house. I had tried to stop her, but I never got the chance. Her insane superstition suddenly seemed a lot more real to me.
Not more than half a minute later, I saw the door slam open as Mikey stormed out of the house. As he passed under a streetlight, I saw a glint of metal in his hand. My heart nearly stopped.
I ran after him, hoping I could get to Frank’s office before it was too late.
“Bob?”
I spun around when I heard the voice. Ms. Way stood there, staring at me like I had lost my mind.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Mikey,” I said hurriedly as I tried to catch my breath. She looked confused. “Mikey’s got a gun.”
Her eyes widened. “…no…oh, God, no…”
“He’s probably going to the town hall…Frank’s office is there…” I said between deep, gasping breaths of air. Both of us took off running an instant later. As I sprinted down the sidewalk, an ominous poem leapt into my mind. I wasn’t sure whether I had made it up or if I had seen it somewhere before, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
There’s a man gone mad in the town tonight
He’s gonna shoot somebody down
There’s a man gone mad, lost his mind tonight
He’s a madman, he’s a madman
There’s a madman running round and round
Now you know the devil’s got your number
He’s running right beside you
He’s screaming deep inside you
And someone said he’s calling your number up today…
There’s a girl inside the woman
Who’s waiting to get free
She’s washed a million dishes
She’s always making tea.
They think she’s just a mother
With nothing left inside
Who swapped her dreams for drudgery
The day she was a bride.
But the dreams were not forgotten
Just wrapped and packed away
In hopes that she could take them out
And dust them off one day.
I smiled a little as I wrote, hoping I was right about her. There seemed to be some kind of spark left in her, though I had no way of knowing what it was.
There’s a girl inside the woman
And the mother she became.
And a half-remembered song comes to her lips again.
The girl would sing the melody
But the woman stands in doubt
And wonders what the price would be
For letting the young girl out.
After an hour or two, I decided to go for a walk and do some thinking about everything. The weather was still nice outside, and there was a park not far away. I took a few slices of bread for the ducks, grabbed my iPod, and left. I walked at a slow pace, letting thoughts run through my mind with no specific direction or purpose. Once I reached the park, I sat down at a bench next to the pond and threw a few crumbs of bread to the waiting birds. They happily gobbled them up and waddled around to search for more.
Through the quiet song I was listening to, I heard a girlish giggle nearby and inwardly groaned, hoping it wasn’t two teenagers who wouldn’t be able to keep their hands off of each other. I was about to stand and keep walking when I saw Alicia out of the corner of my eye.
With Frank.
“I don’t know how I could thank you for everything you’ve done for us,” she said happily. He pulled her into a hug, also smiling.
“You’re my friend, Ali. I’d do anything to help you.”
The song changed to a quiet piano melody. I was startled at how much it seemed to fit the mood.
It’s just a light romance
Nothing cruel
They laid no plans
How it came
Who can explain?
They just said “hello”
And foolishly they gazed
They should’ve gone
Their separate ways…
I smiled sadly as I heard Alicia ask Frank to dance with her, even though there was no music for them. Frank placed one hand on her waist and took her other hand in his own, slowly leading her through the steps of the classic waltz with practiced ease.
It’s just the same old song
Nothing cruel, nothing wrong
It’s just two fools
Who know the rules
But break them all
And grasp at half a chance
To play their part
In a light romance.
I turned the volume down enough to recognize the level of my own voice and, softly, began to sing along to the chorus.
“Loving on the never never
Constant as the changing weather
Never sure who’s at the door
Or the price they’re gonna have to pay…”
I went silent as the rest of the song played out. I had noticed a person standing in the shadows behind a tree nearby, watching Frank and Alicia carefully and silently. I couldn’t tell who it was, but the form seemed familiar. I stared at the person for a few seconds before realizing with a shock that it was none other than Mrs. Iero.
It’s just a secret glance
Across a room
A touch of hands
That part too soon
That same old tune that always plays
And lets them dance as friends
Then stand apart as the music ends…
Loving on the never never
Constant as the changing weather
Never sure who’s at the door-
I paused the song and slid the music player into my pocket, locking it so it wouldn’t suddenly start playing again and run the battery down to nothing. Mrs. Iero watched them for a few seconds more before she suddenly turned and began briskly walking back towards the sidewalk, then proceeded in the direction I had come from. I followed her as clandestinely as I could, only one thought on my mind.
She was going to tell Mikey.
I stopped walking once she entered the house. I had tried to stop her, but I never got the chance. Her insane superstition suddenly seemed a lot more real to me.
Not more than half a minute later, I saw the door slam open as Mikey stormed out of the house. As he passed under a streetlight, I saw a glint of metal in his hand. My heart nearly stopped.
I ran after him, hoping I could get to Frank’s office before it was too late.
“Bob?”
I spun around when I heard the voice. Ms. Way stood there, staring at me like I had lost my mind.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Mikey,” I said hurriedly as I tried to catch my breath. She looked confused. “Mikey’s got a gun.”
Her eyes widened. “…no…oh, God, no…”
“He’s probably going to the town hall…Frank’s office is there…” I said between deep, gasping breaths of air. Both of us took off running an instant later. As I sprinted down the sidewalk, an ominous poem leapt into my mind. I wasn’t sure whether I had made it up or if I had seen it somewhere before, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
There’s a man gone mad in the town tonight
He’s gonna shoot somebody down
There’s a man gone mad, lost his mind tonight
He’s a madman, he’s a madman
There’s a madman running round and round
Now you know the devil’s got your number
He’s running right beside you
He’s screaming deep inside you
And someone said he’s calling your number up today…