Blood Brothers

“I had a husband once,” she said, dragging a stirring stick through the coffee absentmindedly. “You know, one of those people. I met him at a dance one day, in my last year of high school. He was with some other girl, but the things he said to me…” She smiled and let out a small, girlish laugh that I didn’t think could exist beneath her aged appearance.

“He seemed so kind and caring, always telling me how beautiful my eyes were, how my skin was soft as snow…I fell for it right away.” She placed one elbow on the table and leaned her hand on it, staring off into the distance nostalgically. I had a feeling she had forgotten I was there, but the feeling dissolved when she spoke again.

“I think he completely forgot about the girl that had brought him there, because he spent the entire night with me. Then, of course, six weeks later I found out I was pregnant.” This shocked me, but I tried not to let it show. I had heard of such instances before. “We got married not long after, and we had the finest reception this town had had in years. Salmon, ale…everything. And everyone always said the bride was the loveliest girl they’d ever seen.

“The baby came in due time. Named him after my father. The joy didn’t last, though. Just three months later I was pregnant again.” I wasn’t sure what to say to this and pretended to drink my coffee, though it had long since gone empty. “I still loved going out to parties and things like that, but my husband wouldn’t take me. Said I was too fat to go out in public.”

I was shocked. How could anyone say that about her? If anything she was one of the thinnest people I’d ever seen, though I guessed that to be a different look than the one she had had years ago.

“By the time I was twenty-five, I looked like forty-two. Had seven kids by then, and still another on the way.”

“Where’s your husband now?” I asked somewhat abruptly. I felt like I had to meet this guy and see just how horrible of a man he was. She gave a laugh, but it sounded dark and unhappy.

“He walked out on me, maybe a month or two ago. I saw him just the other day with another woman. God, she’s beautiful. Can’t imagine how he ever fell for me…then again, I don’t think he really did.”

“You could get an official divorce from him,” I offered. “The court would probably settle it for a lot of money, and maybe even make him pay child support, especially since you have so many kids at home-” She held up a hand to stop me.

“It’s no use trying to help me, young man,” she said, as if scolding me for even mentioning the idea. “He works for the government, and besides, why would they give money to someone like me? Everyone thinks I’m an alcoholic, if not something worse. They have no reason to help me. Believe me, they’ve done enough already.” She spoke with a flat, dull tone. It sounded like she had told this to many people before, though I doubted it.

“So what about you?” she asked me. I suddenly felt shy; I hated when the spotlight was on me in the first place, but there was something about the look in her eyes that terrified me. It was as though she was accusing me of being one who had harmed her, or at least that she wondered if I was going to. I cleared my throat lightly before speaking.

“I’m a college student,” I began. “I hope to become a teacher someday, but I don’t think I want to do it my whole life.” She smiled again, and I wondered what she was thinking. I expected her to laugh, or maybe remind me never to treat any woman the way she had been. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long to find out.

“You have dreams, young man. Dreams are dangerous things, but so wonderful and lovely. Never lose them.”

She finished off the last of her coffee and stood up, taking the empty cup with her. I wondered why, but said nothing, not wanting to be rude. I stood as well, leaving the money on the table and not bothering to wait to collect the change. I continued outside, staying a safe distance behind her so I could follow her and see just where it was she lived. I don’t know if I was truly prepared for the long walk; we ended up on the other side of town. I wondered why she never called a taxi; traveling that distance every day would surely have killed me inside of a month.

It dawned on me that I had never asked what her job was. I would have to do so next time I saw her.

I stood behind a corner, warily glancing over my shoulder once in a while. I glanced around at the scenery. Crumbling brick walls stood everywhere, with rows of tightly packed doors lining the streets. It was dark everywhere; only a few dim, flickering streetlights were scattered around, and provided little useful light. I turned my attention back to Ms. Way, who was struggling to open the door in front of her. I watched in sheer amazement as she turned the doorknob and it fell off in her hand. She merely sighed and dropped it to the ground listlessly, pushing on the splintered wood of the door to enter the small apartment. I crept closer, moving slowly, and listened.

“I thought you said you’d bring home a catalog today!” cried a young girl’s voice.

“Yeah, I wanted to get a new bike!” This time it was a young boy.

“I’m sorry, Gerard,” she said apologetically. “Maybe next week.” I could hear that exhaustion was taking its toll on her. Walking closer and making sure to stay out of sight, I glanced through the small, dusty window placed next to the door. Ms. Way collapsed into a weak-looking wooden chair that balanced against a wardrobe for support. From what I could see, everything in the small apartment from the faded, peeling wallpaper to the scattered pieces of furniture seemed a dreary shade of brown. It all glared back at me solemnly.

“But you promised!” cried another girl’s voice. I heard footsteps nearby and retreated around the corner again, making sure no one would see me. I knew it was a dangerous neighborhood. I watched as a man dressed in a suit approached the door and banged one fist against it. The slab of wood vibrated ominously from the impact. It opened just moments later.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Way,” the man said in a cold tone. “I work with the water district and-”

“I know who you are,” she snapped bitterly. “What do you want?”

“You haven’t paid us for a month, Ms. Way. We can’t keep giving you credit.”

“I know I don’t have the money. But I think by the end of next week I should-”

“Next week, next week, next week!” the man shouted angrily. “It’s always next week with you. I don’t know how I can make this any clearer. If you don’t pay your bills, you can’t have running water.”

“I’ve got seven children in this house!” she yelled back with equal strength. Before the man could respond, she furiously slammed the door in his face. Frowning, he turned on his heel and briskly walked away.

“Who was that, mom?” asked the first girl who had spoken.

“No one, Eliza. Now, hurry up and finish your lunch. School starts again in half an hour, so you and the others will need to leave soon.” I felt my heart break at her words. There was no telling how far the kids had to walk just to go to school. Kids. Seven of them. The whole family living in that cramped, miserable space. I could hardly believe it.

“When do I get to go to school, mom?” Gerard asked. I heard her laugh lightly.

“Not for some time, I’m afraid. You still get to stay home with me.”

“Aww, mom, do I have to?” I smiled and began to walk away. I made my way back to the street and for a moment considering getting a taxi, but decided to walk back to my apartment instead. I decided I could use the exercise.