Fences
Gifts
On Lily’s birthday, she had gone with her mom into town; I had seen them leave, my own mom was watching too. She was suspecious of me for some reason, and I didn’t know why.
“I don’t trust you.” She said quietly, as if she had read my mind.
“I haven’t done anything to make you not trust me,” she glared at me, “As of the last few days.”
“I still don’t trust you, Frank. I can feel it in my bones, the Lord is telling me something.”
Yeah, that you’re a fucking idiot. I thought.
“I’m not going to do anything.” I lied quietly.
“You better not.” She warned me.
My mom left me alone again, and I went up to my room to plan.
I didn’t have a major plan of what Lily and I would do. I just wanted to get her to that zoo, to see her finally fullfil her lost dream. It sounds cheesy, but I was willing to do this for her just because she’s my friend. My best friend.
I had looked everything up, the bus schedules and the zoo opening times, and maps. Everything was ready. All that was needed was to get Lily and I out of here.
I went to Lily’s when she and her mom came back. I hurried to the front door, and Mrs. Romero gave me a happy smile.
“Breaking the rules, Frankie?” She asked.
“It’s Lily’s birthday, and I didn’t want to miss it.”
“Lily is upstairs right now, but I have a surprise for you two.” Mrs. Romero patted my cheek, “Go get her for me.”
I nodded and hurried myself up the stairs. I could hear Lily’s radio playing and I went straight to her room. She was going through her stash of money, she smiled at me when she turned.
“Hi.” She greeted.
“Happy birthday.” I closed the door slightly, “I have everything set up, it’s your real gift.”
“Yeah, I knew it. Thanks.” She turned back, “I have $300 saved. I can’t wait.”
“Me either.”
Lily put her money back in her drawer and turned around, “Are you scared?” She went over to her gold fish’s bowl, making kissy noises to her fish, Artemus.
I shook my head, “No…well, a little. I don’t want my mom to find me and I sure don’t want to live with my dad.” She had turned back to me just as I said this.
Lily’s facial features changed, she looked sad all of a sudden, “I’m gonna miss you when you leave.”
I frowned, “Let’s not think about that for a wile, okay? It’s your birthday, and your mom said she had a surprise for us.”
Lily nodded, “Let’s go then, buddy.”
Downstairs, Mrs. Romero had made us big ice cream sundaes. She had two wrapped gifts for Lily, and we all sat at the kitchen table. Lily seemed to blush at the thought of gifts; she never really wanted much.
Lily unwrapped the first, small gift. It was a a new purple game boy, “Whoa.” Lily and I both said.
“I saw them on sale, and I thought, why not. It came with two games, Tetris and Mario. I hope you like them, Lil.”
Lily looked at them, I could see the emotion ranging in her eyes, “Yes, I love them. Thank you, mom.”
Her mom smiled, “Open the next one, sweetie, theres more, then we can have ice cream.”
Lily set her gameboy down and opened up the next medium sized box and you could see her trembling, she shook her hands for a moment, then ripped the paper off. Inside was a brand new polaroid camera. Lily’s mouth dropped and her mom chuckled.
“Holy moly.” She said, “Mom, this is too…” Lily looked up at her mom.
“It was on sale, and I know that you and Frankie only have a short while to be together. I want you two to have some sort of memories.”
I looked at Lily and smiled, she smiled back.
“Thank you mom.”
“You’re welcome, honey.”
The next hour, the three of us joked around, as usual, eating our ice cream. Lily barely ate hers, she was always a slow eater, while I polished off two bowls. Mrs. Romero just laughed at me, shaking her head.
Near the end of the evening, or when I had to go, I got nervous. And when I get nervous, I get hungry.
“Are you gonna finish that?” I asked Lily about her sundae.
Lily and her mom looked at each other. Her mom answered, “Uh…we aren’t sure if you could get it from sharing food, but we can’t risk it. Sorry Frankie.”
I just nodded, “I forget…”
Mrs. Romero, patted my head, after she stood, and took our dishes. Lily looked over at me, “This is so cool,” she nodded towards the camera, “this is gonna be so much fun!”
“Yeah, I know.” I smiled back at her.
I went back home, my mom hadn’t said anything to me when she came home. I sat in my usual spot on the couch, pretending that I had been there all day. She went straight into the kitchen and got her wine.
That night, I couldn’t stop thinking about the next afternoon. We planned on leaving at noon, to a bus leading to New York, and then to the zoo. I was in my kitchen, doing the dishes for my mom, as she demanded, and saw Mrs. Romero at her dining room table. I had day dreamt so long, I barely noticed her then. I saw her crying, with a tissue pressed her eyes; it tugged at my chest, seeing her this way.
Why was she crying? Was Lily okay?
I couldn’t just go over and ask. I turned away, feeling rude and finished the dishes. After, I hurried up to my bedroom, thinking of Mrs. Romero and her tear stained face.
I wondered, a lot, how she felt. I know she loves Lily to no end, but did she think about her daughter’s death everyday? I didn’t really think about it, and I didn’t know why. I guess I had to be a parent to understand.
“I don’t trust you.” She said quietly, as if she had read my mind.
“I haven’t done anything to make you not trust me,” she glared at me, “As of the last few days.”
“I still don’t trust you, Frank. I can feel it in my bones, the Lord is telling me something.”
Yeah, that you’re a fucking idiot. I thought.
“I’m not going to do anything.” I lied quietly.
“You better not.” She warned me.
My mom left me alone again, and I went up to my room to plan.
I didn’t have a major plan of what Lily and I would do. I just wanted to get her to that zoo, to see her finally fullfil her lost dream. It sounds cheesy, but I was willing to do this for her just because she’s my friend. My best friend.
I had looked everything up, the bus schedules and the zoo opening times, and maps. Everything was ready. All that was needed was to get Lily and I out of here.
*
I went to Lily’s when she and her mom came back. I hurried to the front door, and Mrs. Romero gave me a happy smile.
“Breaking the rules, Frankie?” She asked.
“It’s Lily’s birthday, and I didn’t want to miss it.”
“Lily is upstairs right now, but I have a surprise for you two.” Mrs. Romero patted my cheek, “Go get her for me.”
I nodded and hurried myself up the stairs. I could hear Lily’s radio playing and I went straight to her room. She was going through her stash of money, she smiled at me when she turned.
“Hi.” She greeted.
“Happy birthday.” I closed the door slightly, “I have everything set up, it’s your real gift.”
“Yeah, I knew it. Thanks.” She turned back, “I have $300 saved. I can’t wait.”
“Me either.”
Lily put her money back in her drawer and turned around, “Are you scared?” She went over to her gold fish’s bowl, making kissy noises to her fish, Artemus.
I shook my head, “No…well, a little. I don’t want my mom to find me and I sure don’t want to live with my dad.” She had turned back to me just as I said this.
Lily’s facial features changed, she looked sad all of a sudden, “I’m gonna miss you when you leave.”
I frowned, “Let’s not think about that for a wile, okay? It’s your birthday, and your mom said she had a surprise for us.”
Lily nodded, “Let’s go then, buddy.”
Downstairs, Mrs. Romero had made us big ice cream sundaes. She had two wrapped gifts for Lily, and we all sat at the kitchen table. Lily seemed to blush at the thought of gifts; she never really wanted much.
Lily unwrapped the first, small gift. It was a a new purple game boy, “Whoa.” Lily and I both said.
“I saw them on sale, and I thought, why not. It came with two games, Tetris and Mario. I hope you like them, Lil.”
Lily looked at them, I could see the emotion ranging in her eyes, “Yes, I love them. Thank you, mom.”
Her mom smiled, “Open the next one, sweetie, theres more, then we can have ice cream.”
Lily set her gameboy down and opened up the next medium sized box and you could see her trembling, she shook her hands for a moment, then ripped the paper off. Inside was a brand new polaroid camera. Lily’s mouth dropped and her mom chuckled.
“Holy moly.” She said, “Mom, this is too…” Lily looked up at her mom.
“It was on sale, and I know that you and Frankie only have a short while to be together. I want you two to have some sort of memories.”
I looked at Lily and smiled, she smiled back.
“Thank you mom.”
“You’re welcome, honey.”
The next hour, the three of us joked around, as usual, eating our ice cream. Lily barely ate hers, she was always a slow eater, while I polished off two bowls. Mrs. Romero just laughed at me, shaking her head.
Near the end of the evening, or when I had to go, I got nervous. And when I get nervous, I get hungry.
“Are you gonna finish that?” I asked Lily about her sundae.
Lily and her mom looked at each other. Her mom answered, “Uh…we aren’t sure if you could get it from sharing food, but we can’t risk it. Sorry Frankie.”
I just nodded, “I forget…”
Mrs. Romero, patted my head, after she stood, and took our dishes. Lily looked over at me, “This is so cool,” she nodded towards the camera, “this is gonna be so much fun!”
“Yeah, I know.” I smiled back at her.
*
I went back home, my mom hadn’t said anything to me when she came home. I sat in my usual spot on the couch, pretending that I had been there all day. She went straight into the kitchen and got her wine.
That night, I couldn’t stop thinking about the next afternoon. We planned on leaving at noon, to a bus leading to New York, and then to the zoo. I was in my kitchen, doing the dishes for my mom, as she demanded, and saw Mrs. Romero at her dining room table. I had day dreamt so long, I barely noticed her then. I saw her crying, with a tissue pressed her eyes; it tugged at my chest, seeing her this way.
Why was she crying? Was Lily okay?
I couldn’t just go over and ask. I turned away, feeling rude and finished the dishes. After, I hurried up to my bedroom, thinking of Mrs. Romero and her tear stained face.
I wondered, a lot, how she felt. I know she loves Lily to no end, but did she think about her daughter’s death everyday? I didn’t really think about it, and I didn’t know why. I guess I had to be a parent to understand.