The Evolution of the Stars

VI

     "Wake up, Macx," I gently shake his small shoulder. In his sleep, he had managed to to squeeze his small body from my legs, to between the Joshua tree and I. He had also taken it upon his sleeping self to pull the backpack from beneath my head, wedging it beneath his. This is probably the cause of my pounding skull. "Macx." I say a bit louder with a harder shake. "We have to get a move on."

     He grumbles at me, flailing his thin, tan arm in my direction.

"I'm serious, Macx. Wake up." I grab his waist, pulling him upright.

Again he grumbles at me, but opens his tired blue eyes. "Go away. Your skin is hurting my eyes." He jokes, a smile playing on the corner of his mouth.

     "Oh hush!" I smile back, rising to my feet.

He follows suit, tipping to the right, then left, then right again before he regains his balance. Then he pushes himself forward. He loses his balance again, and tips backwards, sailing toward the Joshua tree.

     I jump forward, grabbing his forearm inches before his head smacks against the trunk.

     "Oops," his smile is goofy and he wrinkles his nose. "I fell."

"I saw," we begin to move forward, the backpack — now heavy — is slung over my shoulder.

     Walking with a seven year old is even more difficult than walking with me. The constant change of paces, the stumbling along, the high-pitched whines of fatigue.

But it's different walking with this seven year old.

     This seven year old can navigate the desert. This seven year old doesn't complain about the heat soaring past ninety degrees. This seven year old can walk silently for hours. This seven year old is more mature, and has more endurance than mist thirty year olds.

     "Look at that," Macx speaks for only the third time, pointing to something off in the distance.

     I squint my eyes to see better, but a gust if wind throws a large tumble weed soaring towards my head. I duck and watch as it keeps soaring, hits the ground, then bounces a few times. "Look at what?"

"The cactus!" He exclaims, grabbing my hand.

"Cactus?" I ask, eyeing him. "We've seen plenty of those. Do you need some more water?"

     He rolls his contracted eyes, bringing his head in a full circle with them. "No, silly," he runs ahead of me by thirty feet, then bends down, bringing something up with his hand. He runs back to me, shoving something small and hot into the palm of my hand. "Look at it."

     I do. A rock. An ordinary, grey rock. "Cactus?" I ask again.

"Look at it!"

      I turn it over in my palms, the warm stone sending more heat through my body. On the other side is a painted on cactus, shiny against the roaring sun. I wipe off the layer of dusty sand that has collected on top of it. "What about it?"

     He ignores me, searcing the horizon with a hand above his eyes. "There!" He exclaims, pointing ahead to a small shack sitting alone at least three miles away. "Let's go!"

Bewildered, I shake my head. "What?"

"Let's go there!"

"Why?"

"I dunno! A place to sleep, maybe." He shrugs.

     "How'd you know it was there?" I ask, following behind his now moving feet. He ignores me. "Your mom?"

He nods solemnly.

     "Do you think about her a lot?" I ask, catching up with him.

"Usually a really-lot. Sometimes only a little-lot." His voice is quiet.

"What do you think?" I place my hand on Hus shoulder, stopping him.

     He turns to look at me. "I think sometimes of how much she loved me. I think how much she loved Marco. Sometimes of how she liked to paint. B-but usually that she's sad," he looks up at me, tears welling in his big eyes. "H-how much she would be mad about me selling her favorite paints. O-r mad abou-about Marco letting Nani sleep in h-her room. S-sad that I'm mad at her for—" the tears rush down his little cheeks, leaving a wet trail of salty water. He starts to sob, wiping his eyes on the back of his dirty hand. "for leaving me!" He yells, then falls to his knees sobbing. "Sh-she didn't e-even t-try!" He pounds the ground with his tiny fists, then falls to his side.

     My heart cringes at the words coming out of such a small mouth. "Hey," I whisper, falling onto my butt. "hey, Macx. Its okay," I pull him onto my lap as he continues to sob. "Its okay to cry, buddy. It's okay. She sounds like a good mommy."

He nods, settling down. "Sh-she was."

     I smile sympathetically. "I know. I can tell."

He nods again, wiping his cheeks. "Can we go now?" His voice shakes, but he doesn't let another tear fall as he rises to his feet.

"Yeah, buddy. Of course." I smile at him, pulling myself off of the hard ground.

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Okay, this was originally intended to be more of a lighthearted and happy chapter, but as you've read, it wasn't XD. Again, didn't proof it, so excuse any mistakes! Remember to vote! Thanks, guys!