Rustles

Part 14

She didn’t return the next day or the day after that. She had switched back the phone numbers and returned the phone card to Sofia, aware now how pointless that trick had been in the first place. She spent her mornings, sitting in the kitchen and reminiscing all good days now long gone.

They hadn’t known each other that well four years ago to call it a relationship or even a fling. She hadn’t felt that way back then. Well, how strong feelings would any 23-year-old have anyway? Especially when her only examples so far had been bear kissing aunt Magnificca and six uncles living under the same room sharing one wife and a housekeeper, who lived in separate trailer?

She couldn’t just walk away anymore and leave them there. She couldn’t leave Alex in there and she felt weak each time she even tried to exercise refusing his offer in front of a mirror. He was a good man “and good men these days are hard to find” echoed in her mind, turning her into sobbing weakling. She owed him at least that to give it a try.

She just didn’t know what to do. Her eyes were red and with the next sunset shining back from the opposite house windows she still didn’t have a solution.

She picked up her egg-like phone and dialed Sofia’s number.

Before she got home, she returned the phone card to Sophia and dug out her own from the cookie jar. When she switched it on she saw six unanswered calls – two from the doctor, one from Matteo and three from her brother. She didn’t want to call to either of them.

She landed on her bed and pulled the green cover over her street clothes. It would’ve been good to take her shoes off first, but she was too tired. Her brain was hurting, as if it swelled up during all the information she received throughout the day. It wasn’t throbbing; just felt like brain had mumps.

She was afraid to sleep, haunted by the images of killed men, Alex and the new version of him all mixed up in one big pot of jam. With sour aftertaste of his cheerful waving face replacing the bodies with half missing brains and his dog tags swinging around his exposed neck.

Heavy banging woke her up and looking at the sunset shining back from the opposite house’ window, she knew she had fallen asleep at some point.

The banging continued and she went and opened the door, damning, whoever was behind it and making her already sore head bound harder.

She pulled the door open and stared back at seven feet tall curly head and pair of piercing onyx eyes.

“Jamison?” she was wondering if to hit her dear brother or just close the door.

“I wouldn’t come here if you weren’t ignoring my calls!”

“I wasn’t ignoring your calls…” she stepped away from the door and let him in.

“That’s what I’ll tell aunt Mag, too!”

Mag was short from Magniffica, a rare beauty, who married herself off to a bear and was now living with it in a van on the city edge, bear in separate facility, of course.

“So you’re in town for the week-end?”

“Yes, we have a show in two days. If you want to practice,  Fluore kindly sends his regards – he’ll be setting things up tomorrow.”

The door closed behind her and she shuffled back to her bed, removing the shoes first and sat there, pulling her leg under her. “I fear I can’t.”

“Then just come to visit.” He trotted straight to the kitchen and landed his ass on the chair that sang from his heavy posture. “You look tired?”