The House of Life

Chapter 5

I watched as Qasim played with the other children in the courtyard in front of Evelyn's house. Their laughs brought me back to when I was a child. Playing with my friends in my neighborhood, thinking back to how simple things were back then. Not a care in the world, not knowing how unfair the world can be. But things have changed and it was so long ago that sometimes I can't recall how things were before. The sound of the ball hitting the ground as it  was heading towards my direction from the children playing soccer. I got up to kick the ball, with just a tad of power as it goes flying in the air and the children go to chase after it.

I sat back down as I fiddled with the dagger that Isaac got me in my hands, studying it and familiarizing every detail to each curve, every knick and even the sharpness of the blade. My way of distracting myself, until I meet with Meela to discuss what she wants in return for my friend's bodies back. Qasim comes to sit next to me, the little boy breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath from his time running back and forth. I go to grab the glass of water sitting beside me and hand Qasim the glass for him to drink the entire glass of water in one sitting. As he hands me back the empty glass, he goes back to run around again. I smiled, as if I were his mother, happy that he is having fun. I go inside to fill the empty cup with water again, walking to the kitchen sink and opening the faucet to refill the cup. That was when Jonathan walks in and asks, "How are you doing my dear Anna?"

I gave a half smile to him as I replied, "If I'm being honest, I had hoped I was better." Jonathan grabbing two small glasses and pouring whiskey in both, handing me one as he takes a sip out of his own. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. I grabbed the cup, and held it in my hands, looking at my reflection in the glass. I sighed and took a sip of the poison. Before I could take another sip, I wondered about Jonathan and Evelyn's up bringing's. Especially Jonathan. How is it that his sister seems to have everything put together, while her brother drinks, gambles and will sleep with any woman who is fool enough to share the same bed. And yet he still seems to get out of trouble. I put the glass down to ask, but I had to make sure I wasn't stepping over the line on curios and being rude. "How do you do it Jonathan? I mean, things don't necessarily go your way, most of the time, but you're still, how do I say this? Optimistic." Jonathan scoffs at the choice of words and continues, "Me? Optimistic? Come on Anna. You and I both know I'm nothing of the sort."

"Then what would you call it?" Jonathan shrugged as he took a large gulp of his drink before answering. "I would just call it dumb luck."

" Dumb luck or not, you seem to still get out of messy situations. So what's your secret? How do you keep moving forward?" Jonathan sighs as he pours himself another glass of whiskey. "It's hard at first, I mean when my parents died, instead of taking on the parent role for Evie, she instead became my mother and father. All while I screwed up and started gambling and drinking. But, if it wasn't for Evie, who knows where I would have ended up. Evie helped me through those hard times and helped me in many ways no other person could. In a way, I owe Evie my life." I never thought that Jonathan relied on his little sister so much. Much like I didn't know that Jonathan and Evelyn were orphans either. They are all they have left in the world. It's a blessing, but it could also be dangerous when one leaves the other behind. I then asked Jonathan, one last question, "So what happens, when you need her and she's not there?"

Jonathan hesitated on taking another sip of his whiskey. Setting down that cup as he answered, "I haven't gotten that far into it, but I guess only time will tell." Jonathan walked to me and gave me a side hug and continued, "You'll get through this Anna. You just need something or someone to lean on." I smirked at that notion, as the person who I once leaned on, is gone. I gulped the last of my whiskey with gusto and leaned my head on Jonathan. Jonathan coughed as if he wasn't prepared for me to lean in for his hug. He changed the subject and asked, "So, what time will you be heading out?" I turned to the window in the kitchen, as I looked at Qasim playing with his new friends. I replied, "Once Qasim is asleep, then I'll head out." Jonathan turned to see Qasim as well and said, "That little boy adores you, you know that right." I took a pause to see how I would respond to that comment. "I'm no one for him to admire. I'm not his mother nor related. It won't be long until I leave and he is left alone again," I confessed. I stood there silent, as the reality of that truth settled in and created a lump in my throat.