Tricky Heart (Wattys 2024)(English)

Chapter 2 - Dad's black T-shirt

The alarm clock on the phone rings.

"Paul, wake up or you'll be late for school."

I open only my left eye. I'm lying on the bed, belly down. I reach over to the nightstand and grab the phone. I never have so much strength as soon as I wake up. The smartphone slips from my hand and falls to the floor.

I knew it! I hope the screen is not broken.

The alarm clock keeps ringing. At least it still works.

I make an effort to lean out. I am hovering: my body is half outside and half inside the bed. I also open my right eye and pick up the phone from the floor.

The alarm clock still rings and the smartphone vibrates in my hands.

I give myself a push with my remaining arm on the bed and manage to get comfortable again. I turn over and I'm belly up.

I look at the screen. It is not broken, thank goodness. I turn off the alarm clock and drop my arms dead weight on the sheets. I also release my hands and the phone slips away.

I take a long breath. Today is the first day of school. I hope to meet Lucas so he can help me get to know some people. I text him.

Me: "Hi, Lucas. Will I see you at school today?"

I release my arms falling on the bed. Oh God, the phone was about to go flying!

I stare at the poster of Michael Jordan: he is flying to dunk the basketball. I hope Lucas knows the school basketball team. By the way, I didn't ask him if he plays. He's so big, I think he does.

"Paul, come to breakfast."

"Yes, here I am. I'm up."

I turn on my side and open the nightstand drawer. I slip my hand inside and rummage. But where is the ring? I can't find it.

I keep rummaging, but nothing.
Did I leave it in the bathroom? No, I don't think so. I remember putting it back here.

I point my elbow to the bed and pull myself up.
There it is. Dad, I didn't lose you. How could I lose you? I caress the musical note etched in the metal. I miss when you played the guitar and sang your songs. I slip the ring on my index finger.

I slam my hands on the bed and give myself the momentum to get up.

On the chair is no longer the black T-shirt: there is only the blue jeans and white socks. That's strange, I had put it there. I'm sure of it.

In the hallway, Bahia is wagging her tail, lying on the floor, holding something down with her front paws.
Don't tell me.

"Bahia, what's under your paws?"

She stops wagging her tail and looks at me motionless.
"Get over here, right now." I point with my finger near my feet.

She kicks her tongue out, but remains comfortable on my black T-shirt.

I slam a foot on the floor. "Come right away I said!"

She perks up on her paws and I approach, frowning. Bahia grabs the T-shirt with her teeth and runs down the stairs.
Look what I have to do. I chase after her, barefoot.

"Bahia, stop."

I'll never catch her, she's too fast for me.

I run down the stairs and slip to the last step. I grab onto the handrail, but still hit my butt on the ground. Ouch!

"Watch out!" Mom approaches the stairs, wearing a blue suit. She tries to put on earrings. "What are you doing? Why are you still in your pajamas?"

"Bahia, she nicked my T-shirt."

"You can get another one, right?" She manages to slip on the last earring.

"It's Dad's black T-shirt! I wanted to wear it for the first day of school."

"Where is Bahia?"

"She ran off to the kitchen."

"Come on, quick. Let's go to the kitchen. And start eating breakfast so we won't be late."

"Okay, but get my T-shirt for me."

"Yes, yes. Let's go."

We walk and Bahia is under the table, staring at us with a scowl. She wags her tail: her tail bangs on the wooden chairs and a dull noise punctuates the time. The cereal, which sits on the table, is about to fall.

I go to the refrigerator and get the oat milk.

Mom is squatting by the table and trying to talk to the dog. "Bahia, what are you doing?"

She pricks up her ears and tilts her head.

"Let go of the shirt." Mom grabs it, but can't slip it off.

I grab a cup and spoon on the sink shelf and sit down.

The phone rings: it's on the table.

"Who is it now?" She looks at the screen. "Catherine." She answers. "Hello?"

Why is she calling at this time?

"Hello Caterina, how are you?.... Fine, thank you."

She must have had some problems. Is her daughter sick?

"We're going out soon: I'm driving Paul to school.... Did the smoke come out of the car?"

Thank goodness, Martha is fine. Anyway, it's not a good thing that smoke is coming out of the car, hope it's nothing serious. Maybe it went into ebolization.

"No, no, don't use it. It can be dangerous. Do you want to come with us?"

Am I going to meet with her? How do I look today? I haven't even looked in the mirror.

"Yes, I'm working in the afternoon today. Don't worry, I'm happy to accompany you."

Okay, I'm about to meet her.

"So, see you soon."

I scratch my head. "So what did she say?"

"Her car won't start: it made a strange smoke from the hood."

"Maybe later I can see what happened."

"That's a very good idea. If you want, you can help her after school." She smiles. "That way, you can get to know Martha even better." She raises her eyebrows.

"What about Martha?"

She puts the phone down on the table. "She's a neighbor of yours."

I'm a little embarrassed and a smile escapes. "Are you insinuating something?"

"I'm not implying anything. I'm just saying you have a chance to make friends." She looks at me as if she wants to read my mind.

I know that look, she is implying something. "Yes, I think we can get to know each other better."

"There's nothing wrong with that."

"I know there's nothing wrong. She's just a neighbor."

"Sure. She's just a neighbor." She raises her eyebrows again.

"Take my shirt instead." Another smile escapes me, and I lower my eyes so as not to let her read my mind. I'm not great at hiding things from her.

I pour the oat milk into the cup.

Okay, I have to be calm. It's my first day of school and everything must be okay.

I take the cereal on the table and pour it into the bowl.

Anyway, I don't have a girlfriend now. It will be good for me to meet someone else.
Besides, Martha is very nice. I just have to figure out what type she is.