Ronny woke in what felt like a blink. Someone was aggressively tapping his chest. His eyes blinked a few times, taking in his surroundings, but his body felt weighted and glued to the bed.
Accompanying the tapping was a persistent, high-pitched whine like that of a child, tugging at his groggy mind. Confusion set in as he tried to comprehend why there would be a child in the dormitory.
His vision remained blurred, but he managed to focus on the small figure in front of him, whose insistent thumping on his chest was becoming increasingly forceful.
Suddenly, the events of the previous day flooded back into his sleepless mind with startling clarity, jolting him awake. He recognized the small, frantic form as his little sister, Saija, whose presence had become a significant part of his life.
He forced his eyelids open, his eyes bulging with concern at Saija, who was jumping up and down at the side of his cot, whining uncomfortably and incoherently.
"What? What?!" he asked, sitting up quickly, stifling a yawn, and looking around.
His eyes darted around the place, trying to figure out what was wrong, but nothing seemed out of place. It was still very early morning; all the miners were still asleep, undisturbed by the chaos unfolding, and the sun hadn't even risen.
Saija's repeated slaps to his chest refocused his attention, her cries growing more desperate by the second.
"What is it, Saija? Tell me," he urged in a hushed voice, desperate to understand the cause of her distress.
He grabbed her arm to get her to stop jumping up and down and help him focus. She wouldn't speak, wouldn't express verbally what was wrong. She just kept whining.
His frustration mounted. He really needed her to break out of this no-speaking phase. He ran his palm over his face, trying to gather his patience to deal with the situation.
Whatever it was demanded his immediate attention; that much was clear.
When he noticed her hand gripping between her legs, it all dawned on him what was wrong.
She needed to pee and looked seconds away from relieving herself in her pants.
"Goddamnit!" he growled and took hold of her hand, leading her away to the bathroom on the other side of the dormitory.
They frantically maneuvered past the maze and rows of cots and bags, glancing over the assortment of axes and tools strewn about. The symphony of snoring provided a backdrop as they made their way to the bathroom located on the opposite end of the dormitory. The fear of Saija losing her control and tainting her possibly only pair of pants grew by the second.
The second Ronny opened the door, she dashed inside, running straight to the shitter. He closed the door behind him for her privacy, letting out a sigh of relief, his back leaning against it.
A few moments later, he heard the rattle of the handle as she tried to open the door, and he stepped out of the way before he fell from resting his body against it.
As she stepped out, he grabbed her shoulders, "Wait."
She whirled around, looking irritated.
"Ya wash ya hands?" he asked.
She nodded, and his left brow skyrocketed.
"I didn't hear the faucet run, Saija. Ya, fibbin'?"
When she groaned and rolled her eyes, his right brow followed suit of the left, casting a disbelieving face. Before he could say anything else, she forcefully pushed past him back inside, and the water running reached his ears.
YOU ARE READING
The Bitter Truth
General Fiction"Do ya like it?" he asked, eager to know her thoughts. She nodded, her eyes honestly drinking in every detail of the beautiful world just beyond her fingertips. "Imma gets us there one day, Saija," he spoke softly. She tried to hide it, but a smile...
