Paper Hearts (boyxboy)

The Tattoo

Noah:

I tug on the strand of hair peeking below my brow. When will I ever have time for a haircut? Maybe I could go now, if I weren't babysitting.

"Noah?" Little John asks me. His accent is so thick and distinct, it's almost soothing in a way.

I turn to him, sitting cross-legged on the ground, not paying any mind to the cartoons. "Yeah, buddy?"

"Are you my brother?"

I wince, not sure how to answer that. "Not exactly."

"Is it because I am a different color?"

I sit up. "What? No, absolutely not. I'm not your brother, because Andy is your brother."

"Andy." He nods. "Mrs. Finnely's son."

"No, god." I stand up and walk over to his spot on the floor, sitting down beside him. "You don't have to call her that anymore, she's your mom too."

"But she did not want me."

I rub the back of my head. Dang this kid has some tough stuff to ask me! "That's not true dude, she does want you. That's why she asked you to stay, she just didn't know you were coming. You know, like a fun surprise. Like a birthday present." He gives me a weird look. "You've gotten birthday presents, right?"

He shakes his little head. "What is that?"

I furrow my brow. Really, he's never had a birthday party? What kind of life did this kid have? I take a minute explaining it to him, and tell him he'll have one of his own every year now that he has a new family.

"When will I get this?" John inquires.

Oh shit. "I... don't know. Did the people at the organization ever tell you when your birthday was?"

He shakes his head again. "No. They said my mother died when I was three years."

What a sweetheart. "Well, maybe your new mom knows, maybe it was in the paperwork. If not, then I guess... we just pick a day."

"Can it be today?"

I purse my lips. "Something tells me your mom won't be too keen on not getting to throw you a party, and she's not here today." John seems to pout slightly, disheartened by this. "But hey, don't worry. You'll get your birthday, I promise."

"Why did she leave?"

"Good question." I look at the watch on my wrist. She drove off with Andy two hours ago, and they didn't say when they'd be back.

"Do I live with you now?"

What is up with this kid, he's full of questions. "They're coming back, don't worry." We're silent for a minute while little John stares at me. Starting to get uncomfortable, I finally break the silence. "So, John huh? That's your real name?"

He shakes his head. "In Mozambique, the other children called me 'João,' but that was not what my mother originally named me."

"What did she originally name you?"

"I do not know, I do not remember living with her. The children in the city told me she was possessed by the spirit of a dead soldier, and that is what killed her. That is why they call me a cursed child."

That is some harsh shit. "You didn't have any family to live with or anything?" What a dumb question, of course he didn't, or he wouldn't be here.

"It was just me and my mother, I think I had other brothers and sisters too, I do not know. We lived in Pemba City, this I know. I lived with the other children with no family, and the men from America came and took our pictures a long time ago. We didn't know why. They came with cars sometimes, and took one child at a time. We didn't ever wonder where they went. When they finally got me, they told me I was going to my mother, I thought they were going to kill me."