Between the Barn and the Stage

11

I was silent. Still. After an hour already. Meaning it was nine o'clock at night, with Chatham still here and his bodyguard at the door.

I blinked again, and shifted to sit beside Sam, who was still asleep. He didn't know much Korean, but I could at least tell him where we were going. Hopefully if he gets angry it won't be that bad. I shook his shoulder, and his eyes shot open.

Always a light sleeper.

"Sissy?"

I closed my eyes and went to my paternal family's language. It came easier to me when I was stressed--English wasn't actually the language I started off with--and I'm stressed a lot right now so it would be a breeze.

"Dad sick. Visit." I said bluntly, because again, Sam sucked when it came to Korean. He didn't grow up with dad and his family like I did.

"Now?" he asked. In English. I opened my eyes again. "He may die." I said, and Sam's lip quivered. I switched to English, which came out rocky and horrible. "No cry, no cry. We see dad. He sleep."

"But dad is supposed to be okay." he whined, and I held his face. "I say no cry. I mean no cry. Let's go." I said, not bothering to make full sentences anymore. Sam was actually compliant. I picked him up and gave him a piggy back ride. I walked past a worried Chatham and climbed down the ladder of the hay loft.

"Sissy sad?"

"Yes. I sad. We see dad now." I responded to Sam's meek voice. Sam spoke with dad via letters, sign language is something he refused to learn. Sam kept all the letters, hidden somewhere he won't tell even me. I passed Daniel, who looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't.

I walked out of the barn and began the horribly long walk to the hospital. Maybe after this I can take a break from walking and hail a cab or something.

After fifteen or so minutes, Sammy asked, "Why is sissy walking?"

"Because she doesn't have Chevy."

"Is Chevy sick too?"

"Yes. My truck is sick too."

Sam nodded, and I continued down the road and froze when I hear quick footfalls behind me. I turned around and saw someone running in the distance. Just a person out for a run. Not surprising at nine at night, honestly. But then they yelled my name. I turned back around, and they came into view. I almost groaned. Almost.

"Wait...Oh god, you walk fast...okay. A car is on the way."

"You need stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Giving me ride."

"Why are you talking like that?" he asked, brushing my question away. I squinted my eyes at Chatham and said, "Any language bad when I stressed. I stressed. Korean sound worse, but it easy when I stressed."

"Oh. So you always sound like that? In any language? But you only know two."

"No. Took Spanish in middle school. Big gaps, I sound like I foreign. Can't help."

"Well, um...your truck is getting fixed."

"What? How?"

"I texted your friend Julian. Honestly, you can read the conversation if you want or I can just tell you."

"How you get on my phone?"

"I did a random guess. Got the code on the third try. Four-five-six-seven-nine."

"Gee, thanks. What you say to him?"

"Okay, it went like this. Oh, here's your phone. So, earlier in the day, when we were waiting for my car, I had Daniel call a towing company. I remembered how you said you had a friend, Julian, who fixed cars. So then, after you went with your brother a few minutes ago, he asked why your truck was in his driveway. I was like, 'Oh, yeah, hey. Called a towing company so you could fix it.' and then he asked, 'Well, that'll be two grande.' I was thinking, well, dang this guy ain't cheap, so I text back, 'done' anyway, because I know I could afford it and I would have paid for it. So then, he suddenly blew up your phone with texts in this order, 'Who. Are. You. And. What. Have. You. Done. With. Lee?' so I responded, 'Oh, I'm Chatham O. Will, your friend is going to visit her dad right now and I have her phone.' so then he got all scared and put in all caps, 'Lee if this is a game it isn't funny. If you aren't lee, who the hell are you and why do you have her.' so I retyped the message, did some convincing, and now Chevy--that's what you call your truck, right?--is being repaired. Your friend Julian, though, needs a mental break to process what I told him."