I'll Meet You on the Flip Side

She heard screaming coming from the next apartment over. She knew that it was Vanya, off on some kind of rant. A piece of glass smashed, a door slammed, and a vile stream of curses came from inside. Finally, Carmen looked up. Standing in front of her was a tall girl, toothpick thin, with long, porcelain doll coiled hair. a red line scraped across her cheek. She held the door open behind her with a single hand. In her other hand dangled a set of keys. She slammed the door behind her and tossed the keys into Carmen's lap. "Keep 'em." she said "I don't need 'em.". The girl tugged up the collar on her over-sized letterman jacket and walked down the hall. Her feet stomped on each step. Carmen gripped the keys in her hand so tight that she later had to wash the blood from her palm.

Her Russian accent, her goddamn Russian accent, it made everything she said nearly impossible to understand. And the constant filtering in and out of English, and the way her mother insisted on using her full name, "Nadyenka, Nadyenka," , she hated her full name. "Nadia!" she yelled, knocking the wine glass out of her mom's hand, smashing it to the floor. Her mother cursed, some in English, some in Russian, then bent down to pick up the pieces of broken glass. Nadia turned on her heels and grabbed the house keys off the counter. "Eto verno, suka, beg.". She couldn't take any more of it. "Speak English!" she screamed back and ran out the door. She didn't even get the chance to close the door before she saw Carmen, that Carmen, sitting against her door across the hall. Nadia closed the door. She said some things she wouldn't remember, and stalked off down the hall. That was the last time she'd be home in four years.