dmseay

There’s no food, he said. Nothing, he said to himself. An empty pot in the refrigerator once had soup in it. Now, nothing. It’s just an empty pot with stains. Some kind of tomato soup, I believe. Maybe it was a sauce. Not sure, the fat man examined it closer.

No beer. It’s all gone, he laughed. Thought I had a twelve pack. Old Style. I’m not sure. Could’ve been Milwaukee’s Best. I’d love a beer right now, his wrinkled hand closed the door.

He’ll be home soon, he continued. Bet he took it all. Eating me out of house and home. Doesn’t replace a God damned thing. Just takes. Money only goes so far, he paused. I’ll show him, he went to the closet and pulled out his shot gun. Barrel was empty. He didn’t have a bullet to his name. Thought he’d just scare the boy. Get him to act accordingly.

Boy came in and found the old man asleep in his recliner with the gun on his lap. TV was on. Some show about animals in the wild. Hunting each other. Marking their territory. Hyenas eating antelope. Making a hideous sound. The boy turned the volume down. Quietly he took the gun from his dad. Checked it. He laughed.

The kid pointed the gun right at the old man. Told him, Wake up, the old man was startled. Get up sleepy head, the boy ordered. Maybe I put a bullet in this gun, maybe I didn’t. We’re about to find out, he smiled. On the count of three. One…two…three…,the trigger clicked. The boy smiled. Next time you might not be so lucky.

He said he didn’t see him. Some old drunk staggering across the street. Pint bottle in his hand. Old suit jacket from the Salvation Army store on Jefferson. A crucifix around his neck. It was broad daylight.

The kid hit him right in the center of his Dodge. Knocked the old man a good fifteen feet. Cops said the driver was going 60 in a 30 zone. The victim was pronounced dead on sight. There was quite a bit of blood on the street. Like he’d hit a deer. The old man laid there. Blood shot eyes staring up at God.

Boy was showing off for his girlfriend. Dodging in and out of traffic. Speeding through red lights. Playing music real loud. She was not impressed. The teenage girl sat on the curb crying. She saw the body hit the car; felt the impact. She cried even harder when she saw the cover pulled over him. The boy just sat there in shock. Cops asked him if he’d been drinking? He shook his head no.

He just came out of nowhere, the boy said. I didn’t see him. Neither one of us saw him till it was too late. It all happened so fast. I was driving through town and he just jumped out in front of me, he began to sob as well.

The EMT’s placed the body in the back of the ambulance. Shutting the doors. Closing the life on the old drunk. People gathered around to watch. Couple of bums said they knew him. Saw him down at the shelter for dinner about every night. He’d say grace then eat. They said it’d been a long time since the old man had a drink. Told the officers he’d been sober for a good couple of months. Even went to meetings at the church. He was going through the book step by step. Said he was up to the part about making amends.

That old man had a wife and a kid at one time, one of the bums told the police. He talked about em. Said he’d written a letter to say he was sorry for all the damage he’d done. Wasn’t quite sure where to send it to so he kept it in his pocket, the beggar said. Shame. Real shame.

The boy was taken away in a squad car. Charged with vehicular manslaughter. He was looking at six years. That’s what his attorney told him. And that’s what he did. He never drove again.

It was just talk. They spoke to each other. Some of the words made sense. Then there was just silly words and lies. Made-up stories. Whole life histories told on the spot. Didn’t add up. They were both trying to out do the other in terms of life experience. Who’d done what, where, and when? They wanted to believe these fictional tales. But, something was holding them back. It was truth.

He was famous for his story telling. She was known to tell a few tales herself. They sat at the bar with drinks in hand, telling some whoppers. The boy said he’s been all over America. Said most recently he’d been out West working on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma. He told her about drinking cowboy coffee at five in the morning. Roping steers. Said he could ride a horse bareback if he had to. Just like an Indian.

She told him she’d been out East. The short, squatty girl said she’d been working as a plus size model. Told the boy she did photo shoots in New York and was on her way to Paris.

I call bullshit on that, he said. You ain’t going to no Paris. I doubt if you’ve ever left Albion, he laughed.

Well listen to you Mr. Cowboy. I doubt if you even know how to tie a rope, she flirted. I know all about men like you. Telling women some adventure story like a romance novel you’d buy at the drug store. You think you got me fooled, but, you don’t, she warned.

The boy put his hand on her hip. She didn’t seem to mind. He looked her square in the eye and said, I been out there. I’ve seen some shit. I’ve seen men shot dead in a war zone. I’ve seen women and children slaughtered. I don’t need some woman like you telling me I ain’t seen shit, he said. I served this country. I got the scars to prove it.

She laughed. Show me your dog tags soldier, she put her hand on his chest. Show me your ID. Next you’re going to tell me you’re some kind of war hero. Ain’t that right?

That’s right. Gotta a purple-heart. Shot behind enemy lines. Captured and made a prisoner of war, he said.

I’d like to see that purple-heart, she smiled. What war were you in?

I was over in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban, he paused. Still don’t believe me? She shook her head slightly. Well, you either do or you don’t. Nothing halfway. That’s my motto. Next time I see you I’ll show you my medals.

Uhhuh, she said. Sure. Why not tonight?

I got business to take care of. Top secret. Can’t tell you, he smiled.

The two finished their drinks. He leaned in to kiss her and she turned her red cheek.

Is that all I get is some kiss on the cheek? he asked. She stared him down.

Well. ‘Least it’s something.

Yeah. It’s something alright.

Nothing could be done. It was too late. Once you give something up it’s gone forever. ‘Least you think it’s gone forever. One day an old habit shows up again. Smoking, drinking, women; could be anything. We think we’re in the clear, but, that thing, that one thing, is always haunting us.

She came back in autumn. Days were warm. Indian summer. Said she’d been out East. Driving back and forth, up and down on 95. Stopping in cities along the way, small towns, slept on the beach naked in Maine. Felt the night air against her thick body. Bathing in the Atlantic Ocean. Stopping in Philadelphia where she thought she’d found true love. Turned out to be another man stealing her heart. She moved on. Went down to D.C. and hung out in jazz clubs. Barely able to afford a cocktail. The girl was always calling home asking for money. Friends and family would wire her just enough to get by. They’d ask when she was coming home. She said she was home.

The young woman called. Asking him for money. Got to a point he didn’t answer the phone. Just let it ring. She left messages on the answering machine. Long drawn out stories of how she wasn’t eating. Barely had enough for gas. Said she’d work a job then quit, or, get fired. He’d cry when he heard her voice. But, he never folded. Never gave-in. Didn’t think she’d ever come back. Thought she would die out there in America. Prayed for her soul.

And, she knocked on his door one day. They just looked at each other. Old feelings rushed through him. You can never truly give anything up. They embraced. He invited her in. Those emerald eyes looked right through him.

Do you want me here? she asked. I can leave, he shook his head. Whispered, No. Please stay, he couldn’t believe those words came from his mouth. She smiled.

Have you been waiting on me? she paused. Have you been with other women? Wouldn’t blame you if you did, she said. Look, she stared at him. I need money. Got nothing. I know I left you, but…maybe for old time sake?

He looked in his wallet which was empty. Showed her there was nothing there.

You got money in the bank? he nodded yes. Think we could go get some from that magic money machine? again he nodded.

They drove through town in silence. Not a word. He pulled up to the ATM and took a hundred in twenties. He handed it to her. Placed the cash in her hand. She kissed him on the cheek. Said, See you around.

He never saw her again. She called a coupple of times after that. Said she was out in Wyoming. Or, Colorado. One of the two. He erased her voice. Like that, she was gone.

The water faucet dripped all night. Drip…drip…drip. On and on. Hitting piled-up pots, pans, and plates in the kitchen sink. Drip…drip…drip. The annoyance drove him crazy. Kept him up. Awake all night. Listening to water fall. Thinking of how lazy he’d become.

In the old days, I’d have fixed that, he said to no-one there; talking to a light that came from the bathroom. I’d have taken a wrench and tightened it. But now, I just let it be, he sat up and lit a cigarette. Drank a glass of water on the nightstand. His mouth was constantly dry. Lips cracked. Kept choking on hairs from his gray over-grown mustache. He wheezed from smoking.

Water continued to drip. His mind wandered. Thinking of old holidays with family. Christmas morning. The trimming of a turkey. Now he was alone. He smiled. Take comfort in little things, he laughed. They’re worth the price of admission.

Rain came down and washed the streets. Cleansing them from the night before. A night when lovers walked holding hands for one last time. Drunks staggered home to nothing but an empty soul. And junkies hide in corners. Some in dark dense downstairs basements of buildings condemned. A shooting gallery for the down and out. While others just lay on sidewalks waiting for sunlight; some kind of hope.

And meth-heads chatter teeth, rattle bones, pick at skin; scabs. Old wounds. The flesh is weak.

Whores go home at sunrise. Night is over. They clock out on Grand Avenue taking busses to the North side where they live in one room apartments, back seats of cars and cheap hotels. God have mercy on us all.

A rain came down and washed the streets. Sins have gone away until the next day and the day after that.

The moon leads us in bad directions. Foolish mistakes. Errors in judgement.

We wait for the son. We wait for the son.

Mom went in to have surgery on her hip for the fourth time last summer. Doctors never could get it right. It seemed as though the replacement never set. She was in constant pain. The old woman would lay there in a nursing home bed and agonize over her discomfort for hours: begging for morphine, some kind of pain killer. They were reluctant to give her anything heavy. Wound up with Extra Strength Tylenol. It just wouldn’t do the trick.

Her son would bring special packages to her. Bottles placed in brown paper bags. Scotch, whiskey, one shooters of Fire Ball, wine coolers, alcoholic ciders. He’d stand over the old woman and watch as she drank it down in a couple of gulps then carefully remove the bottles from her room. She ate mints, chewed on em, but the staff knew she was drunk. They could still smell it on her. They started giving her breath tests and piss quizes. Got to the point where they’d ask to check everything brought to her. That’s when the boy stopped visiting her. Said there was no point to it. In his mind he’d done his task. Now it was up to God.

She called him every day. Asking him to pack a bottle down his pants. Said nobody would know. The mother would beg the boy to bring a pint of Rumplemintz, or, some kind of cheap vodka. He would tell her no and hang up the phone then go back to watching television talk shows about couples cheating on each other and unwanted pregnancies.

That’s what’s wrong with America, he’d say to himself. No morals. Just a bunch of people messing around with each other. Screwing or killing, he said. That’s what we do best; screw and kill, he popped open another beer. And of course, the phone rang again. He checked the name on the screen. Greystone Nursing Home, it read. He knew it was her. Couldn’t have been a doctor. It was mom begging for more booze. She’d leave messages.

Boy. Pick up the phone. It’s your momma. Did you forget about me? I need a bottle of Southern Comfort. Just sneak in a little shooter shot. Maybe you could bring two or three. Some Crown Royal would be nice. Hey, you listening to me? This is your momma. Call me back.

He never did call her back. Never spoke with her again. The doctor called a month later and said she’d died of an infection. The boy hung up the phone and went back to watching television.

Where did they go to?

Who?

Mom and Dad. When they left here where did they go to?

All kinds of places. All over.

Well tell me. Is it some big secret?

They went to Ohio. Down around Youngstown. Dad got a job down there. Then he got fired from that one. Got another one in Mississippi. Tuepelo. Making parts for something. Some kind of gadget.

And the old man got fired from that job too?

Why are you so suddenly interested? Where have you been all this time?

Been around. Out West. Iowa. Nebraska. Got a job on a ranch in Oklahoma. I covered my tracks.

From what?

Don’t worry about it. I always keep one step ahead of them. It’s been a hero’s journey. Like the Iliad or something like that. Homer’s Odyssey.

Wouldn’t hurt you to have called a couple of times. Let the folks know where you were. Safe and stuff.

I left here a long time ago. When I left, I left. I turned my back on it all. Spent time in Chicago. Spent a long time there. Long enough to get a reputation.

What kind of reputation?

I did some things.

Yeah?

You’re too weak for it. Couldn’t stomach it. Found it in my best interest to leave. That’s when I really took off. Threw myself away. Took on a whole different life. Sometimes you have to do that. Forget where you come from. Cut yourself off. It’s in everybody’s best interest. No more communication. Comprende?

You had so much promise. Smart. What made you come back here?

Just wanted to see the old town one more time. The bar I used to sneak into when I was a kid. Movie house on Main Street where I got my first kiss. That old church we used to go to out on 30. The minister and the elders were screwing everything in the flock. Women. Young and old. A big lie. Still. Dad made us go there.

He didn’t know what was going on.

He knew. The old man was smart. He could sense bullshit.

What are you saying?

I just think the old man knew more than he let on. Didn’t say anything. Kept quiet. He always kept quiet. He’d put a stop to any rumors he heard. Said it wasn’t Christian like.

Right.

He was miserable. Gave up his belief in God. So have I for that matter. Said Christ was just a man. Told me this one night when he got drunk. Sitting right there in that chair. I was a kid. I think that’s when it started.

What started. What are you talking about? H

His downward spiral. Going from one job to the next. Quitting or getting fired. He stayed drunk most of the time. You just never knew it. Too young to see it. And mom just put up with it. ‘Cause she loved him. She loved him more than anything. Anything in the whole world. I’ll say this. She stuck with him.

So you come back here. Bad mouthing pop. Saying this and saying that. He had faults. We all have faults. But, you don’t have to point them out. It’s not Christian like. The old man was right about that.

Oh he was wise. He was. I’ll give him that. But, in the end. We’re all fools. All of us. Mississippi huh? That’s where they died?

No. They died here. Came back here to live off social security. He went first. She died a few months later. They never wanted to be apart.

Right.

They’re buried out on Paulding. A little place. Headstones right next to each other. Bought ’em for them.

You paid for it?

Somebody had to.

Sorry I didn’t contribute.

I didn’t expect you to.

Bushes were growing out of control in front of his old house. They covered windows. Grew over sidewalks. Neighbors called them, The Green Monster. Bright green bushes intertwined wth each other making one. A solid wall. The old man couldn’t see outside and people couldn’t see in. He was hidden from the world. Folks wondered what he was doing in there. They said he had a mail ordered bride from Vietnam, or, Sri Lanka. Maybe he was keeping her hostage, they thought. Then again, neighbors never saw anyone go inside. These were just rumors.

Grass was growing long in the front yard. Backyard was a jungle. Weeds had taken over. Long green weeds that turned brown in the winter time. Some wild flowers were mixed in. Flowers planted there years ago. Way before he owned the place. They took in rain water to survive. Never did the flowers rely on him. They grew each year despite the old man. He was not one with Mother Nature. Or, maybe he was. The whole cycle of life and death. Let things go naturally. Don’t trim nor prune. Just let the whole thing go. That was his philosophy.

Neighbors grew tired of the old man’s ways. His yard was an eye sore. The house not much better. Shingles falling off. Paint chipped away. Rust on the front door handle, light fixture hanging above a porch that was caving in hung by a screw, and upstairs windows with cracks in them. It was beyond repair some thought. neighbors thought of renting a bulldozer and knocking the should -be condemned house down in the middle of the night. They thought about it.

A meeting was held at the Goldsteins house one night to discuss the matter with others in the neighborhood. Kind of a file your complaints party.

I want to sell my house and he’s preventing me from getting top dollar for it, said Mr. Klein. It’s a real danger to the community, he finished. The whole group nodded their heads in agreement and said yes and Amen.

My kids can’t walk near the place without crying, said Mrs. Yablamowitz. The whole structure is falling down. Kids are scared to go the park across the street from it. What good is a swingset if you can’t use it ? Everyone said, She’s right. And a chant began, Knock it down. Knock it down, they yelled. Pots and pans were taken from the kitchen and a march started out the door and down the street to the old man’s house where where they banged on their cookware and shouted, Knock it down. Knock it down. Knock it down.

The old man paid no attention to the mob outside. He sat at his kitchen table drinking coffee and listening to Mozart. The louder the crowd got, the louder he turned up the record player. But soon the crowd would over take the music and he turned it off and just listened to the chant. Knock it down. Knock it down. Knock it down. He began to sing along with them. The beat had invaded his head. He became one with the crowd.

The old man danced around his house singing, Knock it down. He grabbed a ruler and opened the front door to see the crowd that had assembled. He conducted their chant like a symphony. Building higher and higher until it came to a stop. The crowd noticed the old man. They had never seen him before. He was old with a long beard and a balding gray head. His finger nails were long and he didn’t wear shoes. The mob just looked at him. A woman asked out loud, Why?

He looked at her and smiled. Shrugged his shoulders. And said, Why not?

The old man died a year later from that night of the chant. He had no will nor next of kin. And, in the name of property values, the home was demolished. Dreams really do come true.

Years had passed since he was gone. Died on this very day back in 1975. Massive heart attack. No-one saw it coming. Not her, not me. One minute he was drinking coffee and then boom; out like a light.

He seemed to go quickly. Complained of being dizzy. Little pain in his arm. Said his chest was tight. Mom poured another cup and turned around to find the fat man on the floor grabbing at his heart. He said no words. Just kept looking up at the ceiling. Breathing hard, or, not breathing at all. Laying there in pain.

I felt bad because I continued eating my breakfast. Two eggs, bacon, sausage patties, buttered white toast. Potatoes on the side. In fact when I saw him on the floor I asked if I could have his. Mom nodded her head. He’s too old to eat like that anyway, she said. Go on. Finish it boy, she poured me another orange juice.

Meanwhile, he laid there on the tile floor. Mom stepped over him to answer the phone. It was her sister from Arkansas. Asking how she was doing? And, what were the kids up to? She didn’t ask about the old man. Mom told her he was playing oppossum on the floor. Probably playing a trick on us all, she laughed. She kicked the side of his round leg. Get up you old buzzard, she said. Anyway, he’s always up to something, mom told her.

I remember coming home from school and the body was still laying there in the kitchen. Mom was sweeping around it. Are you gonna get up? she asked. You can’t lay there all day. I got work to do, she continued sweeping and shaking her head.I sat at the table watching. I’d never seen a dead body before. I looked straight at him. He didn’t look back.

Mom. You think something’s wrong with him? I asked. She laughed. No mom. I think there’s something wrong with dad, I said. She just stood there smiling. Has he been there all day? She nodded. Don’t you think you should call somebody? She put her broom down. She looked at me.

What do you want me to do? she asked. What am I supposed to do? she yelled. I don’t know what to do. It’s not my fault, she said. This was bound to happen one day or another. You call somebody, she said. Go on. End it. Call somebody and put this game to rest, she pleaded. This is just like him. Always quitting at the wrong time. There’s bills to pay. A mortgage. How are you going to get along? I shrugged my shoulders. That’s what I thought, she said. That’s what I thought. Well, I’m ready if you are. Get him out of here.

I dragged dad’s body out to the barn. Mom didn’t want any strangers in her house. I laid the old man out on straw with a pitchfork in his hand. Mom said, make it look like he was working. Wouldn’t want anybody to think he was lazy. I dialed 911. Told them that the old man had died. Could they send somebody out? Mom continued cleaning.