feet. "Papy, do you want to hear them?"
"They are giving him more things to say in the play," Lili explained, "because he did such a good job memorizing so fast."
"My compliments, son. Do you have your new lines memorized too?" Guy asked.
"Why don't you recite your new lines for your father?" Lili said.
The boy walked to the middle of the room and prepared to recite. He cleared his throat, raising his eyes towards the ceiling.
"There is so much sadness in the faces of my people. I have called on their gods, now I call on our gods. I call on our young. I call on our old. I call on our mighty and the weak. I call on everyone and anyone so that we shall all let out one piercing cry that we may either live freely or we should die."
"I see your new lines have as much drama as the old ones," Guy said. He wiped a tear away, walked over to the chair, and took the boy in his arms. He pressed the boy's body against his chest before lowering him to the ground.
"Your new lines are wonderful, son. They're every bit as affecting as the old." He tapped the boy's shoulder and walked out of the house.
"What's the matter with Papy?" the boy asked as the door slammed shut behind Guy.
"His heart hurts," Lili said.
After supper, Lili took her son to the field where she knew her husband would be. While the boy ran around, she found her husband sitting in his favorite spot behind the sugar mill.
"Nothing, Lili," he said. 'Ask me nothing about this day that I have had."
She sat down on the grass next to him, for once feeling the sharp edges of the grass blades against her ankles.
"You're really good with that boy," he said, drawing circles with his smallest finger on her elbow. "You will make a performer of him. I know you will. You can see the best in that whole situation. It's because you have those stars in your eyes. That's the first thing I noticed about you when I met you. It was your eyes, Lili, so dark and deep. They drew me like danger draws a fool."
He turned over on the grass so that he was staring directly at the moon up in the sky. She could tell that he was also watching the hot-air balloon behind the sugar mill fence out of the corner of his eye.
"Sometimes I know you want to believe in me," he said. "I know you're wishing things for me. You want me to work at the mill. You want me to get a pretty house for us. I know you want these things too, but mostly you want me to feel like a man. That's why you're not one to worry about, Lili. I know you can take things as they come."
"I don't like it when you talk this way," she said.
"Listen to this, Lili. I want to tell you a secret. Some-times, I just want to take that big balloon and ride it up in the air. I'd like to sail off somewhere and keep floating until I got to a really nice place with a nice plot of land where I could be something new. I'd build my own house, keep my own garden. Just be something new."
"I want you to stay away from there."
"I know you don't think I should take it. That can't keep me from wanting."
"You could be injured. Do you ever think about that?"
"Don't you ever want to be something new?"
"I don't like it," she said.
"Please don't get angry with me," he said, his voice straining almost like the boy's.
"If you were to take that balloon and fly away, would you take me and the boy?"
"First you don't want me to take it and now you want to go?"
"I just want to know that when you dream, me and the boy, we're always in your dreams."
He leaned his head on her shoulders and drifted off to sleep. Her back ached as she sat there with his face pressed against her collar bone. He drooled and the saliva dripped down to her breasts, soaking her frayed polyester bra. She listened to the crickets while watching her son play, muttering his lines to himself as he went in a circle around the field. The moon was glowing above their heads. Winking at them, as Guy liked to say, on its way to brighter shores.
Opening his eyes, Guy asked her, "How do you
"They are giving him more things to say in the play," Lili explained, "because he did such a good job memorizing so fast."
"My compliments, son. Do you have your new lines memorized too?" Guy asked.
"Why don't you recite your new lines for your father?" Lili said.
The boy walked to the middle of the room and prepared to recite. He cleared his throat, raising his eyes towards the ceiling.
"There is so much sadness in the faces of my people. I have called on their gods, now I call on our gods. I call on our young. I call on our old. I call on our mighty and the weak. I call on everyone and anyone so that we shall all let out one piercing cry that we may either live freely or we should die."
"I see your new lines have as much drama as the old ones," Guy said. He wiped a tear away, walked over to the chair, and took the boy in his arms. He pressed the boy's body against his chest before lowering him to the ground.
"Your new lines are wonderful, son. They're every bit as affecting as the old." He tapped the boy's shoulder and walked out of the house.
"What's the matter with Papy?" the boy asked as the door slammed shut behind Guy.
"His heart hurts," Lili said.
After supper, Lili took her son to the field where she knew her husband would be. While the boy ran around, she found her husband sitting in his favorite spot behind the sugar mill.
"Nothing, Lili," he said. 'Ask me nothing about this day that I have had."
She sat down on the grass next to him, for once feeling the sharp edges of the grass blades against her ankles.
"You're really good with that boy," he said, drawing circles with his smallest finger on her elbow. "You will make a performer of him. I know you will. You can see the best in that whole situation. It's because you have those stars in your eyes. That's the first thing I noticed about you when I met you. It was your eyes, Lili, so dark and deep. They drew me like danger draws a fool."
He turned over on the grass so that he was staring directly at the moon up in the sky. She could tell that he was also watching the hot-air balloon behind the sugar mill fence out of the corner of his eye.
"Sometimes I know you want to believe in me," he said. "I know you're wishing things for me. You want me to work at the mill. You want me to get a pretty house for us. I know you want these things too, but mostly you want me to feel like a man. That's why you're not one to worry about, Lili. I know you can take things as they come."
"I don't like it when you talk this way," she said.
"Listen to this, Lili. I want to tell you a secret. Some-times, I just want to take that big balloon and ride it up in the air. I'd like to sail off somewhere and keep floating until I got to a really nice place with a nice plot of land where I could be something new. I'd build my own house, keep my own garden. Just be something new."
"I want you to stay away from there."
"I know you don't think I should take it. That can't keep me from wanting."
"You could be injured. Do you ever think about that?"
"Don't you ever want to be something new?"
"I don't like it," she said.
"Please don't get angry with me," he said, his voice straining almost like the boy's.
"If you were to take that balloon and fly away, would you take me and the boy?"
"First you don't want me to take it and now you want to go?"
"I just want to know that when you dream, me and the boy, we're always in your dreams."
He leaned his head on her shoulders and drifted off to sleep. Her back ached as she sat there with his face pressed against her collar bone. He drooled and the saliva dripped down to her breasts, soaking her frayed polyester bra. She listened to the crickets while watching her son play, muttering his lines to himself as he went in a circle around the field. The moon was glowing above their heads. Winking at them, as Guy liked to say, on its way to brighter shores.
Opening his eyes, Guy asked her, "How do you
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