footsteps skip up the stairs. Damn! I had to get out of there before he spotted me.
I dashed down the hallway and had just about made it to my room before I saw Samuel’s foot hit the top stair. I thrust myself into the open bathroom and pretended to have just existed as I saw Samuel turn the corner.
“ How you doing, sis?”
I swallowed. “Fine.”
“ Gonna catch some early zzzs. Don’t bug me.” Samuel disappeared behind his bedroom door and I vanished behind mine.
Memorial
I slept in unwillingly. I guess the excitement of the past few days finally caught up to me. But when I opened my eyes my body sprang up and Tommy’s message hit me like a truck without brakes. FRANCIS: 2G. Swinging out of bed I quickly took a shower and threw on a maroon sweater, a pair of jeans and a handmade knit hat Mom gave me last Christmas. Galoshes and coat waited at the front door. Grabbing a granola bar and chugging a glass of orange juice, I raced out the door, barely giving Mom time to say hi.
It was ten minutes before the bus at the end of the street got there, and I waited impatiently, pacing like a madman let out of an asylum. When the bus door opened, I slid a handful of quarters into the machine, and a ticker punched out for me. Ripping the edge from the machine I slid the ticket into my pocket and slid into a seat somewhere in the middle.
Gazing out the window, I thought I’d never get there in time, before someone else got there. But ten minutes later the bus pulled up at its next stop, and I flew out the splitting doors. With my coat only buttoned up halfway I dashed into the cafe and walked quickly toward the corridor. A series of metal lockers decorated the left wall. Employee lockers. I spotted the name Francis just as I remembered. I had never searched consciously for the name before, so the name Francis had to churn around in my brain for some time before I realized where I’d seen it.
With fingers to the locker handle, I pulled. Locked. Of course. Trudging up to the counter I waited for the attendee, name tag reading Ralph. I tried the puppy dog look I so often watched on my brother’s face. It seemed to have worked for him well enough.
“ What do you need, Ali?”
“ I...I just needed something Francis has.”
“ What do you mean?”
“ A friend of mine gave her something and I need it.”
“ OK, well Francis is in the employee room. You’ll have to wait till she changes into her uniform and comes out to talk to her.”
My cheeks puffed as I gazed at the counter.
Minutes later Francis stumbled out of the employee room tightening the apron around her checkered waist and tossing a cigarette butt into the trash bin. After she hid her loose brunette hair into a ponytail her head flipped up and caught my haunting gaze.
“ What do you need, Ali?”
“ Tommy...Tommy gave you something?” I said it like a question and statement at the same time.
“ Yeah...a few days ago.”
“ Could I see it? He wanted me to have it before he...”
“ Sure, Ali. Follow me.” She bounced up to her locker marked 2G and spun the combination. “He told me to hold on to it and he’d be back for it soon. But he never came back.” She wiped a single tear from her almond eyes and popped the locker open.
Pulling out a thick vanilla envelope, she laid the package into my trembling hands. Trembling because this could be illegal. Trembling because of what hid inside the package.
“ Here you go, Ali. Take care of it, whatever it is. Seemed important to him.”
“ Of course. Thanks, Francis.”
As I turned from her, my fingers squeezed the envelope. Something square rested inside for sure. Curiosity drove me mad. I had to open this package and soon! As I hopped onto the sidewalk the chimes of the door sounded a close, and I headed toward the shop on the corner. The shop had many knick-knacks, and I needed candles for tonight. As I strolled, my hands swung back and forth and I squeezed the package again; but as I
I dashed down the hallway and had just about made it to my room before I saw Samuel’s foot hit the top stair. I thrust myself into the open bathroom and pretended to have just existed as I saw Samuel turn the corner.
“ How you doing, sis?”
I swallowed. “Fine.”
“ Gonna catch some early zzzs. Don’t bug me.” Samuel disappeared behind his bedroom door and I vanished behind mine.
Memorial
I slept in unwillingly. I guess the excitement of the past few days finally caught up to me. But when I opened my eyes my body sprang up and Tommy’s message hit me like a truck without brakes. FRANCIS: 2G. Swinging out of bed I quickly took a shower and threw on a maroon sweater, a pair of jeans and a handmade knit hat Mom gave me last Christmas. Galoshes and coat waited at the front door. Grabbing a granola bar and chugging a glass of orange juice, I raced out the door, barely giving Mom time to say hi.
It was ten minutes before the bus at the end of the street got there, and I waited impatiently, pacing like a madman let out of an asylum. When the bus door opened, I slid a handful of quarters into the machine, and a ticker punched out for me. Ripping the edge from the machine I slid the ticket into my pocket and slid into a seat somewhere in the middle.
Gazing out the window, I thought I’d never get there in time, before someone else got there. But ten minutes later the bus pulled up at its next stop, and I flew out the splitting doors. With my coat only buttoned up halfway I dashed into the cafe and walked quickly toward the corridor. A series of metal lockers decorated the left wall. Employee lockers. I spotted the name Francis just as I remembered. I had never searched consciously for the name before, so the name Francis had to churn around in my brain for some time before I realized where I’d seen it.
With fingers to the locker handle, I pulled. Locked. Of course. Trudging up to the counter I waited for the attendee, name tag reading Ralph. I tried the puppy dog look I so often watched on my brother’s face. It seemed to have worked for him well enough.
“ What do you need, Ali?”
“ I...I just needed something Francis has.”
“ What do you mean?”
“ A friend of mine gave her something and I need it.”
“ OK, well Francis is in the employee room. You’ll have to wait till she changes into her uniform and comes out to talk to her.”
My cheeks puffed as I gazed at the counter.
Minutes later Francis stumbled out of the employee room tightening the apron around her checkered waist and tossing a cigarette butt into the trash bin. After she hid her loose brunette hair into a ponytail her head flipped up and caught my haunting gaze.
“ What do you need, Ali?”
“ Tommy...Tommy gave you something?” I said it like a question and statement at the same time.
“ Yeah...a few days ago.”
“ Could I see it? He wanted me to have it before he...”
“ Sure, Ali. Follow me.” She bounced up to her locker marked 2G and spun the combination. “He told me to hold on to it and he’d be back for it soon. But he never came back.” She wiped a single tear from her almond eyes and popped the locker open.
Pulling out a thick vanilla envelope, she laid the package into my trembling hands. Trembling because this could be illegal. Trembling because of what hid inside the package.
“ Here you go, Ali. Take care of it, whatever it is. Seemed important to him.”
“ Of course. Thanks, Francis.”
As I turned from her, my fingers squeezed the envelope. Something square rested inside for sure. Curiosity drove me mad. I had to open this package and soon! As I hopped onto the sidewalk the chimes of the door sounded a close, and I headed toward the shop on the corner. The shop had many knick-knacks, and I needed candles for tonight. As I strolled, my hands swung back and forth and I squeezed the package again; but as I
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