Bad Company I
“That kid looks like one of us.”
Adrianna looks at me the way she does sometimes with her face harder than usual, her eyes focus like lasers and I can feel the heat of her annoyance.
“You think so Julio?” She asks.
“I’m telling you, he’s spaced out.”
She stares me into the sofa, and it's as if she’s trying to figure out if I am playing her. Sometimes I do, play her, but not this time. “Look at him," I say. "His eyes are like a fish that’s just been caught.”
“He looks fine. Besides, what do you know about fishing?”
“My dad. When I was little.”
I saunter over to where he sits, his back is up against the wall and I wave my hand in front of his face.
“Do you know who I am?” I ask.
I thought I knew all I needed to know about him.
He gazes back at Adrianna and then at me with glassy eyes like he is trying to decide something.
“Shouldn’t you be in school today?” I ask.
At the mention of school, he still doesn’t say anything and then it sounds like he mutters, “Thom is cold.”
“Or something else?” I ask. He’s wearing his pajamas, the long sleeved kind with superheroes all over them, the kind mother’s pick out. “You trying to be like one of those guys?” I say. I point at the center of his chest. He looks around like he is trying to find an answer to my question, it’s as if he’s gone from here, and what’s leftover of him needs help with basics like that. I know the place he’s at. You don’t care about anything else except staying in that vanishing place and even this slips away too quickly.
He shows me the cold medicine in the bathroom and points to the small plastic cup on the counter and the schedule of times. “Noon,” he says. And it’s like I am the big brother I always wished I’d had.
I pour the pink liquid into the cup up to the teaspoon line like he asks and hand it to him. “Maybe this will help with that virus thing.”
“Better,” he says.
“Want what’s in here? It's stronger than cold medicine." I wave my garbage in front of her face. "It’s lunch time."
Adrianna looks at me the way she does sometimes with her face harder than usual, her eyes focus like lasers and I can feel the heat of her annoyance.
“You think so Julio?” She asks.
“I’m telling you, he’s spaced out.”
She stares me into the sofa, and it's as if she’s trying to figure out if I am playing her. Sometimes I do, play her, but not this time. “Look at him," I say. "His eyes are like a fish that’s just been caught.”
“He looks fine. Besides, what do you know about fishing?”
“My dad. When I was little.”
I saunter over to where he sits, his back is up against the wall and I wave my hand in front of his face.
“Do you know who I am?” I ask.
I thought I knew all I needed to know about him.
He gazes back at Adrianna and then at me with glassy eyes like he is trying to decide something.
“Shouldn’t you be in school today?” I ask.
At the mention of school, he still doesn’t say anything and then it sounds like he mutters, “Thom is cold.”
“Or something else?” I ask. He’s wearing his pajamas, the long sleeved kind with superheroes all over them, the kind mother’s pick out. “You trying to be like one of those guys?” I say. I point at the center of his chest. He looks around like he is trying to find an answer to my question, it’s as if he’s gone from here, and what’s leftover of him needs help with basics like that. I know the place he’s at. You don’t care about anything else except staying in that vanishing place and even this slips away too quickly.
He shows me the cold medicine in the bathroom and points to the small plastic cup on the counter and the schedule of times. “Noon,” he says. And it’s like I am the big brother I always wished I’d had.
I pour the pink liquid into the cup up to the teaspoon line like he asks and hand it to him. “Maybe this will help with that virus thing.”
“Better,” he says.
“You
don’t look like a complete fish anymore.”
He gazes up at me like I’m his new best friend and I glance over at
Adrianna and point to him, and I almost say, ‘Do you see him? Do you see what I just did?’ But she’s pissed.
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