Always You Will Have My Hand To Hold (Watty Awards 2012)

Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

They walked a few blocks closer to where Lia and Attie were staying with Lia alternating between carrying Attie and letting her walk. Alek offered to help but, Attie wasn't ready to go to someone else yet. They went to a small diner, about a  street away from where the office was. Lia knew she was going to show him the place but she was dreading it. She didn’t care that he might look at her differently, but she cared that somehow he would expose her secret. If that happened not only she was going to be in trouble, she was going to lose her little sister.

They ate in silence, with Attie interrupting every now and then to say something or ask Alek something. She could be so curious. When they were almost done, Lia looked at Alek her eyes begging him to not follow her. He didn’t seem to understand her, so she slumped further into the booth. Her small dinner forgotten, she busied herself with picking up her and Attie’s backpacks. She had placed the things that she had bought earlier for Attie to paint in her bag. She handed Attie her bag and her stuffed cow after Lia made sure that the little girl's face was clean. Alek paid for the food and together they headed toward the office.

Alek didn’t understand the look but he felt like he should, something was troubling Lia but he didn’t know what. He didn’t understand what she felt, but he knew that he would do anything to keep that look out of her eyes. He cared for her, more than he should have, he even cared for the little girl he just met. He never found the courage to ask Lia if she was her sister or her daughter, but he had guessed that Attie wasn’t her daughter. He found himself thinking that even if Attie was Lia’s daughter that wouldn’t change the way he felt.

Alek walked with Lia one street down from the small diner they were just in. He saw the way the place looked abandoned, but Lia kept going toward that abandoned place. He didn’t say anything as he followed her to the back of what looked like an old office building that hadn’t been in business for a while. She produced a key which she inserted in the keyhole of the second door. Alek paid close attention to her, because he couldn’t understand why she was opening the door to an out of business place.

“This is it” Lia said with a tone of finality.

Alek watched as Lia went inside, while Attie waited at the door. Lia turned on a small lamp which looked like it was operated with batteries. Light flooded the small space, Alek’s eye darted from left to right as it took everything in. He saw the small air mattress on one side, almost hidden by the desk that was turned sideways. He saw two chairs against the wall and a rack where some clothes were hanging. He saw the filing cabinet one the same side as the bed, and the small bookshelf.

Attie had moved from the door to stand by Lia. It was unusually quiet; Lia was carefully watching Alek’s face for a reaction. She saw a look of shock crossed his face, quickly followed by concern, wonder, then pity and then a look that she couldn’t understand. It was as if he wasn’t sure what to feel, so he felt everything.

“Please sit” said Lia pointing to one of the two chairs against the wall.

Alek followed where Lia was pointing with his eyes and went to sit without so much as a word. He just watched as Lia went through a door and came back with a blue striped sheet. She spread it on the floor before she placed a cushion on it then a small plastic table. Lia had gotten a couple more things since they had started living in the place, she still didn’t have electricity or hot water, but she made the best out of what she had. Attie didn’t lack or anything except maybe a TV or a radio, but it wasn't like she missed them.