flawed souls

nine

her

"JUST STOP IT! STOP, MOM!
I don't want to hear about how much of a failure i am anymore!"
his shouts rang throughout my house and his

my parents and i share thoughtful looks
and my mother says: "i hope he's okay."
i love her for worrying about him and not his parents

a few hours later, once the colors of the sky
had dissolved to darkness and
the moon is basking in its glory

i threw a pencil at his window
the music playing stops and he appears
"you alright?"i ask
"not really,"he says. "lotus, wanna—nevermind."

"no, tell me! wanna what?"
"nothing."
"south."
"lotus, it's west."
"at this point, i do not care. what were you gonna say?"

he clears his throat, "i'm going somewhere. wanna join?"
i freeze, "uh—well—um."
wonderful, i lose every other word in the
english dictionary because of him.

him

she is like a seal trying to speak english,
i am tempted to just shut my window and go back to sleep
but she says, "sure."
i sigh with relief.

"meet me outside your front door in thirty seconds."
and i give her no chance to answer, i close my window,
take my keys, get my jean jacket and a long trench coat
and sneak out, by the front door.

"west?!" whispers desperately lotus, eyes wide in fear
she is in her mickey mouse pajamas, hair in a bun
i want to laugh at her childish demeanor,
"catch!" i throw her the coat and moments later the second helmet

"where we going?" she says, buttoning the large coat and putting the helmet on
and i can see her true feelings: fear, guilt but most of all; excitement
"you'll see. hold on."
"already am," she replies, putting her head on my shoulder.

"lotus, you ready?"
"hm. just go."
even if i can't see her, i know her eyes are squeezed shut

"you won't die," i reassure her, even though this is greatly amusing
"whatever you say."
and i drive.