Present Drifter

Chapter 29

I kick a small fabric ball that my mom made for me and chase after it with glee. One of the other village boys runs behind me trying to catch up to me and my toy. I slide around the object and stop it by raising my foot. Then, I kick it again.

It rolls, we immediately begin running in its wake. The village comes closer and closer until the ball bounces into one of the walls of one of the homes. It rolls back towards us. My friend grabs it and pulls it up to rest on his chest.

"I should get home for supper," he says while giving me a half smile. He walks towards me and gently places the ball into my arms.

"Oh, alright." I say. "Tomorrow?" He nods his head and then walks into our village and towards his home. I frown as he walks away. Who am I supposed to play with now?

I turn around and let my ball drop to the ground. A small poof of dust travels out from below it as it falls with a thud. I kick it gently and watch in boredom as it rolls pathetically away from me. This isn't fun alone.

Maybe I should head back to my home too, my mom might be down with dinner. Dad is probably still out, but grandpa might be able to play with.

I run to my ball and grab it, placing it tightly under my arm. Quickly, I turn back and run towards our village. I slip between two of the huts and come into the center where our well sits. One of the families is fetching up a bucket as I run past.

I quickly stop running as I approach the door, sliding the rest of the way into my home. A cloud of dust floats out and through the doorway.

"Jeremiah!" My mom exclaims as the room becomes dusty.

"Sorry mom," I apologize insincerely as I begin to walk further into the home. I drop my ball and watch proudly as it rolls over to my grandpa's bed. My grandpa sits on the edge of his bed looking at my mom who is stripping corn. He turns to look at me as I come to stand in the center of the room.

"Hello Jeremiah," he says.

"Hello," I respond. "Will you play ball with me?"

"Jeremiah it's too late to play ball. It's almost supper time," my mom scolds.

"Just a little longer," I beg. She shakes her head and turns back towards her food preparation.

I cross my arms in front of my chest and march over to the bed. I hop up next to my grandpa, my arms tightly wound in front of me. This isn't fun either. I should've just kept playing ball by myself.

I watch as my mom carefully pulls the grainy leaves off of the yellow ears of corn. The vegetable sparkles as she picks up a bowl of water and pores it across its surface. It doesn't look half bad.

My grandpa moves a little across the bed so that he is sitting closer to me. I watch curiously as my mom glances back in our direction but turns away with a sigh.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about," he states, his eyes locked on my face. I slowly move my gaze until my eyes meet his.

"Am I in trouble again?" I ask, my eyes slightly wider in fear.

"No, no." My grandpas says while laughing and shaking his head. A small sigh escapes me in relief. "It's about my job."

"You're job?" Grandpa nods. "I didn't know you had a job."

"It's a really important job." He states confidently. "How about we take a walk and I'll tell you all about it."

I jump up off the bed with a nod. I'm out the door before my grandpa's even stood straight up in front of his bed. I stand there in front of the doorway shaking with excitement. My grandpa slowly makes his way to me. I have to walk slower than usual so I don't get too far ahead.