The life of Nusi

Chapter 8 Timothy Bradley Reel

TW: mentions of violence, trauma, and PTSD, and dead people.

The school year was in full swing. The days were colder, and the nights were longer. Nusi and Kwan were at Nusi's uncles' bento shop cleaning. Mr. Lee and Nusi's uncle worked out a deal where Nusi could work at the Pop Shop and still fulfill her duties at the bento shop. Ventus Bento Shop was very popular in the village and was always busy. It was a big place, seating around twenty-five people inside and an additional ten tables out front. The food was great, and the portions were huge. It was almost like Nusi's uncle didn't care about making money. He just loved cooking and feeding people.

Nusi was mopping as Kwan was wiping down the tables. Nusi was dressed in a long flowing reddish skirt with little yellow daisies all over it. Nusis top was a white button down tucked into her skirt. She had white sneakers on with no socks. She wore a red bandana in her hair. As she mopped, she noticed a song she hadn't heard in years on her playlist. She turned the Bluetooth onto the bento shop so Kwan could hear the song too. The music started. Nusi started dancing with the mop. She started singing in English,

"Mama, we all go to hell! Mama we all go to hell!" In French she sang,
"J'écris cette lettre et je te souhaite bonne chance, maman, nous allons tous en enfer" Kwan just stared as Nusi sang and danced with the mop. Now in Spanish Nusi sang,
"Oh bueno, mamá, todos vamos a morir. Deja de hacerme preguntas, odio verte llorar, mamá, todos vamos a morir." Now in Russian Nusi sang,
"и когда мы уйдем, не вините нас, мы позволим огню просто окунуть нас, да, вы сделали нас такими знаменитыми; Мы никогда тебя не отпустим. И когда ты уйдешь, не возвращай мне мою любовь."
Nusi was spinning, jumping and kicking. She pulled her skirt up a little above her knees, doing high kicks that were above Kwans head. Now Nusi sang in Korean this time,
"엄마, 우리는 모두 거짓말로 가득 차 있어요. 엄마, 우리는 파리를 위한 존재예요. 그리고 지금 그들은 당신 크기의 관을 만들고 있습니다. 엄마, 우리는 모두 거짓말로 가득 차 있어요."
As she danced, Nusi saw a bowl of vegetables. Laughing and dancing, Nusi grabbed a tomato and squished it to her forehead. Kwan started clapping as did passersby, who stopped to see this crazy show. Back in English, she sang as she danced with the squished tomato on her forehead,
"Well Mother look what the war did to my legs and to my tongue." Just then, her uncle walked out from the back of the shop, seeing what was going on. He heard Nusi singing and saw the back of her as she danced. Then she spun, and he saw her face.

The tomato on her forehead. The way the red ran down her face, running over her eyes and down her cheeks. His eyes widened. Time stopped for him. He couldn't hear the music anymore. Nusi faded from his sight. He closed his eyes and opened them again. When he opened his eyes, he wasn't in the bento shop. He was in a dark place, a place he hadn't been in years. A place where he never wanted to be again. He heard the man call his name. A name he hadn't heard in years.

"Mr. Reel," The man said, "you can go in now." He stood up and walked in passed the man holding the door open for him and shutting it behind him. In the room was a huge wooden desk. Behind it sat a man in a black suit. "Sit," the man said to him as he motioned for the chair that sat in front of the desk. He sat and looked at the man for a few seconds. Then said,

"I've come along way for this, I hope it's worth my trouble." The man behind the desk cleared his throat and said, 

"Oh yes, it will be I swear." Then the man said in an excited voice. "I can't believe I am sitting in front of the one and only Timothy Bradley Reel!"

"Mr. Reel if you don't mind," Uncle said with a slight smile. "Now to the business at hand." Uncle said. "You need me to go check and make sure the job is complete?" Uncle said in a deep voice.