Across the small dining table, I peered through my small slants flurried by eyelashes watching my mother pray. On the moment her hand drops, I blink reaching for the fork to stab the vegetables. My brother on either side of the young girl and mother took a sip of his coke can before placing the empty can down. "So, how was your day?" he throws out the question hoping anyone to catch it. Only the ambient noise of stainless steel utensils lightly tapping the plates and chewing of food. I looked over at my brother to notice him raise his hands before his mouth to release a burp.
"No…" mother muttered.
"What? I covered my mouth…" he responded.
"You are still working at the garage right?" I blurted out.
"Yeah, why?" he asked.
"Just interested…" I uttered as the timeline of events became clearer that he was still employed at the local garage. "I am thinking of quitting and finding something else, I am looking around." He explains. "And do what?" my mother snapped sternly. I turned to see looking at my mother calmly with her eyebrows lowered. "Well, anything else… Do you think I want to work the garage the whole time that I'm here?" He pleads looking at Mom before his eyes pull away to look at his lap. "I'm not saying that but this the best of what our little town can offer us," Mother leaned slightly towards my brother with her eyes trained on his chest. "Hmmm, yeah righhttt…" he releases himself withdrawn letters and sighs. He picks up his plate to walk past the dinner towards the kitchen. I follow behind him with my plate and glass of orange nearly slanted in the glass.
"Hey, grab the can." She asked me as scooped the empty can to rest on the empty plate. I placed the plate on the counter, and drained the rest in my glass before slamming it on the counter and asking my brother.
"Hey, can you wash the dishes for today?"
"Why?" he turns around to look at her from behind the open fridge door.
"Just for today, we got dumped a huge assignment on the first day and I want to get on it." My brother lets out a huge sigh, grabbing a plate of a half-eaten cake with the door swinging playfully by his hand.
The fridge closed, "Sure, but the weekend. I'm free." He says walking by and ruffling my hair with his hand for a second walking towards the living room. In my room, I went through my wardrobe to find a pair of sneakers and a grey jacket to wear. I walked out into the corridor and neared close to the bannister at the landing to look at the front door. I can hear the television blaring, so I slowly walk down the stairs towards the front door and peer into the archway to look into the living room. My brother was sitting on the television watching intently without Mom in sight. I swiftly open the door and step halfway out only to halt. I reached behind me on the small coffee table near the door to grab the spare remote. Out in the streets in the early darkness of 6 pm with cars passing by, I lightly jog on the pavement. I can feel my chest rise and fall hoarsely with my legs growing weaker.
'I need to start working out, I can't deal with a body like that.' I thought between breaths before collapsing into a stumble walk with a cry escaping my lungs. I can see the park across the street, illuminated by a streetlamp the bushes were well-kempt and the tree near the swing set was shorter. I passed the glare of the light to notice closely that the chipped paint seemed fresh with a denser coat that began to weaken to the forces of nature. My hand instinctively reached out to touch the metal surface feeling the smooth coat of cool lapis. I walk by the swingset to see the familiar public toilet in the park. I thread slowly towards not feeling my body rush nor attempt to stall, but my mind readied what could be found. I need to confirm something that might not be there or is there, but it won't satisfy or lay any foundation for what's going on. Time travel without a time machine is strange, so insanity may be the only thing to plead guilty. The light at the door above on the wall worked perfectly, I opened the door to walk in. I can see under the light and there is way less graffiti on the walls. I pressed onwards to the end reaching to the toilet stall and push open. My eyes looked to the right and scanned the wall to swiftly between lines and letters of graffiti for the very words etched.
"Ah, of course," I mutter seeing nothing on the wall but drawing of a cigarette pack alongside the message 'Don't worry, Love'. I lean on the wall at the entrance feeling more confused about my next move. 'Should I just settle here and deal with this reality, maybe it wasn't even the graffiti then what was it.' I felt the urge to pull my head to one side and slam into the wall. I'm back in my past life and I have to deal with it. I slowly begin to walk away from the toilets seeing the streetlamp beyond the swing set with moths flying near it.
I reached near the swingset and noticed a girl jogging by across the street. Between steps I watched her run the mute darkness from the other side came near the centre frame of my direction. I caught my breath seeing her in the athletic school shirt and blue sweatpants jogging by with wired earphones in her ears. I stood near the streetlamp watching her run past with her black hair wrapped into a ponytail away down the road. I felt like a moth lingering at her fleeting presence and watched her disappear in the dark before reappearing under the faraway streetlamp. Defeated, the sight of an old best friend reflected a small change in heart to reconnect.