Summer Short Story Series
But I Break
1
Nehemie let her hand fall and the flat keys slipped out of it. Tobi quickly glanced at her and bent down to pick them up. His glasses slipped forward a little, so his hand was by his face when he pushed them up to look at her, it felt too cinematic. Nehemie began shaking her head, he said “You dropped the keys what’s wrong?”
“Let’s keep walking?”
“What?”
“Come on, let’s keep walking,” she interlaced her fingers in his and pulled him in her stride.
The keys jingled in the pocket of his basketball shorts, as they walked out from under the shadow of the flat. Nehemie squashed an already smooshed cigarette end in the pavement, a feeling not quite close to autumn leaves. She felt sweat collect between their hands; it was such a hot summer day. She didn’t know if she could let go, she desperately wanted to let go.
She rehearsed the words in her head over and over again. He glanced at her so she smiled. She had to keep cool. Her mind was buzzing with words over and over again in heat. The trees refused to sway. The paint on the railings was chipped in places to reveal bright grey metal.
— — — —
He looked at her and their hands. They seemed to be taking their time walking down the concrete steps leading away from the flat. The street stood clear ahead of him but he had really wanted to go inside to get a drink, he was thirsty, and there was definitely some Sunpride in the fridge last he saw. And what was worse, he was not just thirsty, he needed a piss. Where did she want them to go? He was glad he wore basketball shorts today God it was hot. He watched the lope of her brown legs, and his eyes travelled upwards lingeringly. He’d better follow her wherever she wanted to go.
A neighbour’s front garden had a flower pot of some marigolds hanging, he paused and she looked at him confusedly as he picked one to put behind her ear. And she still looked confused when he took his hand away. He wondered if he should say something.
— — — —
Aphrodite takes a quick look in the mirror and tried to listen to what her son was saying. She pouts to herself as Eros gestures with his arms wide.
“…their trajectory was supposed to last until May 2024, if we’re looking at a Halcyon projection of their data.”
“Ugh when has that ever been the best projection?
“Well regardless all the long-term relationship projections that were expected for these two are being threatened. We need to-”
“Eros, manangwu, they’re just human, they’re not even heroes.”
“But if we keep them together, at least through the summer it means Nehemie won’t go on to Wireless Festival in July and she won’t be introduced to Eric.”
“Eric? Is he at least attractive?”
“Mother if she meets Eric, then she gives birth to-”
“Let me guess someone who shouldn’t be born, because of some great cosmic quest…”Aphrodite circles her hand around what would have been the rest of the sentence.
“Actually it’s a little more serious, she gives birth to-”
“Someone ugly?” Aphrodite gasps and giggles. Eros flies to the other side of her lounge chair.
“Mother we don’t have time to go over the birth chart. Listen you need to let me go down with a couple of rounds.”
“I haven’t seen you in 200 years and this is what you come to me with, an excuse to leave?”
“Mother I saw you last week,” Aphrodite turns her nose up dramatically, her perfume swirling as she rises to stand. Eros continues, “I tried to find Hephaestus, but well you know…”
Aphrodite rolls her eyes and puts her hands on her hips beautifully, “I know I know. Fine we’ll go to the storehouse.”
— — — —
She needed to tell the truth. But it was all bad. Outside it suddenly felt like there was too much sun on her face. She wished she hadn’t worn this plaid shirt black shorts combo. She thought sadly, every time I wear this I’m going to be reminded of all the awful things we will say to each other.
Tobi said, “Do you wanna go Nisa or something? We could get freeze-its or even swing for some Haagen-Daas. It’s too hot out here.”
“Yeah we can.”
“What time does it close on Sundays anyway?”
“I don’t think it changes times or anything round here.”
“You know when we get back there’s a Channel 4 documentary going on about…”
A car passed by them on the pavement. She tuned out, and took in hot breaths, she thought two things. One: if he could be me for just a second he could know exactly how I am feeling right now. Two: I want to die.
— — — —
“…this community of second generation British- African immigrants moving back to their home countries and that, it’s like what’s that country that’s made up of those black Americans?”He squinted looking up at the sky trying to remember.
“What?”
“Liberia that’s it, did you know? That’s what they say. Was it in like 1900s or so? They said that like-”, he got a text from his phone and took it out as it vibrated his heart raced, but he kept his grip on her hand easy. He stopped talking and put his phone back.
“What we’re you saying?” Nehemie asked.
“Oh nothing err I don’t want to spoil it.”
They turned the corner and both of them were glad to see the shop, its shade and primary home-colors. Tobi would find a quiet aisle while she looked for ice-creams and reply to the text which had read, DON’T ACT SURPRISED, I HATE YOU AND SHE’LL KNOW WHEN I FEEL LIKE IT.
The heat was out of control, he thought. Kids were hiding in the broken telephone boxes and shooting water guns at strangers, laughing themselves silly at their bad aim, laughing harder when they hit anyone that passed by.
— — — —
Eros stretches his wings bored as his mother takes out the keys for the store house. The Goddess of Love curses herself for not enslaving some mortal to keep her estate in order, someone hot or a mortal that would be good to look at. It has been such a long, long, long time since she had found a human to love.
Eros waits, his feet hovering off the plush grass of his mother’s garden. He looks in his mind’s eye at a random couple in the Bronx walking their chow chow puppy, and again revolves his vision in his mind’s eye too look at a couple falling in the snow Les Leñas, their noses icy and close. It does not always end in tears, this game of loving he thinks wistfully. He revolves his mind’s eye to the couple walking through Hillfields council estate: Nehemie and Tobi. He cannot let them break each other’s hearts. What can these sixteen-year-olds possibly know about that. There is not enough room in the world for the pain they do not know, and that will surely follow.
This is an original short story series that I’m calling ‘But I Break’. I’m writing it for the bants,I have no overall plot but it will be continued every four days.
