Tears Are Toys

The tears that flow down her face make me want to hug her tighter. When I heard her crying on the other side of the door, I felt like dying. It's been three entire months and yet, she has done nothing but cry in that room until 9 in the morning and then move on with her day. The way she deals with things is complex. She's scared. Charlie went to school, leaving me alone with Mari for the day. When I was called into work, she came with me. She doesn't talk. It doesn't bother me but it hurts me. I've seen her smile once. It was fake. While getting out of the truck, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and looked around. The guys saw us and waved. Everyone dressed in their uniforms with their boots and suspenders. I laughed, shaking hands with most of them. Mari stood behind me, silent.

“Who’s the gal?” Tommy asked, winking at her. Terry smacked his back, laughing. I turned around to Maurice, tilting my head. She cleared her throat and looked at their feet.

“Mari.” she mumbled, looking at my arm. With a smile, all the guys hoisted her up into the air and sang for her. This. This very moment, she smiled. A genuine smile. We all went out for drinks that night. Mari and I took a walk down the beach, my mother calling me to tell me that Charlie said good night. Mari sat down, closing her eyes as the wind pulled her hair around. I sat beside her and watched her.

“Why do you have to hide everything from me?” I asked, turning my body towards her.

~

He asked me. What should I say? I can’t just stay silent. I can’t any more. I mean, I've been this quiet mess all of my life and he just expects me to sit here and stay the quiet little girl he raised. I stood and stabbed the fork into his neck, his scream giving me a bit of pleasure. That night, he locked me in the basement to scare me. Sure, I screamed, but I’ve never been so happy to hurt someone. The day that Cal saved me. . .I saw something. As we sit on the beach, I look into his eyes. Breathing out, I clear my throat. Then, I move closer to him, pressing my lips against his. I never really knew why people in movies did this, but it seemed like the right thing to do.