Her breath tickles my ear. I mean, it's nice to be reminded that she's alive every few seconds, don't get me wrong. But I can't laugh about it because the baby is on my chest and she's by my side. I suppose we did save a lot of money by taking a single bed, but it means I'll never sleep again.
"Illyena," I whisper.
The brief breaths belie her awareness of my words, so I whisper more.
"When we arrive--when we find somewhere to live, I mean--you know, and I've got a job and things are looking up, I want . . . "
A brief snore teaches me the truth. She's been asleep all along. Well, I still want a bed like this in America, no matter how rich we become. I want to remember where we came from and how much love we have right now.
Her arm snakes up over me and lands on my hair. I close my eyes and picture better times ahead.
Her breath tickles my ear.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This reads comfortably and hopeful. I like this.
ReplyDelete"Belie." A wonderful word, and a clever choice for here.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ashlee. I also couldn't help seeing a giant "Titanic" stamped across this, which obviously has nothing to do with anything except my mental disorders.
I visited Ellis Island. This is exactly what it feels like. But I don't think they were on Titanic.
ReplyDeleteI hope not.
ReplyDeleteI really like this. An interesting approach that many probably would not have thought of.
ReplyDelete