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The silence between us
I went to visit Babi Jana again. Her hair whiter than ever, lips tucked in behind her teeth.
From the beginning she had hated me. She would not volunteer as much as one dobrý den. I held her hand as she sat on the couchbed and leaned against the walker.
“I didn’t expect it to end this way.”
Out for a stroll
I was in a hurry to get to the checkout at Delmart, but the aisle was blocked by a stroller.
I stood behind a mom with her baby and faux everything. She examined the differences in each baguette. I felt trapped.
At the register, I looked at the stroller. Something furry eyed me back.
Too messy for my taste
It was Sunday morning. Žižkov was its usual sleepy self.
Grease bubbles burst with the aroma of bacon. I cracked a few eggs into the pan. Then I opened my window to let all those scents out.
In the construction zone across the street, a man crouched with pants around his ankles.
Impossible lessons
I was 13 and wanted to learn piano. And I wanted to start with Chopin.
My new teacher calibrated the metronome and tapped a Virginia Slim out of the soft pack. She’d strike the song book with her pointer and I would flinch.
I told my parents her house was too smoky.
These streets
I could hear her wail from across the street, followed by words trying to escape between the crying. She struggled to lift her phone to her face.
There was something about staying in the bomb shelter. Then she demanded a promise from the other end not to come out until it was safe.
These streets had seen something like this before.
Unspeakable
Like a prison warden, she could surprise tenants with inspections at the moment of her choosing. When that didn’t work, she would surprise them at their work.
My boss started yelling at paní Dynybylová the moment she appeared in our office. Perhaps it was a water overage—or a blackmail threat? Money was thrown.
The language barrier was my only protection.
Diplomatic fodder
The car made that sound like it was stuck to the road by bubble gum.
Tracy’s rounded face hardened. “We only have a few minutes,” she warned. The group of men walking the road towards us grew taller and thicker.
I was sure I’d become fodder for a State Department travel warning.
Global tension
I was feeling helpful. He looked like he had just come from Venice Beach.
I warned him about the coming holidays and that stores would be closed. “You are American, right?” I asked him. His smile faded and his chest puffed. “No, I’m Turkish,” he said.
Folks everywhere used to take it as a compliment.
Above us all
He created a podcast, and soon after recruited a sidekick to play along.
He talked louder than anyone in the office. His sentences were purposefully contaminated with English buzzwords. And his standing desk had nothing to do with health.
A “feedback” or “checknout” triggered eye rolls from everyone.
I never imagined this
I planted myself in the chair and braced for what was next.
One large, warm bundle was placed in my lap, followed by another, smaller warm bundle. I could only hear the sound of their breaths. Drool was everywhere.
And for the first time in my life I wasn’t afraid to let others see me cry.