Carrying My Brother's Child

The sun was still down in Huron Town when Elena woke up. She just lay there on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. There was a brown c***k in the ceiling that looked like a river. Elena had seen that c***k every morning for twenty three years. Today she told herself she would stop thinking about the days and start doing something about them. She sat up. Put her feet on the cold floor. The old wooden floor made a noise under her feet. The noise echoed through the house. It was like the house was warning her. Elena got her robe from the hook. Put it on. The air was cold in Huron in the spring. Elena walked to the window. Pulled the curtain back. The town was still asleep. There was a dog on the road. The dog was looking through some trash near the corner shop. The sign on the shop was old and peeling. This was Huron. It was a quiet town. Elena put her head on the window. She let out a breath. She had a degree from the university. It was in an envelope on the shelf above her bed. She had worked hard for it.. She had not gotten a job yet. It had been eight months. Eight months of going to offices and being told they were not hiring. Elena turned away from the window. Started getting dressed. She put on some jeans and a yellow shirt. The shirt was not yellow anymore. It was like white. She tied her hair back. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were calm.. There was something in her eyes. A quiet hunger that never went away. The kitchen smelled like food when Elena walked in. Her mother Grace was cooking. She was a woman with a kind face. She was humming a song. Elena had heard that song since she was a baby. "You are up early," Grace said. Elena sat down at the table. The table had three chairs and one bad chair. Nobody sat on the chair. Elena folded her hands. I watched her mother cook. It was sad and beautiful to watch her mother work hard. "I could not sleep," Elena said. Grace gave her some food and tea. They ate together. It was quiet. Then a rooster started making noise. The noise made the morning feel real. "Your fathers medicine is finished," Grace said. Her voice was steady.. Elena could hear the worry underneath. Elena put down her fork. She looked at her mothers hands. They were dry and cracked. Grace worked hard. She washed clothes for people in town. She woke up early. Came home late.. Four thousand naira was too much. "I will figure it out Mama," Elena said. Grace looked at her. She did not say anything. She just nodded. That nod meant a lot. It meant love and pain. After breakfast Elena walked to Leo's house. The road went past the church and the primary school. She knew every stone on that road. She had walked it several times. Leo was in his yard. He was fixing a machine. He looked up. Smiled. It was a smile. "You are here early," he said. Elena looked at the machine. It was a water pump. She knew it belonged to Mr Haruna. Leo fixed things for people in town. He did not get paid much.. He never said no. "Whose is it?" she asked. "Mr Haruna," Leo said. "He paid me $4 to fix it". Elena nodded. $4 was not enough. It would not even pay for half of her fathers medicine. She did not say that. Leo already knew. They sat together on a wall. The sun was coming up. The air was getting warmer. People were starting to move. A woman was hanging clothes outside. Some kids were playing. Leo took Elena's hand. His hand was warm and rough. She liked it. "I spoke to my uncle," Leo said. "He said there might be a job. Driving a truck between cities". Elena looked at him. His face was serious. "When" she asked. "I do not know," Leo said. "Maybe in a month. Maybe two". He squeezed her hand. "It would mean leaving Huron.. The pay is good". Elena thought about it. She thought about her mothers hands. She thought about her father. She thought about the degree that nobody wanted. A month felt like a time. Elena was walking home when she heard someone call her name. It was a man. He was standing near a car. The car was clean and nice. It did not belong in Huron. The man was Caleb. He had grown up in Huron. He had left five years ago. People said he had done well for himself. He looked like he had. "Elena," he said. "You look the same". Elena smiled. She did not feel the same. She felt old. "What are you doing in Huron?" she asked. "I came to visit my mother," Caleb said. "I heard you were looking for work. Is that true". Elena stood up straight. She looked at him. "Yes," she said. "It is true". Caleb nodded. He reached into his pocket. Pulled out a card. He gave it to her. "I work for a man in San Francisco," he said. "His name is Julian. He needs someone to work in his house. The pay is good. You will have a place to live". Elena took the card. She looked at it. There was a name and a number on it. Caleb said "I thought of you". Elena looked at the card she was holding. It said San Francisco. These two words were stuck in her mind. She thought about what they meant. Her heart started beating fast. She did not know if it was because she was excited or scared. She looked up at Caleb. "Tell me more, " she said to Caleb. Elena wanted to know more about San Francisco. She was waiting for Caleb to tell her something.