The Tears Devourer

XIII

    "Where are you going so early?" Mathew asked, with only one eye half-open, but his gaze averted, still lying between the sheets.

    "It's a project, Dad. I'm trying to get money to do it and to do it, I gotta get a job," Michael replied, his school bag loaded on his back and no sign of not having slept well the night before.

    Michael's father raised his arm, as a sign of dismissal, and went back to his business: sleeping until noon, or until the body asks him otherwise.

    On the other hand, Michael left his home at 6:30 in the morning. He tossed his backpack in the back seat and drove to the house of that strange girl he saw the day before. As predicted, it took him half an hour to get to the porch. Classes start at eight o'clock, but they're not that far from the school, so they're both probably still inside.

    The first morning, he heard shouting and arguing, so he drove without looking to the side. On the second day, he waited to see how many people came out of the house at the same time. He counted three women. The lady, who would probably be the mother, gets in the car and drives in the opposite direction to the one the girls take, which by the way, they do it on that purple bicycle she saw the first time.

    The event is repeated for two more days, and the fumes haven't yet subsided. It took him seven business days to find balance in the environment and to realize that they were already adjusting to the routine. When Thursday arrived, he wrote down everything he had to do on a piece of paper. How his father must have seen him, exactly the same as every day, fast asleep and clean, ready to find a job, but on the other hand, how the Sweet ladies must see him, yes, the ladies, because during the two days off from school, he took advantage to take a closer look at that house, and notice that there is no male figure inside. It was just the three of them.

    That morning he continued with the routine. He got up very early and set up the show. He went for less than half an hour of travel, only that time, towards the house of the girl who stole his sleep, but he slowed down when he realized the proximity.

    He stayed outside for around forty minutes, in front of his muse's neighbor's house, watching the lights go on and off from time to time. He went to the nearby gas station first and bought a large disposable cup of black coffee. He splashed a little on the floor of both front passengers and waited.

    He had the window hidden, so he could hear in the distance the 'hurry up' followed by a couple of 'we'll be late because of you'. When he finally managed to see movement on the front doorknob, he drove forward with the car invading the pedestrian sidewalk, crashing the headlight into the Sweet family trash box.

    Both girls, who had just left their home, along with a lady, who was probably their mother, were stunned seeing the accident. There was no reaction until Michael opened his car door. She wore, now yes, tremendous dark circles and thickly disheveled hair.

    "Excuse me... I didn't mean to. I was distracted for just a second... Forgive me, I'm in a hurry to school... " He spoke in his own words, feigning a notorious nervousness when facing the event.

    "Don't worry honey... Calm down," the lady said, approaching him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? Have you been drinking?..."

    "No, ma'am! I don't drink." He anticipated prejudice. "Some friends asked me to help with a course, and I agreed to stay and spend the night at one of their homes. We finished late yesterday, and I couldn't sleep well."

    "You should've asked one of them to take you to school," the lady scolded him. "You shouldn't drive in your state."

    "They study in catholic school, and well, my father doesn't share the religion, that's why I go to the state one."

    "Just like us!" The youngest was excited. "Did you hear Chely?! He can keep you company so you no longer feel so alone!" The girl's face turned red, she held back a laugh and closed her eyes as hard as she could, bowing her head.

    "Shut up, Julie!" She whispered to the little girl, beginning to amble in the direction of the garage.

    "Yeah... If you go there, I can take you," Michael offered, greatly interested in the little girl's suggestion.

    "I don't think you should drive..." the lady began.

    "Don't worry, seriously, I'm perfect. This was a slight slip. The tire hit a bump, and my coffee suddenly jumped. Tr-tried-tried to…" he sighed "not to fall and get everything dirty, and I didn't notice that I changed direction. Seriously, I'm sorry, ma'am... "He read the inscription on the mailbox, "Mrs. Sweet. I promise to pay for the damages, or at least collect everything."

    "Mom!" Chely yelled at her from the garage. "We're running late... I don't think I'll be on time, not even if Julie's on time."

    "You can put the bi..." Michael stopped abruptly, considering what he was going to say. "Your things... You can put your things in the trunk. If we go out now, we can get to elementary school in less than ten, and we would have plenty of time to get into the first class."

    "Yes, mom?! Can we go with him?!" Julie begged, pulling Mrs. Sweet's pants.

    "Well, I don't know. It's a stranger, love, it's not safe."

    "My name is..." The boy took his wallet from the inside pocket of his leather jacket, opened it, and showed it to the suspicious lady. "Michael Patton. I am seventeen." Mrs. Sweet's face peered at Michael's identification, and her haste intensified her confidence, as she, too, was running late for work. Rachel noticed the change of mind on her mother's face and immediately intervened.

    "But mom... If he takes us, how do we get back?" She complained. "Your car doesn't fit the bicycle." Michael thought quickly.

    "Yes, it doesn't fit," he lied, "but I'll be back in the afternoon and fix this," he pointed to the mess he had caused in the now, dirty grass, "and well, I can bring you... both of you. I mean, I'll be back anyway. There's no problem with it." Mrs. Sweet noticed the flush on her eldest daughter's face and decided to force a friend to adjust to the new home faster.

    "I think Rachel needs to catch up on her studies," she began, and Rachel's furious face screwed up in response. Her blood boiled as she ran through each of her thoughts, "maybe if you have time, you can give her a hand." The mocking smile of Mrs. Sweet caused the laughter of little Julie.

    "I don't think I have time today," he lied again, "but I'm free tomorrow after school."

    "Did you hear that, Chely? You already have a study appointment." Mrs. Sweet walked to the garage and opened it with the electronic control, ignoring her eldest daughter's claims. "You heard him... If you leave now, you won't have another excuse to be late again. It's just your second week, Rachel, do it for me."

    "Yeah, let's go Chely!" The little girl urged her. Michael stepped forward and opened the door to the rear seats for them. Julie was the first to go up, while Rachel went to her mother's window.

    "Mom... are you sure about this?" The girl leaned against the edge where the window of her mother's car is hidden.

    "Be nice, Rachel." Mrs. Sweet reached out with her left hand, and brought it to her daughter's face, stroking her cheek. "He's handsome." She smiled at her. Rachel looked away, and with a snort, she tried to hide her embarrassment. "You know that I love you, right? Both... I'll try to get some free time as soon as possible so that we can adapt better... All three. For now, at least try to make it to your classes on time, honey."

    "Okay... I understand Mom, don't worry. I'll take care." Rachel's mother moved quickly to her daughter's forehead, and kissed her, pressing her lips so tightly to her skin that her concern permeated her brows with a deep red. Rachel hurried over to Michael's car and entered the passenger door.

    "Let's go?" She was struck by the fact that Michael didn't enter.

    The boy said goodbye to the girls' mother using a hand gesture. He listened to Rachel and got in the car. He started the engine and drove slowly down the runway. He looked in the rearview mirror and noticed that Mrs. Sweet was taking the opposite route, heading for her own work.

    "You're new to Dells, right?... I mean, your family... yeah, all of you, right?" Michael said, trying to break up the ice that had formed since he left the Sweet house behind.

    "Yes!" Julie answered him, enthusiastic to share everything that it has to say with somebody. "We arrived before yesterday. We come from San Gregory, a small town in Rennes, which in turn is in Brittany."

    "So you are English?" Michael asked, trying to keep up with the girl's conversation.

    "Nooo!" Julie answered, dragging and exaggerating the o dramatically. "Saint Gregory remains in France."

    "Well, you speak English very well," the boy complimented her, hiding his embarrassment. "Did you study it there or have they lived here before?"

    "Uhmm" Julie was thinking. "I don't remember me and my family ever living here before..."

    "Yes, we have lived here, Julie," her sister intervened. "Remember? Dad brought us to Chicago for a while."

    "Yes, I know," the girl replied, amused.

    "Then why did you tell him you didn't remember?"

    "Because he asked if we've lived here before... And it's the first time we've come to Dells." Michael chuckled stupidly at the girl's wit.

    "Ok, yeah... Okay, you're right," Rachel laughed too. "You must better formulate your question," She said, looking at Michael this time.

    "I'll try to think twice more about what I'm going to say before I do it."

    "And Julie, it's 'my family and me', not 'me and my family'" she corrected her sister.

    "Ok, Chely. I'm sorry." The little girl's face suddenly turned despondent.

    "So... Have you already made a friend in your classroom, Julie?" Michael asked timely, lifting the girl's face and returning her to her natural state.

    "Yes!" She screamed enthusiastically. "I met Martha, Lucas, Diego, Samantha..."

    Julie kept listing name after name as Rachel and Michael shared amused looks in total silence. It didn't take them long to get to Dells State Elementary School and drop Julie inside, with her charismatic new teacher Miss Shepard, or as little Julie had heard from some of her classmates, Miss Pussycat.

    "Ready?" Michael asked when Rachel got into the car.

    "Oh, no... We must wait here until the headmaster gives us permission to go," Rachel snorted, raising an eyebrow and slightly folding her lips together, in a crescent traced on her mouth.

    "Ok, ok… With you, I'll also think twice more about what I say, before doing it." Two broad smiles met.

    In that instant, he knew. Michael felt inside that he had found her. At last, after so much waiting, he had found the girl of his dreams.