Azzy finished wiping the dishes. It was almost nine. She’d missed her show again, but it wasn’t unusual. Sebastiao had always demanded she keep the house clean. Even with three children and the dog, she kept the place spotless. She remembered the few times that she hadn’t done it. He hadn’t spoken to her for days.
She put the last dish away, and heard the laughter in the other room. They got to see the show. She probably would catch it some other night, but she knew the girls at work would be talking about it. The phone rang. She ran to get it, knowing also Sebastiao didn’t like people calling after nine. “Hello?”
“Azzy, some asshole’s sending letters out with Elsie’s name.”
“Letters?”
“Email! Whatever.” Azzy heard a small “pop” of Vikki taking her cigarette out of her mouth. The next words held a nasal twinge. “Check your computer. You’re on here, too.” She exhaled.
“I think Stevie’s on it.”
“Kick the kid off and check your hotmail.”
“He’s probably doing something important.”
“Oh, for God’s sake. Who’s the mother?”
Azzy hated fights. She’d do everything to avoid them, between herself and anyone. She peered into the living room, no one was on the computer. She went over and turned it on, bringing the cordless phone with her.
The kids were getting ready for bed, Sebastiao stretched out on the couch. He glanced up at her. “What’re you doing?”
“Vikki said I got an email.”
Vikki’s voice came from the phone, “You tell that lardass that it’s none of his goddamn business.”
Sebastiao, well-developed in his chest but with a gut that looked the size of a small keg – due to the same stuff that was in a keg – kept watching TV but flipped Azzy the bird. “Aw, too bad, no camera. I’m flippin’ you th’ bird, chica!”
“Oh, ya gonna sit and spin on it?”
Azzy forced a smile and put the phone down and set it on speaker. “Vick, you’re on speaker.” The two of them always fell in this kind of banter when alone. Sometimes it was funny when Vikki was crass like this, but other times, it turned Azzy’s stomach. This was one of them.
Another pop and exhale. “Good, the whole room can hear me. Any kids around?”
“Yes,” said Azzy, wanting it to stop. “No,” said Sebastiao, obviously loving the attention.
“Ha!” Vicki said. “You get that email up yet?”
“It’s still booting.”
“For Chrissake, get a real computer!”
“It was a real computer three years ago. How was I supposed to know Vista was a piece of crap?”
Finally, she got the internet up and called up her email. The subject said, “I’m Alive.” It was from Elsie DeMello.
Azzy stared at it, and clicked it open.
Azzy, Vicki – I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to contact you. I’m not dead. I’ve been alive all this time, but haven’t been able to contact you until four years ago, and I didn’t want to because I was afraid. Some things have happened, and I think it’s time to contact you so I can share these things with you. So I’m sending this email. I hope you’ll respond. Please reply. Thanks, Elsie. PS, proof of who I am is below.
Attached to the email was a .wmv file. She double-clicked it.
The email spat up a picture, and a movie began to play. It was a movie of her 13th birthday party, when she got a portable CD player, one of the newest ones on the market. Azzy sat, stunned, as the movie played out, like someone was panning across, showing everyone in the family during a cookout, her mother dutifully making sure there was food out, her father manning the grill with a cigarette in one hand. Her uncles, aunts, all gathered in the yard. Cousins ran among the adults.
No one could have gotten this film. “Vick…” Azzy didn’t realize her voice was choked with emotion, “Vick, did you see the movie?”
“Hell no! Could have been a virus in there. Don’t tell me you opened it.”
“Vicki, it’s my birthday party, when I got my first CD player.”
“Well I deleted mine. I sent a letter to the asshole to not send any more. You should too.”
Sebastiao was too busy watching TV to see the conflict of emotions on her face as she played the video over and over again. Mama. Papa. Tio Paul, who died of a pulmonary stroke four years ago. Tia Ruth and her new husband Andy the Biker, now married eighteen years and Ruth was dying of breast cancer.
“Mama? We’re ready for bed.”
She turned to look at her three children, Steven, Fatima, and Michelle. She shut off the video. “I have to go, Vick.”
“Good night!” she yelled, more for the kids’ benefit than her own. Azzy put the kids to bed, then went back to the computer. She watched that movie again, even after she heard Sebastiao’s snoring from the couch. She got up, turned off the TV and went back to the computer.
She made herself move fast, so she wouldn’t lose her nerve. She clicked on reply and typed “WHere r u?” She closed her eyes and hit “send”. She shut down the email page, and started to turn off the computer. Suddenly, the internet came up on its own, and her hotmail account opened. She started at it. “RE: I’m Alive.”
She clicked it open. “Azzy – I’m living in Paragon City, Rhode Island. We can meet somewhere for coffee near where you live, I can get there in hours. Where would you like to meet?” Attached to the bottom of the email were a few coffee shop venues in her area. Azzy opened up Googlemaps to find out where Rhode Island was in relation to Florida, as her geography left much to be desired. How could she get to Port Charlotte from there in hours?
Azzy thought about her schedule. She probably could have lunch with her at the little Subway near work, which was only an few minutes’ drive away. She returned a note: “Meet at Subway near Pro Air Conditioning in Port Charlotte Tues at noon.” Then she hit send. She shut the computer off immediately.
She shut off most of the lights, except for the ones on the way to the bedroom. She wondered if this was a real person, or some gold digger. Azzy didn’t think it was the latter, since she had nothing more to give anyone else.
Words: 1094
Music: Don’t you know what the night can do – Steven Winwood
Comments: Pale and Walker both asked Silver if she wanted to bring in her family for the wedding. At first, I didn’t want to. Then maybe Azzy. By the way, the two sisters’ names are from actual distant cousins of mine. Both characters, however are based on two of my closer cousins and their families.