Last Hopes at the Borders — a short story
It feels sad today. Maybe it’s the rainy mood of the day with puffy clouds making me feel this way, or perhaps it’s just me leaving Mom. Whichever it is, it doesn’t really matter anymore. We are too close to the borders, and I won’t be able to convince Dad to let me stay with her. As I pull down the car’s window to feel that deep autumn breeze on my freckled and dried skin, Dad leaves from Cherry ST to WA-9.
He stops the car at the “Mobil” gas station to feel the gas and asks me if I want something to eat. I decline him, shaking my head without looking into his eyes. He sighs softly and leaves the car. I knew this day would come, but couldn’t do anything about it. Since the divorce, Dad ultimately left Sumas and started a new life in Canada with his new wife and his fancy job. Although he doesn’t really care about me, taking me from Mom is an excellent way to torture her, so why not? Of course, he does it.
The wind is blowing in my long blonde hair, which has lost the bluish color I used to color my hair. I want to leave the car; I want to run away, but where? He will find me and ultimately take me to Canada. Okay, that actually sounds like a good idea; I mean, if he wants to torture Mom, I will be a headache for him.
He returns to the car, feeling the gas tank and paying the cashier. I ask him if he can pick up some stuff for me, and he makes an annoyed noise and asks me what I need. I tell him a bunch of chips and chocolate brands and ask him for a beverage, too. Just enough shopping so I have the time to run away.
He leaves me and slowly walks through the gas station. I jump out of the car the moment he steps onto the Mobil’s paved stone floor with a wooden design. I start running, passing the “B & B Border Inn” motel, not knowing where my destination is. So, I just run until I get myself to the “B&B Pub N Gruf,” located right at the corner of Sumas Ave and WA-9 ST. At that moment, I realized my Father was shouting my name and running towards me.
I’m feeling so desperate; I just want to stay with my mom. I just want to run away from this man, but I can’t! Maybe that’s how life works; we just can’t run away from some stuff. Losing my will to run, getting drowned in these thoughts, I can see the Valley Community Church right over the street. That gives me an idea! My dad might have been a lousy father and husband. He might have missed out on all of his daughter’s birthdays, but one thing that he never misses is his Sunday time for church.
This is my last option, my way out, at least for this time. I know him; he might not listen to me, Mom, his family, or anybody else, but he will listen to a priest. I just need to get myself to the church and beg the priest to help me stay with Mom. That might actually work! All I have to do is to run with that last drop of energy left inside of me. I will outrun this fat monster of a man that I call dad, and I will stay with mom; I won’t let him take me away from her; I won’t let him suffer her more.
Soheil Erfani Tabar © 2023. All rights reserved.
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