The Short Cut

It was one of those summer afternoons when everyone just wants to, “have a drink and go out.” Likely heard at the DMV from the lady with the long pink finger nails and 80’s bangs telling her co- worker, from the parents at the PTA meetings after they discuss the stress of their kid being a victim of bullying, heard it from the high school seniors on the bus, “I need a drink, when can we go out again” asked the girl with the freshly waxed eyebrows to her friend sitting across. “Not sure. Though, I did hear that Lazarus parents were letting him throw a kick back this Friday. Pretty sure they’ll have drinks like last time,” said the friend with the thick red lipstick. “Hell yeah! I’m down for that, I got so drunk. It was that juice.”

This was on the way home, the day felt warm, good enough to walk, three miles wasn’t bad. The sun was at its peak without a cloud insight other than the white trails that ran from east to west. Luckily the cool breeze felt almost like a fresh shade. Besides, if people did it only just a hundred years ago, surely Violeta could too. Violeta Soledad had enough change in her pocket to pay the bus fare but why not save it for a nice cool drink, at the end of her quest. She was just getting off the Big Blue Bus and the next bus to catch, had just left around t­­he corner on Frown Street. Violeta was slim and her petite figure made her look almost young for her age. She had on a pair of shorts that showed the tiny varicose veins behind her cinnamon legs, and every time someone looked at her she’d give them a crooked smile that showed the small gap between her two front teeth and small wrinkles on the corners of her thin lips. She was the queen bee to all in her prime and ever since, was always quick to get out of trouble with the charm of her smiling light brown eyes and greeting set of twins. Violeta tied her hair up in a long ponytail showing her frog tattoo on the back of her ear, put her Ray Bans on and off she set on her journey home.

Reaching the corner of Arbor Vitae Street, Violeta remembered about the short cut that could save her some time and still get home to play with Bella, her two- year old daughter. She felt the universe gave her the green light when she walked towards the alley behind the Ammo’s Liquor store and found a twenty-dollar bill next to the withering and paled dandelion. Violeta knew this short cut by memory and all the good memories she’d spent with all her good friends from all over town crossing back and forth through this alley to get to her place, the diner, school or Joe’s house.

After five minutes of walking the sun felt warm and soft against the skin on her bareback, and she could not help feeling a bit thirsty. She was hoping someone would just come out and randomly give her a cool drink, when not a few yards away music seemed to spread its vibes into the alley way. As she got closer she notied the music was coming from Jenny’s house, good o’ Jenny would surely give her something fresh to drink. Walking into garage, Violeta’s nose got a hit of a danky smell, the walls were plastered with posters and the floor was still painted with colorful handprints just as she remembered it to be. Then out of nowhere a voice called, “Well, this is a surprise. Violeta is that you girl?” asked Jenny holding a glass cup on her right hand and a cig on the other. Her breath smelled of pizza and her cheeks were flushed with bronzer that wasn’t properly blended into her cheeks to look natural. “Haven’t seen you in a while, you look good,” said Jenny as she pointed to her drink offering one to Violet. “Just one, I’ve been up and down you know,” said Violet as she grabbed some peanuts from the wooden bowl on the small table next to the washing machine.

“Yeah, yeah I feel ya. Just wondered if you were ok since you kinda disappeared on us,” said Jenny as she gave Violeta a strange look as if trying to figure something out.

“All good. Like I said I’ve just been busy working, being with Bella, and helping my parents out with the house. Nothing much. Besides how could I disappear if you know I live only half a mile away from you,” said Violeta.

“Yeah I see… well I’ve just been hearing a few things here and there but nothing much to worry about I guess,” said Jenny as she gulped the last of her drink heading over to the small counter on the corner of the garage to pour herself another one, “I was actually thinking about you the other day and remembered that time we both ditched class and ran behind the bleachers with MD’s in our bags.”

“Yeah I remember, it was the day Joe and I had our first date at the drive in, it was fun though I can’t seem to remember what movie we watched,” said Violeta smiling gleefully as she went down memory lane with Jenny. Nothing seemed to be more fun than those days in which she’d stay out late with her friends on school nights and having nothing but time to herself. Violeta felt comfortable chatting away with Jenny but after a few laughs and cool drinks, she remembered that she had a quest to return to, put down her drink on the table and told Jenny, “Thanks for the drink, it was refreshing, we should get together again some time and do this again. I gotta go but we’ll keep in touch.” With these last words Violeta walked out into the alley and left behind the warm feeling of being young again.

Outside the sun was dimmer and a few clouds had rolled in, the breeze turned cooler making Violeta shiver with goosebumps. The weather forecast had said nothing about the day being cloudy, this was not only random but not unusual considering that now a days the weather was unpredictable. As the clouds rolled in darker the wind picked up and to top it rain drops began to fall. At first it was nothing more than a slight sprinkle but it gradually picked up making the drops feel heavier against her face. The rush of trying to hide from the rain filled Violeta with a feeling of insecurity and anxiety. She needed shelter quick and she still had almost five more blocks to go. She picked up her pace splashing through the puddles making her feet drenched for choosing her sandals over her boots. Just as she rushed past Waking Street, she remembered that two of her close friends lived nearby and maybe if she stopped by mean while the rain stopped she would be safe for a bit. Violeta had to run for a minute in the opposite direction of her house but she felt she had no other choice. Violeta reached the house in less than two minutes and immediately she could tell no one was home.

Robert and Emily were friends of her since high school and since then they had stuck together building their lives together the way they had always talked about. The alley gate to their back yard was open and Violeta decided to walk in just to check if maybe they were home by some chance. The back yard was a lifeless. It was odd that Emily being such a big fan of gardening had her back yard looking like shit. The grass was tall and most of it patchy with mud, there was a rusted swing set on the middle of the grass and near the glass door sat a broken dog house. It almost seemed as if someone smashed it to pieces because there was an ax sitting on the ground not two feet away. Violeta felt a little disturbed, hell for all a she knew this wasn’t even her friends’ home anymore but for the meantime she decided to stay under the worn tarp just as long as the storm passed.

Violeta couldn’t help but wonder what happened? Why would anyone smash a dog house to pieces? It was all too mysterious but chilling at the same time. She reached in her pockets to see if maybe she a bobby pin for her lose hair behind her ears but all she found was the twenty dollar bill she had found earlier. She unfolded it and looked at it closely. She hadn’t noticed how thin it felt and when she checked out the national stamp she realized it was a fake. She felt stupid and disappointed and dropped it on the ground. Eventually the rain stopped and Violeta decided it was now or never. She closed the gate behind her and started back on her back. The clouds seemed to take a break from their sorrow but still looked filled with water. The wind didn’t slow down and so she decided to untie her sweater from her waist and put it on. It was more like a thin olive cardigan but for now it was the best thing she had. The cold air made her hands hurt and she knew it was the arthritis kicking in like it usually does when it’s cold. Violeta just wanted to get home and have a drink. This adventure that she had decided to didn’t turn out as she wanted, in fact it was the opposite. Now she was wet, hungry, anxious, cold and frustrated that it would be her going through this. She was almost home and it was sprinkling again. She figured if she just kept going she’ll make it. By now all she wanted was to make it. It felt like forever since she’d been home and holding her daughter would just make things fine. Turning on her street Violeta could see her pale pink house from a distance. She felt warm inside again. She picked up her paced again and thought about having a nice drink with her as she played with her daughter. She reached the house and knocked. No one answered. She knocked again, still no answer. It was weird for her parents not to be home at this time, they weren’t the type to be out if they didn’t need anything. She knocked a little louder and from inside Violeta could hear footsteps and muffled voices. She yelled out, “It’s me mom, open up!” Nothing happened when suddenly someone unlatched the door from the inside opening just enough to see who was at the door.

“What are you doing here Violeta?” asked her mom as she hid behind the door.

“What? Mom I live here. Let me in it’s cold and I want to see Bella,” said Violeta.

Then her mom said, “You don’t live here. And you can’t see Bella. Now leave before I call the cops.”

Violeta could not understand what this was but she didn’t like it. She went through this whole journey to get this and she was not having it. “Mom let me in, I’m not playing. I’m here to see Bella and have a drink just get out of my way please,” said Violeta giving the door a shove but still her mom held firm against the door refusing to let her in. “Mom stop. This is my home, whatever has gotten into you, snap out of it.”

Then behind the door a little voice asked, “Mommy?” Violeta’s mom looked back and said, “Mija, go with your abuelito in the back, grandma is — ” At this Violeta roughly pushed the door open hitting her mom in the face. She ran in and grabbed her daughter but by then Bella was crying and reaching out for her grandmother. Violeta’s mother got up as she could and began yelling for Violeta to stop and put down the baby. “You are not going to take my daughter away,” yelled Violeta, “this is my daughter!” Her father came running from the kitchen, saw what was happening and struggled against Violeta to take Bella away. They both jerked her back and forth as the mother reached for the phone dialing and crying hysterically. Violeta’s dad got a good hold of Bella when Violet grabbed her arm and pulled her back sharply. At this Bella gave a sharp cry and yelled it hurt. Violeta realized what she was doing and stopped trying to get her. Bella’s arm hung as she cried along with her grandmother on the wooden floor. “Get out and don’t come back,” yelled Violeta’s mom, “You are not welcome here.”

Violeta cleaned her eyes and said, “why are you doing this to me? Why do you want to take her away?” She stepped in closer to help but her dad stepped in the way.

“You did this. We didn’t take her away, you lost her,” said her mom holding Bella close to her to soothe her pain. Violeta tried reaching out for her daughter but her daughter just turned away from her and sank her mother’s arm like a frightened kitten. Violeta’s heart sunk at the sight of her daughter rejecting her she felt the whole world come down on her in less than a second. She turned for the door closing the door behind her. She cried and stepped back on the street. The rain had stopped but the sun had set leaving an empty sky with no moon and stars to guide her way.