Are You Alright Mister Lawrence?
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Are You Alright Mister Lawrence?
A Novelette by
Copyright © James Alexander 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.
Special thanks to SMR
Prelude
“I may not have known how she looked over the years but I always felt the love that she had for me.”
“Oh Mister Lawrence. You have always had a way with words didn’t you?” Shirley said.
“The man has no choice but to.”
“What is that supposed to mean Clevege?” Shirley said.
“Hey. I’m just saying.” Clevege said.
“Don’t mind him Shirley. Anyway, I have an idea of what my mom looks like because she would let me touch her face all the time and we have shared many hugs over the years.”
“You can’t look a touch, or hug a look. Sight is sight. Speaking of sight, that second wife of yours. Man oh man was she a fox. All the hugs in the world couldn’t help you see all of that.”
“You are the worst. Get out of here. Don’t you think Mister Lawrence has gone through enough?”
“Don’t let him get to you Shirley. Actually, that’s what I like about Uncle Clevege. He don’t care at all about what’s happening, if he has a joke in mind he never holds it in; even though everyone else always holds in their laughter for some reason.”
“Like I said. He has a way with words.” Shirley said.
“Oh alright. I’ll get you back. Just you wait.” Clevege said.
“Hey Clevege! Come on now. We have to go.” Clevege’s wife said.
“Hold on woman! Don’t you see that my nephew is grieving?”
“Well I’ll be in the car!” She said before stepping outside.
“That woman. I tell you the truth. I don’t have time, to make the time, to make time. You know what I’m saying. I will catch you all later.”
“Don’t be a stranger now. You can visit me anytime.” Mister Lawrence said.
“Why are you still—”
“I got this Shirley. Get out you fool. You can’t trick me into believing that you left. Especially since your cane stopped click clacking on the floor.”
“I could never pull that trick on you. Alright, I’m gone for real this time.” Clevege said before finally leaving.
“How do you do it Mister Lawrence? Your family is a mess.” Shirley said.
“They’ve always been like that. I’m used to dealing with them.”
“What’s this about a second wife now? You haven’t told me anything about her. You only talk about that no good first wife of yours.”
“Well… It still pains me thinking about that accident on the night she died. Even after so many years.”
“I am so sorry Mister Lawrence. Please forgive me for being so rude at a time like this.” Shirley said before stepping toward the dining hall. “That’s the last of all the guest. I should start cleaning.”
“Wait before you do that Shirley. Let me tell you about my second wife.”
“Right now? I mean, because of what happened with your mom and all; I don’t want to cause you any more pain.”
“I just want to tell you how we met. This always puts a smile on my face.
“I was sitting in the park a few weeks after my first wife left me. And I could smell the most beautiful thing coming from the middle of the park. I walked towards it without my walking stick. You should have seen me stumbling around everywhere. Well anyway, I ended up at a new bed of flowers planted in the community garden. I stooped down to the box where the flowers were planted and picked one out. I did not ask or nothing. Then this woman walks over to me and says, ‘I came over here because I thought you were lost. I didn’t realize that you was walking to this bed of flowers. You know,’ I didn’t know where she was going with this next part but, you’ll see, ‘You know, there’s probably not any meaning in life. We are just evolved apes trying to find our way on this planet. Many want us to believe this but I can’t. Maybe we can find something that will prove our lives have purpose while we are here and alive. Like how you just found that flower. And like how I found you.’ We talked for hours. She even walked me back to the bench that I came from. Too bad someone stole my walking stick. I was going to call my cousin to take me home since I couldn’t make my way to the bus stop without my stick but she offered to take me.”
“That was nice of her.”
“It turns out that she was planting those flowers in the park on the day my first wife and I had that fight before our split. She wanted to talk with me then, but, there were too many people around because I walked off, without my walking stick again, and fell down a slope.”
“Do you have an idea of how she looks Mister Lawrence?” Shirley asked.
“We were not together for that long before she passed.”
“Again. I am so sorry. Let me help clean and stop making things worst.”
“Don’t worry about me Shirley. Maybe I was not able to hug her enough. You can’t hug a look.”
“You crazy Mister Lawrence.”
“You can’t, hug, a look.”
“You just said that.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just hitting me that I’ll never be able to actually know what my mom looks like. People always told me that I didn’t lose my sight until I was four but I don’t remember how anyone or anything looks.”
“I really need to help them clean up so I can get you back to the home. Are you going to be alright Mister Lawrence?”
“No. But ask me again tomorrow.”
“Maybe I bumped my head too hard because something about you is odd. I can’t put my finger on it but... It’s like you’re standing out from the darkness.”