Bruiser by Richard House

Author:Richard House [House, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2016-03-01T13:00:00+00:00

Adrian swims surrounded by blue as I watch him from the balcony. The chlorine is so strong that it makes my eyes sting. Having completed his laps he lies on an inflatable raft, kicking his feet so that he spins slowly round. He knows that I am here but chooses not to acknowledge me.

I walk on the running track about the pool and remove my jacket. It is uncomfortably hot.

“How is your shoulder?” I call across the pool.

Adrian tilts his head. He answers fine, and looks down into the water.

“Do you intend to do anything about it?”

He does not reply.

“Or do you think it will just go away?”

“Just give it a rest,” he shouts, turning his raft about to face me. His voice echoes back across the pool.

I hear a door beneath the running track open and close.

“What was that?” I ask

“Somebody else wanting to swim,” he replies in a calmer voice. “It’s okay, he’s gone now.” He stares into the water as if thinking.

“I’ll come with you. Whatever happens.”

“Look, just leave me alone. I know all about doctors.”

I complete my circuit about the track and walk down the stairs to the poolside. I crouch beside the pool, washing my hands in the water. “Did you try calling Reyes again?”

Adrian paddles the raft around to the side of the pool. Water catches in the small of his back as he kicks his legs. He pulls himself closer to the pool’s side and swears.

“What’s the matter?” I ask.

“Look” He shows me his elbow. There is a small red rash about the size of a penny where he has scuffed himself. As he puts his arm back into the water a thin wisp of blood catches on the hairs of his arm. “I tried,” he looks up, confused, perhaps annoyed. “He doesn’t want to talk to me, and his sister won’t say anything.”

He slides off the craft and treads water close to the edge. As I reach over he suddenly smiles and slips backward into the water closing his eyes.

I pick up my coat and decide to wait for him in the lobby. As Adrian swims I watch his body change, alternatively stretched and compressed by the refraction of the water. Now he is a boy, now he is a man, once more a boy. Just for luck I touch the water.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.