Drowning Tucson by Aaron Morales

Author:Aaron Morales
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-56689-269-8
Publisher: Coffee House Press
Published: 2010-10-13T04:00:00+00:00

Peanut woke to the smell of his father’s workboot, but the actual shoe wasn’t there. It must’ve been part of a dream. Or just habit. He looked up at the clock and saw it was past one thirty in the morning, then he sat up and looked over at Yoli sleeping peacefully on her side next to Gordo. He knew he was onto something earlier, when he decided he would simply have to get her out of this place. Maybe to another city or something. That’s it. She wants to go to Disneyland, so I’ll just take her away to where Disneyland is, somewhere over in California. I know I’ll be able to find it. Just drive west and ask around. He knew it was a great idea, even if it was kind of complicated. So he quietly stood up and tiptoed to the hall closet, where they kept most of the kids’ clothes. He opened the door slowly, inch by inch, to avoid making the door creak and waking his parents. The clothes hung on hangers and were separated into neatly folded piles on the floor. First he found himself a pair of Dickies and a hooded sweatshirt, and then he rifled through Yoli’s pile, taking care not to disturb Gordo’s or Carlos’s. When he had found a nice warm outfit for his sister, he put his clothes on and sneaked through the kitchen and out the back door of the house, happy for once that, unlike so many other families in the area, his family couldn’t afford a wrought-iron screen door, because it surely would’ve creaked badly and woken the whole damn house.

Outside, Peanut walked to his father’s truck and opened the door, throwing Yoli’s clothes onto the seat next to him. He pumped the gas and placed the keys in the ignition. Realizing he would definitely get caught if he fired up the truck in the driveway, Peanut forced the gear shift on the steering wheel down into neutral, letting the truck roll quietly down the driveway and into the street. The truck continued to roll once it reached the street and Peanut wrestled the steering wheel—no fuckin power steering, of course—and turned the truck onto the road, its momentum allowing it to roll a few houses down the block before it stopped rolling, and Peanut was able to safely start the truck without having to worry about waking anyone. The truck started right up, and Peanut put it in park, with the lights off, allowing it to idle while he went to get his sister.

He crept back into the house through the back and wrapped Yoli’s blanket tight around her, shushing her when she woke and opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing. Shhhhh. Just be quiet for a minute. I’ve got a surprise for you outside, and Yoli’s eyes opened wide with excitement, but she only nodded to show her approval and to assure her brother that she wouldn’t make a sound.

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