Her Stolen Passenger by Daniel Norrish

Author:Daniel Norrish [Norrish, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-20T16:00:00+00:00

46

WU

Wu carries Harrison inside the little wooden house after the sunset, and she finds Baz sitting on a large, buttery-yellow armchair in front of a boxy, brown television.

“Hi there,” he says.

The floor of the room is raised up a step above the rest of the house, and Wu’s footsteps make a dull thumping sound on the carpet that’s as thick as lawn. There are a few dark wood cabinets here with dull trinkets and patterned plates on display.

Wu puts Harrison on the ground, and he immediately shunts over to the space below a dining table where the legs of chairs spear down at his level like tree trunks.

“He’s moving pretty well now,” Baz says.

“Yeah, he doesn’t always crawl, but he can move around. I need him to keep trying. He needs to develop the strength.”

The television is showing a few children running through a lighthouse, and Baz says, “I’m watching ‘Round the Twist’. It’s a kid’s show, but it’s not bad.”

“Sounds good.”

Wu sits off to the side, and she watches Harrison as he fumbles around the chair legs.

“Want a beer?” Baz asks.

“Yes, please.”

He stands and walks out of the room and returns with two small glasses. The bases of these vessels are heavy, and they’re dimpled with pyramid indents in the heavy glass.

Wu sips the beer and watches Harrison and glances over to Baz without speaking. He’s drinking quite quickly, and she struggles to keep up. The pair finishes their beverages only seconds before the advertisements, and Baz asks, “Refill?”

“Yes, please.”

He returns with the topped-up glasses, and the pair begins sipping away again as the program resumes. Again, they finish just in time for the ad breaks, and again the glasses are refilled. This goes on for an hour before Baz asks, “So what’s your plan down here?”

“I think I’ll head up to Perth in a couple of days if you don’t want me gone before then.”

“No, you’re fine. Stay however long you want. Why Perth?”

“I’ve heard it’s nice.”

“It’s all right. Bremer is better.”

“I’ll bet it is.”

“So, you’re just travelling then?”

“Not really, I guess I’m looking for somewhere to settle for a while. I had to move in a hurry.”

“Because of the father?”

“Pardon?”

Baz scratches at the stubble on his chin and says, “Sorry if I’m wrong, or, you know, out of line here, but you’re rushing around with a young baby, and you’re on your own. It looks like you might be running away from Harrison’s dad.”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“Shame. Harrison seems like a great kid.”

“He really is,” Wu says as a toothpaste advertisement pops up on the TV and Baz rushes off for more beer.

Wu stands and picks up Harrison and bounces him over her chest. She leans him back away from her on one forearm. The black diamonds of his thin eyes wave from left to right as his head hangs back on Wu’s fingertips. She whispers soft words of encouragement, and he strains to turn his chin and search for her voice. The sunken arch of Harrison’s nose

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