Things to Make and Break by May-Lan Tan

Author:May-Lan Tan
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781566895354
Publisher: Coffee House Press
Published: 2018-07-27T16:00:00+00:00

That chiming sound means the car door’s open, but Lauren’s pretty sure he’s in the trundle bed at Jericho’s. When he lifts his head, he feels his cheek unstick from the leather seat. There’s black sky in the windshield, stars winking like staples, and the perfume tree hanging from the rearview mirror. He’s in the back seat of his dad’s car parked behind the ABC. Lauren likes it when people take you somewhere when you’re asleep. It seems magical. He decides to look for his dad in the store.

When he climbs out and shuts the door, he notices he’s barefoot and in his pajamas. The air is as warm as dog breath. He can still hear the chimes so he goes around to the driver’s side and opens and closes the door. As he walks across the lot, he feels day-old sunshine trapped in the asphalt.

The mat in front of the store is scratchy. The doors swish open. Inside, the floor feels clammy and there are bright reflections painted on the windows. The cashier is trying to sleep on the counter. She has pink hair and thin arms decorated with tattoos. A fan on a chair swings its head from side to side like it’s dancing and concentrating. Lauren sees his dad over by the fridges. Lauren smiles and waves, but his dad doesn’t notice, so Lauren gets kind of mad and decides not to go over. The cashier lifts her head and blinks. She seems young, like a babysitter. He smiles, feeling shy.

“Look,” he says, wiggling his tooth.

She yawns and smiles. He looks at the sea-black dragon and purple octopus twisted around her arms, the mermaid peeping around the crook of her elbow.

“My mom used to have tattoos.”

“She did? You mean she had them lasered off?”

He shakes his head. “She’s dead. She killed herself.”

The girl’s mouth forms an O. “Baby,” she says in a pretty way.

“It’s OK,” he says, “it was a long time ago. She was very sad. She cried with tissues when she watched a movie on TV.”

“She sounds beautiful,” the girl says.

Lauren’s dad plunks his shopping basket on the counter. The girl’s face changes when she looks at him. She looks at Lauren and then at Lauren’s dad. “You’re not driving, are you, sir?”

As Dad fumbles with his wallet, the girl takes the bottles out of the basket and puts them behind the counter. Dad holds out some bills. He frowns at the shopping basket.

“Sir. Is there someone who can come pick you up?”

Dad peers at her nametag. “Listen, Anna,” he says, “Anna banana.” He leans across and tries to look behind the counter.

“My finger’s on a button,” she says. “The sheriff can be here in four minutes. I’ve timed it.”

The squiggly vein on Dad’s forehead sticks out as he grabs Lauren by the elbow and pulls him away from the counter. The glass doors slide apart, mirroring colors.

“I hope someone burns down your stupid store,” he yells over his shoulder.

“I only work here on weekends,” the girl says.

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