Denison Avenue by Daniel Innes

Author:Daniel Innes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2023-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

Yeet.

Clink!

Ngay.

Clink!

Thlam.

Clink!

Thlay.

Clink!

Ng.

Clink!

Luk.

Clink!

Teet.

Clink!

Baht.

Clink!

Giu.

Clink!

Sip.

Clink!

Honk! Honk!

A car door slammed, followed by footsteps and muffled noises. “Hold on. Let me call you back.”

Sip yeet.

Sip ngay.

Sip thlam.

Sip thl—

I felt a drop of water and looked up. “Mo yee wor.” (It’s not raining.)

Then a stream of water hit my face and shoulders. I cried out, putting my arms out as a barrier.

The water then stopped.

“What do you think you’re doing?! This is private property!”

I wiped the water from my eyes and looked from the side of the bin. Standing a few feet away in the yard was a young woman wearing black loafers, a black tweed blazer and matching skirt. She had a garden hose aimed at me. Her hand wrapped around the nozzle, the index finger ready to push the lever again. I suddenly gripped my stick. We stared at each other like they do in those Chinese films before their balletic fight in the air.

The lines on her forehead creased and her nostrils flared as she screeched, “This is private property! Can’t you read?! Get out!”

But I knew there was no sign. I always made sure to look.

She continued, “DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND? This is private property. PRI-VATE PRO-PER-TY! You and all the other old ladies always make a freakin’ mess here.”

The slowness of words, the volume at which they’re spoken, the exaggerated gestures, the way people like her talked to people like me. There was always that assumption: you can’t read or speak English. Just nod and smile and everything will be okay. “Sorry. Very sorry. No problem,” I said, smiling, trying to lighten the situation, speaking the words we have been taught to say.

Without hesitation, she pressed the lever underneath the nozzle and a more continuous spurt of water came out.

I threw my arms in front, shielding my face, quickly retreating to the sidewalk. She followed me out and kept spraying with the hose. I pushed the cart around the corner, disappearing behind the overgrown hedges, almost running into a woman walking her dog.

“And if I see you again, I will call the goddamn police on you for trespassing!” she shouted as she hurled the bag of recyclables onto the sidewalk. It made a loud thud. The door slammed.

Even though she wouldn’t have heard me, I channelled Li Seem’s energy and yelled at the top of my lungs, “Lay heck see ahhhhh, baht por!!” (Eat shit, you bitch!!)

I heard some snickering. I turned around and saw a small group of kids across the street with their phones out, laughing and pointing, but I ignored them.

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