Life and Other Shortcomings by Corie Adjmi

Author:Corie Adjmi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: She Writes Press
Published: 2020-08-14T16:00:00+00:00

“PASSENGERS, please put your seat backs forward and fasten your seat belts. We will be landing in Madrid shortly.”

Sally lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. She turned from side to side, stretching her neck, and used the back of her hand to stroke her cheek, which felt hot and irritated from resting on it for so long.

The plane landed at 8:20 a.m. While they waited for their luggage to come around the carousel, two children stood in front of them. Sally assumed they were brothers.

She watched as the larger boy marched over to his younger brother and grabbed the bag that was in his hands. The younger boy attempted to retrieve it, but his older brother stood with the bag held high over his head, looking down at him, smirking.

“Give it to me!” the boy screamed, jumping up to reach it.

“Come on, get it,” the older boy teased.

Sally wished her life could be so simple—she wished for what was irretrievable. The smaller boy began to cry, and Sally watched as his mother approached. Just as she was about to speak, Sally spotted Keith towering over the older boy.

“Are you kidding?” Keith asked, his lips tight, hardly moving. “You took his bag, didn’t you?”

The boy didn’t respond. He stood unmoving, staring at Keith.

“I saw you take it. You just walked up to him and grabbed it. I saw you.” Spit flew from his mouth; his fists pounded the air. “You can’t take things that aren’t yours. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that?” Keith turned to look at the boy’s mother. “Didn’t anyone ever teach him that?”

Sally hooked her arm through Keith’s and pulled him away. “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Keith, you’re scaring me. You can’t simply walk up to people you don’t know and yell at them. What’s the matter with you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sally. I witnessed an injustice, so I got involved. What’s the problem? I fixed it, didn’t I?”

Sally thought she couldn’t take any more. She had the urge to run away, far and fast. Instead, she turned from Keith, swaddling her stomach.

She observed each piece of luggage as it cruised past her. A large black duffel bag journeyed around the bend, flowing as if on an electric river. Sally stared and wondered, who does that bag belong to? What kind of life does that person have? Do they have children? Are they lucky?

Keith collected their belongings. They went through customs and hopped in a cab.

When they arrived at the hotel Keith put his hand in his pocket to pay the driver and said to Sally, “Oh, no. I didn’t exchange money. I only have dollars. I hope this guy isn’t going to hassle me.” He pulled a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and leaned across the front seat to talk to the driver.

“Señor, excuse me.” Keith showed the driver his American money.

“No, no,” the driver said, wagging his finger at Keith as if he were a little boy who’d done something wrong.

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