The Sky Witch - 4. Chapter 4 A bit Of history

Blinking rapidly, I fix the picture playing in front of me; of Douw and Jimmy kissing.It can’t be. I’m going crazy. There is no way Douw is queer. I close my eyes and the cogs turn. What the am I going to do? How could I have missed it? He never showed signs of being a sick faggot. Shaking my head I turn away from the scene in front of me, my stomach knotted, clenching my fists, the taste of bile in my mouth and tears burning my eyes because I know what I have to do. No faggot will live under my roof. Douw The expression on Jimmy’s face changes from a slow, sexy smile, to a look of terror.“What’s wrong?” After a moment of silence, he manages to whisper, “ Danny…” Oh shit! Oh shit! What do I do now?! He's going to freak out. No. He’s freaking out all ready. I release a shaky breath. “Does he know you’re gay?” I lift my head to look Jimmy in the eye. “Nope.” “Oh, hell! You have to talk to him but give him a sec to cool down first, ok?” “Your dad knows about you right?” I ask. “Yes. Do you want me to ask him to talk to Danny first?” “ No, he would just be pissed off even more at me. I’ll talk to him myself. Thanks.” There is compassion in his voice I have never heard, as though he’s reaching out, “Oh, Douw. Don’t let it upset you too much. I’m sure he will be ok with it.” Right. We’re talking about my brother-in-law: The same one who beat the shit out of a gay guy in a bar, the same Danny who takes the time to comment on openly gay people in the street. I can see it. Danny, red-faced, screaming at me for not telling him. Cursing at me.
I’m an abomination! Oh God, please help me! I am afraid, but I have honour enough to stand my ground and quit stalling. One final hug from Jimmy and I’m ready to face an enraged Danny.
My feet move in slow motion, as if of their own free will. I feel my sweaty palms; rub them on my shirt subconsciously. My head is spinning a million ways. Thoughts and memories scream through my mind, clouding my vision. My body is numb. Memories of me and Danny flood my mind; Danny laughing and messing around in a bar. Danny’s heavy arm draped over my shoulder while he talks. His tears soak my t-shirt. Having no money for a shrink, Me and Danny spent hours talking. I was silent then. I listened. Something hits my leg and I snap out of this numb stupor just in time to see the rocks move closer and closer. With a thud my face hits a small rock, and I see black. I’m rolling over in the dirt. Something warm runs down my cheek. I cringe as pain shoots from my finger tips into my brain. Nose broken… shit! That hurts. Wiggling my toes then moving my ankles and arms, a hiss of pain escapes me, lingers, then shoots through my arm and nose. I try to stand. I pull my legs and bad arm into my chest and shove off with my butt and throw my legs under me, landing on my feet, and just for a fleeting moment I teeter but regain my balance from falling back on my ass. Turning around to face Danny, I trip over…
Nothing! “Douw! Are you ok my boy? What happened to you?" That can only be one person asking so many questions at one time that you never know which one to answer first. Mr. Denials. “Errr…I don’t know sir. I was on my way to find Danny and the next thing I know I’m on the ground and my arm hurts like crazy.” ”We better take a look. Come on, follow me to the Lapa were I can see what you did to yourself… “ “I didn’t do anything.” I grumble under my breath. “Sir, I need to find Danny. It’s very urgent. Do you know where he is?” “What can be so important that you need to see him before I take a look at that arm of yours?” I had forgotten about my arm. I inspected the wound, blood drips from a scratch on my arm, bruised blue and purple. “Yes, sir, I think that would be best.” I mutter as the pain flares up. “Man, what a fucking day. If I don’t nearly get run over by a buff, I’m kissing my dream boy. Not that I’m complaining about that part. And don’t forget the voices in my head and now tripping over nothing, falling on my ass with a bruised and bloody arm, what next? Little dancing pink elephants?” Good thing Mr Denials is ahead of me so he can’t see the goofy smile I have on my face. The lights in the lapa are bright. Jimmy’s dad is to the right, standing at the dining room table with a bag. Glaring expectantly at me. “Let’s take a look then,” he says, as I purse my lips and take a seat on the mahogany chair closest to him. In no time at all he has my arm cleaned, the small cut stitched up, and enough bandage wrapped over it to cover a mummy. I keep my thoughts to myself, and, not being one to be ungrateful, put on my best fake smile and thank him, then make my way to the door leading out to the house. As I pass the threshold, I pause to look at the full moon and the bright stars.Man, it is a way too beautiful night to be dealing with this shit. I make my way up the landing. My uninjured hand sweating and shaking. I clench my hand, breathe deep to calm my fragile nerves. To get to Danny’s room I must negotiate a path through the living room, into the hall, past the first couple of rooms, now long forgotten and untouched, like the day my life shattered into a million pieces.

I walked into my old room and picked up a family photo; parents stand in the back ground with a small fair-haired boy in front of the father. A teenage girl with long dark hair and deep brown eyes, in the foreground, and a baby on the women’s hip. I can barely remember them but every now and then seeing something that they liked, or even a smell, brings back a memory.

Laughter. Not the light kind, like a giggle, more like a deep down laugh out of the bottom of your stomach, but coming from my dad. I squeal and giggle trying to evade his fingers but to no avail. The memory fades as another takes it’s place.

A soft voice rises and falls to the rhythm of a bed time story, a soft kiss on my forehead before sweet sleep takes me away.

* *

“Douw! Were are you? it’s time to go! Your Grandma and Grandpa can’t wait to see you!”

Yuk!

They smell funny, and I can never get the lipstick off my lips and cheeks. With a huff I am up and grab onto the branches of the tree I once climbed to get onto the roof.

As I reach the ground, a car pulls up to the house. Familiar dark eyes focus on me with a twinkle of amusement in the corners clearly knowing what I have been up to before even I know it.

I am running to embrace my sister.

Suddenly, the smell of gas fills my senses, stings my eyes, paralyzes me. Sirens in the distance.

When I open my eyes the world is a blur slowly coming into focus. Pain shoots through my head.

After the pain subsides to a dull throb with the siren much closer now, I try and move my arms and realize it must be the seat belt around my waist. I finally find the latch with my right hand, press down on it.

With a satisfying click I fall to the roof of the car hitting my head. Stars shoot across my vision, dark shadows move into view. I hear myself moaning as I finally regain consciousness.

Sirens.

Voices.

Tapping.

That headache I had, is now a throbbing migraine. I open my eyes. I remember the pain.

Eyes wide with shock glare at me. The words are muffled but manage to filter through to me. The meaning is clear.

“Are you ok?”

Finding my voice I manage a yes and a nod of my head. The movement triggers off the most excruciating pain. After a moment the pain returns to a dull throbbing.

The face in the glass is gone. My sleepy eyes close as if of there own accord and just before I drift into the sweet embrace of sweet sleep…

Tap…tap…tap…tap…tap…tap…tap…tap…tap…tap…tap…tap…

The migraine returns. I open my tired eyes. Worried faces. Muffled words.

Again the meaning is clear.

I lift my hands and cup my face.

Glass breaking.

Steel being cut.

Strong arms pull me onto a gurney. My world fades.

* * *

Waking in the hospital the first thing I see is a sharp light in my eyes and I’m squinting. Something warm grabs my hand. My eyes open slowly and adjust to the harsh light.

“Douw! Douw! Can you hear me? Please squeeze my hand if you can hear me. After a couple of seconds the words click into place.

“Please, just squeeze a little. Please…” the last word spoken in a broken voice. Something warm and wet touches my arm.

As my mind comes back to reality, I tighten the muscles in my hand, and I am able to turn my head, and glare directly into Danny’s blood shot eyes, tears fresh on his cheeks.

“Danny...?” I manage to whisper and a smile parts his lips.

* * *

At first Danny tells me that we were in an accident and my family had died. Eventually I could not ignore this sword of damaclese hanging above my head any longer and I asked the question he had been dreading.

“Danny?”

“Ja, Goldilocks?” He answers in his joking manner with a mocking smile, which quickly fades as soon as he sees the frown I have on my brow.

“What happened to every one? You keep on side-stepping my questions, and I can see you have been crying, and today is not the first time. So, please cut the bull-shit, and tell me what happened.”

An uncomfortable silence falls over the room. Finally Danny drops his head in into hands. “Ok, I’ll tell you, but I still can’t understand it,” his voice cracks. “Remember how I had to go home to get Libby’s purse from our house?”

“Ja, I remember that. Mom gave her an ear-full for making you get it,” I say with a giggle, remembering how mom has… had… a way to scold some one no matter how old you were.

My eyes burn like fire. Tears blur my vision and roll over my cheeks.

“That’s right,” he says, not looking up.

His voice shudders as he continues, “well when I was on my way home to get the purse, your mom called to tell me they were driving to your grandparents and they would meet me there…”

I do remember the phone call my mother made before we started the hour-and-a-half drive to the next town, and my grandma Ellin and grandpa Ben’s old age home.

Just before drifting back into my memories, Danny speaks again.

“I was on my way back when I saw a commotion in the road ahead. Lots of emergency vehicles, and people scrambling about. I did not think much, seeing as how there are so many accidents on that road but something caught my eye and as I looked over, I saw your car on its roof, the back door torn open, and they were pulling you from the car…” He swallows loudly, “so much blood.”

With the mention of blood, I glance at Danny through heavy tears and the memories ebb away, leaving me and Danny shaking with sadness.

The police never found the animal we struck. If it was that. Perhaps we will never know. The only evidence found was a piece of fur in the grill of the car, and hoof marks in the wet earth where the car came to rest.

The police deduced that dad swerved out of the way to avoid an animal in the road but lost control and hit another animal before tumbling and coming to rest on its roof in the bushes next to the road. * * *

“What are you doing? “

A gruff but familiar voice asks from behind me, not sounding all too friendly, snapping me out of my thoughts…