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obstruct my view. After a few steps, she turns and walks
back. It is her. Oh God. So she takes walks in the evening.
Alone. I run, rushing to go out and see her from up close.
My foot lands in Makurik’s water bowl and it spills, I slip
and land across the length of the hallway. My knee hurts. I
stand and a draft causes the door to bang shut, shattering
the glass on it. The glass in the windows of my room shatter
too. The smell of acacias fills the house. I carefully pick up
the glass, then look outside. She is no longer there. I nail a
few curtains on top of each other to the empty pane, but it
is still cold. I’ll go to sleep at my sisters’ place. That’s one of
the advantages of living alone – you can spend the night
wherever you want.
I haven’t slept well because of the pain in my knee. I get off
the bus and see the rheumy beggar. She hasn’t seen me. She
seems worried. I hide to watch her beg money from others
for her eye medicine. Five minutes, ten minutes, she
doesn’t approach anyone. She drags her feet as she walks
slowly one way, then the other. She takes out her watch
from her pocket, looks at it, then puts it back. I had left
home early today, so that I could finally get to work on
time. She doesn’t ask anyone for money. I decide to
approach her. She spots me sooner. She approaches me
excitedly, her eyes shining with dampness. She extends the
money through the wrinkles in her palm, “You’re here?
Take this, my child. Thank you very much.” I’m shocked.
Every hair on my body stands in goosebumps. There’s no
need for this, don’t return it, my dear. I rummage through