Trafika Europe 4 - Armenian Rhapsody

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

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