I. Cecil's Baby

A man goes intermittently blind and deaf after a world-ending cataclysm; he struggles to piece a new life together in the world that emerges, haunted by memories and regrets of the old one.

He awoke abruptly, his breath shallow and labored.

“It’s happening again,”

He had no idea how loud he said it. He felt around him for the dog and was somewhat calmed when his hand brushed warm, breathing fur. Unsure of the time, he stumbled to the bathroom and kicked off his shorts. The shower tile was cool beneath his feet and he gasped at the rush of hot water. After a few minutes he could hear distant running water; blurry gray shapes formed in front of his eyes. He rubbed his face, working away the shock that often left him blind and deaf. It was the scar he carried from surviving what most now believed had been the end of the world.

As he stepped out he caught a glimpse of himself in the steamy mirror. A long time ago, people called him chubby. Now he was all bones and angles. His pupils were painfully dilated and forever murky, his retinas having been seared not so long ago.

He pulled on a fresh set of clothes and sat beside his dog as she stretched and yawned, squeaking slightly as she did so. He scratched behind her ear and along her neck and her back leg twitched happily.

“Better go get some breakfast before it’s all gone, huh?”

As he opened his bedroom door the smells and sounds of the morning routine greeted his senses. Beth met him at the foot of the stairs.

“Felix! You just in time! Cecil stopped by and left her baby!”

Felix rubbed his eye, his vision not yet focused. Cecil’s baby. He smiled sadly.

Beth grinned with unusually large teeth for a girl her age and pointed toward the large doors across from the kitchen. “Mammy has him in the parlor. Go look!”

He ran an affectionate hand along the girl’s jaw and brushed past to the parlor. At the eye of a dwindling crowd sat Mammy, plump and dark, with a beautiful baby boy in her hands. He had sandy blonde hair, golden skin and crystalline blue eyes. A ribbon around his wrist was embroidered with his name: Deveraux.

Felix kneeled beside the head of the house and she smiled at him.

“Ain’t he jus’ precious?”

Deveraux glanced up at him and gurgled in delight.

Felix nodded and kissed Mammy’s cheek before padding off to the kitchen. He was the last to wake up for breakfast and therefore it was his duty to clean up afterwards. It smelled like soppy toast and warm syrup, but if there ever was any it’d all been eaten a while ago. He made two bowls of couche couche--one with milk and sugar, and one without--with a healthy dollop of sausage gravy and set one down for the dog before wolfing down his own.

Felix filled the industrial steel sink with soapy water and patiently scrubbed the greasy stack of breakfast plates. After wiping down the stove and all the countertops he left the dishes to dry on a rack and went out on the back porch. By now it was late morning and the sun was already high in the sky but not yet too hot. A cluster of younger children chased a beach ball about the yard. In the distance he spotted an army of dark clouds and wondered if they’d march over the bayou. He remembered the days of the news and the weather man and how the forecasts had rarely been accurate.

“Hey, Felix.”

He glanced over his shoulder at Beth who stood by the door frame. “Yeah? Hey, chere.”

The girl seemed nervous. “Well, the spring fest is coming up soon and I was wondering if you’d be my date this year.”

Felix hesitated. “Ma chere, you’re much too young--”

She stepped forward and held his arm. “I’m not too young! In the old days I’d be considered all grown up. I ain’t a child anymore.”

“--for me.”

Beth pouted. “Too young for you? We’re not that far apart, you know. And you know how I feel about you. If you don’t take me because you feel the same, would you at least take me so I can experience it? I wouldn’t trust anyone else.”

He brushed the bangs from her eyes. “Cherie, I wouldn’t trust anyone else either, but it just ain’t right. Besides, I’m not stable. You don’t want someone like me--someone with a lot of baggage--slowing you down.”

“Who I want is not your decision to make! I love you, Felix. I have since I was a little girl. And you’ve been encouraging me all this time!”

He was taken aback by her sudden anger. “Encourage you? Child, what has gotten into you? I have done no such thing!”

Beth was in tears now. “The way you look at me, the way you touch me"you don’t treat anyone else the same! You’re open ended!” Her voice quieted and she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “You always gave me hope that one day we could be together.”

Felix resisted the urge to reach out and touch her. He’d always been playful with her, and had admired how beautiful a young lady she’d become. And he probably had been encouraging her. But he’d never imagined romantic involvement. “I’m sorry, chere. I done something real wrong here.” He turned to leave but Beth grabbed his hand.

“There’s nothing wrong with loving someone.” 

Now he did touch her. He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, high and rosy. Her wet blue eyes shifted shakily between his deep green ones. “Chere, I do love you. And I don’t want to hurt you.”

Her lips quivered in anticipation. “Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” She’d read one too many romance novels.

The children in the yard hadn’t noticed the two standing on the porch. A flock of birds cried overhead, swooping low and veering to the right, perching in succession on a clothesline.

After a long moment of uneasy deliberation, he gave in. “Fine, chere. I’ll take you to the spring fest. You better not make me regret this.” To himself, he added: I’m going to hell.

Beth grinned. She’d recently gotten her braces off and her perfect white teeth were bright against the dim background. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, her head just barely reaching his chin. “Thank you, Felix. You won’t regret this. I promise.”

Felix returned the gesture, but not for too long. She was beyond naïve. “Sorry chere, but I got things to do today. We’ll talk later, okay?”

Reluctantly she folded her hands behind her back. “I’ll see you later, then.” She turned and eyed him through the screen door as it closed, an air of victory about her.

 

Author's Note

Tell me how I can improve sentence fluency and structure, please. Also, as more snippets of this story are posted, please give me feedback on the characters; suggestions, comments, ideas, etc. are more than welcome.