\u201cRrruth\u2026Ruuuth\u2026Ruthhh\u2026Are you ok?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice echoed, in ripples, wave after wave. Outside an open window, fronds of the palm tree danced.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you Ok? Here, Ruth. Drink that.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pair of green birds chased each other flew past the Chinaberry tree. Laughing or fighting, their feathers were a lighter green against its dark leaves. I despised that tree. The cocksure way it seeded its poisonous self everywhere with impunity. It even flowered in a cruel way. A beautiful bunch of blooms, their purple eyes narrow with suspicion. Not a tree for a farm. And though Avram only approved of trees that bore edible fruit. Somehow this Chinaberry avoided detection, the sapling was tolerated, and survived.<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth, you should have eaten something. Here, have a date.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those enormous eyes were looking at me, as I tasted something sweet in my mouth. I felt peaceful, but puzzled.\u00a0 What were these tunnels? So dark. Deep. And the heavy blob of woman lying on the tile floor. Tiles that were grey and speckled with black dots now vibrating in and out of focus. A river of sweetness ran through me. Everything became clearer. More mundane. That blob on the floor was me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Tina smiled. Tender. Discreet. \u201cYou should have had something to eat\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I wasn\u2019t paying attention. But, what are you doing here? How did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRosie called. She was worried when you didn’t answer.\u201d\u00a0 Tina paused to pick up the fallen chair. \u201cCan you get up? Slowly I started to\u2026 Didn’t really want to move. But I would have to get up sometime. Tina didn’t offer her hand in help, and I didn’t blame her. Too much of a challenge for her small size. This is not an age to take chances. She stood up, looking at me like an insurance assessor evaluates damage. I managed to sit up, on the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo broken bones. Pain anywhere?<\/p>\n
I shook my head. We heard a car drive through the gate that should\u2019ve been there. When it\u00a0 came to a stop, the door slammed shut.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you expecting someone?\u201d Tina went over to the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOoh, it could be Osher. For weeks now, I\u2019ve been asking him to come and help me. Tina still peered out the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it’s Osher. What is he going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth!\u201d he shouted from below, \u201cIt’s Me. Osher!\u201d<\/p>\n
Then his footsteps were climbing the stairs and the door opened. Osher didn\u2019t conceal his surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI fell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe fell.\u201d echoed Tina.<\/p>\n
Osher crossed the room to help me up. Amazing, how strong young men are.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo\u2026 Why did you fall?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tina\u2019s face twisted in to a frown as she bent to pick up my errand slippers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just forgot to eat. So my blood sugar dipped. But I\u2019m fine now. Want some<\/p>\n
coffee before you start?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo time. I must get on with it. I can only spare a couple of hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGosh, you\u2019re always so busy! Nobody has time anymore. How did we ever manage in the old days?\u201d<\/p>\n
Osher was already bounding down the stairs.<\/p>\n
Tina asked, \u201cShall I make some coffee?<\/p>\n
\u201cI better eat something more. Where is my syringe? I need an injection.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood idea. Tina was already on the case. Osher is lovely, isn’t he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Good person. The only one who\u2019d come and help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you bother? No one else does\u201d<\/p>\n
Tina was referring to the other widows who lived on our street. There must be at least seven of them.\u00a0 It was rare to see them out. Instead, they each shuttered themselves from the heat, in cool dark houses. Watching TV I guess. All day long. Just like me. But I couldn’t let all these trees go to rack and ruin. Avram loved this place, and he would turn over in his grave if one\u00a0 tree died. In truth, I love the trees too. Poor Avram. You know…I think he gave up and died because he couldn’t live with not working anymore. But fair due to Osher for always coming to help Avram. Tina busied herself as if she were burying a secret.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you seen Yvonne lately?\u201d<\/p>\n
Yvonne Cohen was my next door neighbour and perhaps the first one to be widowed on our street. Not surprising. She was just a kid when she married a man already past his prime!<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one ever sees her. You know that,\u201d answered Tina, putting a couple of glasses full of hot coffee on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know what she does indoors all day long. Does she ever go out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI see Vera sometimes, when she goes to the shop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vera was the woman most recently widowed. She lived in the 5th house on the street. That is how it worked: the houses were in rows either side of the road, and the farm fields were behind each house.<\/p>\n
Some of the widows let their fields, to be farmed by some of younger men, who already had their own fields and were looking for more land. Doodi used my land and paid me peanuts. But that\u2019s all he could afford in order to still make a profit. And a monkey can’t afford to sneeze at peanuts. Otherwise, all I\u2019ve got is my miserly pension.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re so lucky to have your husband, Tina,\u201d Nodding Tina sipped her coffee. She appeared pale and preoccupied. \u201cYou can’t imagine how lonely it is. When Avram died, it was like someone just switched off the light. I\u2019ve no one to talk to. Nobody to cook for. I watch politicians argue on tv, and when I turn around to say something to Avram, he isn’t there!<\/p>\n
I wonder what Osher is doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked over to the window. He was pruning the lemon trees and watering them at the same time. \u201cOsher! Don’t forget to do the pomegranates.\u201d He looked up smiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I have time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTime! Time! That\u2019s all everyone talks about. No one has time except me!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you were going to eat something, reminded Tina.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll just grab a banana. I can’t be bothered to cook just for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have some chicken stew and rice at home. I\u2019ll bring you some later.\u201d Tina decided.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo Tina, I’m alright. Tomorrow is Friday and Rosie is coming. She\u2019ll help me to cook for Saturday and I\u2019ll have loads for next week too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tina\u2019s eyes seemed far away. She was somewhere deep inside herself. I felt that she saw me through a veil. The breeze wafting through the window was warm and the birds sounded so cheerful. Well, at least they sounded as if they hadn\u2019t a care in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughters want me to sell the farm and move closer to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s an idea.\u201d said Tina<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t want to. It’s home here. How can I leave the place where we lived and worked for sixty years. All the trees. The shrubs. These green birds…they’ve been here for years. Even the\u00a0 traffic noise from the highway. This is what I’m used to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHome is where your family is. What\u2019s the point of being here all alone. Cut your losses, forget all that you have planted. Life is short, but you still have time to enjoy yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tina spoke sensibly but also from a distance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank God you are here. I said. What would I have done without you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tina stood up and went to look out. The afternoon was slowly becoming evening.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about going for a walk tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can’t say Ruth. I have to go to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, just some tests.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs everything ok?\u201d I was beginning to feel strange. Tina trembled a little, and I felt my heart dropping down to my ankles.<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth, I\u2019m dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean? We\u2019re all on the way there\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. This is different. I\u2019ve got the big C<\/em>. I don’t have long.\u201d<\/p>\n I didn’t know what to say. I was numb. Not Tina. The only friend I have. I know, it\u2019s selfish but right away I thought, what about me?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure the doctors will find a solution. They have new stuff coming out all the time. Don’t say that you are dying. Don’t say that.\u201d<\/p>\n Osher was running back up the stairs again, and in a flash he stood at the open door, with a smile. \u201cI’m going now, but I did manage to do the pomegranates. I’ll try and come another day. There is just so much that needs to be done.\u201d Turning to go he asked \u201cWhy the long face? Not happy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Osher, of course I’m happy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you don’t look it,\u201d he grumbled.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people are never satisfied. I\u2019m going too,\u201d announced Tina, \u201cOr Albert will think that I ran away with the plumber.\u201d Osher shrugged his shoulders and I felt better. At least she hadn’t lose her sense of humor.<\/p>\n \u201cCome back tomorrow!\u201d I shouted after her. Startled, she spun around to remind me Friday was Rosie\u2019s day, which allowed me one last whisper, \u201cTo tell me what the doctor says.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will. Don’t worry.\u201d And with that, Tina was gone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cRrruth\u2026Ruuuth\u2026Ruthhh\u2026Are you ok?\u201d Her voice echoed, in ripples, wave after wave. Outside an open window, fronds of the palm tree danced. \u201cAre you Ok? Here, Ruth. Drink that.\u201d A pair of green birds chased each other flew past the Chinaberry tree. Laughing or fighting, their feathers were a lighter green against its dark leaves. I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9601,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[6519,9433],"class_list":["post-9590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fiction","tag-new-fiction-on-cassandra-voices","tag-tina-by-yona-caffrey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casswp.eutonom.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}