Charly's Language

The Hell We Live In

The next few days we spent in the house she was quiet, she was frail. I'd watch her spacing out all the time, even as I talked to her, her mind would just...migrate. Her eyes were looking, but not seeing. I was starting to get anxious, so we packed our things and left with a month of holidays ahead still. We directed ourselves to the apartment, but halfway there she told me to stop.

"What is it?"

"Let 's go," she said with a broken voice, all the crying and screaming had taken its toll.

"Let's go where?"

"Nowhere, let's just go. Just keep driving."

"Okay."

After a while, she fell asleep. I stopped on the side of the road, contemplating her for a moment. She couldn't rest very soundly, and neither could I. We opened a door, and now all those demons running free in our heads, not just our own, but the other too. She was struggling, I knew it, so I thought I'd distract her, I'd show her something new.

"Hey."

"Hey sleepy."

"Where are we?"

"You'll see. Almost there."

She frowned, disoriented. I gave her an apple and she

smiled as I fondled her leg. About half an hour later, we

were parking in front of the mechanical shop. It took her a few seconds to make sense of it. I was watching her, and when she figured it out, her face lit up, seeming excited.

"Is this..."

"It is. Do you wanna come in?"

"Yes!" She jumped out of the car.

"Adam!" My uncle rushed to us when he saw us. He hugged me, patting my back hard as he always does. He is shorter than me, but tall. His head was populated exclusively with white hair, beard and mustache also white.

"Uncle, this is Charly. Charly, my uncle Jack."

"It's a pleasure to meet you dear." He extended his hand, and she looked at it and then at his face, he was covered in stains: the smell of oil was always powerful there. So, she just hugged him, I couldn't help but grin as he did too.

"I heard a lot about you," he said.

"I heard about you too," she peered at me.

"Come, Mary is in the back." He led us to his house behind the workshop. My aunt Mary was also screaming when she saw us come in.

"Are you Charly? Of course, you are. How lovely to finally meet you."

"Yes," her face lit up, she was enthusiastic by how excited they were.

"So," my uncle started, "another year in? Getting closer."

"We knew you were going to love it there," Mary added.

"It's cool."

"How is the team?" my uncle asked, and I went on

about it for a while.

"Is he behaving there?" my aunt asked Charly.

"He is amazing."

"Your mom is going to be thrilled about it."

"You are staying right?" my aunt enquired. I glanced at Charly, she beamed at me, excited.

"Sure. We are just going to take a walk. I'm gonna show her around."

"Okay, be back for dinner."

"They are so nice," she said once we left. "Where are you taking me?"

"Nowhere."