• Facebook
• Instagram

The Wind Blows heavy

Lila-Josey James

__________

I look through the transom with two coffees in hand. There’s a pink in the clouds like peaches. We spin out the polished revolving door, and are emptied onto the street. 

The crosswind hits Marie in the face while brushing past me. Immediately, we hear pigeons flapping over honking taxis. The sidewalk is alive with all sorts of characters. One, however, tickles my teeth. 

“There’s always an ambulance.” I hand Marie a coffee, black. 

“Yeah, but look.” She points above a gaggle of frumpy tourists. They’re huddled in the middle of the sidewalk. She tilts my chin up.

Sunlight spills through the Cherry trees. It catches blossoms twirling from the sky. They land on the slightly blushed bricks below. On the ground, they scatter. Most get stepped on, turning into little slippery spots. Precious few adorn the gutter.

“To a new start.” She says pulling croissants out of her bag. 

I stop in place, and roll my eyes. The siren passes by. At full pitch, I cover my ears. Marie places the bread in my mouth. She stands there grinning at me. Her pastry is loose in hand, and she’s crying.

All of this clicks right as the siren stretches away. The space where compressed waves elongate into lower tones. My mouth falls all the way open. The croissant hits the ground. 

In the depth of the warble, I see a jump in her eyes. It quickly crashes, as fifty feet relative to us, St.Mary’s bells begin to ring. 

The first bell is deep and vibrant like purple. We walk along in silence, taking a left on Henry,and  jumping with every new ring. The trees are gigantic here. They must be over 200 years old. 

Ring. 

 As we round the corner, a pregnant woman glares. Her husband’s eyes loiter.

“Let me get that off your wrist.” I move to help but get distracted.

The lady turns after passing. I stare at her gaze, and Marie pulls off the laminated bracelet. It takes just a single short tug. The paper dangles in the wind as she’s whispers,

“You get used to it so quickly.” 

Ring

I think of her as last month. Catching her sitting on the edge of the roof. Swinging her feet before jumping. These are those eyes.

I snatch the bracelet just as she lets go. I put it in my dress pocket.

“Now who’s the crazy one.” Her giggle hollows with the bells.

“It has all your information on it.” I tell her as she rolls her eyes. “And besides, littering isn’t cool.”

Ring

We walk along for four more rings. Just as sound meets silence, we arrive. There’s an iron sign welcoming all to Cobble Hill Park. 

I point to the tulips, maples, daisies, and oaks. She’s staring at the families. Above us, several branches shake and spill their leaves. Still, she doesn’t look up.

“It’s their way of saying hello.” I elbow at her side, nodding up. “That’s what my grandma used to say anyways.”

“Mine still won’t talk to me.” Marie says looking down.

“They’re just.” I grab her hand. “Really dumb. Like extraordinarily stupid. I’m very sorry.”

She shakes her head as I force a laugh.

“Let’s try to make it to the water?” I point westward on our path. “The sun is just setting.”

She stops at the start of the ecliptic walking path. Her hair is a flame while glaring down the sun. All the birds, branches, and flowers seem to circle her. Even the sun does at this point. I feel all of it falling into her as I do. Marie points. I look.

There is one bench open out of the many lining the sides. A group of teenagers giggle as we walk over. I try to scowl, but my eyes end up watering. They see this, and quietly go back to vaping. We sit.

A ferry blows its horn, holding the tone for ten seconds straight. Babies start to wake up and cry.  Not one person looks towards the emanation as it clumsily climbs up from Atlantic. 

Another siren goes off, and an old man curses, slamming his book closed. A different one simply leaves. 

“I wonder how long it will sit?” I ask Marie 

“I think that’s up to them.” She takes my hand. 

“It’s like fighting the wind this time of day.” I give her a squeeze. 

Sure enough, blaring and all, the ambulance sits, and waits. 

“They.” She continues with an empty giggle. Her head is down.

“They know it’s their fault.” I interrupt monotone. “I made sure of that.”

The siren wobbles as the lights pop up and around a curb.

“I guess that’s one way.” I relax as this noise stretches and dies too.

As if on cue, the wind blows heavy. It washes into a Maple tree. A colony of Sapsuckers sing as they sway. On the tail end of the breeze, is an explosion of sky. White petals and green leaves spin on to the ground.

“It’s raining.” She points as the corollas break apart.

“It’s the same with my family.” I offer. “Really any dolls’, hon.”

She rests her head on my shoulder. Cautiously, as if testing to see if it’s hot. We both get goosebumps. 

“Your skin is so soft,” I say, stroking her arm.

“What’s wrong with this world?” a man shouts as he walks by.

He stares at me. Marie stays nuzzled. The man continues yelling “What is wrong with this world,” but now he’s pointing. I can’t help but laugh as he continues walking further and further away. 

An old man sees this and walks up to us. He reminds me of my mother’s father. He doesn’t say a word, but does move slowly. He tries to nonchalantly snap a photo on his Canon, but the flash goes off. To this I do jump.

“At least pay me first asshole” I start yelling.

The women in the park are staring. Their men are gorging on us like fermented fruit. Marie tugs me back to the bench. The top of my scalp starts to itch.

“Calm now Bestie.” Marie pets.

Before I can sit, a woman walks up, and asks us to leave. Another siren goes off. This time, instead of jumping, Marie just rolls her eyes, and lights a cigarette.

__________

Lila-Josey James is a queer writer based in Brooklyn, New York. She lives with her dog and enjoys hosting tea parties and salons. Her emerging work explores identity, perception, and the humans between them.

__________

<< Back Next >>

To learn more about submitting your work to Boudin or applying to McNeese State University’s Creative Writing MFA program, please visit Submissions for details.