دستکش

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Gloves

Owen’s uncle was painting the front of his house when Monica and Owen drove up the dirt road. He pushed back his cap to get a better look, and seemed very surprised when he saw who it was. Owen held out his hand.

“Hello, uncle Bob.”

They shook hands, then hugged.

“You’re the last person in the world I expected to see coming up that road today.”

“Well, I thought, it was time I paid a visit to say hello.”

Uncle Bob’s blue eyes were bright with happiness as he looked into his nephew’s eyes. He looked over at Monica.

“I’m sorry. This is my friend, Monica.”

“How do you do?”

“Nice to meet you, sir.”

They all went and sat on the back porch which looked onto a huge empty field surrounded by trees. Uncle Bob brought them some lemonade. A large friendly dog lay next to Monica’s chair and she lightly scratched its head.

“Do you two mind if I take a walk with my new friend here?”

The men didn’t answer, so Monica ran down the porch steps into the field with the dog following her.

“Uncle Bob, what happened the day my father died?”

His uncle stopped talking and looked at the long empty field in front of him. Monica had disappeared somewhere with the dog.

“We never really talked about that, did we? But maybe it’s time.”

“I never understood why you never mentioned his name alter he died.”

His uncle looked over at him.

“Owen, some things hurt too much to talk about.”

“Do you think you could talk about it now?”

“I could try. You see, there was this big earthquake two days before we went down in the tunnel. I told your father there would be another one, but he.”

His uncle was having trouble telling this part.

“.but he wouldn’t listen. It was our last day, and he wanted to go. When it hit, I was up above cleaning some of the pieces we’d found.”

Owen could see it happening. He didn’t even notice that his uncle had got up to go inside. He heard the back door open, and then he saw his uncle standing next to him, holding an old pair of gloves.

“Your father gave these to me the day he died because I had left mine at home. He wore them every time he went out to dig. I think he’d have wanted you to have them.”

Owen held the gloves in his hands. He put them on. There were tears in his eyes. His uncle put his arm around him.

Soon after Monica returned from her walk, she and Owen got ready to leave. They promised uncle Bob they would come back again soon. As they drove away, Monica beeped the horn twice.

In the car, Owen was quiet. Monica saw the gloves in his hand, but she didn’t ask him about them. That was between Owen, his uncle and his father.