So really, what was the use in getting angry? What did I expect from Uhmma? I went back to sorting the clothes.
suna
SUNA FEELS HER FATHER patting her back and turns to watch him walk slowly over to one of the broken washing machines. She turns back to covering the shirts. Mina and Uhmma continue sorting the soiled clothes, their silence punctuated with angry snips. They are always fighting. Suna quickly finishes the shirts and escapes into the forest of clothes. As she walks away, she reaches up and carefully removes her hearing aid. The hard plastic device shoved deep into her pocket.
The shrouded pressed garments hang from a conveyor belt, their ghostly forms reminding her of the floating jellyfish she once saw at an aquarium. Suna weaves in and out of the clothes, pretending for a moment that she is underwater. A fan rustles the gossamer sheeting, sending ripples through her ocean.
From her murky hiding place, she watches her mother waving some clothes at her sister, one slender hand on her hip. Mina unknowingly does the same. Their profiles mirror each other, same high cheekbones, angular noses, but Mina has different lips. Where her mother’s are rather thin and sharp, her sister’s are full, generous. Mina has a habit of chewing her bottom lip, and for many years, when Suna was younger, she had believed that this was the secret to her sister’s lips. So Suna copied Mina’s habit until her mother sharply reprimanded her. And then she had to resort to biting them at night before she fell asleep. Even after she realized that her lips would never resemble her sister’s, she still found herself biting the thin flesh of her lower lip when she had trouble falling asleep.
Suna turns her back on them. She can tell by the curve of Uhmma’s lips that she is talking about her again. Talking about all the ways that Suna does not measure up. Suna tries to remember a time when Uhmma was not angry with her. A time when Uhmma did not grimace when Suna had to adjust her hearing aid or ask someone to repeat themselves. Suna tries to remember, but keeps coming back to Mina. Mina holding her hand as they walked across the uneven grass of the church’s lawn. Mina yanking the back of her dress as she started to cross the street while a car was coming. Mina brushing the hair off her forehead to wake her up.
If only she could disappear. Part the clothes and step into another world. Like Narnia. She holds her breath and brings her hands together, palm to palm. Pushes them out in front as though diving through the water. She slips through.
mina
“IT’LL BE READY FOR you on Wednesday,” I said and circled the day and the total before carefully tearing the bottom portion of the receipt off along its perforation. I handed the tag to the woman and pinned a corresponding number to her dress.
“Thanks,” she said, shoving the tag into her wallet.
I watched the woman walk out of the store. Her blue suit could have used some tailoring, the waist taken in slightly, the sleeves shortened, but most people didn’t know any better. They figured that if they didn’t bulge out in all the wrong places, then the outfit must fit. I went back to totaling the receipts from yesterday. I checked behind me to make sure no one was around and then quickly reached into the register and took three twenties. Depending on the day and how much business we had, I took more or less. Jonathon, who showed me how to alter the receipts when we first started studying together, also taught me not to be too greedy. That was how you got caught.
After returning the receipts to the manila folder, I headed back to the office to see if Suna wanted to go for some lunch. A loud groan from behind one of the machines turned my steps.
Apa? I called out, leaning to one side, trying to peer behind the forest of clothes. Apa? I called again, unable to see him. What is the matter?
Go. Go get your uhmma. Apa’s soft voice came from behind one of the machines.
I ran.
• • •
It took both Uhmma and me bearing all his weight to help him walk to the office. He immediately lay on the floor. Uhmma squatted near his shoulder and looked down at him. Her eyes traveled the length of his body as Apa squinted against the pain.
Uhmma narrowed her eyes and asked, Who told you to go crawling around behind those machines? You knew your back could not handle that kind of twisting. Is this what you wanted, to leave all the work for me? Look at you! Uhmma clucked her tongue and turned her head away as though unable to bear the sight of his old supine body.
You are like an old grandfather. An old, old grandfather. Useless, she complained.
Apa’s face, which had been in such agony just moments before, suddenly, with the battering of Uhmma’s words, smoothed in appearance.
Suna appeared from out of the blue, her hand reaching up to her ear, placing in the hearing aid. She whispered to me, “Uhn-nee. Is Apa going to be okay?”
Apa opened his eyes. Turned his head slightly so that he could look over at us. He smiled in reassurance.
Uhmma shoved his shoulder, making him jerk and inhale quickly between clinched teeth.
She stood up and stepped over his body. On her way out of the office she said, He
