I’m Nine Again - Chapter 7 My Name Is June

There is nothing special about me. I work at a local electronics store as the team leader in the sales department. I specialize in beauty products and cameras. I went to university to study photography, but I was naive. There are not many jobs in the photography industry. Not the sort of photography I want to do anyway. It’s taken a back seat in my life and my new goal is to work my way up through the corporate chain. By the end of the year I plan to get a management position, then two years later become the store manager. I will run the store so well that they will have to promote me to become a regional manager, and I’ll keep working my way up to the top. When I have a lot of money, I’ll be able to retire early and focus on my true dream, photography.

I don’t live in the best conditions. I live with my sister April and her husband Alex along with their son Travis. April had Travis when she was 16. Alex was 19 at the time. I don’t think either of them were prepared to raise a child. Alex got a full-time job working at a quarry on the outskirts of the city and April raised Travis. I moved in with them when Travis was three. Over time, Alex became violent. It started with sarcastic comments about April, and that she was lazy for not working when Travis started going to school. He didn’t earn much money at the quarry, and what money he did earn went mostly into paying the bills and the mortgage on the house. He wasn’t very smart either so there was not much chance of him getting many if any promotions. Unlike his son, Travis, who is incredibly smart. At the age of nine, he knows so many things that other kids his age wouldn’t. His intelligence is completely overlooked by his father. One day he started yelling. Eventually, that turned into hitting. His outbursts were out of the blue and you’d never be able to predict them. I’m only going to be here temporarily. Once I start earning enough money, I’m going to leave and probably never talk to either of them again. I wanted to take Travis with me.

It’s been a whole day since Travis left. Alex never came back home. April was crying for most of the previous day. She wanted to call the police but Travis was right. We needed to get out of here. It was too much. We couldn’t live like this any longer. We needed to leave. Our parent’s had both died in a car crash when we were 19 which is why I moved into their house. Now we had to leave. I’m sure we’ll find Travis, but he left us with a very important task of getting out of this house before Alex returned.

“Do you think he’ll come back today?” April asked me with a blank stare on her face as she was packing her suitcase.

“Are you talking about Alex or Travis?” I asked.

“Both?” she asked.

I sighed, “Well as for Travis, I hope so but at the same time, I doubt it,” I said, “He’s too smart to be coming back here. Hopefully, he made his way to a hospital and the nurses can treat his injuries?”

“What about Alex?” April asked.

“I don’t know,” I said, “I certainly hope not but I don’t want to be here when he does come back.”

“Maybe we could wait another day, you know, for Travis,” she said.

I tried really hard not to cry. April wasn’t the best mother in the world, but recently she had been trying really hard to get her life back on track. If you asked me a few weeks ago who cared more for Travis, then I would say me. Me in a heartbeat. But as of late, I think April has come to realize just how special he is. I finished zipping up my bags and picked my handbag up from the desk. “I want to wait too!” I said, “I really do. But I also don’t think waiting another day is going to make Travis come home sooner. We should leave today and ask the government for help, just like Travis said.”

April continued putting clothes in her suitcase as small tears rolled down her face. I checked the contents of my handbag to make sure everything was in the right place.

“I’m going for a walk down the street April,” I said, “I’ll buy some food for us. Is there anything you need?” I asked.

“I need Travis,” she said sorrowfully.

“I know,” I replied, “I need him too,” I paused for a moment before saying, “Please make sure you’re packed by the time I get back. I’ll only be gone for 20 minutes.”

I walked out of the door and started making my way towards the end of the street. As I stood at the intersection, I couldn’t help but wonder what direction Travis started walking when he got here. I looked both ways down the street before crossing the road. I started walking down the footpath and pulled my camera out of my bag. I always walked the streets with my camera at the ready. I never knew when an opportunity would present itself and I had to take action when one did.

The world is such a beautiful place, even in the darkest places. In the deepest darkest caves, mushrooms would grow and flourish. At the depths of the ocean, countless sea creatures that we’ve never seen before living in a thriving ecosystem. Moments were beautiful. A chance meeting between two strangers at a traffic light. A homeless man feeding his dog before himself. The shadows of tall buildings slowly crossing the street throughout the day and swallowing the cars that used to bathe in the suns light, now left behind in its shadow. There were so many wonderfully beautiful things in this world, and that’s what drew me to photography. I wanted to show the world the truth of that beauty.

On the way to the shops, I’d managed to take a few good photos. I went inside the shop and started to fill my basket with essential items. Soaps, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. Wet wipes, tampons, deodorant, and toilet paper. I didn’t know what was going to happen to us, and that was kind of scary. I wanted to be prepared for the worst. I filled the basket with food too. Frozen dinners, chips and milk. I also purchased a packet of cigarettes and a lighter as well. I knew that April would need them.

I was halfway home when one of the beautiful moments presented itself. I raised my camera and snapped the image. A young boy had sat down with a homeless man. The boy was tearing his sandwich in half, offering half of it to the homeless man. The mother stood there with her hand extended, beckoning for him to come back to her side, but the child was completely absorbed with his act of sharing that he took no notice.

“It’s amazing isn’t it?” a soft male voice asked from behind me.

I turned around to see a well-dressed man in a suit and tie with a warm blazer over the top of his clothing. He took no notice of me turning to him but continued to comment on what he saw.

“We were all like that once,” he continued, “We would see someone who needed help and we would help them. No one would ask us, we would just do it because we knew it was the right thing to do.”

He looked to me with a smile on his face as he pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and then lit one up.

“Then one day we stopped. It’s not that we stopped caring, we just stopped helping. Do you want one?” he asked.

I was about to refuse because I don’t smoke, but the man was too intriguing to pass up the opportunity to listen to him speak more. I took the cigarette and he helped me light it. He focused his gaze once more to the scene that was unfolding. The mother had taken her child by the hand and had started walking him away as he was looking back at the homeless man. I raised my camera and snapped another shot.

“It was people like her,” he said breathing out a cloud of smoke into the air in front of him, “Who told us not to stop. People like her who told us that this just isn’t how the world works. That we shouldn’t be nice to everyone that we meet, because it’s dangerous.”

“We didn’t stop caring though,” I said, still captivated by his opinions.

“No, we didn’t stop caring. But we became exactly like that woman over there,” he said, “I think she cares. I don’t think it’s easy for her to walk past a man who has hit rock bottom and do nothing.”

“But she does,” I said.

“Because someone like her once told her not to help. Someone like her, told her that it isn’t how the world works. You get told those things long enough then eventually, we all become like her,” he said, “Where once we used to care about others, now think, this just isn’t how the world works.”

He took a long drag from his cigarette and breathed out the cloud of smoke again. The sun cast light across half of his face and the other half was shrouded in shadow. He wore a sad-looking smile as he watched the scene unfold. He looked down and to the left in a moment of self-reflection. My instincts kicked in and I stepped back, raising the camera and taking a shot. He looked up and chuckled.

“Did you get a good shot?” he asked.

“I think I did,” I said with a smile.

I lowered my camera back down letting the strap around my neck hold it up as I adjusted my jumper to cover the back of my cold neck.

“I’d better get back to work,” he said, “My boss has taken the day off today so we’re all working overtime.”

“Wait!” I said. I nervously looked down at my feet and then back up at him as he continued smoking his cigarette, looking at me, waiting for me to say something. I took a long drag from my cigarette.

“I know this is kind of forward, and we’ve only just met but. Are you seeing anyone?” I asked.

I could feel all the blood rush to my face from embarrassment as my cheeks turned bright red. He smiled and reached into his pocket pulling out a business card and moving it forward towards me.

“No,” he replied, “I’m not seeing anyone. Although if you’re interested? Give me a call some time and we can schedule a coffee. I really want to see those photos you’ve taken today.”

I took his business card and analyzed it carefully. I snapped a shot of it with my camera. It felt like capturing a snap shot in time of the moment I fell in love. I didn’t even notice he had already started to walk away until a few steps away he called out to me.

“And I want to see all of the other photo’s you’ve taken as well,” he said, “I really want you to call me for that coffee, so don’t be shy.”

“I’ll bring as many photos as I can carry!” I shouted back to him. He smiled and waved as he turned around to continue walking down the street.

He stopped at the homeless man and knelt offering him a cigarette. After helping him light it, he reached into his pocket and handed the homeless man a $50 note. The homeless man was surprised and tried to refuse it, but the man insisted. Again, I raised my camera and took another shot. I looked down at the business card to see his name.

Anthony Smith.

“June Smith,” I whispered to myself.

I quickly looked up and around in haste to make sure no one had heard me say that. When I looked back over to the homeless man, Anthony was nowhere to be seen. I looked around at the people walking along the streets, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. I finished smoking the cigarette and put it out on a nearby bin before continuing my walk home.

When I got home, Alex’s car was sitting in the driveway.

‘Shit,’ I thought to myself.

I started making my way to the front door hoping that he was in a good mood today. The house door was slightly ajar. I pushed forward and the door creaked open. Alex was kneeled on the floor. He turned to me as he heard the door opening.

“June!” he shouted with tear rushing down his face, “I didn’t mean to do it!” he shouted, “I swear I didn’t mean to do it!”

It was at that moment I looked past him and saw what was behind him as he kneeled. April was sprawled face down across the floor.

“APRIL!” I shouted, rushing to her side.

I jumped down to her and lifted her up. I turned her to face me only to be met with a nightmare. Her eyes were wide open and rolled back, fresh blood pouring heavily from her face and all over my hands.

“APRIL!” I screamed again. I turned to Alex in horror, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!”

Alex fell backward, supporting himself from falling all the way to the floor with one arm behind him as his other hand was covering his eyes as he cried. His had was covered in blood. I looked back down to April who I held lifeless in my arms. My vision started blurring as tears uncontrollably poured forth from my eyes. Her face was beaten and bruised, gashes across the top of her head and her lips.

“WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE!” I cried again, “APRIL WAKE UP!” I yelled. I started to shake her body, “WAKE UP APRIL PLEASE!”

“I’m so sorry,” Alex cried, “I didn’t mean to do it!”

“APRIL PLEASE!” I begged, “PLEASE WAKE UP APRIL! NO! NOOO PLEASE APRIL PLEASE NOOOO!”

I could barely breathe between my wails and screams. Alex fell to the floor as I screamed.
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“NOOO! APRIL PLEASE NO!” I screamed, “NO APRIL DON’T DO THIS PLEASE!”

“APRIL!!!!!!”