Aperture on the East Read Online Free PDF Page B

adjusted them
under her chin. He put one on himself, and they both got on the
motorcycle. Kim encircled Vo’s waist with her arms when he turned
on the ignition. With a loud rumble, they rode away.
    Ana watched them until they turned a
corner and disappeared. So that was his fiancée, she thought,
feeling somewhat disappointed, but couldn’t say why.

Chapter 7
    Ana woke up with a fright. There was
an incessant crying of a newborn, the smell of blood and vomit, and
shadowy figures hovering above her. She could hardly breathe, and
she could hear herself screaming. She was trying to stop something
from happening but it happened anyway. She could feel the tears on
her face and her pillow was wet with her sweat. She gasped and took
in a big deep breath, and when she let it out she realized, yet
again, that it was just a dream.
      She sat up and got
out of bed. The sunlight was peeping in through a gap in the
curtains. She thought of Vo for some reason, and their chance
encounter on the beach. Was that also a dream?
    After she washed up, she went to look
for her children. Ivan was eating cereal in the kitchen,
alone.
    “ Good morning, Ivan. Where
is Zoe?” said Ana.
    Ivan shrugged his shoulders.
“Sleeping, I guess. She’s been coming home late, you
know.”
    Ana walked to Zoe’s room and tried to
open the door, but it was locked. She knocked on the door
rapidly.
    “ Wake up, Zoe. You’re
going to be late for school.”
    “ Ma, Zoe hasn’t been to
school at all,” Ivan said with a mouthful.
    “ I know,” said Ana. She
knocked on Zoe’s door again.
    “ So,” said Ivan, “the
summer vacation is almost here. I want to do the camp at the
Institute of Oceanography. I saw a poster in school. I’ll get to
feed sharks, and it’ll be awesome.”
    “ Zoe, we need to talk,”
said Ana, feeling frustrated.
    She heard a movement, and turned to
see Ivan heading toward the apartment door with his
skateboard.
    “ Wait a minute. Where are
you going with that thing? You can’t take it to school,” said
Ana.
    “ It’s Sunday, Ma. I’ll be
home for lunch.” Ivan shut the metal door behind him.
    Ana felt a little uneasy. The streets
were always so busy with cars and motorcycles. Sidewalks were not
always present. Skateboarding was dangerous even under the best
circumstances. Why did Eduard have to give Ivan that skateboard?
Ivan never did anything risky before he delved into the sport.
Thankfully, Ivan was a sensible and self-reliant boy. Ana would
just have to trust him to take care of himself.
    She beat on Zoe’s door again. “Come on
out, Zoe.”
    She almost hit Zoe in the face when
Zoe finally opened the door. Zoe went back to her bed and lay down
on it, and put her pillow over her head.
    Ana walked to Zoe’s bed and said,
“Where have you been? I know you haven’t been to school. Why can’t
you stay out of trouble?”
    Zoe didn’t respond.
    Ana sat down on Zoe’s bed and removed
Zoe’s pillow.
    “ Are you going to grow up
or are you going to be a big baby?” said Ana.
    “ You are the big baby,”
said Zoe. “You are always having nightmares and crying in your
sleep. Leave me alone.”
    Ana could feel her face turn hot.
Surely Zoe would get a spanking now if she were Mai’s daughter. Ana
resisted the urge to strike Zoe. She had never physically punished
either of her children, although she really felt like doing it
sometimes, especially when Zoe was acting out.
    “ If you weren’t only
sixteen,” said Ana, “I’d tell you to leave. All you ever do is
break my heart. Why can’t you be a normal teenager?”
    “ Why can’t you be a normal
mother?”
    “ I am trying, can’t you
see? Why won’t you try to be normal, too?”
    “ What’s normal?” Zoe sat
up and stared at Ana. “Is it not normal to follow one’s passion,
and pursue one’s dreams? School is not for me. I’ve had enough
school.”
    “ What are you talking
about? What passion? What dreams?”
    “ I’m talking about the
music,”