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Alejandra awoke early in the morning with the sun just barely cresting over the far off hills. Struggling up to her feet from the straw mat, she wiped away the dirt and insect carcasses left by the spider that lived above her in the rafters. She knew the rest of the family would sleep for another few minutes while she gathered up the water and prepared their breakfast of millet left over from the night before. It had been pure luck for them to get that sack of millet last month, through rationing they made it last until today. The empty sack of millet meant they were going to need to get food for tonight, or else it would be a long, hungry night.
She stepped easily between the sleeping bodies of her brothers, making her way over to their makeshift stove. The stove primarily consisted of an old metal drum that at one time was filled with oil. Eventually the drum was discarded in a junk pile where her brothers eventually found it. She mixed the last of the millet into a pot with some water and slowly it turned into a whitish gruel. She did not bother fishing out any of the insects that had met their ends in that bowl of water. When you are poor protein is protein.
After about fifteen minutes, she finished with the breakfast and began distributing it to her four brothers, two sisters and one lone mother who was old before her time from a life of hard work. As she sat down, she thought about the work she had ahead of her today and deep down hoped that they would have enough to eat tonight.
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Lamamu awoke just before eleven, stretching his arms as the sun glowed down on him through the curtains. Hopping out of bed, he did a loud yawn and went into the washroom to wash the sleep off his face. After clearing his eyes he turned on the shower and stepped in; the shower had become one of his favourite morning rituals. Having cleansed himself, he stepped out and dried off with one of the monogrammed towels in his spacious bathroom. He had designed it himself, complete with a double-wide Jacuzzi, shower and marble countertop with silver and ivory taps.
When he walked out of the bathroom, he saw Jammu making his bed for him.
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Same Place But Worlds Apart |
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Craig W. Baird |
