Aidan 7

By Asa Montreaux 

Arriving home in Vancouver, I veered through everything ay YVR passed customs to baggage claim and I stood there waiting for my luggage to come down the carousel. Waiting for it to start was actually an uncomfortable feeling. I couldn’t wait to get home, oddly enough. I reasoned it had only been a long flight. I was watching the ramp, waiting for the noise to commence and for the suitcases and bags to start flopping down to the belt. I felt my phone vibrate and it was a text. ‘I see you.’ I turned around and saw my Mom. She was walking towards me smiling. She hugged me as she reached me and said, ‘Ah, Aidan, my poor boy.’ ‘How do you feel?’ she asked me. ‘Like I was in a fight with a snow blower.’ ‘Yea’ ‘And it won.’ ‘I see. And how does the snow blower look? ‘Its clearly unscathed, aside from the remnants of my flesh in belt.’ ‘So it won this time. Why is it you were you hobbling?’ ‘Well I had lost.’ ‘These are the wounds of war. A fallen comrade, and now an injured general.’ ‘Yea. So your husband won’t be there when we get back home?’ ‘No. He’s long gone.’ ‘I don’t really not understand why you refer to him in that manner.’ ‘I suppose he is not a serial killer.’ ‘You never know. And me as well. Watch out.’ ‘I’m probably going to have to ask you to sleep some other time.’ ‘Ah. When?’ ‘There’s some time around never.’ ‘Book me in. And Aidan, I would never hurt you. You can always feel safe.’ ‘And when he’s there?’ ‘Yes, of course. You can always feel safe.’ ‘I find always means never.’ She looked at me askew. ‘Funny you should say that.’ ‘Why’s that?’ ‘Because it is not true.’ ‘No it is unsafe out there, and sometimes it is unsafe inside your own home.’ ‘Agree to disagree. Though to shimmy over to my side of the argument, if you get a chance.’ ‘I’ll consider it and not get back to you.’ ‘You’ll what?’ ‘I’ll think about it.’ ‘Great. Now there’s your luggage.’ Indeed it was. I grabbed it with the most incredible deftness. Not seriously. Once I had it I said, ‘Alright, let’s get out of here.’ We crossed an overhead walkway to the parkade. She was parked forever away despite the late hour. Actually it was not that far and I am overly dramatic. I winced with a peculiar and previously underestimated shoulder pain as I hoisted my suitcase in the waiting suv. She noticed though not said anything and only smiled wanly. We began the interminably not that long drive home and despite my hyper alertness to the present danger of most any and really every situation, I fell asleep against the windowpane.