77
ŞAPTE ZECI ŞI ŞAPTE
he electricity was on. Revolutionaries had taken over the radio and television. I lay on the floor of Luca’s apartment, my head on aT pillow, my ear to the TV. My body quickly sank, heavier and heavier. Exhaustion reached through the seam of revolution and finally pulled me into sleep.
“Cristian. Cristian, would you like to lie on the sofa?”
I opened my eyes. Luca’s mother was at my side.
“How long have I been sleeping?”
“A couple hours. But you need proper rest.”
“How is Luca?” I asked.
“He’s awake. He asked about you and I told him that you’re here.”
“I want to see him.” I shifted to sit up, but pain pinned me to the floor.
Wrecked from adrenaline and injury, I could barely move.
“You need to go home and rest.”
I rolled over onto all fours and pushed myself off the floor. My head spun and everything hurt. I didn’t want to go home. I had to help Liliana.
“What’s happening? What are they reporting?” I asked.
“Ceauşescu hasn’t been seen. Ion Iliescu has taken over. There are rumors that terrorists have moved in to fight the citizens and the military.
It’s very dangerous.”
I pulled myself up to a standing position.
“Are you okay to walk home?” she asked.
I nodded, lying. My legs were liquid.
I shuffled down the hallway, hugging the wall, and limped down one flight of stairs, making my way to Liliana’s apartment. I slumped against the doorframe and knocked.
The door opened a crack, and Alex’s face appeared.
“Liliana,” I whispered.
“We brought her home an hour ago.”
My shoulders sank with relief. “Is she okay?”
A beat of silence. “She’s sleeping.”
“But is she okay?”
“Are you okay? You look terrible.”
“I feel terrible. Even worse than I look.”
“I figured. I’ll help you home.”
Alex propped me up and walked with me. “Thanks for leaving us the note,” he said. “I heard about Luca.”
“It’s all my fault. He was trying to save me.”
“No. We’re all trying to save our country,” said Alex. “Every one of us.
And if you haven’t noticed, the young people have been the bravest. No regrets in bravery.”
We exited his building onto the sidewalk. The Reporters whispered at their post, watching Alex help me across the street.
Electricity sizzled in the stairwell. “Elevator,” I muttered.
He walked me over. The doors rattled open and he turned to leave.
“Alex,” I said. “Have you been working with my sister?”
He gave a low chuckle. “Cici’s not the kind of girl you work with.
She’s the kind of girl you work for. But for the record, she did help rescue my sister.”
“That’s all I care about. Tell Liliana I came by to see her.”
The elevator doors rattled shut.
Mama exploded the moment I walked through the door. She stalked around me in a rattling fit, alternating between fury, fear, and relief.
“You selfish boy! Do you know what you’ve done to our family? To my nerves? There’s hot water. You must bathe. It will ease the pain. Do you
think you’re indestructible? Do you only care about yourself? Where do
you hurt?”
“I just want to lie down.”
She fluttered around me, poking and prodding. If I showered, at least I could have some privacy. I headed toward the bathroom.
“I’ll make cabbage soup,” she said. “Your father’s out looking for Cici.
The radio and television say the streets are very dangerous.”
My sister was more dangerous than the streets.
“I saw Cici.”
“Where?” demanded my mother.
“At the hospital. She was visiting Luca. But she left. Don’t worry about Cici, Mama,” I told her over my shoulder. “She’ll take care of
herself.”
That’s what I told my mother.
And shame on me, I believed it.