Page 16

Chapter sixteen

Nora

T he radio grew more static throughout the meal. Tilly came out a few minutes later, crestfallen. “The sound isn’t working anymore.”

Nora frowned at Tilly’s sad eyes. “Must be something outside. Didn’t think there would be more rain though.” She looked out the window. “Yeah it’s hazy as all get-out.”

From behind, Simon scooted his chair back. “Is this common?”

Nora didn’t answer but instead opened the door. The wind took it and a breeze, with dust, flew inside. She quickly shut it again, pulling hard. “Woah. Ah, well, good thing we went today to that mall. Dust storm is picking up. Let me get on the filters.”

Simon brushed the cat off his lap and went to walk next to Nora. “We had dust storms back then as well. Monsoons.”

Nora hit the black filter, trying to get the compartment in front to snap back on. It’s stuck. “Yeah. And yes, they’re common. Only gonna last the night, but the haze is always just awful for a few days after. We’ll have to wait to show you the town, find more projects around the house. Can’t drive in this. Hurts to breathe if you stay out too long.”

Tilly made a face but then brought her plate into the kitchen to finish eating. “Aw, right in the middle of the show too.”

“They’ll replay it tomorrow before the new one.” Nora frowned at the air filter. “Alright Mr. Air Filter. Time for you to work.” Her hand hit it on the side, aggressively, pushing the filter in place. It started sputtering a moment later. “Ha!” She turned to Simon and let out a snort. “Luckily you turned on before I got to that point.”

“I’m sure that wasn’t in my manual.” He chuckled, a low deep sound.

Nora laughed back, pointing a screwdriver at him. “None of what’s happening here is in a manual. We are officially past manual territory.”

The air filter hummed in the background. She tied a cloth over her face and went outside, closing the covering on the chicken coop and starting the air filter out there for them as well.

When she got back in she saw Simon giving Tilly another serving of food. Nora hummed a bit with the air filter, shaking her head to clear the dust, before she returned to the table to continue working on her sewing.

After eating, Tilly left the room and came back carrying her chalkboard and chalk. She laid her supplies out on the table next to Simon, pushing Nora’s half-made pants to the side.

Simon’s reaction definitely confirmed Nora’s thoughts about his patience. It only took a few moments before Simon was pointing out mistakes Tilly was making as she wrote. She was writing a sign advertising her own play of Princess Pearl and the Dastardly Three . Only in Tilly’s version it was, Tilly the Princess and the Dastardly Four .

“That’s how you spell it,” he said softly, writing how the title should be spelled under Tilly’s attempt on the faded chalkboard.

Tilly scrunched her nose. “You sure?”

“Yes.” Simon’s eyes crinkled.

Tilly copied it underneath, then held out the board. “Can you spell radio?”

Simon took the chalkboard in response. His hand was steady and uniform as it made perfectly formed letters. It was almost mesmerizing, how effortless he made it look.

Nora watched, transfixed. He makes writing all of that seem so simple. It came to her then, making her breathe in fast and almost stick herself with the needle. Another benefit to this odd arrangement they now had.

“Schoolwork,” she said. “Tilly, he can teach you so much more than I can.” Nora swallowed and then added to herself only. I could probably learn more too.

Tilly didn’t answer. She was too busy concentrating on Simon as he showed her how to form the letters. Her tiny eyes were narrowed in concentration and the chalk screeched slightly on the board as she pressed down hard.

Simon, however, eyed Nora curiously. She met his eyes, swallowed, and looked down again, embarrassed.

After Tilly finished the lettering she was working on she held it up. “Done!”

Simon’s tone was warm. “Very good, Tilly.”

The little girl beamed and then took the chalkboard, dragging it over Nora’s sewing and up to her face. “Look, look.”

Nora examined the letters made by Tilly and then Simon’s perfect handwriting underneath. “That’s great.”

Tilly leaned back and chirped, “Yeah! We can both learn. The radio said that Mars wants people who can write good.” She pressed a piece of chalk into Nora’s hand. “You learn too.”

Nora took the chalk, hesitating, but then put it aside. She didn’t meet Simon’s eyes. “Maybe in a bit.”

“You always say you wish you knew how to write better!”

A wince went through Nora at that, her hands clutching the half-made pants. Oh, Tilly . . . She didn’t respond to Tilly, but just nodded while she went back to her sewing.

Simon reached for the chalkboard. “Here, Tilly, let me give you something else to learn. Do you know your numbers?”

Nora watched with interest. Two parts of herself warred within her chest. She thought back to all the things she still had trouble reading, most recently with Simon’s manual when she was fixing him up. And how much she had to rely on the pictures instead in some parts, and trial and error. Did it though. Her jaw clenched. Yes I did.

But she had to admit that everything would have been so much easier had she known how to read better. No one in town put much time into learning beyond the basics anymore. Working on practical things was always more important. Even when her parents were alive and she did visit the schoolhouse, the lessons were brief. Only the ones in town who lived in the large houses with electricity were properly educated anymore.

Tilly held up another row of lettering and Nora forced yet another smile. She bit her bottom lip as Simon and Tilly focused on each other. Tilly is right. I need to learn too. She hesitated though, feeling small within that part of her that felt she should already know how to do what he showed.

Eventually, after she was done with the pants, she picked up some chalk and the chalkboard, her hands sweaty. She didn’t speak but instead took Tilly’s lines and copied them, her handwriting making a third line on the board, underneath Tilly’s and Simon’s, while her heart pounded.

Tilly clapped her hands, watching. “Yeah, Mama!”

She shook her embarrassment aside as she started to copy another. Don’t say anything . . . Thankfully, Simon just looked at her before returning to teaching Tilly how to make letters again.

Nora didn’t speak either but pushed the pants aside and set about tracing Simon’s elegant scrawl with her own that resembled chicken scratches. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth. I don’t need to impress him, a robot, by hiding what I don’t know. She wrote as carefully as she could. Don’t need to impress anyone. That’s why I’m here in the desert, right? Nothing gonna hurt me here. Just gotta learn when I can. Dumb is not trying.

After a few minutes, Nora read what she wrote and exhaled in relief. Not that bad. It had been a while since she tried to write anything. Her letters weren’t anywhere near as neat as Simon’s, but they weren’t completely awful either. She knew the basics at least.

Simon looked at her speculatively. Nora held his eyes like she did with Max and every other merchant in town when she made deals. But tears pricked behind her eyes this time, even though she willed them back.

Very quickly, he looked down and began writing out another sentence for her to copy, then said in a controlled voice, “What would you like to learn?”

She began to copy the letters. In a small voice she answered, “Everything.”

“Alright.” He began correcting her movements gently like he did with Tilly.

“I’ll go get some more.” Tilly waved her almost used up chalk piece in the air. The chair squealed as she pushed back. She leapt from the table and left Nora and Simon alone for a moment.

A flush came over Nora as she focused on the chalkboard.

Simon said in a low, measured, tone, “I take it there are no schools in this world now too?”

Nora shook her head, trying to keep her hand steady. She tried to keep her voice calm as well while copying the letters. “There’s some in the town but . . . well, I already told you that place isn’t the best.” She forced a sheepish smile. “But with you here now, maybe we can learn some without needing to go there.”