Ain't No Sunshine by Leslie Dubois Read Free Book Online Page A

say we get unlawfully locked up in a Turkish prison.  We’re sentenced to thirty years to life.  Our only chance for freedom is to find something that will eat through the metal bars so that we can crawl through and escape and all we have to work with is what they feed us in the mess hall."
    "What were we doing in Turkey?"  I asked.  Ruthie sighed, knowing that once again I had sucked the life out of one of her adventures with my practicality.
    "We're on vacation."
    "Why are we vacationing in Turkey and what exactly did we do to deserve life in prison?"
    "You ask too many questions," she said, laughing.
    " I ask too many questions?" I asked, thinking back to when she was purposely trying to annoy me.  "I just want to make sure that everything makes sense."
    "Fine, we get sent to prison for killing…"  Ruthie stopped mid-sentence and looked around the kitchen.  I could tell she was thinking about Matthew.  She blinked away tears and sat down on a stool. We both got quiet.  We were fifteen. Matthew had died ten years ago, yet he was still present in our minds.
    "I'm gonna go home, now," she said, hopping off the stool.  I stepped in her path and blocked the door.
    "Don't go," I said as I grabbed her and held her tight.  I kissed the side of her face over and over. "Look, my father won't be home for another two hours.  Let me make you something to eat and we can just sit and talk for a while. Okay? Please?"
    Ruthie nodded as she wiped the tears from her face After she hopped back up on the counter, I made ham sandwiches and we just talked about my science experiment.
    "So what do you think?"  Ruthie asked after restating her idea.
    "I think it's brilliant.  I could use just five different kitchen substances, place a piece of metal in each, and see if the metal loses any mass over time.  How long should I let them sit?"  I loved this.  I loved that we could talk like this.  And it didn't hurt that it was about my favorite subject.  Ruthie finished her sandwich and started to look around the kitchen for something else to snack on.
    "Well, considering that a prisoner would have all the time in the world practically, you should let them sit for a pretty long time.  I would say a few months," she said as she opened and closed cabinets.
    "But what happens if I devote three months to this experiment and nothing happens?"
    "Well, you always say that it's the process that matters.  So, you would still have a project."  Ruthie gave up on looking for food and started fiddling with the radio.
    "But that's not enough to win.  I want to win."
    "Winning isn't everything, Stephen." 
    "Let's hear you say that during your next art contest," I said.  Ruthie smiled and kept turning the dial on the radio.  Then it hit me.  "That's it!"  I yelled so loudly, Ruthie nearly jumped out of her skin.
    "What's it?"
    "The radio.   Electricity.   I can add an electric current to the acid to speed up the process.  You're a genius."  I picked her up and swung her around.  Then we spontaneously started swaying to the Marvin Gaye song that was on. Her arms reached around my neck as Marvin intoned the words of Mercy Mercy Me . My hands slipped under her shirt and rubbed her soft, warm skin.
    "What's going on here?" my father asked as he walked into the kitchen.  He had a peculiar expression on his face.  It was like he didn't even really see us; like he was looking through us at a different time.  He looked around at all my equipment lying around the kitchen and he started to shake.  It was as if he was genuinely afraid.  "What are you doing to her?"  He spit the words at me viciously.  Ruthie wriggled out of my arms and headed for the door.  My father grabbed her by the arm.  "Did he hurt you?" he asked as he held on to her.
    "Stephen would never hurt me, sir.  Honest."  Ruthie answered sheepishly.  She gave me a confused glance ,asking for an explanation, but I was just as confused as she was.  She was trying to