“Gutter mouth”, that’s what people called me. I could say anything without caring whose ox is gored. The person’s age or status didn’t matter to me, I liked to serve my insults hard and hot. I didn’t know how to process words in my head before saying them. I didn’t know that it was necessary to think before speaking. I particularly enjoyed seeing the shocked expression on peoples faces whenever I dropped my verbal missiles. It gave me a rush that I couldn’t explain. Oh the sheer delight!.
I crossed the line when I insulted Pa Rogers. Not a lot was known about him except that he moved into the neighborhood about ten years earlier, he lived alone in an old house with his blind dog and a crippled cat. I found this quite fascinating and I thought it would make an interesting nursery rhyme. I made it my duty to always taunt him… Emphasis on always!!. There was something weird about him that made people avoid him but not me.
One fateful day, I had gone to the grocery store, it was supposed to be a quick errand to pick up eggs for breakfast but that changed when I saw Pa Rogers. I should have minded my business but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity of making fun of him. It didn’t bother me that mom was waiting at home. All I could think was the excitement that teasing Pa Rogers would give me.
I followed closely behind him and jeered at him as passersby shook their heads at me. I started from the mane of white hair on his head to the old brown boots on his feet. I threw an empty can at him and he tripped over it and lost his balance, he came crashing on the floor as his grocery flew in different directions. It was so hilarious.
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Pa Rogers picked himself up and walked towards me, he grabbed my hand and in a clear voice that defied his age and look.. he said to me, “Mark the date. You will pay for this”. His wrinkled hand was cold against my skin, his dark piercing eyes sent chills down my spine. The hairs stood at the back of my neck. I was terrified but I didn’t show it, that wasn’t my style so I called his bluff and walked away.
I couldn’t get what happened out of my head and I was really scared. Weeks went by and I realized that Pa Rogers’ threats were the rantings of an old man so I returned to being me again. Doing what I enjoyed most. Taunting people.
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The day was Friday the 13th. I woke up that morning and ofcourse I wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary to happen. I remember feeling a burning sensation in my eyes, I looked in the mirror and screamed at the sight before me. My eyes were bloodshot like something out of a horror movie. The pain was excruciating and I was rushed to the emergency where an opthalmologist examined me. There was no medical explanation for what was happening to me.
Nothing prepared me for what was going to happen next. It started like tears trickling down my cheeks.. then I realized it was blood. I was shedding bloody tears. It was a completely hopeless situation as nothing could be done to help me. I was sedated as that was the only solution the doctors could come up with. By the time I woke up the next morning my eyes were clear as day. Everything was back to normal. I left the hospital feeling grateful for the miracle or whatever it was.
That was the first of several painful bleeding eyes experiences. It only happened whenever the date was Friday the 13th. I knew for a certainty that this was not a medical condition. It had to be a spell or a curse or something evil. It affected me psychologically. I was having a mental break down and I was a nervous wreck. You’d always find me checking the calendar to know when next it was going to be Friday the 13th. I lived in fear, dreading the next episode.
It was Thursday the 12th and I had checked myself into the hospital as usual, prepping for the painful experience the next day. I decided to take a walk around the hospital premises when I saw a chapel so I decided to stop by and have a conversation with God. As I made my way back to the ward, I could swear that I saw someone that looked like Pa Rogers. The image came like a flash before my eyes. Then it became clearer. He was standing a few meters away from me flashing an evil smile that made my heart race. As he began to walk away, I saw the inscription behind his t-shirt, “Friday the 13th”. I froze. It all made sense now. The puzzle began to fit. Pa Rogers was responsible for my bleeding eyes!.
I ran after him as he slowly strutted away. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me but I couldn’t catch up with him. I wanted to beg for his forgiveness.
“Pa Rogers”, I screamed at the top of my lungs but he didn’t stop. I tripped over a speed bump and fell face down, when I looked up, he was gone. I began to cry.
Lisa! Lisa!! Lisa!!!
I could hear mom calling me from a distance so I jumped up in a start. There I was covered in sweat from head to toe, badly shaken from what was obviously a really bad dream. I opened the door to let her in. Mom said she heard me screaming from across the hall that’s why she came banging at my door. I told her about my dream and she advised that I put a clip on mouth before things get out of hand. She had always warned about the way I talked to people and I never listened.
Mom asked me to brush my teeth and dash off to the grocery store to get eggs for breakfast. I was still shaken by my dream and I was unusually quiet that morning. As I walked towards the store, I saw Pa Rogers. I wanted to run away but he held the door for me as he beckoned on me to go in, I was shaking like a leaf. He smiled at me as he tilted his hat in a bow. I tried to steal a glance at him but I could not. As he left the store, I looked at him and my heart skipped several beats when I saw the inscription behind his t-shirt.. “Friday the 13th”.
