Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty-Five

The circus is over.The performance was amazing. Although it was not as powerful as Banzini and Lin Ling, it was expected.If you want to have the ostentation of the circus of old, you must have a train. The manager took me to a well-appointed minivan and sat me in front of a plastic table in the back to sip equally good single malt whiskey.Laphroaig whiskey, if I'm not mistaken.I can't stop talking once I start, and I will tell Charlie all my secrets.I told about my parents' car accident, falling in love with Marlena, the deaths of Lao Luo and Walter.I said that I once climbed over the top of the train with a knife in my hand in the middle of the night, intending to murder.I told him about the workers who were thrown from the car, about the fleeing animals, about Uncle Alan being strangled.Finally, I told what Rosie did.Without thinking about it, as soon as I opened my mouth, the words came out in a steady stream.

I suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, very happy.Over the years, the secret has always been buried in the bottom of my heart.Originally, I thought that telling Rosie's secret would feel guilty, like betraying it, but when I said it, I felt like being forgiven, even a bit like being redeemed.Especially when Charlie nodded to me sympathetically, that feeling was even stronger. I'm still not sure if Marlena knows anything about Rosie.At that moment, the animal tent was in chaos, I had no idea what she saw, and I never mentioned it to her.I said it out of fear that she would change her opinion of Rosie if she knew about it, and I was also afraid of what she would think of me if I told the truth.Although Rosie killed August, I want him dead too.

At first, I kept my mouth shut to protect Rosie.Execution of elephants was not uncommon back then, and Rosie did need protection, but there was no reason to hide it from Marlene.Even if Marlena finds out about Roxie and harbors grudges, it will never be against Roxie.During the years of our marriage, I only kept this one thing from her.In the end, he had to keep hiding it.For this kind of thing, the secret itself doesn't matter if you keep it a secret for a long time, what matters is that you keep it hidden. Charlie was not surprised or critical when he heard my story.I was so relieved that I finished talking about the animal escape and went on.I told him about our past in Linling, and said that after the birth of the third child, Marlena was tired of the wandering life from the bottom of her heart, and she probably wanted to put down roots. In addition, Rosie also showed her old age, so we left Lin Ling.Fortunately, the resident veterinarian at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago died suddenly that spring, and the job became mine.After all, I've been taking care of exotic animals for seven years, have an excellent education, and I own an elephant.

We bought a property in the suburbs, far enough from the zoo to keep the horses and close enough to drive to work without being too tiring.The horses are more or less out of acting, but Malena and the kids still ride them now and then.They add tonnage and live comfortably.But only the horse posted, not the children and Marina.Popo was with us, of course.He's caused more trouble in his life than all the kids put together, but we still love him. That is our happy day, our peace year!Those sleepless nights, the howling babies, the days when it looked like a tornado had ravaged the house, the days when I was taking care of five kids and a chimpanzee and my wife was lying in bed with a fever, even the knock-over Nights with four glasses of milk, days when my son got into trouble and I had to bail him out at the police station, and the days when I came back to the station to bring back Bobo who was making trouble, those were our golden ages, the glorious years moon.

But it all went by in a blink of an eye. One minute Marlene and I were hanging out with the family, and the next minute the kids were borrowing my car and heading off to college.And now, now I am a lonely old man in his nineties. Good Charlie, it's really interesting to listen to my nostalgia.He picked up the bottle and leaned forward. I pushed the glass towards him, but there was a knock on the door.I quickly withdrew my hand, as if being scalded. Charlie slid off the stool, leaned over the window, and with two fingers pushed back the checkered curtain to look out. "Damn it, it's the note, I don't know why they are here?"

"They came for me" He looked at me, sharp and precise. "what?" "They're here for me." I tried to meet his eyes.It wasn't easy, with nystagmus left behind by a concussion years ago.The harder I try to keep my eyes on a person, the more my eyeballs keep gliding around. Charlie let the curtains close and went to the door. A deep voice outside the door said, "Hi, I'm looking for a Charlie O'Brien, someone says he's here." "That's right, it's my servant, what's the matter with the police officer?" "I hope you can help, there is an elderly person missing from the nursing home on this street, and the caretaker said he might come here."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he came. The circus is suitable for all ages." "It's a good word, but this man is ninety-three years old, and his body is very weak. Originally, they expected to see him back after the show, but they haven't seen him for two hours after the show. They are very worried. .” Charlie winked at the note kindly. "If he came, I'm afraid he is not here now. We are breaking camp and will be leaving soon." "Did you see anyone like that tonight?" "Yes, there are quite a few. Many people had fun with their families, and they brought the old people in the family too."

"Are there any elderly people who are alone?" "I didn't notice it, but then again, there are so many people here, so I don't pay attention to it after seeing too much." The cop poked his head into the trailer, caught a glimpse of me, and his eyes lit up, obviously interested in me. "Who is that?" "Who? You mean him?" Charlie pointed in my direction. "right." "That's my dad." "Can I come in and disturb you?" Charlie didn't hesitate much, stood aside and said, "Of course, please go ahead."

The sliver goes into the trailer.He was so tall that he had to come in hunchbacked.He had a pointed chin, a sharply curved aquiline nose, and eyes set as close together as an orangutan's.He came closer, squinting at me carefully. "Hello, sir." Charlie winked at me. "Dad suffered a severe stroke a few years ago and is unable to speak." "Wouldn't it be better to let him stay at home?" "This is our home." I opened my mouth to chase, let my jaw shake back and forth, and stretched out my trembling hand to grab the wine glass, almost knocking over the wine.It was just almost knocked over, otherwise it would be a pity for this fine whiskey.

"Let me come, Dad." Charlie stepped forward quickly, sat down on the stool next to me, picked up the wine glass for me, and brought it to my lips. I stick out my tongue like a parrot, letting it touch the ice cubes that are drifting towards my mouth. Tiao Zi stared at us.I wasn't looking directly at him, but I could catch him out of the corner of my eye. Charlie put down his glass and looked at him peacefully. The cop looked at us for a while longer, and then squinted around the inside of the car.Charlie looked composed, and I tried to drool. It's not easy, Tiaozi raised his hat. "Thank you, sir. If you see him or hear anything, please notify the police immediately. Judging from the condition of that old gentleman, he can't walk around alone at all."

"I will. Just go if you want to see the camp. I will tell the staff to pay attention to whether there is such an old man. It will be bad if something happens to him." "This is my number, call me if you have any news." The note gave Charlie a business card. "sure." The note took another look, and then walked towards the door. "Okay then, goodbye." "Goodbye." Charlie walked him to the door, closed the door, and went back to the table, where he poured us both a glass of whiskey.We each took a sip and sat in silence. "You really don't want to go back?" he finally asked. "Ok." "How is your physical condition? Do you need to take medicine?" "I don't need to take medicine. There is nothing wrong with my body, but I am old. As for the problem of old age, it will be resolved naturally sooner or later." "where is your family?" I take another sip of whiskey, shake what's left in the glass, and down it. "I'll send postcards." I looked at his expression and knew that I had twisted my words. "I don't mean it that way, I love them and I know they love me, but I'm no longer a part of their lives, I'm a burden to them. That's why I have to find my own way to see the show tonight, They've completely forgotten about coming to see me." Charlie frowned, looking hesitant. I was anxious, and said again: "I am ninety-three years old, what can I lose? I can take care of myself, but there are some things that need help from others, but it is definitely not what you think in your heart." I felt my eyes were wet, Try to control the disfigured face and pretend to be strong.I am indeed not a soft-legged shrimp. "Take me with you. I can sell tickets, and Ross is young enough to do anything. Give me his job, I'll do the math, I won't lose change. I know your circus doesn't depend on Defrauding people to make money." Charlie was in tears too, really, I swear to God. I continued to say in one breath: "If they find me, I will go back. If they don't find me, um, I will call and ask them to pick me up when this season is over. If something happens to me during the period, then Call and they'll come and take me away. What's the big deal?" Charlie looked straight at me.I've never seen such a serious expression. One, two, three, four, five, six—he won't answer—seven, eight, nine—he'll send me back, he has no reason not to send me back, he doesn't know me at all— Ten, eleven, twelve— "Okay," he said. "Ok?" "Well, let you have something to tell your grandson, great-grandson, great-great-grandson." I laughed out loud with joy, dizzy with joy.Charlie blinked, poured himself a finger-deep shot of whiskey, thought for a moment, and picked up the bottle again. I block it. "It's better not to, lest you walk unsteadily and break your hip bone when you fall." Then I laughed out loud to stop myself from giggling.This is so exaggerated, so wonderful, so what about ninety-three years old?So what if I'm an old man with a hot temper and a thin body?If they're willing to accept my fault and house me, why shouldn't I run off with the circus? As Charlie told the note, the circus was home to an old man like me.