Tunnel of a Broken Promise

“Daddy?”

Marcus turned to see his daughter rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  “Why are you up so early, Buttercup?”

“I wanted to remind you to get some bananas. You’ll be home tonight, right?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” He tapped the tip of her nose with his finger. “I’ve gotta go. You go back to sleep, okay? I love you.”

“I love you bunches of buttercups more.”

  He smiled to himself as he made his way to his truck in the dark. He always looked forward to their Friday nights together.

###

            Marcus wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. The air inside the mine shaft was stifling. His skin was slick with sweat and caked with dust. He was twelve hours into his fourteen hour shift and exhaustion was beginning to set in. He felt years older than he was and the job was too physically demanding but the pay was decent. “Hey, Larry. Good to have you back. Hand me that rope over there?”

            “Thanks. It’s good to be back. Here ya go.” He handed the rope over and caught a glimpse of Marcus’ face. “You look terrible.”

            Marcus sighed. “Long week. I’m ready to get out of here.”

            “Hot date?”

            “You got it. A date with a beautiful girl named Buttercup.” Marcus had called his daughter Buttercup since she was three years old. Her favorite pastime was picking every buttercup flower she could find and hand delivering them to her parents. She was always so proud of how many she found. Marcus loved seeing her face light up as she presented them with her treasure.

            Larry smiled. “Ah, I see.  How is Suzie doing?  It’s been almost a year now, right?”

            “Almost exactly. She seems to be doing okay. Better than I am.”

            “You’re always going to miss Laura, but it will get easier.”

            “I do miss Laura. She’s the only woman I’ll ever love. But I’m failing Suzie. I spend my life down here, suffocating in this hole so I can provide for her financially, which I’m barely succeeding at, but I’m never physically there. She needs a parent.”

            “It may not seem like it now but when she’s old enough to understand, she’ll appreciate the effort you’re putting in and she’ll forgive you for not being around all the time. Besides, Maggie is still around, isn’t she?”

            “Maggie is still there…” He paused mid-thought when he felt the earth rumble under his feet. “…I’m thankful every day that she is willing to help raise her niece but it’s not the same as having a real parent. You know, Suzie went over a year watching her mom weaken and succumb to the cancer. Even though Laura was there, she wasn’t really there. And now, I’m doing the same thing.” He felt a rumble again and heard the low murmur of voices echo through the tunnel. “What is going on down there?”

            “I don’t know. Let’s get this section finished so we can pack up and go home. Maybe you can surprise Suzie by getting home early.”

            He smiled but it faded as fast as it appeared. Lowering his eyes to the ground, he reached into his toolbox pulling out the banana he purchased during his lunch. He waved it in the air. “Our Friday night tradition; making banana split sundaes. It’s not much, but she really likes it. Plus, it gives us some quality time together.”

            Larry and Marcus both stood still. They heard what sounded like a crack of thunder followed by a vibration they felt through their bodies. “Oh, no.” Larry switched on his helmet light and Marcus followed him as Larry began sprinting deeper into the tunnel.

            A quarter mile further in they were met with the resistance of other workers as they made their way to the entrance.

            “Out. Out. Out.” James spread his arms to spin them around as he ran past them. “It’s coming down.”

            Larry reversed his direction and joined the group heading toward the exit ladder.

          Marcus felt the banana he was still holding get knocked from his grasp and watched it spiral through the air before bouncing off the dirt. He lunged to grab it and was pushed toward the ground as a large rock landed squarely on his back.

            He rolled to the side and grunted before sitting up. A cloud of dirt was spiraling around him and he felt as if he were caught in the middle of a meteor shower. Small clumps of dirt and rock rained down from the top of the tunnel. He could feel the vibrations of the structure collapsing around him as he pushed himself to his feet. 

            Perspiration and dust stung his eyes. He ran as fast as he could while visions of Suzie’s face flashed before him. He watched as the small opening before the ladders was obstructed by large rocks. Dripping with sweat, he began clawing and kicking at the rocks that were blocking him in. He grunted and swore when he realized his efforts were in vain. The rocks were falling faster than he could clear them.

            Another thunderous noise bounced off the walls and he was knocked to the ground again. His legs were pinned by a large boulder and he could feel the weight of the debris covering his body getting heavier by the second. The physical weight was still easier to bear than the emotional weight he had been carrying for over a year.

            “I’m sorry I let you down, Buttercup.”

###

Maggie hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen, her eyes wet with tears. Through blurred vision, she could see Suzie kneeling on a chair at the counter, scooping ice cream into a bowl. Walking to her, she placed her hand on Suzie’s shoulder.

            “Daddy’s really late. I’m getting the ice cream ready without him. I just hope he doesn’t forget the bananas like he did last week. It’s not the same without the bananas.”