Descriptive Essay: My Father's Husbands

The sickly smell of sweat plagued the air of the subway. They felt bodies press into them and fetid breath on their necks. When they finally emerged from the foul air of the subway, the city bustle greeted them with indifference. They took small steps planning the exact position of their next step. Her dress stood out in the crowd; the cheap quality of the fabric clearly noticeable. The wind caught her hair which had been carelessly bundled into a bun, revealing stray strands of drab grey hair that had escaped the black dye. She held tightly onto the present until small crinkles appeared in the blue wrapping paper.

For the first time in their lives, they were confronted with the problem of what gift to take a grandson barely a few weeks

Congratulations though darling!” Mrs May from next door had showed up with a cake the very next day. The thick layer of powder on Mrs May’s face could not hide the snideness in her congratulations and they thanked her with the same mock gratitude but their broken English made Mrs May giggle and they retreated into their apartment with his ears hot and her cheeks tinged red. The news spread quickly and soon back in their homeland, the couple’s inadequate son had dominated conversations. What kind of a son doesn’t invite his parents to a wedding? The women shook their heads and bragged about their own filial sons. The men roared with anger and cursed the son. The men and women would then return home to tell their own children of the couple’s

Their tiny bungalow huddled despondent among the other buildings, hunched in itself fighting the drizzle. Their small abode greeted them with chipping paint and dusty carpets. The wine stained benches left to be cleaned and their rough sheets left to be folded.
“Let’s drink tea.”
They liked their tea bland and bitter accompanied with silence. The only sound was the drumming of the rain on the roof.

The next morning, the sunlight wafted through the gaps of the closed windows and shut blinds. There was a knock on the door. No answer. Another knock, this time more fervent. Still there was no answer. The visitor stood on the couple’s sagging porch waiting for the doors to