A Red Lipstick

‘A red lipstick.’

She lowers her head a little as she repeats at his request. “I want one in red that makes your lips feel alive. I want to be pretty.” Her nail is constantly scratching on the little porridge stain on her skirt.

“You are already pretty.” He leans his head on his knees.

“You are lying.” She looks up, exhaling deeply. “If you had thought that, you wouldn’t have looked at girls from the elite military party. They had painted their lips red. You like it.” Her face is shadowed with a memory.

“I was only curious.” He smiles at her. “It’s not like I see such rich, glamorous girls every day in our village.” He exhales, looking at the green corn fields stretching before him.

The sun is setting behind them as they sit at the bank of a river beside the corps. His hands are rough after working all day in the field with his mother. His pants are muddy and his hair dry. His eyes soften when he looks at her, who doesn’t look any different from him. She is wearing a brown skirt with a hand-me-down blouse that is too big on her. Her skin is dusty, and her hair is in a braid.

“I want one.” She says once again, like a broken record. It’s rare to see her so fixated on something. The working class they both belong to doesn’t allow them to have the luxury of having choices. But this time, she is not being accepting; she is demanding.

“Fine, I will get you one.” He assures her, watching how stars sparkle in her tired eyes.

She smiles happily as if already imagining how the color would look on her dry and chapped lips. He is immersed in looking at her, knowing that now he has to find a lipstick for her.

“Elio!” A voice calls for him, and he turns his head around to see his mother waving her hand at him from the river bridge.

“Come, dinner is ready. Bring Runi with you as well.” She calls for them a little louder.

“Yes, mother.” He shouts back before standing up. He extends a hand towards Runi as she grabs his hand and pulls herself up.

“I am coming, mother.” He smiles, but the moment he jumps off, his feet slip, and he screams.

He screams louder. The darkness spreads before his eyes. Somewhere a bomb has exploded, and his ears start to ring.

“Get up, soldier, we are under attack.” The commander’s voice reaches his ears, and his muscle memory clicks in. He reaches for his rifle.

He flinches awake, finding himself in a muddy trench. The noise is deafening around him. The crossfire has started again. The bullets are being fired. Bodies are falling. He has no time to peel himself from the memories and focus on the present now. He grabs the rifle and follows the lead of the commander, who has been yelling orders left and right.

The warm sunlight and the pleasant breeze have faded. The stars from Runi’s eyes disappeared. As he looked at the battlefield in front of him, no one was calling him back home for dinner. His mother is not there.

He has been on the battlefield, fighting a war for more than a year. He is not home.

His hands shiver on the rifle when he tries to target the enemies. He is scared of the falling bodies, the constant gunfire, the blasting mines, and the bombs. There is a risk of air strikes. He wants to hold onto someone for help, but all the soldiers around him are his age, young, scared, forced to fight.

“Elio! Fire back!” The commander yells at him.

And he fires. He didn’t set a target. He shoots. He doesn’t know who his enemy is or why he is fighting. He wonders if his enemy is also a seventeen-year-old boy like him, who has been drafted for the sudden war. He doesn’t know why he is here. Far from home. One day, he was with his mother, working in the corn fields, laughing with Runi, and the next day, soldiers barged into the village, bringing all the young boys with them to the war.

The crossfire went on and on for almost an hour. He watched soldiers falling, dying, and still fighting for the country. And soon there is silence on both sides. He wonders why? When do they decide it’s enough blood for today? When does it get enough, and the rifles are silenced? He pushes himself back with the muddy trench, exhaling a deep breath, looking up at the sky.

“Seems like we will win this.” A soldier slumps beside him. “I wish their commander had died and we could march ahead tomorrow.” A smile curves on his lips. “What are you watching?”

“Stars.” He responds, looking at the stars that are now visible due to the complete blackout. The smoke from the explosions is gone. He turns his head to look at the fellow soldier.

“Do you think the soldiers on the other side are seeing the same sky?” He asks.

The fellow soldier lies by his side and exhales a heavy breath. “Yes. We all see the same sky. Same stars.”

………………...

Another bomb explodes. Nearer this time. She covers her ears with her hands, hiding her face on her knees. She is under the bed but still feeling so exposed. Her body is shaking in fear, and her heart can’t stop racing. The airplanes are back to bomb the village.

There was a time when she used to feel delighted at the sight of airplanes, wishing to travel through one of them. But now even the very name of them gives her shivers. She has long abandoned the dream of traveling the world. The need to survive eats the dreams. Currently, she dreams that she can live to the morning, eat some fresh bread, and drink some clean water. War makes even the most basic necessities a luxury.

“It’s over, Runi.” Someone whispers from the dark corner.

She lifts her head to look at Elio’s mom, who has been hiding near the closet. Both of them look at each other and wait for one moment before pulling out from their hiding spots. Seems like the soldiers are here to defend them. Exhaling a deep breath, they both walk out of the house. A place that is the shadow of the lively house it once was. Now it has a broken roof, shattered windows, and barely any peace.

Runi’s eyes water as she takes in the smoke and fire everywhere. Someone got buried under the rubble. Someone is burning. Someone has lost their limbs. Someone is crying, mourning the loss of a loved one. The defense soldiers were roaming around the village to estimate the damage and prepare themselves for the next attack. The enemy planes will be coming back for more.

Runi looks at Elio’s mother as she sits aside. This lady is not her mother, but she has sheltered her when her parents lost their lives in an air strike. They were bombed. Their bodies were burnt to ashes. It surprises her how calm she is after being an orphan when the thought of losing her parents used to give her nightmares. She has no time to ponder the loss. Because everyone in this village has lost someone or everyone. There is no time for anyone to process what they’ve lost because every day, they lose something more.

And now that she looks at the river with a bridge where once Elio took her for long walks, the water is bloody with dead bodies. The cornfields are nowhere to be seen. This is a ghost of the town.

She looks at the car that belongs to the mayor of the state. Her eyes focus on the shiny shoes of the man who steps out of the car with the armed guards. His clothes are spotless, and a gold watch is clasped around his wrist. He looks at the destruction of today’s airstrike and shakes his head.

Runi’s eyes shift to the Mayor’s wife in the car, in her clean clothes. That silk fabric that shines in the sunlight. And that red lipstick. Something breaks in Runi’s chest.

“Won’t the mayor’s wife come to check on us?” A woman whispers to another.

“Of course not, her heels would get dirty in the mud.” The other says slowly. Not angry. Just someone who has accepted everything.

There is a young boy in the back seat who was busy with something on his phone. He is handsome with his plain white shirt and the warm jacket. His face doesn’t have any scars, any mud, or blood stains. Runi takes in the contrast between them. Her broken shoes, torn dress, and greasy hair. The boy is the same age as Elio and her. Seventeen. But he is not like them. He is not affected by the war like them. Living in the same country, same city, under the same sky, and yet so much difference.

“Why hasn’t his son gone to the front lines like all the young boys of our village?” Someone whispers in a slow voice. There is helplessness in that voice and a hidden rage at this discrimination.

“The mayor says his son has some sickness.” Someone says slowly. “But he doesn’t seem sick to me.”

“He may not know how to use weapons.” A lady says with an irritated detachment.

“Elio also didn’t know how to use a weapon,” Runi whispers, and a pang of pain spreads in her heart.

Runi looks at the Mayor, who pats the shoulder of a crying old man who has lost his family. The mayor is nodding while trying to comfort the victim.

“I can imagine your loss.” He says slowly.

Runi turns her back to make her way back to the broken house. Can Mayor imagine their loss? Can he imagine the loss while his son remains safe in his home, while his wife and daughters enjoy the same level of luxury in war as in normal days in the safety of their houses? Can he really imagine their loss when he never had to hide under the beds with the fear that the next bomb would hit his house and he would be buried under the rubble? Can he really imagine their loss?

……………….

“How much is this red lipstick?” He asks, eyeing the lipsticks in that glass counter.

“18 coins.” The shopkeeper says slowly with a skeptical gaze. The boy before him, in the worn-out pants and a shirt, doesn’t seem like someone who can afford it.

Elio rubs his hands together, exhaling a sigh. “Eighteen?” He feels like he heard something wrong. He has made thirty coins, selling one bag of corn in the market earlier. He has to buy some flour, meat, and soap for the bathroom. He has been trying to get himself some new shoes, but it seems like the growing inflation will make him choose. He wants to buy a lipstick for Runi, but eighteen coins for a lipstick won’t leave much for him and his mother.

“It’s branded.” The shopkeeper says. “You can’t afford it.”

“Can’t I buy one for some installments?” He asks.

The laughs erupted from behind, and he turned to see some teens from the uptown. A few girls and boys in their clean shoes and clothes. His gaze goes to their red lipsticks, and he sighs. Runi would look so good with red lips if he could buy her a lipstick. But since this trend is new, he can’t afford one right now. His eyes landed on the polished leather shoes of one boy his age. So shiny that he can see his face in it. And then he looks at his farmer boots, old, dirty, and worn out. These shoes belong to his father, who died of tuberculosis because they didn’t have enough money to send him to a sanatorium. He suddenly feels so ashamed to be standing before those teenagers.

“How can someone be so poor that they need installments to buy a mere lipstick?” A girl flips her shiny hair back.

“There are some folks here in town who live like livestock.” A boy whispers to his friends, earning a series of giggles from everyone.

Elio breathes out before picking up his bag and walking out of the shop. He heard the mocking chuckles. He has grown accustomed to it.

When he was little, he used to think that everyone lived the same life, but as he grew, he saw that even if they lived under the same sky, they all lived different lives. Some people don’t struggle spending eighteen coins on a lipstick. Some people’s biggest concern is not earning a living or having a great harvest. Some people are treated differently because they have more money. Some people live a life, while others survive.

He hasn’t gone far when some yank him back by his arm. He was being pushed on the ground. He was taken aback, but before he could process, he was getting kicked. He holds his arms up to save himself.

“My bag is stolen. It must be him.” A lady yells nearby.

“Yes, he wanted money to buy a lipstick. We all saw him.” Another girl says, clutching her fancy purse.

Elio wants to protest, but he wasn’t given any time to speak or defend himself. “Stop…I didn’t steal.” His voice is muffling.

“Where is the purse?” The police officer is hitting his stomach with heavy boots.

“I…didn’t.” He mumbles in pain.

“I found it, officer.” The lady who has been yelling for a while suddenly says. “My bag was left in the shop.” She sighs. “Thank god, I didn’t lose it.”

The officer steps back, breathing heavily. Elio remains on the ground, lips bleeding, and body shaking in pain. Everyone around congratulated the lady for finding the bag. He lies down, looking at the blue sky. Tears leak from his eyes.

“Apologize.” Runi’s voice comes from the side.

“What?” The lady and her rich friends look at her.

“I said you wrongly accused that boy. Apologize, right now!” She yells angrily, looking at all those posh people.

“Stop yelling.” The lady says firmly. “Why didn’t he say anything if he hadn’t stolen it? Huh?”

“You didn’t let him speak.” Runi is losing her patience before looking at the police officer. “Why didn’t you question him before throwing your hands? Tell me! Just because this lady is privileged, her words have more value. Why? This is injustice.” Her chest heaves.

“We had a misunderstanding.” The officer says slowly.

“Then you are not fit for being called an officer.” She says firmly.

“Shut up!” The officer steps forward to growl at her louder, to intimidate her. “Go back home, little girl.”

“No, she’d better apologize.” Runi stands her ground.

“Why?” The lady says calmly. “I did nothing wrong. Stop creating a scene in the street,” She glances at Elio, who is now sitting up slowly. She retrieves some coins from her bag and extends them towards her. “Here, take this and take him to the clinic. That’s all I can offer. Don’t even try to leech off more from me for a mistake that is caused by this boy anyway.”

“Are you serious?” Runi’s face conveys anger. “You humiliated him in the middle of the market, just for a misunderstanding, and you think a few coins will fix it.” She glares. “How heartless the money has made you?”

“Runi, let’s go,” Elio speaks from the back.

“See, the boy you are fighting for is good. It’s not like he died. Now leave.” The officer says to dismiss the scene.

“I gave you the money. Now we are even.” The lady throws the coins towards her.

“Wait,” Runi says firmly before collecting the coins from the ground. Without wasting a breath, she threw all those coins at the lady, one hit her eye, and another hit her forehead. The lady screams in pain.

“Now, we are even.” Runi breathes out.

“What the hell have you done?” Another lady steps closer to jerk her arm and slap her cheek harshly. “Arrest her, officer. She attacked her.”

“You attacked Elio, what about it?” Runi yells back. “Arrest both of us.”

“Stop.” The officer says firmly.

Runi put her hand on her cheek to look at the officer. “When the law and justice are blind, money becomes the authority.” She says firmly. The officer pushes her back and tells the other people to leave.

She turns around with her cheek stinging. She holds Elio’s hand and helps him stand up.

“You didn’t have to fight for me?” He smiles, wiping his lips. “You know they don’t question the ones with money.” He watched her pick up his bag as they made their way back. “That lady knows the mayor.”

“I hate them. I hate them. I hate them.” Runi chants while taking him out of the market. She can see the people whispering and looking at them. She turns her head one last time to see them.

“I wish you all die in war. I wish no one fights for your survival. I wish you die when the war breaks out. I will pray that you will die. I wish you die and your homes are bombed.” She lets out her frustration in anger.

These days, the news of war and conflicts with neighboring countries has been going on. So she said it all in anger. She takes Elio out of the market. She didn’t know that when the war comes, the wealthy and powerful will be saved from the destruction, and Elio will be taken to the front lines. These people will stay in their safe houses while the drafted poor soldiers will die for them.

……………..

“Now!” The commander yells.

Another round of gunfire has started. Since morning, both sides have been fighting for dominance as they continue shooting bullets and throwing bombs.

Elio is changing the magazine of his rifle before setting the targets to open fire. Soldiers are all around him, yelling, fighting, groaning, and dying. Many of them are injured as they lower their heads in the trenches to save themselves.

“I think soon we are going to have a ceasefire.” A soldier said to Elio hopefully.

“I hope so.” Elio lowers his head to respond. They are both lowering themselves in the trenches, and more snipers are taking their place.

“Where would you go once the war ends?” The soldier smiles.

“Home.” Elio exhales a deep breath.

Home. He wonders what has happened back at the village. He hadn’t returned since he was drafted, so he doesn’t know how everything is back there. He still remembers the day he left home. Runi cried, hugging him for a long time as he assured her that the war drafts aren’t permanent. Their financial conditions weren’t great, so he agreed to go to the army. The military captain said that he would earn very good compensation, and when the conditions settle, he can go back home. He remembers telling his mother that he would earn a lot of money in the army and come back home with everything they ever needed.

He promised Runi that he would buy her as many red lipsticks as she wants. He has been in the army for a year now, and he has gotten a good salary. He has gone to different towns to find red lipstick and a sweater for his mother. He wants to be a big man for them. Red tints his cheek to realize that he has yet to ask for Runi’s hand in marriage from her parents. So when the war ends, he will go back to her.

“I will also go home.” The soldier smiles. He was a little older than Elio. “Do you want to know something?” He leans closer to his ear. “My wife gave birth to my daughter.” He says excitedly.

“Oh my God, congratulations.” Elio smiles.

“She wrote in the letter that my daughter has my eyes. I can’t wait to go home and hug_.”

Blood splashes on Elio’s face when a bullet pierces through the soldier’s head, exploding the skull. Elio freezes when the dead body falls on him. The sparkling eyes with hope are empty now, and the happy words are lost. The gunfire increases on both sides.

Elio looks up at the bombing planes in the sky. The soldiers are running, trying to find cover. The situation escalates, and in a few seconds, the entire battlefield is filled with smoke, dead bodies, and blood. Elio softly pushes the dead body away from him and slides into the trench to find a cover.

“If you surrender, we will stop the gunfire.” The loudspeaker announces. The governments are in talks for the ceasefire. You need to hold the fire.” The announcement echoes in the dark smoke.

The commander holds his breath before looking at his dead men and the injured soldiers. “Fine. We will hold the fire but won’t surrender.” He says louder.

“Fine, we will now hold fire.” The announcement comes back.

Elio holds his breath to see the roaring fighter jets. The gunfire stops, and the soldiers are breathing out in relief. A ceasefire is expected. The governments are in talks.

“I wish the ceasefire would happen.” A young soldier shivers.

“I wish it wouldn’t.” The other says firmly. “Would a ceasefire compensate for the comrades we’ve lost? Would a ceasefire or peace compensate for the beloved we have lost back home? Isn’t the government’s talk for peace an insult to those who bleed for the country? Aren’t we forgetting their sacrifices by making peace with the enemies?” The soldier’s eyes were filled with tears. His one arm is attached on thin tendons as it’s almost falling off. He was hit by a bomb. There is anger in his eyes.

“But a ceasefire can help us protect the ones left alive.” A soldier says with hope.

Elio grips his rifle. “What if there is no one left to protect? What if we’ve lost it all?” His voice breaks.

The trenches are silent now.

But the moment the soldiers pulled their guns back and held fire, the enemy fighter jets started bombing the trenches. They had taken advantage of the stopped gunfire to change the positions, and now the machine gun is raining bullets on the soldiers in the trenches. They violated the ceasefire.

Elio couldn’t move before a bullet hit right in his nape. He slumps in the mud, shaking. His breath catches in his throat when warm blood drips down like a stream from his neck. He can’t move in pain. The chaos continues around him.

“Fire back.” Their commander yells the order and grabs the wireless. “We have injured soldiers here. Send the planes.” He orders.

Soon, the fighter jets will be invading the sky. The machine guns stop finally, but the damage is done. The commander looks back at the soldiers.

“The help is coming. The medical troops are coming.” He said louder.

Elio keeps lying where he was. His blood is now mixed in the mud. He wonders why there is mud and then recalls it’s due to the rain two days ago. His memory is fading slowly as darkness starts to take over his vision. His body feels warm, so warm that he starts to sweat. He is in so much pain that it starts to feel numb.

“You will come back, right?” Runi is hiding in his chest. That day, he left home, wearing the uniform for the first time.

“Is that even a question?” He caresses her hair. He wants to tell her that he loves her, and that he wants to make a home with her, and that he wants to marry her. But he was too shy to speak to her, too scared and tense about the war to share his heart.

“When I am back, I will have a surprise for you.” He smiles, hiding his feelings.

“A red lipstick.” She looks up at him.

“Yes.” He nods. “A red lipstick.”

…………………..

Runi moves her spoon in the thin soup, listening to Elio’s mother talk about how much the last air strike has destroyed the house. There is no electricity, no light except for the little candle.

But the peace didn’t last long when the siren went off. Another airstrike. Runi and Elio’s mother runs to the room with all the walls attached. The bombs are blasting. The explosions are loud. The people are screaming.

The air strike is going on longer this time. Runi wonders what happened to the soldiers defending them. Are they still fighting? Are the jets of her country firing back?

“The enemy soldiers are in the village!” Someone yelled.

Runi’s heart dropped. Their soldiers lost. The enemies aren’t in the airplanes now; they are on the land now. She panics when the screams get louder outside. The soldiers are in the village, barging into the house, killing the civilians. She is shaking like a dry leaf to hear the constant gunfire.

The door of their house is now banging. She flinches.

“Go and hide somewhere, Runi.” Elio’s mother says firmly.

Before Runi could go upstairs, the door broke with a thud, and two armed soldiers walked in. The enemy flags are on their arms. They pointed their guns at them, yelling louder.

“Everyone on the floor.” One of them threw the flashlight over them. “There are two women.” He says.

“War spoil.” The other one joked, looking at Runi.

“Go.” Elio’s mother yells before trying to hit the soldier with a broken chair.

A series of gunfire, and she falls lifeless on the floor. Runi’s face pales when she sees the blood spilling on the wooden floor. She staggers back when the two soldiers look at her. She has no time to mourn because the fear of being violated is now stopping her heart.

“How long has it been since you’ve seen a beautiful young girl?” One says menacingly.

“Long enough for me to go feral at the sight of one.” The other laughs. “Come here, girl, you are coming with us now.” He extends his hand towards her.

“No, please.” She steps back.

“You don’t have a choice.” The man chased her.

She runs upstairs faster with her heart thudding inside her chest. The soldiers run behind her.

“Don’t use the gun, idiot, I want her alive.” The voice behind her is sharp.

She runs to the first floor, but there are no doors to support her. Her hands are sweating, and she is barefoot as she looks for any escape, but there is none.

“Come back!” The soldiers reach her, and she faces them both. They are strong and tall, and she knows she won’t stand a chance.

“Grab her.” One says to the other, and they lunge for her.

Runi staggers back in panic, and her foot hits the table behind. The moment her balance destabilizes, she jumps off the broken window. The glass pierces her body, and she is falling out.

For a moment, the world silences when her body hits the ground. The rubble below is now stabbing in her body. A brick has hit her head, and a sharp iron rod is stabbing through her stomach. She watches the smoking sky above when darkness takes over her eyes.

When I am back, I will have a surprise for you.

Elio smiles at her. He thinks she can’t read his eyes, but she knows what he has been hiding in his heart. As she bled on the ground, tears leaked from her eyes. She knows what he wanted to say. Her hand drops to the ground, and her eyes close forever.

“There you go, she is dead.” The soldier looked down at her lifeless body. “You wasted a good-looking bitch.”

“Not my fault, she slipped out of the window.” The other says with a disappointed sigh.

“Now let’s go and see if we can find something of value in this town.” He grabs his gun and walks out.

The house is now completely silent as the blood paints its floors and walls. The residents are now gone, taking away their memories, their dreams, and their hopes with them. People who start the war never fight it, and people who sacrifice everything are the ones who never start a war.

…………..

A military truck is parked on the battlefield. The ceasefire has been implemented from this hour. War medics and additional troops have arrived, and they are now pulling out the dead bodies from the trenches and loading them onto the truck. The injured ones are being taken to the medical camp and ambulances.

A few soldiers were checking for the soldiers’ dog tags and checking the lists to cut their names off from the serving lists. There has been a layer of silence all over the battlefield after the war. The air is peaceful now. The guns are silent. The bullet shells are littering the ground. The smoke clouds are slowly fading, letting the sky peek at the hundreds of dead bodies.

“And another one.” A soldier grunts, pulling out another dead body from the trench.

“A bullet in the nape.” The other soldier checks the body and then searches for the dog tag.

“Elio Adler. Age seventeen.” The soldier reads the name and exhales a heavy breath.

“Too young.” Another soldier shakes his head in despair. “He would have soon turned eighteen.”

“We have no time to mourn one soldier; there are many more to come.” Their senior breaths out, looking at the dead bodies scattered on the ground. “Check his pockets and uniform for any belongings and write him off as a martyr.” He orders and walks away.

Two soldiers stay to check the pockets and the muddy uniform of the soldier.

“There is something. I can feel it.” One of them says slowly, pulling out something from the inner pocket of the dead soldier’s jacket.

Both soldiers stop, seeing the item and the little note wrapped around it. They exchange glances before noting the item on the list and putting it on the chest of the solider. They walk away, leaving the dead soldier in the open air, face up to the sky. The stars shine in the sky when the smoke fades.

The note reads:

For you, Runi.

I love you.

Elio

A red lipstick sits on his chest.