The Arrival by Nathan Leslie art by Marty D. Ison My mother barely wrings her hands at all the preparation. Yet she has so many things to do. The sheets and towels must be washed and purified, the dishes must be blessed, the chair he will sit on must be scrubbed and purified, a jug of spring water must be placed at his bedside. The food? Don’t get her started: Mushroom knishes, and dal, fresh pita, organic fruit, organic ice cream, organic English muffins, the finest homemade butter. She whisks me to the shopping center to help her carry the food—ingredients mostly. Though she is harried, she pats my back and thanks me. I tramp through the aisles of the grocery store, looking at the Frisbees and Nerf ping-pong paddles hanging from the shelves on thin metal sleeves. I count how many cans of pineapple they have, how many different types of peaches. “Come on now, we should get going,” she says. Her voice is steady, despite the fact that he will be here in three hours. She sways to the checkout lane. “We have plenty of time.” I’m not sure if she’s telling herself or me. I protest. Don’t we have to go to the health food store? Don’t we have to vacuum and scrub. “Shhh. It will all get done.” When we get home I’m furious. Why must she do all the work? Why does he get waited on hand and foot? What makes him so special? I do whatever she asks me to do to help. I dust and vacuum, mop and polish. I don’t tell my friends a thing. That night I am nervous when I hear my father’s keys jingle on the front porch. Through the curtains I can see the multi-colored robes, the beads, the form under them. His shadow is tall, but his neck is angled downward. Now I understand. The door seems to make way for them, and they float through it into the inner warmth. My mother stretches forth her arms in greeting. He stares into me, and I am blown open. She stands off to the side, suddenly fuzzy and indistinct. He bends down to me on one knee and shakes my hand. He says how pleased he is to meet such a “young soul.” Something is different, though it’s hard to put into words. He walks ahead, into the kitchen. We follow in his wake, as if drawn by ropes. The work is now a long forgotten spot on a large swath of linen, and I for a moment don’t think of anything other than the light. All content in SmokeLong Quarterly copyright 2003-2008 by its authors.
	Nathan Leslie has published two collections of short fiction, most recently A Cold Glass of Milk (Uccelli Press, 2003). His next collection of stories, Drivers, will appear in November. Aside from being nominated for the 2002 Pushcart Prize, his stories, essays, and poetry have been published or are forthcoming in over one hundred literary magazines including North American Review, Wascana Review, Chattahoochee Review, Sou’wester, Southern Indiana Review, Fiction International, Gulf Stream, Tulane Review, Santa Clara Review, StorySouth, Amherst Review, The Crab Creek Review, and Orchid. He is currently the fiction editor for The Pedestal Magazine. He has also written book reviews and articles for numerous newspapers such as The Washington Post, The Orange County Weekly, The Kansas City Star, The Orlando Sentinel, Rain Taxi, and many others. He received his MFA from The University of Maryland in 2000. Read the interview.
	Issue Ten (September 15, 2005): Capsicum by Anne Marie Jackson «» Donat Bobet's Halloween by Bruce Holland Rogers «» The Arrival by Nathan Leslie «» The Law by Edgar Omar Avilés, translated by Toshiya A. Kamei «» Five Fat Men in a Hot Tub by Jeff Landon «» Hoover by Cally Taylor «» Are You Okay? by Joshua Hampel «» The Kindness of Strangers by Otis Brown «» Mrs. Krishnan by Kuzhali Manickavel «» Crossing the Orinoco by William Reese Hamilton «» The Elements of Summer by Laura Stallard Petza «» Closer to Paul by Patti Jazanoski «» Hawesville, Kentucky by Nance Knauer «» He Stayed for Breakfast by Astrid Schott «» Gardening by Antonios Maltezos «» Outer Space by Tom Saunders «» Blind Love by Robert Bradley «» Arks by Alan Girling «» Chitlins by Bob Arter «» Strange Fruit by Suzanne Lafetra «» Interviews: Anne Marie Jackson «» Bruce Holland Rogers «» Nathan Leslie «» Toshiya A. Kamei «» Jeff Landon «» Cally Taylor «» Joshua Hampel «» Otis Brown «» Kuzhali Manickavel «» William Reese Hamilton «» Laura Stallard Petza «» Patti Jazanoski «» Nance Knauer «» Astrid Schott «» Antonios Maltezos «» Tom Saunders «» Robert Bradley «» Alan Girling «» Bob Arter «» Suzanne Lafetra «» Joseph Young «» Cover Art "The Creation of Time and the Plagiarism of Bosch" by Marty D. Ison «» Letter From the Editor