Between the Rats and Roaches

It has a message...

Between the Rats and Roaches by Sami Khalil

“Hard to eradicate two things: Rodents and poverty,” as Mr. Hahn would say, every time he remembered those years growing up an orphan in Buffalo, N.Y.

He used to vomit, in those God-forsaken days, when mice slipped by and his skin would crawl upon seeing roaches’ droppings. His share of nightmares was abundant too from bed bugs.  

It seemed, they all came out of nowhere, everywhere: Walls, windows, vents…you name it. One sad thing to add, he did not know about the fate of his dad and mom until later in life.

Mr. Hahn faced many hurdles in life. That did not discourage him though. His main goal was to find a stable home, open a thriving business and above all, help the less fortunate.

Growing up in this orphanage, the little allowance he received, allowed him to purchase magazines and books about rodents. They became his life’s passion. He became aggressive in survival and knowledge, as those rodents were relentless in survival and infestations.

One day, he decided to run away to Miami, Fl. for things became unbearable. He would slip in movie theaters at night, sleep somewhere on those plush rugs, then wake up and head to work. He was fortunate to find a job with an exterminating company.

Now, with the money he earned, he entered many local, state and national competitions (pest control). It should be annotated that he won a million dollars in Tx. Which allowed him to get a state license, opening branches in Austin, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio.  

As his business thrived, he never forgot his humble roots. He decided to give back to the community. He signed a deal with the state to provide extermination services for all the shelters-orphanages free of charge. By that, he gained the key to every major city based on his philanthropy.

One day he decided to inquire about the demise or fate of his biological parents. After offering his orphanage a million-dollar check, the principal showed him their graves in the city of Buffalo. He told him the whole story, informing that they both died inhaling harmful chemicals in their sleep, not knowing they kill humans as well as rodents.  

Hahn was the lucky one as they found him the next morning alive, to be taken to the orphanage.

As he stood by their grave for the first time, some rats scurried by him. Roaches were seen dead on their backs, too.

He thought to himself, “Hard to eradicate two things: love and memories”, as the fallen tears permeated the hallowed ground.

 

 

 

Reviews

[Anonymous]

I love the irony at the end of this story. It is short but beautifully crafted.

[Sami Khalil]

Wowzy! You have summed it up marvelously. Thank you so much Anonymous for this marvelous review and liking. See you soon...

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

This is exquisitely moving I get the feeling it could be true

[Sami Khalil]

Wow! You can say that. Based somehow on a true story. Thank you 😊 so much Julie for this lovely review and visit. Glad to see you.

[duff]

You have a knack for storytelling. Read it a few times and liked it even more. A poisonous end. Nice work.

[Sami Khalil]

Wowzy! Hello there Duff. Thank you so much for your time and your review. Glad to see you.

[Wesley Dingler]

This is a beatiful short story. I am always impressed when people can pack so much into microfiction. It reads like a story but ends like poetry or song.

[Sami Khalil]

Howdy do! So true 👍 and well said Wesley Dingler. Thank you so much for the visit and sharing your thoughts. Hope all is well in your 🌎.

[Einstein Noodle]

ieee! what a tale and six legs of a roach this is... kind of infest me noodle sir! having strange desires to pop some glue or some other hydoxi nol .. kidding of course .. kills brains i am told... well ... certainly a moral compass in your story .. i read it ... neat ... straight up no ice .. many places one can go with this .. chemicals ridding insects ... poisoning our food .. our air ... it's a hard call .. statistically speaking .. in spite of it all human life expectancy has increased double in my own meager existence .. in me Da's time 50 or 60 was about it for men .. now we are reaching well past the 100 mark .. i am at a loss to say .. but your story and that pic are creepy/ok for me .. happy Halloween my friend!
E.

[Sami Khalil]

Wowzy Woooo! So true and well said dear poet and friend. Adding to what you said, the other parts of the message is don't be discouraged by your conditions, don't forget your roots, strive for success and when you do, share it with others, give back to the community, you can't eradicate love given or memories made...I can go on and on sir Einstein. I'm so glad to have seen you visit and share your thoughts. May God bless you and rid you of all rodents, roaches and all kind of physical or mental infestations...Lol to the last part only. Have a great one...

[Einstein Noodle]

yes! he pulled himself up by the straps ... like the garage guys with Apple and Barbie and many more I am sure. great stuff to think about in such negative times .. at least it seems they are these days .. and thank you for your blessing .. where there are cobwebs ... spiders and others are most likely in me nog as well ;))

[Sami Khalil]

Wow! All wonderful and worthy. Enjoy the Ozarks.