Just Around the Corner

The buzzer went off, signaling that the lasagna was done. Reaching for a towel from the rack, Phyllis stepped on it and slid her way over to the oven.

“How much more have you got to do?” she asked him. She didn’t think he’d vacuumed the spare bedroom yet. He’d brought out the mop for the bathroom floors and continued right into the kitchen with it.

“Just some vacuuming.”

“Why not stop long enough to have some dinner, then?” she asked, trying not to feel nervous about the invitation. There was something so…intimate about having him sit down to a meal with her at her own table.

“There’s more here than I’m going to eat,” she added when he said nothing.

He glanced over at the sizzling pan as she pulled it out of the oven. “I might have a bite or two,” he said. “But I have to finish up here first. You go ahead.”

She did. Partially because, with the floor mostly wet, it was easier just to fill a plate and sit at the table and out of his way. And partially because she really was hungry, for the first time in weeks.

Matt finished mopping, rinsed the mop and bucket, put his supplies away. And then helped himself to a huge portion of lasagna, using the plate she’d left out on the counter for him. Grabbing a fork from the cutlery drawer, he leaned back against the kitchen counter and ate.

It was so nonthreatening, not really eating together at all, that Phyllis relaxed again. Maybe he was right. Maybe they really could make this work.

“How’s your star student been this week?” she asked him when the silence began to feel awkward. He’d told her about Sophie on Monday, but nothing since.

He shrugged, eating attentively. “About the same. I’ve seen her a few times, but she still isn’t as sharp as normal. It’s odd—she’ll be fine, and then just seem to lose her concentration.”

Grateful for the diversion—and also because it was her nature to try to solve emotional problems—Phyllis went to work.

“You said she’s lost weight,” she said, running through everything he’d told her about the girl. “Would you say she’s lost too much weight, or she’s just taking care of herself?”

“Definitely too much weight,” he said, slowing a moment to glance over at her. “Her cheekbones are stark. If she were any older, her skin would be hanging on her.”

“Does she seem to talk about food much?”

Matt stopped eating altogether, apparently thinking back over recent conversations with the girl. “Maybe,” he said. “Yeah, I guess. I can think of several times she’s mentioned it, and since we don’t talk all that much, I guess she must mention it a lot.”

“And you said she’s wearing bulky clothes.”

“Yeah.”

Phyllis remembered something else, something he’d commented on while they were at the hospital. “And she has one fingernail that’s broken when all the others are long?”

“Yeah.”

Anorexia. If Phyllis hadn’t been so distracted the other night, she would’ve put all the symptoms together then. Of course, the disease was usually only a symptom of some bigger emotional problem.

“Have you noticed the hair on her arms?” she asked Matt, not sure he’d welcome her suspicions.

“No, of course not!” He set his empty plate on the counter. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because it sounds to me like she has an eating disorder, and one sign of the more advanced stages is body hair turning to fuzz. It’s pretty distinctive if you know what you’re looking for.”

“I haven’t seen Sophie’s arms in ages. She’s always wearing sweaters or sweatshirts. Not that I’d notice something like that if I did see them. What makes you think she has an eating disorder?”

He obviously wasn’t thrilled with the diagnosis.

He cared about the girl.

Finishing her own dinner, Phyllis checked to see that the floor was dry enough and walked her plate over to the sink. “The fingernail is a pretty clear indication.”

“Come on, Doc,” Matt said. “Fingernails do break.”

“And there are many ways a girl can take care of that nowadays. Even if she doesn’t have the time or money for a proper manicure, she can buy glue-on tips at the drugstore. If Sophie’s as particular about her nails as you described, there has to be a damn good reason for her to keep that one short.”