I nod and watch attentively as she starts her first clue. In a slow motion, she starts to bend backward as is she falling to the floor. Her hands fly around her in a swaying motion and her body twists as though it’s trying to avoid something. The movie immediately comes to mind and I spit out, “The Matrix!”
She signals that I’m correct and starts to maneuver into the next challenge. She rushes to the TV, pointing directly at it. Okay, something to do with the television. She drops to the floor and I have to sit up to see her crawling in a twisted and haunting motion. She crawls slowly to the bed, progressing to a stand as she creepily walks. Her hands are pointed downward as her fingers twist into a ghoul-like form. Still unsure of the movie, she rotates her ring finger in a circular motion and finally it clicks.
“The Ring.”
She claps her hands. “Good! Okay, one more.”
She stands by the window and motions as though she’s ripping her clothes off. She stares at the moon and bellows in silence as though she’s howling, her puckered lips pointing toward the moon as her head tilts backward.
Smiling at her act, I say, “An American Werewolf in London.”
She shrugs. “I was going for Teen Wolf but that works too. You’re pretty good at this. Are you like some charades champion?”
“I used to play all the time with my aunt and uncle. It’s one of my favorite things to do. Sometimes the categories get so outrageous it becomes a hysterical mess of just nonsense.”
She sits back down in the chair. “You know, you’ve never mentioned your parents. Did your aunt and uncle raise you?”
Her question strikes a chord and old wounds start to surface. I wince at her curiosity and she notices my reaction.
Feeling a range of emotions I’m not prepared to deal with right now, I push the button to lower the bed and tell her I’m starting to get tired. She heeds my innuendo and dims the light in the room.
Before she exits, she gazes at me and wishes me a good night.
Melanie
I DON’T EXACTLY know when it happened, but lately I’ve noticed a difference in Roman’s demeanor toward me. He’s calm and not as loud or as cold as he used to be. There seems to be something warm and humble about him now. I can’t exactly pinpoint it, but I have definitely seen a change in him.
As I sit at the nurses station, Dr. Ferguson calls me over to assist him with Roman’s daily exams. I follow him into the room and give Roman a soft smile as I enter. Dr. Ferguson directs me to hold his head steady as he twists his body from left to right. He then assesses his burns and asks Roman his threshold of pain; thankfully, it’s down to a three. In the past week, his pain has dropped each day, and we are confident that he should be fully healed in about two more weeks.
Within a few minutes, the exam is finished and we exit the room. I update Roman’s chart on the computer just as Amanda walks by.
“So, what’s going on with you and Roman?”
Confused, I ask, “What do you mean?”
She hisses, “Don’t act dumb. You know exactly what I mean.”
I shake my head and turn back to the computer screen. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t think that I didn’t see you sneaking into his room on Thanksgiving. What were you guys doing?”
“Nothing, we were just talking.”
She is clearly suspicious and trying to get me to say more. “You sure?”
I insist, “Yes, we talked and I left. I was only there for a short while.”
Her eyes check me up and down, scanning for some indication that I might be lying. “Hmm. I’ll leave this alone for now, but don’t think I’m not watching you two.”
I call out to her as she stalks off, “There’s nothing to watch because there’s nothing going on!”
******
The cab pulls up to the curb and parks as I pay the driver his fee. I step out and into the apartment building. After climbing three flights of stairs I come upon apartment 3B and knock, waiting for its resident to let me in.
The door swings open and Gia greets me with a smile. “Wassup girl! Come in.”
I hug her as I step inside and look around her new place. “Wow, this place is huge! How the hell did you find this place?”