“Matthew…” The doctor reached over and placed her palm flat on the desk right in front of my face. “What you did was incredibly brave and selfless. Do you understand what that means?”
I shook my head.
“For the first time in your life, you are thinking about someone outside of your own family before yourself. You’ve done enough research to know how difficult it can be for you to connect with someone outside those you have known all your life. Think about how long it took you to warm up to Bethany.”
“Mayra bakes cakes,” I said quietly, and Dr. Harris laughed.
“Your consistency remains,” she said with a kind smile. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. “What did Megan say to you in her room? What did she say that made you laugh?”
“Um…” I chuckled again. “She said I got Mayra the wrong thing. I was supposed to give her a ring, not a watch.”
The doctor’s eyes went wide.
“That’s what she said to you?”
“Yes.”
“Matthew, that is…remarkable. Do you realize how significant that is for Megan?”
I frowned and shook my head.
“She not only recognized the connection between you and Mayra, but she took the next step, realizing your relationship could lead to a more permanent situation. Beyond that, she showed concern for you—concern that you might have misunderstood some of the traditions behind that next step—and tried to make sure you knew what you were supposed to give a prospective bride.”
I shrugged, not really getting why it was so important.
“Matthew, Megan was correcting you,” Dr. Harris said. “She was acting like a big sister to you.”
I let the thought swim around in my head for a bit and realized Megan really hadn’t ever done or said anything like that before. Even when we were young, I usually did things to help her, not the other way around. Sometimes she would say things that indicated a lot more awareness than what normally came out of her mouth, but those occasions were very few and far between. What she had said to me earlier didn’t just indicate awareness; it was unlike anything she had ever said to me before.
“Does that mean the medicine is working for her?” I asked.
“It’s too early to say,” she told me. “I would consider it a good sign, though.”
I nodded and stared underneath the desk again, wondering what similar medication might do for me if I could afford it. Dr. Harris asked me a few more questions about Mayra and me, but I wasn’t really paying attention any longer. The wrapper lying under the desk was making my fingers twitch.
I couldn’t take it anymore, so I reached down underneath the desk and grabbed the little piece of plastic. It was from one of those peppermints that usually came from restaurants. I flattened it out against my leg and then puffed it up so it looked like it still had a mint in it. Mints were sweet, and I liked the kind with chocolate around them, which made me think of chocolate cake.
“Dr. Harris?” I asked nervously.
“Yes, Matthew?”
“Don’t tell Bethany,” I begged, “but I like Mayra’s cakes better.”
Dr. Harris’s smile widened, and she nodded twice.
“I am sworn to secrecy,” she vowed.
I couldn’t argue with a doctor’s vow, so I accepted her promise.
It was dark by the time we got to the car, and I was exhausted. After we slid into the back seat, Mayra reached over and took my hand in hers. Even though I knew Bethany and Travis could see us, I adjusted my seatbelt and lay down with my head in her lap. As soon as I felt her fingers in my hair, I closed my eyes and drifted.
I could hear soft voices that seemed to come from all around me and nowhere in particular.
“Thanks for the warning, Travis. That was a little…freaky.”
“They get in their own little world, that’s for sure.”
“It scared the hell out of me the first time I saw them like that.” Bethany’s voice was soft. “It was like everyone else around them disappeared. Were they talking to each other?”