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Authors: J. C. Gatlin
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player Gunz Gonzales?”
Kim
hesitated again. “Mallory, since we're being completely honest with each other,
I've got some thing to tell you.”
“Decisions. Decisions.” Mallory continued as Kim wasn't even there. She
backed out of the parking spot. “Sometimes I wish I was more like you. Then I
wouldn't ever have to worry about men.”
Driving
west toward the university campus, Mallory rambled on like she always did, and
Kim considered telling her that if Addison and this Alec Whitman were such good
friends, it made little sense to take her secret ball playing lover. But like
any good friend, Kim let Mallory have her fantasy. And, so
that she could keep her own, Kim decided to let the upcoming dinner date remain
a secret. A secret only shared with Ross.
Their
secret rendezvous.
It was
all she thought about that afternoon in class. The Professor had moved on from
Cyrano de Bergerac. The odd boy dressed in black still glared at her though,
tossing daggers with his eyes. She didn't care. Her mind was elsewhere.
* * * * * * *
Ross’
invitation to dinner still weighed heavy on her mind when she entered the old folks home and Nurse Carla, wearing her aqua-colored scrubs,
holding a clipboard in one hand and waving with the other, called out. “Miss
Bradford, your grandaddy isn’t feeling so
well today. He hasn’t gotten out of bed yet.”
Kim
paused. “Is he okay?”
“You know
how it is, child. He’s got his good days and bad days,” she said. “He didn’t
touch his peas and carrots last night, but he still had a solid bowel movement.”
“Glad to
hear it.” Kim waved a hand, moving down the hallway. “I’m going to go check on
him.”
“That’s
good, child!” Carla called after her. “That’s good for him. He likes visitors.”
The door
was shut when Kim made it to his room, and she creaked it open to peek inside. His room was stuffy and warm, unusually dark with the
curtains drawn.
“ Grampa ?” she asked, allowing her eyes to adjust.
He was
lying in bed, chin up, staring at the ceiling. She slipped into the room and
shut the door behind her. Approaching the bed, she reached for him and took his
hand.
“ Grampa , the nurse said you’re not feeling well today.” Kim
watched him a moment, then put a hand on his forehead. “You’re not running a
fever. Why didn’t you eat your peas and carrots?”
Without turning
his head, his eyes moved toward her. She smiled at him. But there was no
recognition. He looked back up at the ceiling.
Thinking
he might be too warm, she folded down the heavy quilt, freeing his arms but
keeping his legs and feet covered. Her grandmother had made that quilt, and it
looked similar to the one draped over the recliner back home. Then Kim stepped
to the window and opened the curtains. She could feel the draft coming through
the window panes along with the warmth of the sun. Grampa flinched slightly in bed as sunlight filled the room.
“Now
isn’t that better?” Kim asked, turning to him. She then walked over to the
television sitting on top the dresser and turned it on. She flipped through the
channels twisting the knob beside the screen.
“Let’s
liven it up a bit in here,” she said.
She
turned the stations, but found nothing worth watching. Propped up against the
side of the television, three black, rectangular VHS cassette tapes collected
dust. With blue magic marker, one was labeled “ MR. ED, THE TALKING HORSE ,”
the other two were marked “ I LOVE LUCY ” She picked up one labeled “LUCY”
and pushed it into the VCR. She then turned the station to channel three.
Glancing
back to her grandfather, she smiled at him again. “You want to watch Lucy?”
From the
bed, he watched her but didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed on the TV. The
screen went black before the familiar gray heart appeared and the theme song
crackled through the
Kim
hesitated again. “Mallory, since we're being completely honest with each other,
I've got some thing to tell you.”
“Decisions. Decisions.” Mallory continued as Kim wasn't even there. She
backed out of the parking spot. “Sometimes I wish I was more like you. Then I
wouldn't ever have to worry about men.”
Driving
west toward the university campus, Mallory rambled on like she always did, and
Kim considered telling her that if Addison and this Alec Whitman were such good
friends, it made little sense to take her secret ball playing lover. But like
any good friend, Kim let Mallory have her fantasy. And, so
that she could keep her own, Kim decided to let the upcoming dinner date remain
a secret. A secret only shared with Ross.
Their
secret rendezvous.
It was
all she thought about that afternoon in class. The Professor had moved on from
Cyrano de Bergerac. The odd boy dressed in black still glared at her though,
tossing daggers with his eyes. She didn't care. Her mind was elsewhere.
* * * * * * *
Ross’
invitation to dinner still weighed heavy on her mind when she entered the old folks home and Nurse Carla, wearing her aqua-colored scrubs,
holding a clipboard in one hand and waving with the other, called out. “Miss
Bradford, your grandaddy isn’t feeling so
well today. He hasn’t gotten out of bed yet.”
Kim
paused. “Is he okay?”
“You know
how it is, child. He’s got his good days and bad days,” she said. “He didn’t
touch his peas and carrots last night, but he still had a solid bowel movement.”
“Glad to
hear it.” Kim waved a hand, moving down the hallway. “I’m going to go check on
him.”
“That’s
good, child!” Carla called after her. “That’s good for him. He likes visitors.”
The door
was shut when Kim made it to his room, and she creaked it open to peek inside. His room was stuffy and warm, unusually dark with the
curtains drawn.
“ Grampa ?” she asked, allowing her eyes to adjust.
He was
lying in bed, chin up, staring at the ceiling. She slipped into the room and
shut the door behind her. Approaching the bed, she reached for him and took his
hand.
“ Grampa , the nurse said you’re not feeling well today.” Kim
watched him a moment, then put a hand on his forehead. “You’re not running a
fever. Why didn’t you eat your peas and carrots?”
Without turning
his head, his eyes moved toward her. She smiled at him. But there was no
recognition. He looked back up at the ceiling.
Thinking
he might be too warm, she folded down the heavy quilt, freeing his arms but
keeping his legs and feet covered. Her grandmother had made that quilt, and it
looked similar to the one draped over the recliner back home. Then Kim stepped
to the window and opened the curtains. She could feel the draft coming through
the window panes along with the warmth of the sun. Grampa flinched slightly in bed as sunlight filled the room.
“Now
isn’t that better?” Kim asked, turning to him. She then walked over to the
television sitting on top the dresser and turned it on. She flipped through the
channels twisting the knob beside the screen.
“Let’s
liven it up a bit in here,” she said.
She
turned the stations, but found nothing worth watching. Propped up against the
side of the television, three black, rectangular VHS cassette tapes collected
dust. With blue magic marker, one was labeled “ MR. ED, THE TALKING HORSE ,”
the other two were marked “ I LOVE LUCY ” She picked up one labeled “LUCY”
and pushed it into the VCR. She then turned the station to channel three.
Glancing
back to her grandfather, she smiled at him again. “You want to watch Lucy?”
From the
bed, he watched her but didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed on the TV. The
screen went black before the familiar gray heart appeared and the theme song
crackled through the
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