After dinner, Arabella walked in Mrs. Galloway’s room to give Mrs. Galloway her night medication. She was looking out the window, quiet and still. Does she ever miss her old life? Does she even remember? Arabella thought as she sat next to her bed.
“”Mrs. Galloway, it’s time to take your medicine. Would you like milk or can you take it with your sprite?”
Mrs. Galloway just grumbled, turning her head to look at Arabella. She reached for the medicine, fixing to throw a tantrum. She was tired, and her head hurt. Arabella handed her the medicine and sat quietly as she took it.
“Do you dream, Bella?” Mrs. Galloway asked, handing back the empty sprite can.
“Perplexed by this odd question, Arabella replied, “Sometimes, do you?’
“Yes, I dream that I am a princess in a beautiful blue dress, and my prince charming is in a white suit. We walk home from the ball, but we don’t make it.” She scrunched her face in anguish. “I always wake up during that part,” She said in almost a whisper.
“How come?” Arabella lowered her voice to a soft hum.
“A monster comes, and he hurts me. But, but my prince charming! He always saves me… even though he gets attacked really bad. Would he still love me even though it’s my fault he got hurt; he was hurt bad?”
“I think your prince charming will love you forever. If he is willing to fight monsters for you means he loves you, and I don’t think it’ll change just because he gets hurt saving you.” Little does she know her prince charming comes to see her every Sunday, which just happens to be tomorrow, Arabella thought, smiling at Mrs. Galloway.
Christian rushed through traffic to get to the nursing home on time. Marissa was peacefully looking out the window from her car seat. She knew this journey well. The tall fur tress lined the narrow, mountainous road as soft music lulled in her ears. A twenty minute drive right after Sunday school use to make for a bad nap, but now Marissa stays awake and waits to get cranky until they get in the nursing home, usually creating an excuse for Christian to leave. Today the parking lot seemed almost empty as Christian pulled in right by the front doors. Marissa cooed and mumbled made up words, as she felt the car stop. Christians smiled, “We’re here sugar. Ready to see your mommy?”
He gets out and tightens the blanket around Marissa before bringing her out in the wind. He quickly walked inside and smiled at the receptionists as he signed in leaving his keys and id at the desk. Christian walked down the slick, cold, stink filled corridor until he hit the first room on the left, Katherine’s. She had just finished lunch and was playing checkers with Arabella.
“Look who’s here Mrs. Galloway; it’s Christian. I’ll let you guys talk; we’ll finish our game tomorrow.”
Mrs. Galloway looked a little disappointed, but she didn’t speak words of discontent. Marissa gurgled as she looked around, laying in Christians arm. The silence seemed to suffocate them both after having said their hellos and how are yous. Katherine’s eyes scanned Christian up and down. He wondered whether she remembered him, or if she even knew who he was.
“What happened to your chin?” She asked, trembling, a remnant of the nightmare she, continually, been having.
Christian smiled, finally she's asking about our love story, “Well, before we married we went to high school together. We dated and really, really liked each other.” Those words don’t even give our monotonous feelings of love justice, he thought. “There was a dance at school, our senior prom. After all the dancing and music was over we walked back to your house, but we took the back ally way to catch up on alone time; there we interrupted two homeless, raggedy, bums doing drugs. They lunged at us-”
“Why would they do that?” She asked, swinging her legs around the edge of the bed so she could face him, listening intently, like a child listens to a fairy tale.
“Well… I don’t actually know why. I mean those kind of people usually have nothing to loose… maybe they thought we had something of value they could take.”
“Oh, okay… finish your story?”
Christian smiled, “Of course, I tried to get us away from them, to get back to the busy street, but they knocked me out with a trash can. When I woke up, my chin was bleeding, I smelled like garage and rotting disease, and you… you were shaking, huddled in a corner. You never told me what happened. I tried to save you, I did, but I just wasn’t quick enough. I don’t think you ever told anyone that story, not even your best friend Hannah.” Christian quieted himself, as he felt like he was just rambling.
That night brought back so many emotions, and right now he just wanted to be here for Katherine, his beloved. She seemed shaken, but not terribly so.
“Can I tell you about a nightmare I’ve been having?” She looked deep into his eyes, but couldn’t find what she was looking for, her prince charming.
“Yes, please do-” Marissa started fussing and stirred in Christians arms, tired of being held for so long.
Katherine looked down at the baby as though she was an alien, “Never mind… maybe another day.”
“You can still tell me. Marissa can hear us, but she won’t remember any of this. You are her mom-”
“Don’t say that! I am not a mom. I don’t want to be a mom. You’re lying. I am not a mom.”
Christian was dumbfounded. Within the last couple of weeks he thought they had made so much progress. He didn’t understand why she regressed back to denial. The pain couldn’t be hid from his face, but he was sure Katherine couldn’t understand how to read body language any more. She couldn’t do anything any more. What am I doing here? Obviously, I am doing her more harm than good, but she’s my wife, for better or worse; she’s my wife, Christian thought as Katherine whispered in a soft tone, “Please, just leave. I don’t like it when you come. I can’t remember you. Why are you doing this to me?”
He looked into her eyes and whispered in his head, trying to speak to her soul, “Because I love you.”
Gender:
Points: 368
Reviews: 456