Loving Life

Chapter 21: Ervin

"I love you most," I think as Dianne pulls away from her house. Long after doors slammed closed, swallowing the girl I may or may not consider my girlfriend do I remember there's someone else in the truck. Someone I angered. And I do nothing better than what my parents taught me:

"I'm sorry about what happened this morning. It's not what you think happened."

"I'm sure it wasn't," Dianne murmurs. Her abruptness tells me not to speak the rest of the ride.

Three hours after leaving the farm, I arrive at my temporary home. Brenda lays in her bed, grinning at me once I enter. I run a hand down my face, trying to ease the exhaustion off so Brenda won't question.

She does. My disappearance should've told me.

"Where ya been?" she smirks.

"Off at a Fourth of July party with someone. You wouldn't know her. She's one of my friends from before this whole mess." I flop into an overly- large chair. I'm doomed.

"Mmmm...perhaps Mattie Hines?"

I sit up straighter when I shouldn't if I don't want t to be questioned further. "How do you know her?"

She slides me a grin. "While I seemed unconscious most of the time in the ICU, I was awake every so often. And when you talked to a girl's voice longer than normal, I knew whoever she was, you thought she was pretty special."

Yeah. And Dianne is standing in our way. I hope I'll be able to call Mattie tonight and talk about it.

"Will people stop telling me Mattie and I are the key to each other's sides for eternity?" I groan. "We keep fighting and somehow I end up kissing her and everything's okay again. I don't want to keep fighting. Is it like this in normal relationships?"

"Things fall apart for a reason: so we can learn from them and realize how much we want something. I know you two will find a middle ground. You've gotta admit you two are ador--"

I shoot her a glare. She shuts up.

"I just wish Todd was here to play video games."

"Well, while you were gone—" A sly smile— "my aunt came and offered me to stay at her house until I got on my feet. We can get you an Xbox or whatever you had and, if you can find Todd, you can have him over sometime. I'm sure she won't mind."

"Did you tell her about me?" Where will I go if she didn't? I mean, okay, I might last a few days on the streets, but I won't last longer than a week if I'm smart. Hopefully, I can find a good paying job and no one decides to hack into whatever little I make. I'm over eighteen so I can run away as I like. There's no way in hell I'm going back to my parents.

She hesitates before saying, "Of course! I told her all about you, and she couldn't wait to meet you tomorrow. Now, I must warn you—"

"Tomorrow?"

"Today!" a woman shrieks from the hall. The nurses' "SHH!!" fill her silence.

"And that's my crazy aunt." Brenda rolls her eyes.

"Hello, Ervin! Brenda here told me all about you in so little time I just couldn't wait until they released her." I'm betting the doctors had to drag her out and that's why Brenda had to talk so fast: she was going to tell me before her aunt came in. The already-gathered-crazy woman waltzes through the closing door.

Time machines are real. Todd and I tried building a few when we were younger, but they never worked.

I swear she was born whenever the hippie era was. She has frilly blonde hair with streaks of brown that seem like they want to build themselves higher. Her eyes are an emerald green, as wide as possible. She's a bit—by "a bit" I mean a lot-- bigger, flowy, orange skirt, tall yellow stilettos, and a tie-dyed shirt. Yeah, she's crazy alright.

"This is Gloria," Brenda says.

"Ah," I respond, already wary of Gloria. "About me staying with you...do you mind if I—"

"I made cookies!" Gloria shoves a plate full of things that don't even look like cookies into my face. Cautiously, I take one, asking, "What kind?"

"Almond-chocolate chip. Boy, aren't they good! If you don't think those are the darnest cookies, then what is?"

What do I say? I can't even bite into it. Almond. Almonds are nuts. People are allergic to nuts. Can she even have them in here?

"Oh, um, they do look good, but I'm allergic to nuts."

"So am I Auntie." Brenda sets the rock back on the plate.

Gloria puts the quarry on a nearby table, leaning to a side. "Since when were you tested for this, dearie?"

"When they were testing me for other stuff, they found I was allergic."

"Oh." Her face looks hurt. Then she perks up. "Luckily I made a pie safe for anyone--no allergies, nothing vegan or gluten!"

Brenda and I groan on the inside.

Once I get a chance to sneak away, I call Mattie. She doesn't answer. A string of sadness is plucked.

"Hey. It's me. Nothing's up, just that Brenda is being released a day early! Her crazy aunt, Gloria, managed to get her out, that's why. Boy, is she crazy. Hopefully I can get out of her house—that's where we'll be staying—otherwise, she'll turn me into a psycho." I pause. I can hear her laughing. Do I add this last part? I risk it anyway. "Love you. Bye."

When I look up, two nurses along with a doctor and Gloria are wheeling a wheel- chair into Brenda's room. I follow behind. She studies it, disgusted.

"I'm not eighty-three. Not for a long while. Why is that thing in my room?" she demands. To prove her point, she lowers herself to the ground, wobbling. The staff rushes to her side, easing her into the chair.

"You may not be eighty-three, but right now, you've been laying down for so long that you're going to be dizzy. We enjoyed watching your progress in your healing, but we don't want to see you get hurt again," a nurse gently explains.

"Whatever. I don't want anyone but Ervin to push me."

Two weeks, three endless days. Just what they expected. Twenty-five hours of that were spent with Mattie. Is she thinking about me? Us? When will I see her gleaming hair again, her sweet voice saying my name? Questions roll by like the telephone poles. I start counting them, just to ignore my thoughts.

My phone buzzes against my thigh. Mattie? Please, let it be her.

Todd Stewart?

Gloria is yapping on about how Yip her dog keeps eating and romping through her garden. Brenda nods along like she's actually listening when all she's really doing is watching oil wells dot the fields. I slide the vibrating phone out, whispering, "Todd! I missed you so much. Did you get my message?"

"Of course I heard! What the hell do you think you're doing?" I can practically see his raised eyebrows.

"What?"

His voice lowers so I have to press the phone closer. "She's using you!"

"Nu-hu."

"Ya-hu."

"What for?"

"I don't know. You said you guys went to a party? What was she like? How long did you stay?"

I look up. Brenda heard our conversation. Oh great. I bet she knows what it's about, too.

"Gotta go," I say. Before I can end the call, Brenda announces she has to pee. She must've seen the gas station to help me out, too. Otherwise, I'm sure Gloria would have no problem having her go on the side of the road.

"Dude? You still there?"

"Yeah. I'll tell you in like five minutes. So what's up with you these days? Haven't heard from you in decades!"