Categories > Original > Drama > Separation
June 15, 1978
He didn’t remember his room being this small, though that could have been because of all the random junk crammed into it. Apparently, the little space had become a catch-all for odd pieces of furniture and unfinished projects, and his parents hadn’t gotten around to clearing it out. His mother’s quilting frame with a half-finished wall-hanging still in it had been shoved into a corner. The desk that had once supported his computer was neatly littered with papers and stacked with books; none of which belonged to him. Boxes of fabric and other incomplete sewing projects had been shoved under the little twin bed. None of his old posters or pictures remained. The curtains had been changed, so too had the bedspread. Instead of the old red-and-white quilt, a fussy chenille spread and stout, frilly pillows had usurped his bed and dainty white lace drapes hung at the window. What with the quilt frame and chair that went with it, the folded futon, three rolled-up sleeping bags, and an end-table that Ray remembered being in the living room, there was little room to navigate. He would have had a difficult time picking his way around all the extraneous junk even without the crutches.
Although the space was his, he made no attempt to change it other than to remove some of the clutter. The quilting frame and chair were moved down to the parlor, the sleeping bags and futon to the basement. Despite his personal belongings arriving in one piece, all but his clothing and other necessities were taken straight down to the basement unopened. Somehow, it didn’t matter. Unpacking and reclaiming his old room seemed too daunting a task. He didn’t bother about the lace curtains or puffy little pillows. For all intents and purposes, this was the guest room, and he didn’t intend on staying.
*
“You’re not staying?” Eddy asked, watching carefully as Ray crunched along over the gravel beside him. There were too many ears and eyes at the hospital, and even more lurked in their respective homes. A walk was good exercise and a chance to make sure the new internal Rainbow was working alright, as well as a convenient excuse to get away from the public at large.
“No. Not with my folks anyway,” he grunted, determinedly stomping along one foot in front of the other. It was slow going with the crutches, but even his meager pride had limits. “They’re driving me crazy, and I think they’d forgotten how annoying I can be as well.”
“I know I missed your witty remarks.”
“Ha ha.”
“Seriously, I know how you feel. If I didn’t have so many loans to pay off, I’d be on my own too. At least your dad isn’t in the same hospital breathing down your lab coat all the time.”
“Touché,” Ray returned, pausing briefly to catch his breath.
“So…where you going?”
“Leah’s.”
“Your sister’s? Isn’t her husband that psycho who--?”
“Nearly ripped my soul out when I was fifteen? Yeah. That’s him. God knows what Leah sees in him.”
Eddy boggled for a moment, standing in place while Ray headed down the path once more. “I’m a believer in ‘forgive and forget’,” he huffed, briefly jogging to catch up, “but I can’t say I’d trust Reverend Derrick Langland any farther than I could throw him. His theology is sound enough, but it would do him a world of good to heed his own advice once in a while.”
“Agreed, but if I’m there, it’ll make things easier on Leah.”
“He’s not…?”
Ray shook his head at Eddy’s raised eyebrows. “She’s never said anything. Aside from being a narcissistic ass, he treats her well enough. He’s got the same problem as my folks. He means well but…”
“…he doesn’t Get It.” Eddy finished grimly.
“Exactly.”
“So…if you’re not going for Leah, why are you going? Aside from the obvious environmental concerns.”
“Sophie.”
Silence.
“…you’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“And she’s…?”
“Got the same thing I had.”
“Damn…” Eddy wasn’t one to swear. Ever. Despite this, the four letters did not begin to convey the sudden icy pressure in his heart. The experience might not have been his personally, but he had witnessed it first hand. What Ray had gone through, no one deserved.
“That’s why she wants me there. I may be out of the game, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still know the rules. If I can find ways to help Sophie now she can avoid all the angst I went through. She can learn to deal with it, to hide it. She won’t have to suffer alone.”
“Hopefully, she won’t have to suffer at all.”
He didn’t remember his room being this small, though that could have been because of all the random junk crammed into it. Apparently, the little space had become a catch-all for odd pieces of furniture and unfinished projects, and his parents hadn’t gotten around to clearing it out. His mother’s quilting frame with a half-finished wall-hanging still in it had been shoved into a corner. The desk that had once supported his computer was neatly littered with papers and stacked with books; none of which belonged to him. Boxes of fabric and other incomplete sewing projects had been shoved under the little twin bed. None of his old posters or pictures remained. The curtains had been changed, so too had the bedspread. Instead of the old red-and-white quilt, a fussy chenille spread and stout, frilly pillows had usurped his bed and dainty white lace drapes hung at the window. What with the quilt frame and chair that went with it, the folded futon, three rolled-up sleeping bags, and an end-table that Ray remembered being in the living room, there was little room to navigate. He would have had a difficult time picking his way around all the extraneous junk even without the crutches.
Although the space was his, he made no attempt to change it other than to remove some of the clutter. The quilting frame and chair were moved down to the parlor, the sleeping bags and futon to the basement. Despite his personal belongings arriving in one piece, all but his clothing and other necessities were taken straight down to the basement unopened. Somehow, it didn’t matter. Unpacking and reclaiming his old room seemed too daunting a task. He didn’t bother about the lace curtains or puffy little pillows. For all intents and purposes, this was the guest room, and he didn’t intend on staying.
*
“You’re not staying?” Eddy asked, watching carefully as Ray crunched along over the gravel beside him. There were too many ears and eyes at the hospital, and even more lurked in their respective homes. A walk was good exercise and a chance to make sure the new internal Rainbow was working alright, as well as a convenient excuse to get away from the public at large.
“No. Not with my folks anyway,” he grunted, determinedly stomping along one foot in front of the other. It was slow going with the crutches, but even his meager pride had limits. “They’re driving me crazy, and I think they’d forgotten how annoying I can be as well.”
“I know I missed your witty remarks.”
“Ha ha.”
“Seriously, I know how you feel. If I didn’t have so many loans to pay off, I’d be on my own too. At least your dad isn’t in the same hospital breathing down your lab coat all the time.”
“Touché,” Ray returned, pausing briefly to catch his breath.
“So…where you going?”
“Leah’s.”
“Your sister’s? Isn’t her husband that psycho who--?”
“Nearly ripped my soul out when I was fifteen? Yeah. That’s him. God knows what Leah sees in him.”
Eddy boggled for a moment, standing in place while Ray headed down the path once more. “I’m a believer in ‘forgive and forget’,” he huffed, briefly jogging to catch up, “but I can’t say I’d trust Reverend Derrick Langland any farther than I could throw him. His theology is sound enough, but it would do him a world of good to heed his own advice once in a while.”
“Agreed, but if I’m there, it’ll make things easier on Leah.”
“He’s not…?”
Ray shook his head at Eddy’s raised eyebrows. “She’s never said anything. Aside from being a narcissistic ass, he treats her well enough. He’s got the same problem as my folks. He means well but…”
“…he doesn’t Get It.” Eddy finished grimly.
“Exactly.”
“So…if you’re not going for Leah, why are you going? Aside from the obvious environmental concerns.”
“Sophie.”
Silence.
“…you’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“And she’s…?”
“Got the same thing I had.”
“Damn…” Eddy wasn’t one to swear. Ever. Despite this, the four letters did not begin to convey the sudden icy pressure in his heart. The experience might not have been his personally, but he had witnessed it first hand. What Ray had gone through, no one deserved.
“That’s why she wants me there. I may be out of the game, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still know the rules. If I can find ways to help Sophie now she can avoid all the angst I went through. She can learn to deal with it, to hide it. She won’t have to suffer alone.”
“Hopefully, she won’t have to suffer at all.”
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