Letters to Adonis

Chapter:: Six

Dear Adonis,

After our date, I was surprised when dad didn’t say I can’t go anywhere anymore. I know it scares him when my symptoms get worse, but I guess he’s used to it since mom went through the same thing. The night was a little scary after that, I had to keep stretching until I could move my leg again; which was painful. You stayed though, and I know you like me and I like you but why did you? It wasn’t any fun, watching me shout out in pain.

“Ariel,” my dad starts. He looks up at me, and he has this expression on his face. “I want you to go see your mother again.” I don’t know why he said it; I don’t know how much he meant it.

“No! Why would I? Because the first time went so well, right?” I cross my arms over my chest, taking a stubborn stance and hoping he was just kidding; or trying to be fatherly.

“You got to see the bad part of the disease, I want you to see the good.” As soon as he spoke the words, a look of terror crosses his face. Maybe he thinks I’ll start progressing even more quickly?

I can’t even think clearly as a rage bigger than teen angst flows down my body. “Are you fucking kidding me? What good side? I hate that you pretend that you know what you’re talking about! I mean I know mom had it and I do, but that doesn’t make you an expert.”

“The part where she has good days and bad days, Ariel. The part where she can remember you, during a time before she was diagnosed. To enjoy it before it’s gone, is what I’m telling you about.” He walks away, out of the living room. I sit there for a few minutes, and get off the couch and go walk to your mom’s shop.

When I get there, she’s cleaning up. She has a mop in her hand and she’s dancing to a Taylor Swift song playing on the radio. I try not to laugh, and I ring the bell that’s by the cash register.

“Oh! Hello!” she exclaims, until she turns to see me. She runs over and gives me a hug.”Ariel! You haven’t been around in so long . . .”

She greets me exceptionally, and I wonder briefly if you’ve told her about my disease. I wouldn’t have, and it seems you didn’t since she’s not giving me the look. “Mrs. Johnson, is Adonis here?” I try to move my head into the back room, to see if he’s there.

“No, he’s at the house. Have you been there before?” Your mom asks, and I think about it. I haven’t, and I wonder why that is.

I shake my head. “Can you give me directions?”

~

I walk up to a decent size two story house. The walk over here, which took about five minutes, was horrible. I was thinking the whole time of why I’ve never been to your house. I suppose I’ve been watching too many movies, because I concluded before I rang the doorbell that you had another life and you weren’t really you.

You answer the door with no shirt on and your hair messed up. “Ariel?” you go wide eyed, and I wonder if I was right about everything. I start hyperventilating, because not only have I pissed my dad off; but to know that you aren’t who you say you are, would hurt me.

“You know,” I start, and you look around before staring straight at me. “I just had an argument with my dad. And so I go to your mom’s shop, and she tells me that you’re here. And I realized walking over, how come I’ve never been here before?”

You look embarrassed and shrug. “There isn’t really a reason; there just hasn’t been a reason for you to come over. Want to come in?”

I calm down by taking a deep breath, and nod my head. You open the door for me and I squeeze past you, I’m still trying to calm down when you grab my hand and lead me upstairs.

“What did you and your dad fight about?” You ask me as we walk into a room where books and CDs are stacked up dangerously everywhere, a little television is in the corner. The thing that takes up most room is a big bed towards a corner of your room.

“Oh, my mom. Kind of.” I don’t want to talk about it, so I seal the subject shut and plop down on your bed. “I think I found a reason why I should have come over. This bed is so much comfier than mine.”

You come lay down next to me, and I snuggle up closer to you. “That’s a good point, I suppose. Want to take a nap?” I blush at my thought as you say this, and I speak aloud.

“Um, I’m not exactly tired right now.” I turn around and push my face into your covers, trying to get my blush to go away. I can feel my face burning up, and I don’t know what you’re going to say.

You laugh, and I bring my head up. “That’s okay, I’m not very tired either.” We start kissing, and it’s exciting and new and makes me feel like I’m floating, when you stop us. “Except, why don’t we wait for that until you aren’t mad at your dad anymore?”

I look at him with wide eyes, about to yell at him before I think about it. “That’s a smart idea, just let me text him and we can watch some movies and go to sleep.”

I text my dad, telling him I’m staying at some girl’s house for the night; and I don’t fool myself into thinking he doesn’t know it’s really Adonis’s house before we cuddle up together.