Chapter 7
It was almost 10:00 in the morning (Not his usual wake up time.) Elmo woke up with a pounding headache, sole and palms stings.
' Fuck! Why do my hands and my sole stings?'
He slowly opened his eyes and when he stretched his arms only then he noticed a gauze sponge and a medical tape wrapped around his palms and his foot.
He sat on the bed and his headache got worse when he tried to recall what had happened last night.
The last thing he remembered was, he was talking to Julie and he threw the bottle of Jack Daniels and he recalled everything but not the part when Julie came to his rescue...but he could still hear her screaming.
" Oh God, Elmo! What happened to you ba?! I told you not to drink! What am I gonna do?!"
' It cannot be…. No way! She didn't come here, right? What if she did? Then should I thank her? But it's impossible, with all the restrictions? Nah. She didn't. (He was about to get off the bed when he saw a piece of paper on the floor from the bed.) Oh, there's some notes, I know her handwriting by heart… Oh by heart? Shut up. ( He stepped his foot without the gauze on the floor as he leaned to get the paper.) See? It's not hers. Maybe it's from the nurse. But you were hoping? I didn't! Why would I? She's just too stubborn to insist on what she wants. I'm totally over her---that's not what I observed… Totally over her? My ass, Elmo! Stop contradicting me, you're making my headache worse! '
He slowly walked to the bathroom.
" Ugh! I badly needed a shower. It stinks."
' And you have to stop drinking. Look at yourself, you became worse. Your therapy became useless, Elmo. Because Julie happened again. Don't blame her. Drop it! You're making my headache worse!'
He stopped in front of the sink and he realized it would be difficult for him to take a bath if no one would assist him.
He took off the medical tape and the gauze sponge on his hands and he saw the deep scratches and cuts on it.
He winced when his hands touched the water.
He started washing his face.
" Fuck! It stings! This is Julie's fault! Oh c'mon! How could you blame her? She didn't do anything to you… You're the one who threw the bottle and stepped on it. '
' Ugh. Just shut up.'
He stripped himself leaving only his boxers. He took the towel from the hamper and wet it and put some soap on it and washed it again before cleaning his whole body with the wet towel. He winced every time the fiber of the towel cloth pressed on his palms.
He washed his face again before he brushed his teeth and after wash his face again. Somehow it helped, he felt comfortable leaving the bathroom.
He went to his walk-in closet and took a seat before he took off his boxers and threw it in the laundry basket and his vision caught something not his…a pair of black terno pajamas. He slowly walked to the laundry basket and picked the long sleeve terno and checked it.
' What the? Who's clothes this is?'
And his mouth agape when he saw the print on the black silk cloth… Julie.
" Julie? Julie Anne? Fuck! So she's really here?! I wasn't dreaming at all?! Julie's here!"
'So what now Elmo? C'mon lower your pride…give some credit to the poor girl, don't be too harsh on her. In due time you will just eat all your words…you still want her in your life. I think she's telling the truth…she risked coming here in the wee hours, she must really love you to defy every rule in their house and the pandemic rules, don't you think?'
