Toys are to play

5 days left| Fruits

5 days left

"Angelina. Angelina." I felt his hand on my forehead. "Angelina?" He said again.

"Whanm?"

"Are you okay? You've been sleeping all morning. I'm worried." His touch goes through my nose and caresses my cheek. I smile at the sensation; and dream about walks on mountains full of flowers and furry buffalos.

Then his words finally made sense. All morning?

My eyes flung open and everything hit me at once. I was in my pink bedroom (that actually was not mine), and Sebastian was squatted by the bed's side, looking care-worn.

"What are you feeling? It's past midday and I don't know if you usually sleep this much or there's something wrong..." He began saying how much he regretted for having taught me so many fighting strategies the day before. The exercises had left me exhausted. I just watched while he talked, and in fact nothing was making sense for me. I really loved what he had taught and didn't regret a thing.

I hugged my pillow and observed the way his hair shone under the light. Why boys have this hair power? They only use shampoo, Lord, and we almost die to find a conditioner that works with split ends.

Sebastian stopped talking when he noticed I wasn't paying attention. "Tsc, okay, want to take a shower? I'll leave you alone. Scream if you need me" He laughed.

•••

We met in the kitchen just like the day before. Sebastian looked at me in the new dress I'd found at the back of the wardrobe. It was light blue and I loved light blue.

"Fuck... you don't look sick at all." Sebastian twisted his piercing.

I blushed, and went take the breakfast from the table- canned corn, to eat with a spoon.

"No no no." Sebastian took the breakfast from me. "You need to eat something that isn't canned and disgusting. What about some fruits? I've found an orchard near the woods."

I was going to ask what else he did while I was sleeping, but he grabbed my hand and soon we were outside, walking through the gravel path. I breathed the air and admired the view of the lake, now reflecting the burning sun of 1 in the afternoon. I was not going to eat breakfast, that was the truth. I've never slept so much in my life. Fact, I've never smiled so much in my life.

Sebastian guided us to the orchard. Once there he climbed a tree and came back holding a fruit I've never seen before. It looked like a pear- but pink.

"This is named wax jambu. Try."

The fruit was very cute, actually, but I grimaced at once. "I don't think I am going to like it."

"Really?" He said sarcastically. "I don't want to play THE MOTHER with you... Angelina Firenze!" He made an annoying kind of voice. "you must eat and try everything the world provides! Eat, little baby?"

I stole the wax jambu from his hand, snorting, and gave it a big bite. It was juicy and crunchy... I took another bite.

He watched me with a big smirk on the corner of his mouth. "I like the way you get mad and blush when I call you a baby."

"But I don't get mad nor blush" I felt my cheeks becoming slight hot.

"Uhum" His smile went wider, and I got even more flushed, swallowing my lunch with difficulty.

"I just remembered a joke." He said. "A good one, so be prepared-- Bill Gates farted in an Apple Store and stank up the entire place. But it's not their own fault for not having Windows."

Sebastian left me holding my laugh like a freak; went up some more trees, picked more fruits- including ordinary beautiful apples- and shoved them inside his backpack. Then he told me the story when he met a teacher who explained how fruits were formed. Fruits are the plant's child- he'd said- A flower has to be pollinated, and then its ovary begins to ripen; the ovule develops into a seed and the ovary wall becomes the fruit.

       I started wondering if Sebastian had ever gone to school. Even if he needed one, which was not the case. Something said that boy knew more than someone who'd spent a lifetime in school.

"I think we already have enough for today." He zippered the bag closed.

I licked the apple juice left on the corner of my mouth. "Thanks for bringing me here. I was tired of pickles mixed with corn and crackers and chocolate."

He nodded, smiling, and we began our walking back to the house. "Wait." He suddenly said. "there's another one: A man walks into a zoo. The only animal in the entire zoo is a dog... it's a shit zu."

He started laughing. And the more he laughed the funnier it seemed to him, which made him laugh even harder.

       I couldn't help myself and started laughing too, and soon we were both leaning on the trees, pressing our bellies, gasping for air. Then we looked at each other. I remembered he was an idiot, and started chuckling. He tried to keep himself still by pressing his piercing but that would get me going more and again we both ended up laughing till his backpack fell and we had to pick all the fruits back.

•••

Sebastian and I returned to the house hand in hand. It is still difficult to contain myself when he holds my hand. It is also difficult to think that we are lost in the middle of nowhere. Nowhere? 680 North Lakeswood, CA 92154?

Yes, I memorized it without even trying. Mom and I used to play this game when I was little. She was pretty good at memorizing car plates; and I was good at addresses. The cool thing if that the street numbers I've seen would never left my mind. Still remember the day we passed by 116 Helen Dr. Pittsfield, MA 01201, when I was 11.

   We were on the top of the hill, preparing our muscles to walk more. The view of the house from there was fant-

         A strange movement up there got my total attention. The huge windows from Sebastian's bedroom were still opened; and I could see it, I saw a man in there.

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This is the wax Jambu, tropical fruit (in the case, in California) ;)