Sally’s POV
I sat in my usual chair in the waiting room. I picked up the same magazine from a week before and rolled my eyes at it. They’d had the same magazine in the waiting room for the past 6 months, and to be honest, I was starting to get tired of reading about the effects of Hurricane Isabel in Baltimore. I was bored. I tapped my hand on my leg along to the tune inside my head. Then I began softly humming to myself.
The door slowly creaked open, and a familiar brown mop peeked from behind it. I recognised Alex from the previous week and immediately bent my head down. There were other people in the waiting room that day, I couldn’t speak in front of them, and no doubt he’d make me try.
“Hey, Maria. So, I’m back.” I heard Maria giggle softly, but I didn’t remove my eyes from my worn-out red converse.
“Alex, nice to see you again. Please, take a seat. The doctor will see you… well shortly.” There was a brief pause when he didn’t move.
Please don’t see me, please don’t see me, please don’t see me.
Then, the unmistakable sound of incoming feet. I scrunched my eyes up, but felt him sit next to me nonetheless.
“Hey.” I didn’t move, I just picked at a loose strand on my torn jeans.
“Sally? Hello? Anyone home?” I could hear the joking smile in his voice. His gorgeous, slightly gruff, uninterrupted voice. I gave in. I turned to look at him, simultaneously brushing my hair behind my ear. He was as beautiful as last time, and I was still as insecure.
“Hey, why wouldn’t you look at me?” His eyebrows crinkled together to form a cute frown, but his smile stayed in place. I shrugged in response
“How’ve you been? Since last week, I mean?”
I shrugged.
“You’ve been good?”
Shrug.
“Bad?”
Shrug.
“Mediocre?”
Shrug.
“You’re not gonna talk to me?”
Shrug.
“Wow, you sure know how to make it hard for a guy.” I smiled minutely and he leaned a bit closer to me.
“I realised during my appointment last week that I never answered your question.” I frowned in puzzlement. What question?
“I never told you why I was here. You… kind of told me. I wanted to tell you.” I shrugged again and went back to picking at my jeans.
“All right then, I’m just gonna tell you anyway because as much as you shrug, I know you care. You’re one of those people. You don’t think people should suffer, you don’t want people to feel like you do. You want to make everyone feel… better.” I was captivated by him. His words were literally my feelings vocalised. The only way he could possibly know how that felt was by feeling it himself. I bit my lips together and looked sideways at him.
“Do you understand? Would you like me to tell you?” I nodded and completed the action with a close-mouthed smile.
“All right-y then. Well basically a few years ago my brother… he killed himself.” He looked down and I made as sympathetic face as I could muster. I didn’t understand the pain he was going through, and I hoped I’d never have to.
“Yeah… anyway, I started getting these panic attacks, and I was formally diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. 2 years ago, it started getting better, everyone thought that the medication I was on was finally working, and then… Well a couple months ago I started a new school. I moved from private to state. My panic attacks started back up and I freaked out and took too much medication and then well.. that’s where my memory sorta stops.” He made a face and I replicated it.
Seeing as I couldn’t speak to him, I clicked in front of his eyes to make him look at me. I then balled my hand into a fist over my chest and made a small circular motion.
“What’s that?” Alex enquired, looking puzzled.
I looked over at Maria, who was watching the two of us intently. I signed a few short words and she nodded blandly.
“She’s using sign language, Alex. The one she signed was ‘sorry’.” I smiled at Maria and Alex looked over at me, smiling.
“Can you teach me a few signs?” I nodded. I swiped my index finger forward under my chin, and then pointed at Alex.
“Me?” He pointed his index finger at himself. I shook my head.
I repeated the movement, and then pointed at him again. I then pointed at me and shook my head.
“Erm… boy?” I nodded and Alex’s face broke into a grin.
“What about mom?” I smiled and placed my index, middle and ring fingers of my right hand onto my flat palm of my left hand, tapping twice. He copied it and I smiled, nodding. We did a few more very basic signs like the weather, and aeroplane and how are you. Alex was picking it up quite well, and then I was called for my appointment. Before I fully left my chair, Alex called for me to stop.
“Hey, Sally, I was wondering if maybe.. cos my appointment’s not gonna change anytime soon, I was wondering if you could maybe teach me some more signs while we wait?” He stood up with me and I smiled down at my feet.
I nodded and signed ‘see you later’ which we’d just learned. I then walked to the door and managed to push it open without needing a countdown.
