That goddamned thing

Chapter 10

The next morning my nurse wakes me up at ten and tells me that I will be allowed to leave after the doctor inspects me. I am feeling almost fine until I look into the bathroom’s mirror; I look terrible. I try to hide the lump on my forehead with my hair but it is useless. I try not to care and walk out to my room. The doctor is an olive-skinned bespectacled man.  He checks my pulse and the lumps on my head and says something to the nurse which I don’t pay attention to, who copies them on a clipboard and then the doctor leaves. My mum comes in after a while and hugs me.

“Ready to go home?” She says smiling kindly.

“Ready to go home.”I repeat.

Just then Alex enters the room and greets my mum. “Great. Alex can come with us too.” My mum says gleefully.

I look at Alex and then back at my mum. “Uhm mum, actually we are planning to go back to our apartment.”

My mum looks hurt, “But Cara dear, you surely can’t live alone for a while. I need to take care of you.”

“I will not be alone mum. I will call you if I need you.” Both of us know that I won’t.

My mum agrees after a little convincing though she still has a hurtful expression. She drives us to Pinewood in her minivan because my car was already taken there after I was brought to the hospital. I give her a tight hug in the parking lot and tell her not to worry about me.

“I will come to see you tomorrow. Dora wants to see you too. I will bring her along.”

“Okay mum. See you.”

“Take care, honey.”

I help Alex climb to the first floor and we enter our apartment. I find a letter on the doorstep and pick it up. Without a second glance at the letter, I start to walk inside. I half expect someone to be already in the apartment so I walk silently all around before relaxing however Alex goes straight to the living room and slumps on the couch. I follow him after a while and sit on the sofa.

I look down at the letter. It is from the National Bureau of Construction and has sent me the letter to formally inform me of vacating the apartment within 10 days. I am relieved that it is not from the men again but I feel a sadist feeling rising in me. This place has been my home since I became independent; I learnt so much from my practical life here and even though I knew from quite a while that I will have to leave, this formal news in itself is pretty heart wrenching.

“Cheerful welcome.” I say.

“I am sure you will find a new apartment soon.” He encourages.

I nod and look up at him, getting a glimpse of his pained expression as he tries to adjust his foot.

“How’s your foot?” I ask.

“Sprained.” He replies.

I roll my eyes and say, “How did you get it sprained anyway? Were you trying to run away?” I add the last part smiling.

“As a matter of fact, I was. When the men were held back by the guard, I tried to come towards you but you know, how the sexy being I am, even the ground wanted to make out with me just then and lo and behold, my right foot turned and I hugged the ground face first.”

I smile at his humor and get up to fetch the pattern which I had taken from him making an excuse that I wanted to examine it while I actually didn’t want him to examine it closely. I take out the pattern from my dressing table’s drawer and go back to the living room sitting beside him on the couch. I hand him the pattern.

“What sense does it make to you?”

He looks down at it and says after a while, “There are these small boxes, that might be some panels of some sort and there is this one with the cross which might slide open and we can get whatever that is hidden.”