Fading

Chapter 3

My coffee was already wasted anyway so I didn't think too much about ordering one more. I don't know why I was sitting there with a stranger drinking coffee, who just said he didn't like fictional stories. But something about the way he smiled reminded me of something, I don't know what, but his smile was warm and sweet. So I just awkwardly sat there for I don't know how long, drinking my coffee when he surprised me by speaking first.

"It's not like I don't know anything about fiction, in fact I used to read fiction when I was younger but stopped after a while." He said.

"Why did you stop reading it?"

"I don't know, maybe because they show everything as it is beyond all praise. Things are never as perfect as they are in books." He sighed.

"Nothing is supposed to be perfect though. And I think maybe that's why some books are just too perfect so that we can feel how it is to have everything exemplary. And that's why I read them because they take me into a different world, away from reality." I said.

He stared at me with a musing look, then shifted his eyes at the wall behind me.

"And by the way there are many books that aren't perfect, but we still read them to have abstract experience." I said.

"Yeah nothing is perfect." He sighed. I looked at the shelf behind him, there was a "Time" magazine. Oh crap!

"What time is it?" I asked panicked.

"It's 4:30 pm." He said looking at his wrist.

"Okay thanks, I need to go home now." It's not too late but I told grana I would be home early, I should go now or she would have my head for dinner. I stood up, kept the money for my coffee on the table and started walking to the door.

"Woah woah wait, why?" He stood up as well.

"My grandma is waiting for me and it's almost evening, I have to go home." I said putting the used tissue in the dump.

"Oh. Well at least tell me your name?" He said.

"I didn't tell you my name?" He shook his head. "it's Alice." I smiled.

"It was nice meeting you Alice." He gave me a meek smile.

"It was nice meeting you too. And sorry again for your book." I said with an embarrassed smile.

"It's okay, see you later...if we meet again." He said.

"Okay." I said.

"Bye Alice."

"Bye Nate."

• • •

After I went home grana was on the couch waiting for me. As soon as I stepped in she started asking if I was careful or if I got injured on my way home. I just told her to relax, she was acting like I went out for the first time. I was getting frustrated because I didn't want her to stress over me so much. I know it's not her fault, she was just concerned for me. I forget sometimes that the last time I was here I had a huge accident. I had hit my head pretty bad, my hand was fractured and I had broken some ribs. I still remember, when I woke up my head and my whole body was throbbing with pain. The doctor said I was lucky that the speed of the vehicle wasn't too much or I wouldn't have made it. I don't even remember how I got into that accident in the first place. I was just told that a truck with a really drunk driver suddenly came in front of my car and I crashed into it. I don't even remember about the holidays, I think it was my last day here, then I was going to go back home, but I'm still not sure. I still get sad thinking about my mother's face when she saw me lying on the hospital bed like a dead fish. Even grana was miserable, she just couldn't stop crying. My mom was a little hesitant sending me here again, but I tried to reassure her multiple times that it wasn't going to happen again and I would take care of myself. Grana was obviously happy having me here, but she and my mom both made me promise that I wouldn't drive my car until I'm back home. They didn't even let me drive here, in fact my mom drove me to granas place.

As promised grana taught me the recipe for her mouthwatering chocolate chip cookies after I got changed. When the night came we made dinner, I mean she made dinner and I helped her.

It's not like I don't know how to cook, I do, back home when mom is at work I have to cook for myself. But I'm at my grandmas house who happens to make great food so I just want to enjoy that for now.

• • •