The Approximation

In the Bathtub

     I sat at the kitchen table, my e-phone with the video of the creature burning a hole in my pocket. For the past week,  I had worked even harder crunched more numbers of the different genes than any of the other interns combined. Although I was still worried as I waited for them to do their normal rounds and notice that one of the creatures was missing.

           My family sat around the table chatting. Carla and Mage were practically glowing as they were telling us about all their new renovations to their house in anticipation for their new addition. I zoned in and out my mind still on the creature, what had caused it to change as it had?

"Angelo bring in the salads." Mage said waving her hand in the direction of the kitchen. I sucked in a breath, Angelo was here?

       He walked in the room his hair a mangled mess, all the passion that was once in his eyes was gone. Purple rings liked the bottom of his eyes along with bruises all over his neck. Even as my family continued talking I couldn't take my eyes off of him. What had they done to him?

           I kept staring even as my mind chided myself I really shouldn't be looking at him. That's when his eyes caught mine they seemed to shrink in their sockets as he looked at me questioningly.

        As the meal continued I didn't speak a single word, stealing glances at Res through the rest of the meal. How could one person consume my thoughts so completely? "So how has the approximation been going," Momma asked interrupting Nanay as she was talking about the old wisdom of the Philippines of when the baby should be born.  

      We all seemed to lean forward as we waited for Mage to respond. 

"It's been going well. I think we should be expecting our first daughter very soon." 

"What will you do if it's a boy?" Lana asks. The room falls silent as we look at her. 

"We don't speak of such things," Momma says sternly. The room remains in a somber mood for the rest of the meal. 

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I walked into the bathroom, I had pajama shorts on and a t-shirt The Notebook tucked in one of my hands. 

Since Carla and Mage were staying for the weekend I had to share with Lana, and there was no way that I was reading The Notebook with her in the same room even if she was sleeping. So the bathroom would be the only room in the entire house that I could be alone.

I peel away the shower curtain to find Res reading a book in the bathtub. 

"What are you doing here?" I ask him as he looks up at me. He's no longer in his orange jumpsuit that is the standard issue uniform of a slave but his fading black jeans and a t-shirt. I suddenly become extremely self-conscious that I'm not wearing a bra. Although I have practically no boobs anyway so it's not like he can even notice.  

"How do you always find me?" He says. 

"What is that?" I ask him gesturing at his book.  

"What is that?" He asks me pointing at the book in my hands. 

"Hmmph," I say crossing my arms over my chest. 

"The Notebook huh princess, I didn't take you for a romantic." He said. 

"I'm not. And don't call me princess" 

"Mmmhm." He says superiorly as he looks back at the book in his lap. 

"Well, aren't you going to sit down." He asks me not looking up from his book. 

"And do what?" I ask him. 

"Read of course." He says. 

I reluctantly move towards the tub sitting down across from him moving my legs so that they're parallel to his. 

I try to read a page but I'm not able to focus. 

"Where did you learn to read," I say impatiently. 

"So full of questions." 

"Well, most sl..." I trail off for some reson uncomfortable to explain my reasoning.  

"Most slaves aren't taught to read?" He says raising an eyebrow. 

"Ya," I say blushing. 

"My father taught me." He says. 

"Who taught him," I ask. 

"My mother." 

I let that sit between us, he keeps staring at his book but I can't seem to even see the words on the pages of mine my eyes always coming back to his face. 

"Stop looking at me I can't read my book." He says looking up at me annoyed. 

"Sorry," I say blushing as I look back down at my book. But I can't focus there's so much I want to know.  

"Did you know your mother?" I ask him. 

"No." He says. 

"Do you ever wonder what she's like?" I ask him. 

"Yes." 

"Are you going to respond to everything I ask in one-word answers." 

"Yes." 

"Do you-" 

"Stop asking questions!" He says. 

"Just one more, please," I say. 

"Fine one more." 

"Why did your mother teach your father to read." 

"Becuase they loved each other." He said simply. I was silent. 

"Ha, that got you to shut up." He said looking back at his book. 

"Oh so it's a joke," I say. 

"No, it's not a joke! They loved each other and that was that." 

"A man and women can't love each other there is no exceptions. A man is an animal meaning that they aren't capable of love. So they could never be of equal caliber to a woman." I say to him almost like a robot. 

He scowls. "I thought you where different." He says standing up. 

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" I ask him. 

"Bye, princess." He says before leaving through the door shutting it softly behind him. 

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Hey my dudes, 

Thank you for reading. You guys are my favorites. Please comment I love love love hearing from you. I really want to know what you guys think and if you have anything that you want me to include please do tell. Catch you on the flip side. 

- The Scribbler