think pink.

25 victories

I walked into Leo's warmly lit room from the hazy bathroom, dragging a warm washcloth over my cheeks. My hair clung to my face from the humid night.

Under the glow of the bedside lamp, I looked down at Leo who now faintly snored, still fully dressed. His boots hung from the edge of his bed and his body lay sideways across the mattress of wrinkled and faded sheets. His face seemed feverish, or maybe just tired. His sleep was never stable, and I'd often be looking at him just like this.

I guess I wasn't leaving until morning, though it seemed the sunrise was approaching sooner than later.

Before my eyes became too hypnotized on the man, I hunted down the telephone. As I tiptoed from his familiar bedroom, the floorboards squeaked beneath my heels as I my walked my hands across walls to try and steady my weight. The gloomy, narrow hallway lined with cream wallpaper leads to the boxy living space. Leo had told me his mother was home but has been glued to her own bed in heartbreak since his father fled.

I dialed my mother's number into the clunky telephone.  I felt my shoulders rise towards my ears as the phone rang.

Her groggy voice erupted from the line.  I could picture her dizzy path to the phone. I murmured that I had accidentally fallen asleep at Frenchy's house, talking softly directly into the receiver. Her drowsiness from her sleeping tablets allowed me to hold off on the lecture until the true morning hours. Her years of popping them like a nightly vitamin, had given me my nighttime freedom.

I propped myself up on Leo's dusky green armchair after slipping back into his room. His room sat surprisingly tidy. Though the room sat cluttered, his stacks of books, miscellaneous papers, and even his shoes were in piles against the far wall. Unusual behavior from a guy who spent more time out than in, at least that's what I thought.

I tipped my head back and put all my effort into trying to take a full deep breath through the massive elephant that rested on my ribs. I guess Leo heard because he quietly stirred before rolling onto his stomach. I pulled my restless legs up to my chest and tucked my knees into the loose, black shirt that I threw on from the usual drawer in which I'd steal some clothes one day, and put away laundry the next.
No wonder his mother loved me. Her grey hair and rosy, slim face was always the most pensive looking face in any room. If she wasn't happy, no one was happy. Sadly the only thing that made her happy were the short-lived victories of reeling in her husband. I guess a broken marriage is better than none for some.

As my mind rambled, I didn't notice that Leo had woken up. He had rolled over once more to find me perched in my chair. He squinted eyes found me in the shadow of his bedroom. He extended an arm my way across the bed and motioned his fingers.