Epilogue Part 1
In the weeks that followed, Helga visited me at every opportunity; even on the day she graduated high school. And maybe I'm just being optimistic, but I got the impression that she really wanted to and didn't just simply feel obligated. We'd talk about everything. We laughed, sometimes we'd cry. Things were going really well, and she didn't treat me like some freak that she had to walk on eggshells around, and she didn't act like she was doing me some favor by visiting me so frequently. She didn't even acknowledge the fact that I loved her, something for which I was forever grateful. She treated me like I was a normal person, like we were equals.
On my last day in the hospital, she ran to embrace me. "This is your last day here. What're you going to do after?"
"I don't know. Get a job, learn a new skill," I said sarcastically, repeating verbatim what they told us to do in group therapy sessions here at the hospital.
She stared at me for a second and threw her head back to laugh. When she was done, she looked at me seriously. "You're my best friend, now, you know."
"You have always been mine," I answered. She looked sad then, and I regretted saying it.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"No, I am. And hey," I said, trying to cheer her up, "we have the whole summer to hang out before you go to college."
She smiled. "We do."
