I sat next to Rowan's bed. Asleep Rowan looked- dare I say- peaceful?
Innocent? The idea was cut short as Rowan grimaced and yanked his arm over
his head, yanking out the IV needle. He groaned once and I tapped him
lightly, not wanting to wake him up but not wanting him to be trapped in a
nightmare. The door opened and Gabe bolted in, throwing books onto a chair,
a teddy bear swinging from his hand, and stopped short, next to me. "He's
asleep," I said, in case Gabe thought he was dead. I didn't know if this
kid was messed up to or what. His cute, innocent looks kinda made it hard
to analyze him psychologically.
"He's never asleep." Gabe sounded shocked.
"He'll wake up soon." Gabe looked shocked.
"But I come NOW, after school. And he's not awake!" Gabe sounded hysterical.
"Gabe, it's ok. He'll wake up soon. Ok? He's probably just tired." Gabe looked a little better. Maybe I should just keep taking. Get him talking. Hopefully Rowan would wake up soon- how much could I say to a 5 year old? "So, you go to school in town?"
"Uh huh."
"What grade are you in?"
"1st."
"Do you like it?" Gabe mumbled something. "Is that a yes?" Gabe mumbled something else. "Oook." We didn't say anything for a moment.
"You're one of Rowan's friends, right?"
"Yeah. My name's Jaime."
"How come you never talk to anyone?"
"I'm not a talkative person." Why did I get the feeling the roles had been reversed?
"So why do you only talk to Rowan?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'm shy."
"You're not shy. You're talking to me."
"And you're all of what? 4?"
"5 and a HALF!!!!! AN' I'M GONNA BE 6 IN MARCH!!!!!"
"Ok, ok, sorry. You're all of what, 5 and a half and going to be 6 in March? It's not hard to talk to little ki- those younger than me by measurement of years."
"So why can't you talk to people your own age?"
"I dunno. We never have a lot in common. I've got a different lifestyle then them."
"It doesn't matter if you're different. Everyone has something wrong with them. You can still have friends."
"Rowan's my-"
"Other than him."
"What about you Mr. sesame street, Mr. lets all be best friends? You got any friends?"
"I got Captain Spoon Bear Man. All the other kids are stupid."
"Oh. So now the truth comes out. Somebody isn't Mr. sociable either."
"I'm the new kid!"
"So am I!"
"So! You're older! You're smarter!"
"So! You're younger and supposed to melt people's hearts and be well adjusted!"
"What's well adjusted mean?"
"Means you make friends easily."
"Oh. But maybe I have a different life style then them."
Ok, so now the kid is throwing words back into my face. Definitely a relative of Rowan's. "How different a lifestyle?"
"Umm, umm, we like different TV shows. And I think Batman is the best and they don't. And, and, I like the color blue. Oh wait, they all like blue. Umm, I dunno! I just am! And how are you different?"
"Well, I kinda, I kinda, I kinda like the color red and they all like blue." "See! You're not that different."
"Or maybe he is. There are some things you don't need to know Gabe." Rowan turned his head towards us and sat up. Gabe shrieked and gave him a huge hug.
"You're awake!" Rowan turned to me.
"I notice you're not hugging me." Oh God. Shut up. What if the kid tells Kat or someone what you're saying and they figure it out. Did you mean something by the kiss that you didn't tell me? 'Cause I still think I'm in love with you.
"Anything I do now will pale in affection."
"Yeah. Gabe has that way about him."
"Indeed. Oh- and breathe deep."
"What? Wo! Gabe, when was the last time you took a bath?"
"Um, a week ago."
"What?! Why?!"
"I didn't want to. What if a Troll came in or came out of the drain and got me?"
"Gabe. tell you what. Go take a bath in my shower. K?"
"But what if-"
"I've been showering in there all week. No Trolls are going to pop out."
"But how will I get the shampoo out of my hair?"
"Take a shower then!"
"I dun like showers- I always slip. And they hurt."
"OK, so get in the tub and when you need the shampoo out of your hair call me and I'll come wash it out. Ok?" Rowan was beginning to sound terse but the corners of his mouth twitched up. Gabe scampered off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
"Think he might be miffed."
"OK right there, dead give away you're gay."
"What? How?"
"Do you hear straight people saying miff?"
"I don't think miff is a word."
"Should I care?"
Point taken. "So that's Gabe."
"No that's Ronald. Gabe comes in later."
"Ronald? Now who's gay?"
"Evidently both of us."
"Gabe seems cool."
"He is."
"What's with the troll thing?"
"I dunno. My mom probably threatened him with Trolls so he'd behave or something. She tried the same thing on me but by the time she thought of it I was already old enough to know that people are the monsters. My mom was a sick woman. I don't think she ever consciously realized she had a kid."
"She was only 14 when she had you."
"Yeah. I know. She originally tried to abandon me but that failed. The Irish government didn't get the hint and stuck me back with her. So went the cycle of neglect and abandonment that continued till I was 3 and I was stuck with my dad for good."
"She was American right?"
"Yeah. My Grand dad was in the army. Never met him. Or any other members of my mom's family. And most of my dad's."
"Oh." Gabe yelled and Rowan heaved himself up, disappeared for a moment and came back in, hands and other body parts wet. "He splashed me! The second I opened the door he splashed me!"
"You splash him back?"
"Course. Caught him with the hose they have in there."
"Oh. Rowan listen. I came here for a reason." "Oh?"
"We need to talk about-"
"No. I said we'd forget about it."
"But I can't forget!"
"Try."
"I jack off thinking about it! I can't forget!" Gabe appeared wrapped up in a towel. "I need clean clothes." I sighed and stood, afraid my pants would be tight on me. "You're coming back tonight, right?"
"Yeah. Be ready to be lectured in Group."
"Uh huh." I walked to the door and left, on the search for a bathroom before Dwayne would come.
"He's never asleep." Gabe sounded shocked.
"He'll wake up soon." Gabe looked shocked.
"But I come NOW, after school. And he's not awake!" Gabe sounded hysterical.
"Gabe, it's ok. He'll wake up soon. Ok? He's probably just tired." Gabe looked a little better. Maybe I should just keep taking. Get him talking. Hopefully Rowan would wake up soon- how much could I say to a 5 year old? "So, you go to school in town?"
"Uh huh."
"What grade are you in?"
"1st."
"Do you like it?" Gabe mumbled something. "Is that a yes?" Gabe mumbled something else. "Oook." We didn't say anything for a moment.
"You're one of Rowan's friends, right?"
"Yeah. My name's Jaime."
"How come you never talk to anyone?"
"I'm not a talkative person." Why did I get the feeling the roles had been reversed?
"So why do you only talk to Rowan?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'm shy."
"You're not shy. You're talking to me."
"And you're all of what? 4?"
"5 and a HALF!!!!! AN' I'M GONNA BE 6 IN MARCH!!!!!"
"Ok, ok, sorry. You're all of what, 5 and a half and going to be 6 in March? It's not hard to talk to little ki- those younger than me by measurement of years."
"So why can't you talk to people your own age?"
"I dunno. We never have a lot in common. I've got a different lifestyle then them."
"It doesn't matter if you're different. Everyone has something wrong with them. You can still have friends."
"Rowan's my-"
"Other than him."
"What about you Mr. sesame street, Mr. lets all be best friends? You got any friends?"
"I got Captain Spoon Bear Man. All the other kids are stupid."
"Oh. So now the truth comes out. Somebody isn't Mr. sociable either."
"I'm the new kid!"
"So am I!"
"So! You're older! You're smarter!"
"So! You're younger and supposed to melt people's hearts and be well adjusted!"
"What's well adjusted mean?"
"Means you make friends easily."
"Oh. But maybe I have a different life style then them."
Ok, so now the kid is throwing words back into my face. Definitely a relative of Rowan's. "How different a lifestyle?"
"Umm, umm, we like different TV shows. And I think Batman is the best and they don't. And, and, I like the color blue. Oh wait, they all like blue. Umm, I dunno! I just am! And how are you different?"
"Well, I kinda, I kinda, I kinda like the color red and they all like blue." "See! You're not that different."
"Or maybe he is. There are some things you don't need to know Gabe." Rowan turned his head towards us and sat up. Gabe shrieked and gave him a huge hug.
"You're awake!" Rowan turned to me.
"I notice you're not hugging me." Oh God. Shut up. What if the kid tells Kat or someone what you're saying and they figure it out. Did you mean something by the kiss that you didn't tell me? 'Cause I still think I'm in love with you.
"Anything I do now will pale in affection."
"Yeah. Gabe has that way about him."
"Indeed. Oh- and breathe deep."
"What? Wo! Gabe, when was the last time you took a bath?"
"Um, a week ago."
"What?! Why?!"
"I didn't want to. What if a Troll came in or came out of the drain and got me?"
"Gabe. tell you what. Go take a bath in my shower. K?"
"But what if-"
"I've been showering in there all week. No Trolls are going to pop out."
"But how will I get the shampoo out of my hair?"
"Take a shower then!"
"I dun like showers- I always slip. And they hurt."
"OK, so get in the tub and when you need the shampoo out of your hair call me and I'll come wash it out. Ok?" Rowan was beginning to sound terse but the corners of his mouth twitched up. Gabe scampered off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
"Think he might be miffed."
"OK right there, dead give away you're gay."
"What? How?"
"Do you hear straight people saying miff?"
"I don't think miff is a word."
"Should I care?"
Point taken. "So that's Gabe."
"No that's Ronald. Gabe comes in later."
"Ronald? Now who's gay?"
"Evidently both of us."
"Gabe seems cool."
"He is."
"What's with the troll thing?"
"I dunno. My mom probably threatened him with Trolls so he'd behave or something. She tried the same thing on me but by the time she thought of it I was already old enough to know that people are the monsters. My mom was a sick woman. I don't think she ever consciously realized she had a kid."
"She was only 14 when she had you."
"Yeah. I know. She originally tried to abandon me but that failed. The Irish government didn't get the hint and stuck me back with her. So went the cycle of neglect and abandonment that continued till I was 3 and I was stuck with my dad for good."
"She was American right?"
"Yeah. My Grand dad was in the army. Never met him. Or any other members of my mom's family. And most of my dad's."
"Oh." Gabe yelled and Rowan heaved himself up, disappeared for a moment and came back in, hands and other body parts wet. "He splashed me! The second I opened the door he splashed me!"
"You splash him back?"
"Course. Caught him with the hose they have in there."
"Oh. Rowan listen. I came here for a reason." "Oh?"
"We need to talk about-"
"No. I said we'd forget about it."
"But I can't forget!"
"Try."
"I jack off thinking about it! I can't forget!" Gabe appeared wrapped up in a towel. "I need clean clothes." I sighed and stood, afraid my pants would be tight on me. "You're coming back tonight, right?"
"Yeah. Be ready to be lectured in Group."
"Uh huh." I walked to the door and left, on the search for a bathroom before Dwayne would come.