"What the?" My hand started shaking so hard, I could barely hold the phone.
The note I had been
holding onto for dear life, in my free hand, had fallen unceremoniously to the floor. April had scribbled it
out in her same familiar handwriting with a black sharpie marker hours before. "We've got AIDS." It
read.
The girl on the other end of the receiver was screaming my name, now. I recognized her voice.
Must have been a friend of April's.
"Roger? Roger? ROGER! Are you there?" I nodded my head, in shock. People can't hear you
when you nod on the phone.
"Uh-huh."
"April's dead. We found her in the bathroom." The phone connection became kinda fuzzy, and I heard the girl
sobbing faintly. I don't remember much from that point on, except that I must've blacked out or something. When I
woke up, I had fallen from the chair, and Mark, Maureen, and Collins were hovering over me. Benny was
watching TV.
"He's awake. Roger, how many fingers am I holding up?" I pushed Mark's hand out of my face.
I knew he was just trying to help, but, still, it was annoying. "Go 'way." I murmured. "Leave me alone." I guess I
must have looked pretty bad, or something, because I've never seen Collins, who's usually pretty laid back, look that
nervous.
"What happened?" This time, it was Collins. I didn't feel like forcing my mouth to say the
words, "April is dead," so I shoved my crumpled up note in his face, assuming that Collins, bright boy that
he is, would take the hint. He did, and his face looked about how I felt right then. He and Mark walked
away, leaving me on the floor, alone as I had requested. I could hear Benny flipping channels in the next
room, oblivious to my suffering. Maureen sat down next to me.
"Sorry, pookie." She whispered. "Goodnight." Someone, must have been Mark, tossed me a
blanket and pillow. It was the single most miserable night of my life. Ever. I watched the lights go out all
around me, and drew the thin blanket up around my ears. I cried myself to sleep for the first time since I
was a little kid.
When I awoke early that morning, sunlight streamed through the window and across my pillow,
forcing me to open my eyes. I groaned sleepily and relocated to the couch across the room, where it was
considerably less sunny. I buried myself in the blanket, not wishing to face the day quite yet. A voice from
across the room called, "Good morning, sleepyhead!" Evidently, I was not alone.
holding onto for dear life, in my free hand, had fallen unceremoniously to the floor. April had scribbled it
out in her same familiar handwriting with a black sharpie marker hours before. "We've got AIDS." It
read.
The girl on the other end of the receiver was screaming my name, now. I recognized her voice.
Must have been a friend of April's.
"Roger? Roger? ROGER! Are you there?" I nodded my head, in shock. People can't hear you
when you nod on the phone.
"Uh-huh."
"April's dead. We found her in the bathroom." The phone connection became kinda fuzzy, and I heard the girl
sobbing faintly. I don't remember much from that point on, except that I must've blacked out or something. When I
woke up, I had fallen from the chair, and Mark, Maureen, and Collins were hovering over me. Benny was
watching TV.
"He's awake. Roger, how many fingers am I holding up?" I pushed Mark's hand out of my face.
I knew he was just trying to help, but, still, it was annoying. "Go 'way." I murmured. "Leave me alone." I guess I
must have looked pretty bad, or something, because I've never seen Collins, who's usually pretty laid back, look that
nervous.
"What happened?" This time, it was Collins. I didn't feel like forcing my mouth to say the
words, "April is dead," so I shoved my crumpled up note in his face, assuming that Collins, bright boy that
he is, would take the hint. He did, and his face looked about how I felt right then. He and Mark walked
away, leaving me on the floor, alone as I had requested. I could hear Benny flipping channels in the next
room, oblivious to my suffering. Maureen sat down next to me.
"Sorry, pookie." She whispered. "Goodnight." Someone, must have been Mark, tossed me a
blanket and pillow. It was the single most miserable night of my life. Ever. I watched the lights go out all
around me, and drew the thin blanket up around my ears. I cried myself to sleep for the first time since I
was a little kid.
When I awoke early that morning, sunlight streamed through the window and across my pillow,
forcing me to open my eyes. I groaned sleepily and relocated to the couch across the room, where it was
considerably less sunny. I buried myself in the blanket, not wishing to face the day quite yet. A voice from
across the room called, "Good morning, sleepyhead!" Evidently, I was not alone.