i just felt all tickly good tonight and decided to update. hope you don't mind...
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Hello," he spoke. Hands behind his back. As he approached the clothesline. The clipped sheets blowing. Wet shirts drying. Glowing in the sun. Beautiful.
"Hello." The woman smiled. Polite. Held back. Hugging tight one of the rolled blankets. Taking the pins from her lips.
"Hi!" Agatha came from behind a sheet. Hitting it away. As it tried to wrap around her.
He smiled at the little girl. Then looked to the woman.
"Could you hear us last night?" She was worried.
He nodded.
"I'm sorry." She said. Quietly. Putting the rolled blanket. Into a basket beside her. "We didn't mean to be so loud. It's just - " she looked at his eyes. And her explanation ended.
"You kept crying out in your sleep, I could hear you down the hall...do you remember what the dream was?"
The man shook his head.
"Are you alright from last night?"
"I think so." His palm went to his chest. Finding pain. His head. Finding bruises.
"He didn't hurt you too bad, did he? He really didn't mean to...it was dark and it'd been a long day..." she was lost in thought. Thinking out loud. "...I know that's no excuse for it, there shouldn't be, but -"
She looked up. Seeing him stare at her. His head tilted. Blinking slowly. He didn't care.
"We should take you to a doctor." She said. Returning to the line. Pulling clips. "I would help you but I don't think my husband -"
He was still just looking at her.
The man blinked. Then looked at the line.
"Were these here all night?" The man asked. Looking at the sheets. And shirts. They looked wet.
"Yes," the woman smiled. Rolling another sheet. "It's still damp. But they smell better, see? " She held it up. And he leaned down into it. Closing his eyes. Breathing it in.
"You're right." He said. Leaning back. Liking the smell.
The woman brought it up. And sniffed it again. To see if it had changed. Then smiled slightly. And put it in the basket.
He looked down to the sheets. "Do you need help?"
She looked to the basket. Then back to him. "No, no thanks..."
"I can take you into the city later today." She broke. "Maybe you'll remember something."
"That'd be nice." He said. Quiet. Looking towards the house. It's sides gleaming in the sun.
"Can we go to the park?" Agatha asked. Sliding into the talk.
"Sweetie," the woman began. But her daughter's pouting face. Stopped her.
"Please mom? Pleeeeeeaaaaazzzzzz?"
"Is that alright?" She turned to the man. His eyes never left hers. And he nodded.
"Alright," she said. "after we take uh - I'm sorry, I don't know what to call you." She looked at the man. He just looked back.
"Can we name him Catcher?" Agatha asked. Jumping up and down.
"Nikky has a dog named Catcher and he's really ugly, I think he was shut in the door or something when he was a puppy, so that name is wasted on him."
"Agatha." The woman reprimanded.
The woman laughed apologetically. Crossing her arms. "Honey, we can't give him a name. He's a human, not a dog." She turned to him.
She smiled adjustingly. And he just smiled.
"Oh come on, mom. It's a good name!"
"It's fine with me." The man spoke.
The woman looked up. Surprised. "Are you joking?"
"Should I?" he asked slowly.
"No," the woman half smiled. Perplexed. "I just..."
He raised an eyebrow. And finally the smile broke loose. On her face. "Fine then. We'll call you Catcher..."
"Hi Catcher," the little girl tugged on his shirt. "I'm Agatha." She smiled wide. As "Catcher" leaned down.
"Hi Agatha," he took her outstretched hand. And kissed it gently. "I'm Catcher..." The little girl blushed.
"This is Lara, my mom." The little girl motioned up to her mother. Taking the attention off herself. Her rosy cheeks shining.
"Hello Lara," Catcher rose to his feet. Taking her hand. "I'm Catcher."
The woman smiled. And shook her head. But he bent down. And kissed her hand. Anyway. Her cheeks turned pink.
She pulled her hand away. And cleared her throat. To try and dispose of the smile. Going back to the clothesline.
"See mom?" the little girl went up next to Lara. "I told you he was nice."
"We've got a real gentleman here Agatha." The woman said softly. Rubbing her daughter's hair.
"We better watch ourselves."
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Hello," he spoke. Hands behind his back. As he approached the clothesline. The clipped sheets blowing. Wet shirts drying. Glowing in the sun. Beautiful.
"Hello." The woman smiled. Polite. Held back. Hugging tight one of the rolled blankets. Taking the pins from her lips.
"Hi!" Agatha came from behind a sheet. Hitting it away. As it tried to wrap around her.
He smiled at the little girl. Then looked to the woman.
"Could you hear us last night?" She was worried.
He nodded.
"I'm sorry." She said. Quietly. Putting the rolled blanket. Into a basket beside her. "We didn't mean to be so loud. It's just - " she looked at his eyes. And her explanation ended.
"You kept crying out in your sleep, I could hear you down the hall...do you remember what the dream was?"
The man shook his head.
"Are you alright from last night?"
"I think so." His palm went to his chest. Finding pain. His head. Finding bruises.
"He didn't hurt you too bad, did he? He really didn't mean to...it was dark and it'd been a long day..." she was lost in thought. Thinking out loud. "...I know that's no excuse for it, there shouldn't be, but -"
She looked up. Seeing him stare at her. His head tilted. Blinking slowly. He didn't care.
"We should take you to a doctor." She said. Returning to the line. Pulling clips. "I would help you but I don't think my husband -"
He was still just looking at her.
The man blinked. Then looked at the line.
"Were these here all night?" The man asked. Looking at the sheets. And shirts. They looked wet.
"Yes," the woman smiled. Rolling another sheet. "It's still damp. But they smell better, see? " She held it up. And he leaned down into it. Closing his eyes. Breathing it in.
"You're right." He said. Leaning back. Liking the smell.
The woman brought it up. And sniffed it again. To see if it had changed. Then smiled slightly. And put it in the basket.
He looked down to the sheets. "Do you need help?"
She looked to the basket. Then back to him. "No, no thanks..."
"I can take you into the city later today." She broke. "Maybe you'll remember something."
"That'd be nice." He said. Quiet. Looking towards the house. It's sides gleaming in the sun.
"Can we go to the park?" Agatha asked. Sliding into the talk.
"Sweetie," the woman began. But her daughter's pouting face. Stopped her.
"Please mom? Pleeeeeeaaaaazzzzzz?"
"Is that alright?" She turned to the man. His eyes never left hers. And he nodded.
"Alright," she said. "after we take uh - I'm sorry, I don't know what to call you." She looked at the man. He just looked back.
"Can we name him Catcher?" Agatha asked. Jumping up and down.
"Nikky has a dog named Catcher and he's really ugly, I think he was shut in the door or something when he was a puppy, so that name is wasted on him."
"Agatha." The woman reprimanded.
The woman laughed apologetically. Crossing her arms. "Honey, we can't give him a name. He's a human, not a dog." She turned to him.
She smiled adjustingly. And he just smiled.
"Oh come on, mom. It's a good name!"
"It's fine with me." The man spoke.
The woman looked up. Surprised. "Are you joking?"
"Should I?" he asked slowly.
"No," the woman half smiled. Perplexed. "I just..."
He raised an eyebrow. And finally the smile broke loose. On her face. "Fine then. We'll call you Catcher..."
"Hi Catcher," the little girl tugged on his shirt. "I'm Agatha." She smiled wide. As "Catcher" leaned down.
"Hi Agatha," he took her outstretched hand. And kissed it gently. "I'm Catcher..." The little girl blushed.
"This is Lara, my mom." The little girl motioned up to her mother. Taking the attention off herself. Her rosy cheeks shining.
"Hello Lara," Catcher rose to his feet. Taking her hand. "I'm Catcher."
The woman smiled. And shook her head. But he bent down. And kissed her hand. Anyway. Her cheeks turned pink.
She pulled her hand away. And cleared her throat. To try and dispose of the smile. Going back to the clothesline.
"See mom?" the little girl went up next to Lara. "I told you he was nice."
"We've got a real gentleman here Agatha." The woman said softly. Rubbing her daughter's hair.
"We better watch ourselves."