The next day Race had to sell but first he wanted to carry me to
Christina's place. It surprised me how protective he was being but I guess
that was mostly because the only person watching out for me was usually me.
My mother when she was alive but she was so busy with work, I was by myself
most days.
I woke up and found Race was still in bed with me. I wouldn't allow him to sleep on the floor another night and there wasn't anything so horribly wrong with me that I needed my own bed. I carefully pulled back the covers and sat up making sure Race wasn't awake. I placed my feet on the ground and attempted to set my weight on them and stand up. I could, though my legs were wobbly and really weak. It didn't help I hadn't had much of an appetite the past two days so I hadn't eaten much either. I balanced myself on the bedpost and walked around a little.
Just then Race woke up and seeing me he said,"Whudd de ye think yer doin?"
I turned to him. "Uh stretchin me legs."
"Ye really need ta be able te walk don ye?" he asked me.
"Yea." I replied. "If I don I don feel in charge of me own self...well let's put it dis way, if I didn't take care o me before I came hea I wouldn't have survived so good. So now I'm not used ta not havin ta do dat so I guess I'm still kinda paranoid bout it. It's kinda programmed inta me."
"I understand," he said. "But now dat ye do have people ta take care o ye make sure yer not tryin ta do everytin yerself."
I sighed, "I'll try, but it'll be hard. I'm still getting over everythin dats happened lately."
"Yea, I know." he said, "Ye've held up really well, Brin."
"Ye used me real name...and ye've told de biggest lie I've hoid in a while. Me? Holdin up good, when de foist day I met ye I ran inte ye cryin?"
"Hey ye had a damn good excuse if ye ask me."
"Maybe but I've been pretty stupid at odda times." I contradicted.
"Maybe but dats no different dan everyone else." he said resonably.
"Hmmm...an why did ye use me real name?"
"Well I like it an I think it's as much a part of ye as Doodles is."
"Hey did ye know I just made Doodles up on de spot de night I came ta Manhattan an Mush asked me me name?" I told him just thinking of it.
"Really? No I didn't know but its still you. And now its kinda stuck fer good
Yea," I said. "But ye know? I kinda like it. It feels like...me."
Race got out of bed. "Dats why I like ye so much." he said softly.
"Why cause o de name Doodles?" I asked confused.
"Naw silly," he said taking my chin in his hand. "Yer you. Nobody else, just Doodles, Brin. Yer not like anyone I've met before."
I couldn't say anything to this. I felt at that moment, totally right, so complete. I had always wished I could find someone who wanted me, not my body or my looks, but me, my opinions, choices, and values, everything that made me, me. And here standing in front of me was a guy telling me exactly that. Not just any guy but Race, who had come to be one of my closest friends in only a week, a week that felt like a lifetime. Almost as if when my mother died I began a whole new life and though it tore my heart to say goodbye to her, I was so glad to have been sent here to this place, to all my new friends, and to Race. Then i realized for the first time in my whole life I was in love. Not the steady love I had had for my mother, but a different kind. I felt the dampness on my cheeks and new I had begun to cry. And just to ruin the moment I felt silly once again for me crying over that one simple, sweet statement.
"Whudd is it?" he said looking concerned.
"Oh..." I broke off. Though I had complete faith in Race I was still wary. I didn't know how he felt about me and I didn't want to scare him away. I mean I had only known him for a week and we had only been boyfriend and girlfriend for three days. I didn't want to be hurt, not now, so I put it away, to tell him later. "Nuthin, but don worry, deyre happy tears."
"Only a poison like ye would cry fer happiness." he said laughing.
"Yea only me an half de female population," I said laughing through my tears, then kissed him passionately with all the feelings I had inside me at that moment.
"Dear me, do I desoive a goil like ye?" he said laughing when the kiss ended. "Ye laugh, ye cry, ye kiss me, den ye order me around again. Whudd am I gonna do wid ye?"
"I don know but at least we'll do it tageda," I said filled with joy.
A few minutes later I walked into the large washroom to use the bathroom. I began to walk towards them but then seeing the mirror I paused. I still looked like myself but I must have looked horrible on the day after my kidnapping. I still had a dark blue, purple spot around my right eye and some cuts on the rest of my face. I had had a fat lip but that had also decreased in the past two days. I laughed to myself. Race defiantly wasn't being my boyfriend because of my looks. Not that I had thought he was anyway but it was almost a relief to know I looked horrible.
After I used the bathroom I hobbled back to Race's room and mine.
"Ready to go?" he asked me as I walked in. He was sitting on the bed with a cigar in his mouth.
"Do ya got everythin?" he asked me.
"Yea," I said walking over and picked up the small bundle of cloths, all of which, except for the cloths I had arrived in, were borrowed from Race or Bailey.
"Ok, lets go." he said and walked over to me and picked me up.
"Hey, whudder ye doin? I can walk now." I protested.
"Yea but yer not doin de stairs." he said walking through the door with me in his arms.
"Is Spot already ready?" I asked as we began to walk down the hallway.
"Yea he's waitin downstairs." he replied.
We walked down the stairs and Spot was waiting for us at the foot of them.
"Ready?" he said to us.
"Yea if Race hea'll put me down." I said and wanting to walk again.
"Huh?" Spot said confused still thinking I couldn't walk.
"I can walk now." I explained to him then turned to Race. "Will ye put me down?"
"No, ye gotta keep yer strength," he replied. "Jus let me carry ye ta Christina's place.
"Fine." I said knowing he wouldn't give up.
"Are ye two done bickerin?" Spot said impatiently.
"Yea, an it's not like ye and Angel don't do dat sometimes." Race commented.
"Lets go." Spot said leading the way out and ignoring Race's last comment. I didn't say anything and just laughed to myself as we set off for Christina's.
I woke up and found Race was still in bed with me. I wouldn't allow him to sleep on the floor another night and there wasn't anything so horribly wrong with me that I needed my own bed. I carefully pulled back the covers and sat up making sure Race wasn't awake. I placed my feet on the ground and attempted to set my weight on them and stand up. I could, though my legs were wobbly and really weak. It didn't help I hadn't had much of an appetite the past two days so I hadn't eaten much either. I balanced myself on the bedpost and walked around a little.
Just then Race woke up and seeing me he said,"Whudd de ye think yer doin?"
I turned to him. "Uh stretchin me legs."
"Ye really need ta be able te walk don ye?" he asked me.
"Yea." I replied. "If I don I don feel in charge of me own self...well let's put it dis way, if I didn't take care o me before I came hea I wouldn't have survived so good. So now I'm not used ta not havin ta do dat so I guess I'm still kinda paranoid bout it. It's kinda programmed inta me."
"I understand," he said. "But now dat ye do have people ta take care o ye make sure yer not tryin ta do everytin yerself."
I sighed, "I'll try, but it'll be hard. I'm still getting over everythin dats happened lately."
"Yea, I know." he said, "Ye've held up really well, Brin."
"Ye used me real name...and ye've told de biggest lie I've hoid in a while. Me? Holdin up good, when de foist day I met ye I ran inte ye cryin?"
"Hey ye had a damn good excuse if ye ask me."
"Maybe but I've been pretty stupid at odda times." I contradicted.
"Maybe but dats no different dan everyone else." he said resonably.
"Hmmm...an why did ye use me real name?"
"Well I like it an I think it's as much a part of ye as Doodles is."
"Hey did ye know I just made Doodles up on de spot de night I came ta Manhattan an Mush asked me me name?" I told him just thinking of it.
"Really? No I didn't know but its still you. And now its kinda stuck fer good
Yea," I said. "But ye know? I kinda like it. It feels like...me."
Race got out of bed. "Dats why I like ye so much." he said softly.
"Why cause o de name Doodles?" I asked confused.
"Naw silly," he said taking my chin in his hand. "Yer you. Nobody else, just Doodles, Brin. Yer not like anyone I've met before."
I couldn't say anything to this. I felt at that moment, totally right, so complete. I had always wished I could find someone who wanted me, not my body or my looks, but me, my opinions, choices, and values, everything that made me, me. And here standing in front of me was a guy telling me exactly that. Not just any guy but Race, who had come to be one of my closest friends in only a week, a week that felt like a lifetime. Almost as if when my mother died I began a whole new life and though it tore my heart to say goodbye to her, I was so glad to have been sent here to this place, to all my new friends, and to Race. Then i realized for the first time in my whole life I was in love. Not the steady love I had had for my mother, but a different kind. I felt the dampness on my cheeks and new I had begun to cry. And just to ruin the moment I felt silly once again for me crying over that one simple, sweet statement.
"Whudd is it?" he said looking concerned.
"Oh..." I broke off. Though I had complete faith in Race I was still wary. I didn't know how he felt about me and I didn't want to scare him away. I mean I had only known him for a week and we had only been boyfriend and girlfriend for three days. I didn't want to be hurt, not now, so I put it away, to tell him later. "Nuthin, but don worry, deyre happy tears."
"Only a poison like ye would cry fer happiness." he said laughing.
"Yea only me an half de female population," I said laughing through my tears, then kissed him passionately with all the feelings I had inside me at that moment.
"Dear me, do I desoive a goil like ye?" he said laughing when the kiss ended. "Ye laugh, ye cry, ye kiss me, den ye order me around again. Whudd am I gonna do wid ye?"
"I don know but at least we'll do it tageda," I said filled with joy.
A few minutes later I walked into the large washroom to use the bathroom. I began to walk towards them but then seeing the mirror I paused. I still looked like myself but I must have looked horrible on the day after my kidnapping. I still had a dark blue, purple spot around my right eye and some cuts on the rest of my face. I had had a fat lip but that had also decreased in the past two days. I laughed to myself. Race defiantly wasn't being my boyfriend because of my looks. Not that I had thought he was anyway but it was almost a relief to know I looked horrible.
After I used the bathroom I hobbled back to Race's room and mine.
"Ready to go?" he asked me as I walked in. He was sitting on the bed with a cigar in his mouth.
"Do ya got everythin?" he asked me.
"Yea," I said walking over and picked up the small bundle of cloths, all of which, except for the cloths I had arrived in, were borrowed from Race or Bailey.
"Ok, lets go." he said and walked over to me and picked me up.
"Hey, whudder ye doin? I can walk now." I protested.
"Yea but yer not doin de stairs." he said walking through the door with me in his arms.
"Is Spot already ready?" I asked as we began to walk down the hallway.
"Yea he's waitin downstairs." he replied.
We walked down the stairs and Spot was waiting for us at the foot of them.
"Ready?" he said to us.
"Yea if Race hea'll put me down." I said and wanting to walk again.
"Huh?" Spot said confused still thinking I couldn't walk.
"I can walk now." I explained to him then turned to Race. "Will ye put me down?"
"No, ye gotta keep yer strength," he replied. "Jus let me carry ye ta Christina's place.
"Fine." I said knowing he wouldn't give up.
"Are ye two done bickerin?" Spot said impatiently.
"Yea, an it's not like ye and Angel don't do dat sometimes." Race commented.
"Lets go." Spot said leading the way out and ignoring Race's last comment. I didn't say anything and just laughed to myself as we set off for Christina's.