CHAPTER FIVE

Author's note: We're going to deviate from the plot a bit here...I just can't bear to write Amadeus the way I'm supposed to...

She did her best to keep busy over the next little while, trying even harder to avoid her creepy neighbours, and didn't really see Amadeus except at night, when he would ask how her day was and then go to sleep as soon as he got into bed. This was very unusual behaviour for him to be exhibiting but she had no chance to ask him about it. He was never around when she was awake. It was kind of infuriating as well because he had promised they would try to conceive after they got settled. He had point-blank refused while he was in the army, saying he wasn't going to let her have a baby and then raise it all by herself, but he had agreed to give it a try after his discharge. She was getting kind of frustrated. Here he was, home at last, and yet not home at the same time.
There was a knock on the door and Rosemary went to answer it. She was sweeping the floor and was really very bored and so decided to forego her 'don't open the door' policy.

It was Amadeus. He looked slightly dazed but entered normally when she backed up to let him in.

"Did you forget your key, honey?"

"My what?"

"Why did you knock instead of unlocking the door?"

He looked puzzled for a moment.

"I...I don't know."

"What have you been doing all this time, Amadeus? I haven't seen you in days."

"I don't remember."

"How can you not remember?"

"I haven't any idea." He sat down on the couch. He looked exhausted.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I'm just so tired all the time, I don't understand. I honestly don't know what I've been doing these past few days. I get up early and I go someplace and then I get home late and go to bed. Other than that I haven't got a clue."

He was holding something in his hand. He didn't seem to realize it was there so Rosemary asked him about it.

"Hm? Oh, I don't know...I guess I just picked it up somewhere."

It was a tie.

"I wish you remembered what was going on, " said Rosemary. "You're acting very strange."

"I'm sorry," said Amadeus, and he looked so upset that she felt a little bad for her accusatory tone.

"It's alright. Will you be staying here today?"

"I think so." He didn't look sure. "I don't think I have any chores or anything to do."

"Hello!"

Rosemary realized too late she had left the door to the apartment open, and now Jules and Bernie were entering uninvited. She tried to think of a way to get them out without offending Amadeus.

Amadeus, however, did not seem to be paying any attention, and was in fact looking like he was half-asleep.

"Oh, you found my tie," said Jules, and he quickly entered the room and snatched it out of Amadeus's hand.

"Oh...I...I don't know where-"

"I must have dropped it when I was bringing up the laundry, dear," said Bernie to Jules.
"I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Bernie," said Jules. "Our good friend Amadeus found it for us."

"Oh...yes..." said Amadeus, but whether he believed this statement or not was hard to tell.

"I think Amadeus needs to rest, " Rosemary interrupted, finally thinking of how to get them out of the apartment. "He's been getting up early lately and he's lost quite a bit of sleep."

"Oh, sorry to bother you, it's just, your door was open..."

"...because Amadeus just came through it. Now, if you please..." said Rosemary.

"Certainly," said Bernie, and with a strange look on her face led her husband out of the apartment.

"I hate that woman," said Rosemary, closing the door.

"...that's not his," Amadeus said somewhat dreamily.

"What?"

"Hm?"

"What did you just say?"

"Did I say something?"

"Amadeus, you better not be playing games with me, I swear to God..."

Amadeus didn't answer, just sat there looking more confused than before. "I think I do need to go to bed a while," he said. "I'm feeling out of sorts."

"Yes, go do that," said Rosemary. She tried to be patient with his eccentricities, really she did, but sometimes...sometimes...

Amadeus got up and went into the bedroom and Rosemary resumed her sweeping, forgetting that Amadeus had even come back. She didn't notice he was there until she went into the bedroom to get her things for the shower and saw him when she turned the light on. She turned it off quickly, hoping she hadn't woken him, but he didn't even move.

She took her time in the shower, feeling yet again like she had been through a long and arduous day when in fact she hadn't, and when she finally went into the bedroom and saw her husband again, she noticed he was in the exact same position as before.

He was also lying on top of the sheets, instead of under them.

He must have gone to sleep as soon as he got into bed, but she'd be damned if he'd ever slept that deeply before. The last time they'd been together, 6 months ago, he had had trouble sleeping and in fact never slept through the night. Something to do with dreams brought on by the war.

She felt a chill run through her.

Ever since they had come to this apartment, he had slept like this.

She felt a sudden urge to run outside but forced herself to calm down. It was probably nothing. Probably just time catching up with him. That was all.

She lay down next to him but was up half the night just listening to his uncharacteristic deep breathing. When 6 am rolled around she decided enough was enough and got up.

At 11 he was still sleeping.

She decided she had better wake him up and make sure he wasn't in a coma or anything. Why he'd be in a coma, she didn't know, but stranger things had happened.

"Amadeus?"

She went over and shook his shoulder gently. He moaned a little but didn't wake.

"Honey, you need to get up now."

"Mm?"

"You need to get up, sweetie."

"Mm...all right."

He turned onto his back but still remained sleeping.

"Amadeus, please."

"What?" He sounded dazed, as if he hadn't heard her before.

"You need to get up. You've been in bed for too long."

He sighed and sat up, wincing. "God," he said, his eyebrows coming together in puzzlement, "how long was I sleeping for?"

"Since 5 yesterday."

"AM?"

"No."

He became fully awake now, staring at her. "In the evening?"

"Yes."

"Dear God, what's wrong with me?"

"I don't know. Have you been sleeping well lately?"

"I would think so...but now I would think not."

He straightened, his vertebrae cracking as he did so, and he made a face. "Wake me earlier if it happens again," he said.

"Well...I didn't want to bother you..."

He smiled and said, "Always considerate."

"I know you don't usually sleep well..."

"You are a dear," Amadeus told her, patting her on the head, stood up, and stretched, yawning. "What time is it?"

"11."

"Oh my," said Amadeus. "I'm setting an alarm next time, I think."

Rosemary laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll get you up earlier, I promise."

Amadeus nodded and yawned again.

"I'm going to wash up a bit," he said. "Then we can do something, if you like."

"You don't have anything to do today?"

"I don't think I have," he said.

As Amadeus went to shower, Rosemary went into the kitchen and started making lunch. When Amadeus came back she said, "Do you mind if we paint the bedroom today?"

"If you don't mind sleeping in it," said Amadeus, coming up behind her and putting his arms around her waist.

"What are you doing?" she asked. She was making macaroni salad.

"Nothing," he said. "Why?"

He had misunderstood the question again but she decided not to remark on it.

They had the salad and then the both of them left the apartment and went to a hardware store, where Rosemary selected a light blue paint, and together with other necessary painting supplies they went back to the apartment.

They were about halfway through painting the room when Amadeus's phone rang. He was not tremendously good at remembering where he kept it so it took them a few minutes to track it down. By then of course it had stopped ringing and Amadeus had to listen to the message. The longer he held the phone to his ear, the deeper his frown went.

"What is it?"

"I've got the position in the reserves I applied for," he said, putting the phone down as if it was going to walk away when he let it go.

"I thought someone else already had that position," said Rosemary.

"Someone did," said Amadeus. "I've just been told he's gone blind."

He had a distant, faraway sort of look on his face. Rosemary didn't like it.

"What?"

"I'm not sure...I had an idea, but I've lost it now...damn. I have a feeling it was important."

"Hopefully not," said Rosemary.

"Mm," said Amadeus. "We can hope, can't we?"

That was an odd thing for him to say.

"Amadeus…are you all right, honey?"

"What do you mean, my dear?"

"I mean…you've been acting a bit strange lately."

"I'm just tired, Rosemary. Don't worry about it."

The thing was, Rosemary was worried about it.

Amadeus had never been affected by fatigue before. It was part of what made him such a successful soldier.

And now he was telling her his behaviour was based on it?

She decided to keep a closer eye on him.