Chapter Thirteen: Decision
He awakens to someone gently nudging his shoulder, "Merle wake up... You need your antibiotics..."
Merle opens his eyes to find Mitch standing in front of him, her face tear-streaked and eyes sad. He groans as he sits up, stretching his arms and cracking his neck. His mouth is dry from sleeping with it open so when he speaks it comes out as a croak, "Your uncle?"
"He died about an hour ago… Owen won't leave his body... I'm not sure what to do..." Her voice cracks but she holds back the tears. She flops down beside Merle on the couch, "I didn't think this was going to be so hard..."
He is unsure of what to say to the grieving woman, he was never good with emotional people. Part of him wanted to comfort the distressed woman and part of him desperately wanted to fuck her. He remembers how he once heard that a woman was more apt to put out during certain times and after an aunt's funeral was one of them. He reckoned an uncle's death was virtually the same, so no harm in putting on the heat. Merle drapes his arm around her shoulders and smirks as she snuggles in next to his body. Guess there was some truth to that myth after all. The two sit in silence for several moments. Just as Merle is about to make his next move, Mitch slides his arm off her body and pushes herself off the couch.
Her voice is laced with melancholy as she says, "I guess I should change your dressing if you're planning on heading out soon..."
Merle shrugs, "I ain't in no hurry. Looks like I slept mosta the day away," he hadn't planned on napping but at some point while he was reading, he had drifted off to asleep. From the growing darkness entering the apartment, it was already evening, and he really didn't want to leave before getting some action, "Probably leave in the mornin'. Don't wanna be out on them streets in the dark."
Mitch's face lights up momentarily. Merle can't help but smirk at the notion that someone wants him around for a change. She tries to hide her obvious joy by casually saying, "Good cuz I think you could really use some more rest... Let's get your dressing changed."
Once the medical stuff was completed, including the removal of the needle in his arm, the pair move to the kitchen. Merle takes a seat at the table as Mitch scrounges up something to eat for supper. As much as he wants to try his hand at sealing the deal with Mitch, he knows he can't push her too hard since her uncle had just died. He knows he has to wait for her to come to him like she had done before. Merle lights one of his smokes and inhales, enjoying the sweet plumes of smoke more than ever before. Back in the day, he would go through one or two packs a day, but now that cigarettes weren't so easy to come by, he had been pacing out the pack of smokes. Even so, he had already burned through four cigarettes. Merle watches Mitch's body as she scurries around the kitchen preparing their meal. He knows she must be hurting because for once she isn't constantly smiling. The small smiles she occasionally sends his way every time she catches him checking her out don't reach her cloudy eyes. On several occasions, he notices a buildup of tears starting to form and he is sure she is about to lose it. However, before those salty droplets could fall, Mitch would blink them away and busy herself with rummaging purposelessly through the cupboards. Merle isn't sure what to make of Mitch's attempts to hide her emotions from him, but he knows he would be doing the exact same thing if he were in her position. Crying is for the weak and the weak are first to die.
They eat a meal of pasta and canned meat sauce, exchanging a few words here and there. In order to lighten the mood, Merle tells the story of about the first time he got sent to juvi. He gets a half-smile from Mitch as he explains how he had hot-wired his old principal's car and then drove by the old coot's house over and over, with his bare ass hanging out the driver's window, for hours. He smirks as he tells her that his joy-ride came to a screeching halt once he drove through the guy's fence and smashed into his oversized cat statue everyone hated.
"Trouble from the get go? I can only imagine the looks on people's faces..." Mitch giggles and the pair erupt into laughter. Suddenly, as though she is overcome with guilt for laughing during such a somber time, she pushes herself away from the table. She sighs and her eyes become overcast with sadness, "I really need to go check on Owen. He still hasn't left Ed's bedside… He really needs to eat… what the fuck am I supposed to do with the body…"
Before Merle can make any suggestions, Mitch disappears into the bedroom. Merle turns on one of the lanterns scattered throughout the tiny apartment in order illuminate the shadows that have begun creeping in from the windows. He tries to read his book again but he can't quite seem to get back into the story. He decides there is nothing better to do so he heads to his room and jumps into bed.