Page 28 of Speechless

The sun rises in the east

But Zephyr brought her west to me

A light I never knew I’d find

Shining so bright I have to shield my eyes

Can I find my way out of the dark

This gilded star strumming at my heart

A life I thought was never real

A light I thought I’d never feel

What am I supposed to do

With something that feels so strange and new

A life I thought was never real

A light I thought I’d never feel

I finally thinkI’ve got the notes right, the perfect mix of ache and desire. Better write it down before I alter it any more.

“Hey, umm, Henry?” Jayce interrupts me.

“Yeah, what’s up?” I grab the notebook anyway. I can multitask with whatever he needs. I look up to see Craig standing there as well. He has a grimace on his face and moves closer before he starts speaking.

“Can you like, do something about Lucy?” Jayce shoves him and mumbles something under his breath. “What? It’s fucking annoying. Why is she even here?”

“Can someone explain what the problem is, please?”

“Sorry boss,” Jayce chimes in, “I just thought you might want to know that Lucy’s been kind of . . . sad? Crying, actually. She’s been watching Disney movies all day.”

“Yeah, and I’ve had enough of—”

“Craig, I’ve had enough of you.” This one has been seriously aggravating lately. “Why don’t you go work on something and leave Lucy alone, okay? Jayce, thanks for letting me know.”

I run upstairs to figure out what’s going on. They’re right, she’s on the couch, I thinkAladdinis playing on the big screen. But Lucy isn’t watching the movie. She has a tablet propped up on her lap and she seems to be scrolling through pictures. I can’t be sure, but I think they might be of her mum. I see a woman who looks a bit like Lucy and a young girl with Lucy’s radiant smile and mossy green eyes. She’s looking at pictures of them together from when she was younger.

I learned last night that her mum passed away a few years ago. It must have been around the same time I lost my dad. And while it’s been tough for me, I can tell that Lucy and her mum had a unique bond, something that’s made the loss especially painful for her. I wonder if this is what she’d been referring to on our flight. I know she’s getting over her divorce, but she also mentioned pain. I’m not sure if it was physical or something else entirely.

“Hi there.” She turns and looks a bit startled to see me. She’s been in her own little world; I doubt if she ever noticed Craig’s or Jayce’s presence earlier. She wipes her eyes quickly with the back of her hand.

“Hey.” She sets down the tablet abruptly and looks over at the screen. “Sorry if I commandeered the TV today. I think I may have lost track of time.”

“No worries at all. Everyone else has work to do. Are you feeling okay? You look a bit—down?”

“I’m fine. Sorry, just dealing with some stuff.”

I move around the couch to sit down next to her. I think about giving her a hug but it doesn’t seem like the right response. I’m so bad at this and so frustrated with myself for not knowing what to say to her. I can write a soundtrack for every moment we spend together, yet I can never find the right words.

“Want me to go get you some Tiramisu?” I discovered she’s a major fan of desserts last night. I bet she’d get along very well with my mum in that regard.

Lucy gives me a slight chuckle. “I’m okay, I ate enough last night for about a week. But I appreciate the gesture. Tiramisu can make almost anything better.” She offers a cheerless smile that tugs at my heart. She’s wearing the same hopeless look I saw on the plane. All the joy from last night seems to have dissipated. “I should probably go do some work. I have a lot of research to do before I start writing this new book.”

I don’t believe she’s actually going to do any work today, and the thought of her alone in her room just staring at old photos makes me ache. I tentatively place my hand over her arm, hoping this is the right gesture.

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