Page 13 of Defined and Defiled
“We'll see.”
Richard is quiet on the drive home, but the silence is not uncomfortable. Bringing him backto the basement is out of the question, I'll have to think of a new lie to tell Mike to get us down there.
“I think I taught high schoolers.” Richard speaks over our new audiobook featuring a magical pair of pants which I turn off. I look over at him but he's facing the front so I can only see his spine. “Ten and two.”
“Nine and three.” I remind him immediately. “What makes you think that?”
“It just feels right. I kept getting flashes of me in front of the classroom. I think math was my favorite.”
I laugh.
“You liked math?”
He huffs and his pages ruffle. “Numbers always made sense to me. Words can be tricky.”
“Now you have all the words you need.”
At this, he goes silent again.
7
Exhibitionism (n.)
Ex·hi·bi·tion·ism : An overt and pretentious display intended to attract attention
When we return home, Melon is gone but Twlya's car is in the drive. I have not exactly planned what I am going to say to her.
“Hey, ex-girlfriend, is it cool if this book stays with us? He doesn't need a bed but he may take up some counter space. Oh, also he floats and we may have made out, no big deal.”
Twyla is chill, but there has to be a limit right?
I like to think that I'm a mature adult most of the time. So suggesting to Richard that we go out to eat has nothing to do with avoiding Twyla and everything to do with making sure I eat a full meal.
A greasy burger meal and shake might not have the most nutritional value, but a long day deserves some sugar on top. Richard is satisfiedwith my review of my cupcake from Grim's. He moans as I describe the frosting slowly.
I park us near the trees behind the Great Basin Spadefoot Museum. It’s a great place to sit and think, or avoid explaining anything to your roommate.
“Is there anything else you've remembered from before?” I ask, dipping the last of my fries into my chocolate shake.
He shakes his head. “There's some flashes, but my head is so full of words now, it's hard to distinguish what's memory and what's definition.”
“Marge might know you? She's been working in the front office since,” I squint, “The dawn of time perhaps?”
This brings a smile to his face. “Marge is still there? I would have thought she'd move on by now.”
“Nope, I think she's trying to win an award for longest haunting or something. I don't know why I didn't think of it before, if anyone knows what happened to you, it would be her.”
It's a good sign that he can remember her. Maybe there's a chance that more of his memories from before can be regained.
“Thank you for today. It was nice.” His voice is soft.
“I should be thanking you, I've never had such good attendance at a Helpers meeting.”
He grins. It's unlike the ones I've seen from him before; this one is shy, almost boyish.
“They said you can be kind of intimidating.”
“The kids did? I showed up to the last meeting with my shirt inside out. It wasn't the first time either.”
