Page 43 of Hello Forever
“A friend from the department,” Cax said, leaning on the open door. “Came down with a migraine at my desk today. It screws with my vision, so I asked forahand.”
“You pussy,” his father snarled. “A fucking headache takes you down?” He bent at the waist and stared intothecar.
I was not, by nature, a fearful person. But the look that man gave me practically froze my blood. After ten seconds of giving me the icy-glare treatment, he straightened and gave Scotty a rough nudge toward the house. “Don’t know why you don’t just take the fucking bus, anyway. You’re a pussy, too. Learning it from yourbrother.”
Scotty’s narrow shoulders hunched as he stomped toward thehouse.
“I told you I don’t want your friends hanging around the boys,” his father said. And he said itright in front of me!As if I must have a contagious disease if I was hanging outwithCax.
Unbelievable.
“There’s nothing wrong with my friends,” Caxsnarled.
The two of them stared each other down, and I found myself holding my breath, wondering how the confrontation would end. “I’m going,” Cax said eventually. The words were like two chipsofice.
“You do that.” His father lowered the shovel to the sidewalk and turned his backonus.
Cax got into the car. The second his door slammed, Ipulledaway.
We were turning onto the main road before Cax spoke again. “He’s not usually home atthishour.”
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “The distance you’ve been keeping between us seemed a little paranoid before. But it doesn’tanymore.”
“Yeah, it’s…” Cax swallowed hard. “He’s not easy to describe. I knew he’d treatyoulike…”
“The Ebola virus,” Ifinished.
“Stop the car,” Cax saidquickly.
I pulled over immediately, and Cax opened the door. Then he bent over and vomited inthesnow.
My heart contracted with sympathy. I looked around the car for tissues. Cax was a tidy person—he’d have something around for messes. I opened his glovebox and—bingo—napkins from a fast-food restaurant. “Here, Cax,” I said, leaning toward hisopendoor.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, taking thenapkin.
“Does this happen a lot with yourheadaches?”
With a sigh, he slid back into his seat and shut the door. “I don’tusuallypuke, but this isn’t the first time. Closing my eyes while you drove…” He groaned. “I won’t do thatagain.”
“Let’s getyouhome.”
* * *
When we pulledinto the parking lot beside his building, he thanked me again fordrivinghim.
“You’re not getting rid of me so easily,”Isaid.
“Axel…” heprotested.
“He’s nothere,” I said quietly. “I’m so sorry that happened, and your dad is the biggest asshole I’ve ever met. But right at this moment he can’tseeus.”
Wordlessly he climbed from the car. And he didn’t argue when I followed him inside thebuilding.
“Now, how can I make you more comfortable?” I asked after he’d brushed his teeth. “Cupoftea?”
“Sure. I’m going to shower for aminute.”
I put his kettle on and found a box of peppermint tea to fixforhim.
