Page 21 of Merry Mayhem
But when I met her, I did not experience a slap-me-across-the-face-till-my-ears-ring-and-I-don’t-know-which-direction-is north-hot-lust-and-need.
I did with Thea.
In June.
And I’ve thought about her multiple times since then.
I didnotgo visit Harley in the hospital, hoping to run into her or to try to get information about her. In fact, I got zero information about her from Harley, and I was okay with that.
But I’ve still thought about my friend’s granddaughter more than makes sense, considering I met her while her grandfatherwas having a stroke, spent time with her in the back of an ambulance and a hospital emergency room, and haven’t seen her in six months.
But I can confirm now, seeing her again, that saying I’m attracted to her is like saying the ocean is a little damp.
This is going to be a problem.
I am now sitting across from her at her grandfather’s dining room table, eating one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time—not that I wouldeveradmit that to Ellie—wondering what the fuck I’m going to do about this.
I’m your sister’s date. Really?That’show I decided to explain to her what I’m doing here.
But it’s the truth. It’s not like she wouldn’t have found out within five minutes at this table because it’s all her family has been able to talk about.
Thea has now been regaled with a story of how I came upon Violet’s car accident, pulled her to safety, took her to the hospital, and sat by her bed until the family showed up.
They’ve also all exclaimed over what a small world it is and what a wonderful coincidence it is that I was the paramedic to save both Harley and Violet.
My mini-reunion with Harley was awesome. He was so happy to see me that I got a little choked up, and his hug was solid, demonstrating that he’s definitely gained strength and improved his balance since I last saw him.
We laughed over the fact that I never made the connection between Ellie’s brother and Harley. Ellie never used Harley’s name when talking about her brother, and Harley never told me his sister now lives in Autre.
When he was in the hospital, long, in-depth conversations were difficult. He’d lost some of his speech ability at first, and we’d stuck to easy topics, yes and no answers, and playingcheckers—which he could move with his unaffected hand—and walks.
Since then, our text messages have consisted mostly of check-ins, comments about Nebraska football and New Orleans hockey, our favorite sports, and the occasional funny meme. It’s more to show that I’m thinking of him, and when he responds, I know he’s doing well and still making progress with his cognitive and fine motor abilities.
Thea’s trying to avoid eye contact with me now.
I wish I knew what that meant.
“So, you know Ellie?” Ruth asks me.
“I sure do. I’ve been living in Autre for a couple of years now. I see Ellie every day.”
“I love her,” Ruth says enthusiastically. “And Leo. He’s here a lot.”
“Is he?” I hadn’t realized that.
“Leo and Harley are best friends,” Ruth says. “I mean, besides Bruce,” she says, looking at her great-grandfather Bruce.
He winks at her.
“Well, Leo’s my brother-in-law,” Harley says.
“What’s that mean?” Ruth asks.
“He’s married to my sister. So, by law, he’s my brother,” Harley explains. “But really, Leo would be like my brother even without the law.”
Ruth smiles. “You and Bruce were friends before you married him. What was that called?”
“Just friends,” Bruce says, reaching for the rice. “He was married to your great-grandma for a while before we got married. That’s how your grandma and uncles and everyone came to be.”
