I’m bringing in the big guns to the Manor today. I picked up a full-sized Reese’s and Hershey’s bar. I can’t wait to see Andy’s reaction. It’s been hard to not eat them. I’ve been getting to know him a little better every day. He hasn’t said anything, or even made eye contact with me, but I do know that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are his favorite. He inhales them. York’s Peppermint Patty comes in a close second. If it’s made of chocolate, it’ll be in his belly in seconds. I spend at least an hour with him every day I work. He’s been looking at my shoes regularly. Every time he takes a peek, it feels like a major victory.
I think this might be one of the three nice-weather days we get in Northeastern Ohio per year, so I’m waiting outside for Jace to pick me up for work. I told him about my brother’s book collection. He said he’d like to read the one with Tiny Cooper in it after I’m done. He also said he thinks it’s healthy for me to connect with Kyle this way. Healthy? Like the opposite of sick? Is that what people have been thinking about me? I feel the urge to shut down. To never talk about my brother again, with anyone.
I shake off that impulse.
He’s right. I haven’t been the most stable person on the planet. Since I’m finally able to say my brother’s name in front of another human being, maybe I should keep doing it. Another line my brother collected from S.E. Hinton comes to mind. “I don’t think I could ever tell Steve or Two-Bit about the clouds and sunset. Just you, Sodapop. Maybe Cherry Valance.”
They all have the most bitchin’ names.
Jace pulls into my driveway and hands me a cup of coffee. Yes, coffee. Dana and Karen got me hooked. I love it now, and it’s the most necessary and delicious beverage on the planet.
I take a sip. “Perfect! Tastes like Cheerios.” It does to me, anyway. Not as good as my Brewed Awakening, but pretty tasty.
“Coffee tastes nothing like oat cereal. You might want to get an MRI to check for brain tumors.” Jace pushes in a cassette. “Listen to this! I think it’s a perfect song for Slinky to sing.” We’ve been putting together a set list that features every member of the band as lead singer.
I can tell right away it’s some kind of hair metal from the ’80s. “Wow. This is pretty horrible. No, wait a second . . . it’s awesome. What is this?”
“It’s a band called RATT. The song is called ‘Round and Round.’ I have to show you the video. The dude falls through the ceiling with his guitar and rips a killer solo right on the dining room table. Hilarious ’80s glory! Slinky can nail this song . . . is that candy for me? So sweet!”
“Oh yeah! I know RATT. I saw them in a Geico insurance commercial. The candy is for Andy. He’s gonna be excited.”
“You’re so good with that guy. I don’t know where you get the patience. It’s like talking to a wall.”
“There’s a person plastered up inside of that wall. I like him.”
“I get it. Like I said, it’s sweet.”
There’s something I’m debating talking to Jace about. Something huge that I can’t shake out of my thoughts. The whole fireworks, hand-touching-with-Karen thing. What if he’s interested in her? What if he freaks out on me and I destroy our whole friendship? We’re like thirty seconds from the Manor’s parking lot. No time to talk about this now. Maybe on the way home. Maybe I’ll just forget it ever happened. I can do that, can’t I?
Jace pulls into our usual spot. “So, what’s up with you and Karen?”
“What?” Fucking mind reader! I sit there, paralyzed, and have no idea what to say.
“Relax! I saw you two on Saturday making your own fireworks. Under the romantic stars. Little love cats couldn’t keep your paws off each other.”
“I shouldn’t have done that,” I say, but Jace isn’t trying to make me feel bad. He’s smiling. Excited. Maybe even enjoying this. “What about you and Karen?”
He lights a cigarette and takes a puff. “We’re just friends. I love her, but I’m not interested in her like that.”
I fan the smoke away from my face. “Oh, well, that’s good . . . I guess. I mean, I don’t know how or why that all happened.”
“It’s not rocket science, Salem. These things happen, and these things are fun. It’s like the definition of being seventeen. And I think it would be awesome if my two best friends hooked up.”
“I don’t think we . . . did she talk to you about me? About Saturday?”
A grin creeps across Jace’s face. “Do you want to know?”
“No!” I do, and I don’t. I don’t know. “Let’s just go to work. We’re gonna be late.”
Jace pulls the keys from the ignition, but pauses before he opens his door. “You so want to know.”
I’m ready for the kind of distractions the Manor dishes out. Jace takes his half-finished cigarette to the back patio. He spends a lot of his time there, sharing his tales of News Bomber awesomeness. He and the patients can burn through a pack of Marlboro’s in minutes before the smoking cessation group starts.
I make my way to the dining room to find Andy, candy bars at the ready in the inside pocket of my jacket. A license for concealed confection. I’d like to avoid Dr. Palmer today, if possible. I’m freaked out that he somehow knows about me and his daughter. But really, what’s to know? See! I can’t get it out of my head.
I bump into Tammy along the way. “Hello, sir! Ram Jam jamming today? I want to sing Black Betty Bam a Lam.”
I button my jacket closed, afraid she might have snack-smelling super powers. “You know it! Don’t forget your harmonica this time.”
“I have it in my new bra already, sir. I’ll show you.”
“No! You know better.”
“I was j-j-j-j-just kidding, Dr. Prudence Petticoat. Can I have an A.L.C. t-shirt?” Her nickname for the Astrophonic Love Commandos. She can barely say Astrophonic. I admit, it’s a mouthful.
“You should make one in the art class. Make one for all of us.”
She smiles. “Oh! I will do that, Dr. Bon Jovi.”
Seriously, her names for me are the best.
I find Andy sitting in the same chair at the same table that I left him at on Friday. He has on different clothes, or else I would question if he’d ever been moved. His Iron Man t-shirt is covered with tiny specs of breakfast, or maybe last night’s dinner. The dining room is empty except for the two of us.
I sit across from him and place the bag of chocolates on the table. “Good morning, buddy!”
He pushes the hair out of his eyes.
“You know what’s in this bag? I brought you a present. I think you’ll like it.”
A puff of air shoots from his nose, and he pushes his spoon into the bowl of mush.
I tap the brown paper bag. “I actually brought you two presents. Are you ready?”
He leans forward, greasy locks of hair falling back into his face.
I pull out the Hershey’s bar. “I brought this big, gigantic chocolate bar for you.” Next, I slowly bring out the Reese’s and tease him a bit. “You don’t want a giant peanut butter cup, do you?”
He looks up. One eye seems to be looking at the wall, the other at his presents. He nods his head up and down.
He’s telling me yes? Chills shoot through my body. Keep cool, Salem. “Want me to open one for you?”
He smiles. He croaks a whisper, “Ocolate-cha.”
Holy fucking shit! I look around to see if anyone else is hearing this. It’s still just the two of us. I’ve got to keep this going. “Ocolate-cha?”
He snickers, puffs of air shooting from his nose. “M-M-M-Maybe this guy’s talking backwards.” His voice sounds weak and garbled. His voice!
I’m not sure what to do. He’s talking, backwards and forwards. I feel like I should run to get some guidance from Dr. Palmer, but I don’t want him to stop. “How do you talk backwards?”
He laughs again. Takes a bite of the candy. “Aka-tha U-yoa.”
He’s thanking me? Like, in Pig Latin? I can do this. “Andy-Ca is Ood-Ga?”
He snickers and swings his head up and down. “The ponytail guy is Alking-Ta Ackwards-Ba!”
I touch my hair that’s tied back. He has a name for me! He knows who I am! I try to stay calm. “Let me open the Reese’s for you.” I tear the orange wrapper and stack the cups in front of him.
Andy’s lazy eye fixes on the treats. “Ulk-Ha Ash-Sma!”
It takes me a second to translate this one. “Hulk smash?”
He gets the biggest kick out of this. He snorts out a big laugh. “Smash the potatoes.”
My joke. The first time I spoke to him. He remembered. “You like the Hulk?”
He shakes his head. “M-M-Maybe he doesn’t know. Maybe his mom said to not talk about it.”
I feel like I’m in way over my head. I don’t want to push him. “Sure. No problem. I’ll let you eat your candy. Maybe we’ll talk some more later?”
He shrugs his shoulder and pushes a piece of candy into his mouth.
“See you later, Andy.”
I stand up, push the chair under the table, and start to walk away. It feels more like dancing. I’m so excited that my hands are shaking. I hear a cough from the table.
“Ponytail. Maybe you can call him Buddy. He doesn’t know.”
Fucking awesome! “Okay. You got it, Buddy.”
The power of chocolate.
As soon as I get through the door, I run down the hallway and slide to a stop at Dr. Palmer’s office. He’s on the phone. It looks important. I don’t care if it’s the pope. “Dr. Palmer! I need to tell you something!”
He tells the person on the phone to hold. “Something burning, Mr. Scott?”
“No! And that joke’s getting old. It’s Andy! He spoke to me! Just now!”
He blows off whoever is on the phone. “This is significant. I’ve never heard his voice in the seven years he’s been with us.” He seems excited in his super calm, therapist way. “Please, tell me what was said.”
I tell the whole story, way too fast and with one giant breath. The backwards talk. How he remembered my joke. How he has a nickname for me that would work as a character in The Outsiders. His fondness for sweets. I mention how he got nervous about his mother and that she may not want him talking about the Hulk.
Dr. Palmer writes down everything I’m saying. “Well done, Mr. Scott. Very well done. Andy is lucky to have you involved with his care. I’m going to assign one of the therapists to observe you and Andy from now on. I want you to keep doing whatever it is you are doing. Don’t change a thing.”
I don’t think I’ve ever felt so proud. So excited about something in my entire life. I feel like I’m floating.
“Karen tells me that you went to see the fireworks with her?”
Instantly, I crash back down on Earth. My heart’s pounding, but now, it has nothing to do with Andy. “Yup. A bunch of us went to the park. A bunch of us. We’re all friends that do things like that. The park was where the fireworks were. Fourth of July fireworks. Picnic and all, you know.” Why am I babbling on and on? Shut up.
“Sounds nice. Do me a favor?”
Oh boy. Here it comes.
“If you hear that Benny has refused his medications today, please don’t allow him to participate in your music group this afternoon.”
Benny? I breathe a sigh of relief. “Of course. No problem.”
Dr. Palmer’s phone buzzes. That’s my signal to split. I wave and head out the door.
“Salem?” Dr. Palmer hasn’t picked up his phone yet.
“Yes?”
He doesn’t even glance down at his demanding phone. “You’re doing a truly great job with Andy. Thank you.”
And I’m back up in the clouds.