| PART 3 We never talked about that night. I wasn’t about to bring it up and if his dream was anything like the flashes I got, I knew I had to wait for him to tell me on his own time. We avoided each other less, but we still didn’t speak unless it was necessary. ******** After we close the diner, I go up to my room and sit on my balcony. I hear a light tapping at my door. My body tenses up. I already know who it is. I don’t answer at first, but the knocking becomes more persistent. I yell, “Go away!” I don’t feel like company and I sure as hell don’t feel like talking. What other reason would he come knock on my door for? After a couple of minutes, I don’t hear anymore knocking so my body starts to relax. Michael barges in. He comes out on the balcony to join me. He pulls up a lawn chair and places it in front of me so that he’s facing me directly. “You may not want to talk, but I have a question for you,” he says stubbornly. I stand up so I’m farther away from him. The closeness is making me nervous. “What question do you have to ask?” I reply. “Why didn’t you tell me about these?” he says while holding up a stack of bills. He gets up. He stands next to me and says, “Why didn’t you tell me you were in debt? I could’ve helped. I still can help.” I sigh and roll my eyes. What makes him think I want his help? And even if I did, that he could help me? I look at him and head for my window. I go back into my room and say, “What makes you think you can help me? You can barely help yourself.” I hear him follow me and sit on my bed. He sighs heavily. I turn around and look at him. He scratches his eyebrow looking like he’s deep in thought. “I could use my powers to …..” I cut him off by saying, “Why risk that? You finally have some peace. There’s noone breathing down your neck, and you want to use your powers for what? So, you can save my diner? It’s not worth it.” “It’s my decision ...” Again, I cut him off saying, “You’re wrong. It’s my decision. Do you want to know why? Because it’s my life and my diner. It has nothing to do with you.” He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “Why are you being so difficult? You’ve given me a place to stay, a place to eat, and you don’t want me to help. Why?” “Just because. Let’s just leave it at that,” I say turning away from him. Michael gets up and in one fluid movement, he is grasping my shoulders so that I'm looking him in the eyes. He says, “No! I’m not leaving it like that. What’s going on with you? Sixteen years ago, you were the most open person I'd ever met. Now, you don’t let anyone in. Now you’re acting the way I did.” I roughly push him away and say, “Don’t you ever grab me like that! Do you hear me?!” He backs up from me and says, “Sorry, but why the change?” “You’re asking me all these questions, Michael, but you don’t tell me anything. You’ve lived in my house for six months now and I still don’t know what happened while you were gone,” I yell pointing my finger in his face. He grabs my hand in the attempt to get it out of his face and yells, “I didn’t tell you because I want to forget. I don’t want to live there anymore. I’m still having nightmares, you know that. I just want them to stop. Are you happy? Is that what you want to hear?” I back up, not because I’m scared but because that's the same thing I want. At this moment, I realize why Michael and I can live with each other comfortably without saying a word. It’s because we understand each other. We are more like each other than we want to admit. “You’re not the only one who has nightmares, Michael. Maybe yours are more frightening, but I have them too. I don’t want to remember the last sixteen years of my life either,” I say calmly. We sit in my dark room enjoying the silence. Nobody moves. Nobody makes even the attempt to make a sound. We stay this way for a while until Michael finally tells me good night and leaves to go to his room. Thanks to Michael, I think there might be a chance for my shattered heart to mend. I realize it will take time, but I already feel the pieces coming together. |