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“We don’t have a DVD player.” He held up the tapes to me. “Pick one.” I read all the titles, the covers all looking worn. One was worse than the others, even having been taped back together.
“Which one is your favorite?”??
Just like I suspected, the one with the most worn cover was what he pointed to.The Outsiders.
“Then let's watch that one.” While he crouched by the TV and put the tape in, I asked, "Can I grab a blanket from your room?”?
“It’s our room, and you don’t have to ask, Wren. Take whatever you need.”
I opened the door and flipped the lights on. The room was tiny, a mirror of my own. A twin bed shoved into the corner on the right-hand side and a small desk on the left side. It had a window that had foil blocking out all the light, with plastic taped over it to help keep the room warm. In between everything, on the floor were extra blankets and pillows. Alex had made himself a makeshift bed on the floor and given me his bed. We shared the room. All the apartments were the exact same. It was a two-bedroom, one-bath with a small living room and kitchen.
I grabbed the fleece blanket from the bed and headed out into the living room. We crowded ourselves on the small couch. Alex was tall, with broad shoulders and long legs, so he took up most of it. He wore a hoodie with sweatpants. His brown hair was messy and a little long. I curled up in my corner, tucking my legs under me and laying the blanket over my lap, pulling it up to my chin. The apartment was never quite warm. We were always layering up. Alex shoved his bare feet under the blanket, too, his cold toes touching my calf. I jumped at the shock of it; he just leaned back into the couch and grinned at me. I tucked theblanket better around his feet. He relaxed back into the couch while the opening scene started.
I liked to watch movies with Alex. I didn’t feel like I had to whisper. He would turn the volume up and we could laugh and talk without worrying someone would hear us.
I was wrapped up in the movie when Alex handed me a bowl of cheesy potatoes. I held it in my hands, letting the warmth seep into them.
“Your food’s going to get cold if you don’t eat,” Alex said. I realized I had just been holding it for the last ten minutes. I polished off the bowl quickly. Not long after, Alex handed me his own bowl, his food barely touched. I look at him.
“I’m full,” he stated, and I didn’t argue. I ate it all and hoped he wouldn’t give me another serving. I’d eat it, but I was sure I would be sick afterwards. I wasn’t used to having food every day.
Once the movie was over, I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked at Alex. He was grinning at me like a loon.?
“Good movie, huh?”??
“That was freaking sad.” My voice warbled but I eventually dried my eyes.??
“Yeah, but it’s still good.”?
Alex got up and hit rewind on the VCR, kneeling in front of it. The machine whirled loudly. With the absence of his heat, a chill ran over me. He had sun-kissed skin, even in the winter.
I felt my cheeks redden at the thought. I never looked at boys. Mom would call me ugly names when I had never even kissed a boy. Anytime I told her that, she called me a liar.?
“Do you play any sports?” I asked him, trying to stop my mind from going to the dark place. Alex looked over his shoulder at me, his brow in a V shape. When he still didn’t answer, I started to feel self-conscious. “What?”?
“Nothing, just a random question, and you just haven’t asked me anything about me before.”
I thought about that then. I had been living with him for two weeks, and he was right. I really hadn’t.??
“I’m sorry.”??
“Don’t be, and no, I don’t play any sports.”
“Why not?”??
He looked at me again, then down at the VHS case in his hand. “Ma can’t afford to pay for it. You have to pay for things like the right kind of shoes or equipment. Baseball bat, helmets, jerseys.” He shook his head. “And I guess I never really asked. I hate asking her for things.” The VCR clicked and stopped; Alex ejected the tape.?
“Oh.” I felt awkward. Like I shouldn’t have asked. I had noticed pictures of a man who looked a lot like Alex, but I was nervous to ask. Taking a deep breath, I finally said, “Who’s the man in all the pictures? Is he your dad?”
Alex nodded. “My dad died when I was nine. Had an accident at work. He was working in a factory; some equipment malfunctioned, and it crushed him. They got him to the hospital in an ambulance, did a whole bunch of surgeries on him. It all looked well, I guess, like he could recover, and then he had a stroke. Blood clot to the brain.” Alex tipped his head back, staring at the ceiling. “Ma kept him on life support for a week before she finally had him taken off.”
He reached below his shirt, pulling out a necklace. It was a corded necklace with a gold band looped through it so it lay flat on his chest. "This was his wedding band. Ma gave it to me like this after his funeral.” I watched as he slipped the ring onto his finger, it was too big and just slipped right back off.
I moved off the couch as he spoke, knelt next to him and listened.??
“He was my hero.” Alex’s voice broke. “He would bring Ma home flowers, and they would dance in the kitchen to some old music that I think they got married to.” He shrugged his shoulders, and a smile was at the corner of his lips. “I would try to squeeze between them, I wanted to join in all the fun. Dad would pick me up and sit me down on the counter and say, ‘Give your ol’ man a minute with the love of his life.’ And they would dance anddance. My dad loved my mom more than anything else in the world.” Alex spoke with wonder in his voice, and I could hear the love he held for his parents.?
My hand was on his arm, and I felt tears streaming down my face.
