Page 79 of Talk to Me

“Hey, Artie!” I announced cheerfully as Theo and I entered his room.

He’d left his door open, so I’d only grazed my knuckles against the wood as we walked right in. Arthur was standing at the windows next to his chair, staring out at the snowy woods behind Spice House, his hands clutched behind his back. Someone—probably one of the nurses—had come in and hung lighted garland in Arthur’s window, making the room more festive than Arthur would probably admit he liked. At the sound of my voice, he turned and managed a respectable scowl. Theo and I both laughed at him as we began taking off our winter layers.

“Don’t call me that you little twink!” Arthur barked and eased himself into his chair.

Amused at his theatrics, I gave Arthur a once over as Theo took our coats, scarves, hats, and gloves and laid them over the footboard of the bed. He was in dark slacks, a white long-sleeve button down, a green and red bowtie at his throat. Arthur could act as grumpy as he liked during our visit, but I’d spotted the holiday colors.

“So,” I said, sitting down on the edge of his bed, “how’s tricks, Scrooge?”

Theo sat down next to me, smiling at my question.

Arthur glowered at me for a moment, making sure I was aware he was still upset about the slight I’d given upon entering his room. However, his scowl quickly disappeared as he considered the question.

“I suppose everything is fine,” he said, running his hands over the thighs of his pants before crossing his legs. “We had a nice feast last night. Turkey, ham, dressing, the works. The mac and cheese was a bit dry, but I think they have too many white people in the kitchen, so…”

I chuckled. “Bastards.”

Arthur performed an exasperated shrug, then waved his hand through the air, as though chasing the thought away.

“Is that my gift?” he asked, pointing at the tin on the floor next to my feet.

“Greedy like Scrooge, too,” I said, standing and picking up the tin.

I walked over to Arthur and set it in his lap. Before he could stop me, I bent down and planted a wet kiss on the top of his head.

“Merry Christmas, my friend,” I said.

Arthur swatted at me, but I was too quick for him. I’d dashed back to the bed with a cackle and plopped down next to Theo once again. Much to my amazement, a scowl was not on Arthur’s face as he began to pry at the lid of the tin. He was grinning as his fingers pulled at it. Once it was open, he looked up at me evilly.

“Half chocolate popcorn, half caramel corn,” he said. “Oh, this will keep me occupied through Christmas.”

“I want to make sure you get your sugar fix while I’m home for the holidays,” I said.

“Thank you,” Arthur said with a bob of his head.

“You’re welcome,” I said as he plucked a small handful from the tin.

Arthur stuffed a few pieces of chocolate popcorn into his mouth with one hand, and with the other, returned the lid to the tin. As he chewed, he leaned in his chair to put the tin on the floor next to him. His eyes darted from me over to Theo.

“Did you bring me a gift besides that sour look?” he asked Theo.

I turned my head to look at Theo sitting next to me. Unsure if he’d actually looked sour or not, I noticed that he plastered a smile to his face as soon as Arthur had called him out.

“Of course,” Theo said, chuckling.

He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small, yet festive envelope. White and decorated with blue swirls, the envelope was delivered to Arthur before Theo sat down next to me once again. Arthur eyed Theo suspiciously for a moment as his fingers worked to open the tiny envelope. When he looked down, his face lit up once again.

“A gift certificate for food delivery!” he gasped, delighted. “I can get decent mac and cheese delivered! Thank you!”

Theo chuckled. “You’re welcome. If you need help with the app—”

“I know how to order food!” Arthur chastised him, shaking the gift card at Theo.

We all laughed and Arthur bent to put the envelope and gift card on top of the tin next to him.

“So,” Arthur said, looking back over at Theo, “why do you look so sour? Jesus’s birthday is coming. Brighten up, child!”

Theo started to chuckle, but his shoulders slumped. Suddenly, I realized that I hadn’t been imagining Theo’s poor mood on the ride over. I hadn’t been wrong that the last two weeks had turned him into a sourpuss.