Page 120 of Loving the Legend
I have enough pills to sleep through the next week, so she can stay as long as she likes.
“No allergies.” I scoop up a bite of soup and blow on it before swallowing it down. It’s bland.
“Great. I’ll keep it light for the next few days. If you’re feeling better, I’ll make the lasagna you love so much.”
The thought of it makes me queasy. “Sounds good." I drop the spoon into the bowl and sip from the cup of water she placed down.
I feel the weight of her stare, so I pick up the spoon and take another bite, then another until the bowl is empty. It’ll probably come back up in a few hours anyway.
“Thanks again,” I say after I place the bowl in the dishwasher. “Do you need anything before I go back to sleep?”
“Nope. I put my bags in the guest room on the right. It’s stocked with fresh linen and towels. I also found the laundry room and threw your sheets in the wash. I’m going to head to the supermarket, make some dinner, and then settle in. I’ll be in to check on you. Don’t worry. I won’t wake you.”
I nod. “I have an app that will deliver groceries in under two hours.”
“Thanks, dear. I don’t mind. I like discovering new products. Especially in a nice neighborhood like this one,” she says.
“Take my car. The key is by the front door. Make yourself at home. If you need anything, let me know.”
She nods.
“Oh, my wallet is also by the front door. It’s low on cash, but feel free to use my card.”
“That’s okay. Sid opened up a bank account for me with a sinful balance. He complains that I don’t use it enough. I’m gonna stock your fridge just to keep him off my back,” she says, smiling.
I yawn. The pills are starting to kick in. “Was he always so generous?”
She nods. “When he was fifteen, he worked a summer job to make extra money. He was saving up for a pair of those Jordans you all love. He wanted to look hip when he went back to school. I asked him if he needed me to chip in, but he said he’d saved enough. Things were tight, but I worked extra hours to cover his new clothes and school supplies. I swear, every time I turned around, the kid outgrew his clothes. On the first day of school, he came home in a worn pair of sneakers. I asked him what had happened to the Jordans he had planned to buy, and he shrugged. After glaring at him to spit out the truth, he reluctantly admitted that Sid’s best friend growing up, Paul, had his summer wages stolen by his dad. That man was the devil. He probably stole it to get high or drunk. I’ll never understandhow someone could be so cruel to their kid,” she says, shaking her head. “Do you know Sid gave Paul all of his earnings so that he could buy new clothes? Even when we didn’t have much, he generously offered what he had. He still does. No one would believe the amount he donates privately.”
Now that I know him, none of this comes as a surprise. I’ve never met anyone who gives as freely as he does.
“I love him. I’m sorry I scared him…all of you.”
She pats my arm. “He loves you too. It’s a wound for him, the fear of losing loved ones. I mean, for all of us, really, but especially for him. Now that he’s in love, I think it’s heightened the fear. That’s for him to work on healing. Don’t go beating yourself up over it.”
I don’t think I realized how much he and I have that fear in common.
“Go on and rest. I’ll call him when I get to the supermarket. I’ll report in that you’re fed and resting,” she says.
I lean down and place a kiss on her cheek.
I take two steps toward my room when she clears her throat. “Oh, Adam’s sleeping pills, dear. Where are they?”
I tense as dread creeps in. “Uh, yeah, I’ll, er, grab them."
My palms are sweaty as I reach into the medicine cabinet for the pills. Sleep is the only thing that’ll make the next few days bearable. I wish they understood how exhausting it is to be awake. Making a split second decision, I pop open the bottle and pour a few pills into my pocket before twisting the cap back into place.
Lily’s peering into my cabinets with a pen and paper in her hand when I return.
“Here you go.”
She turns and takes the bottle.
“How are you on melatonin? I can pick you up a bottle to help you rest. It’s safer than this,” she says, shaking the bottle.
Melatonin no longer works for me.
“I think I have a bottle around here somewhere. Don’t worry about it.”
