Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Dinner
Later that night, I'm in my room, looking at Central Park, I had been writing most of today and checking in on Avery every now and then, she still doesn't like having me here so she just slept the day away instead of asking for anything. I heard a knock at the door. I looked to the door to see the devil herself.
"Good evening, dinner is ready as well as mother and father are home, do join us." She said holding her arm out showing me the way to the eating room, I looked at her funny
"Do you always do that or are you trying to piss me off?"
"Piss you off, working?"
I rolled my eyes and walked past her, as I already knew where it was, with Avery behind me we went to the eating room, she pushed me from behind which made me fall right onto the floor, and that is the first impression I give her dad, she seemed unbothered by what she did.
"Avery dear, help her up- never mind I will." Her father said, he is British, that I didn't know. Mr. Mack helped me up as I dusted myself off and went to sit in the empty space where I think I must sit.
"Frank, this is Jamie Scott, she is the new sponsor for Avery."
"Hello Avery, I see you have meet the floor, hope he treats you better than my daughter." He's nice, funny, Avery just seemed bored
"I think he might, he did catch me tonight."
"I see you two have already meet, Avery, what did you do today, how are you-
"Feeling? Sick as always, And as for what I did… slept and well I woke up to meet Jamie then we spoke then I slept again till mom woke me up for my meds then showered and now we are here. What did you all do today?" Hrmp
"Well, I sold that house in Queens, made more than we thought we would for it." Mr. Mack said
"We are being called back tomorrow to finish, we were so close to winning but they said it was getting late. Jamie dear did you settle in alright?"
"Yes-
"She must have if she is sitting here and was sitting at her desk trying away-
"Avery, how many times have I told you-
"Don't but in, I learnt it from you, so technically, its your fault that I do it." wow, my parents would never let me say something like that
"She's right Quinn, I don't even do that, so she did learn it from you." He smiled at his wife and daughter, I just kept quiet as they spoke to one another, after a while, dinner was done and I went to help Mrs. Mack in the kitchen.
She didn't seem to need it once I got there, since it was already clean.
"I am sorry about Avery, she's a sweet girl just, she's hard to get close to, she had only one friend, but things went...sideways and they stopped talking, since then, she's been like this and now with the cancer getting worse, she is just like that to everyone, but us and the people at the hospital. Oh and Sandra. Sandra is the lady at the bookstore, she brings her books whenever she orders. I'm sorry, I talk to much."
"Its alright, you remind me of my mother, she spoke a lot to but I am a person who is paid to listen, so I don't mind, Avery…does she ever, leave the house?"
"No, other than going to the hospital and back, no." So I was right.
"Ever thought to get her out?"
"We have tried but she doesn't want to, most she leaves is to stand outside the balcony or sit by her window, she's closed off. She didn't hurt you when you fell?"
"Oh no, I get pushed by my much younger patents so its alright, I know she was just being funny… why did your husband have to help me up, surely she could have helped me up?"
"Her bones are weak, weaker than an older person, she can't bend or pick certain things up, so we try to do it for her or help her avoid doing it."
I nodded, not knowing what to say next, I was about to sat goodnight when Mrs. Mack hugged me.
"Thank you, for coming to help, we know she's a lot but we need someone to get her to love her life before it ends."
"Your welcome Mrs. Mack, I will do my best."
"Goodnight Jamie."
"Goodnight."
I said it with a small smile as I watched her walk to the study. I guess they know about how Avery acts, that's why they deafened her tonight, they know I am making a story on her and they don't want to let me think that what is said of her is true. I sigh, I actually feel bad for them.
I walk back to my room to see Avery, sitting on my bed. With h a book in her hands, Heart of Darkness, good book.
"Can I help you or did you forget where your room is this time? It is right next-
"Your making a story on me?"
"Yes, I write for the New York Times. Part of this was to also get a story on you."
"Why?"
"Well, your a caner case, that has never happened and they want to know what your day to day life is like, I wont make you sound bad or anything, they just want to know about-
"Cancer."
"Yeah."
"You know, I have had a story wrote about me, this is the first time for a newspaper-
"Actually, they want it to be a book."
"Wow, a book about me, I must be really fucking famous for this thing that has been killing me since I was 7 years old." I looked at her, I studied her face, she was pissed but her father must have said something, because her mom said he wanted her to know but she didn't, I think it is better if she knows that way I wont look weird asking her things about herself or anything about her life really, and there as a lot of things they want to know.
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?"
"because I don't think you want me to write about you?" I also don't know why I said sorry
"Its fine, my dad told me and well I was pissed at him not you, you actually seem like a half decent person, I just know what you are here for, your here for yourself, not to help."
"I'm sorry, for myself? I would never normally stay with someone for a year, nor help, or write about them and I work with people who are half way cured or nearing the end of treatment, 95% chance to live, not 95% chance to die." I said in a huff, I must have upset her, she's got tears in her eyes
"I at least know I am going to die, those people you work with, don't know they are actually getting better, nor that they are going to die tomorrow rather than live, and if they need YOU to tell them to get up, no wonder they do as their told." as she said that she stormed out, leaving her book behind. I sat on the bed, holding the book. I shouldn't have said that, maybe if she is just a bit nicer, then we wont be at each other for the next year, or in her head, 2 months. I cant just quite because she hates me after knowing me after 1 day, I have to do this. Whether I want to or mot. But I think I have to give the book back or she might say that I am stealing from her as well.
I walk to her room, its closed, I can hear something playing, she must be watching a movie, I knock a bit loud so she can hear me, she says come in, maybe she thinks it is her mom or dad.
I open the door as she paused her movie, when she saw it was me she played the movie again.
"I brought your book back. Just thought you might want it." I said as she focused on her movie. I bit my lip as I knew she was really gonna try her best to get me to leave after what I said to her.
She paused the movie again before I left.
"Am I really the first person your working with that has more chance of dying than living?" I turned around
"Yes."
"Hrmp, that's weird."
"Well, I mean, I work with people who think they aren't getting better or are just there but need to be reassured that they are going to be okay, I have lost people before, not many but some have died while I am working with them and even before I even get to meet them, but yes they normally have a chance at living, this, is all new for me, I don't live with my patents or do anything like this."
She looks at me like she is trying to see if I am lying, I only lie when I need to but I need her to be ok with me. She moves to the edge of her bed, sitting at the edge, she pointed to her arm chair, meaning I must sit, I walked over and sat, we were a few feet apart.
"I'm sorry about my attitude, it is just how I am, you live with this thing for 12 years, it will make you bitter. My parents are used to it but not everyone else, its why they say sorry on my part, they don't want you to leave like the rest, it has been a rough past 3 years." 3 years?
"How do you mean?"
"I haven't really had a new, I hate the word sponsor, I'm just going to call you my… help, bad name but that is basically what you are-
"Or you could just call me by my name."
"Jam. I will call you Jam."
"No."
"Come on, it is funny, don't you like jam?"
I just stared at her
"I'm still gonna call you that, anyway, the last, help that lasted longer than a month, was when I was 13, I was a teenager and I needed someone to help me with not only everything I have to do but school, and we were told about this guy, married, teacher and doctor, Michael Long, and he was the best, he helped be do 4 years of high school in 2, I should have done college but I don't see the point with how I am. But I was about 16, I had just been out with my mom to the mall, back then, I always left the house but with Michael and his family or my mom, anyway, we got back, dad was home which was weird since he had been told her had to work late that night but he came to me, he said he had bad news, Michael had been in a car accident, heart attack at the wheel, he was with his family and they all went into the back of a huge truck. No one had survived the crash, I was… I was sad, I didn't know how to react really, it was the first big death in my life."
"I am so sorry."
"After the funeral, I didn't leave my room for weeks, which was the worst thing I could have done to my body because of everything I take, and the treatment, I have to move around, now we have a gym which I hate doing but you can help me now, anyway, I refused to get out and I didn't want a new help, I missed Michael, and I had the impression no one could be better than him, so when ever my mom said she found a new one, I would be mean to the to get them to leave, and they all said the same thing about me or they said the same thing over and over, all did everything they could to get me out of the house but nothing worked, I think by staying inside all the time, I made myself worse, last year, I was sent to the ER because for some reason I was stick as a dog, came to find I had tumors growing all over my body they said I wasn't gonna make it through the surgery because of where the tumors had been growing there needed to get a few removed that night I ended up being ok but i had to live in hospital for months, I had to learn to walk again because I stayed in bed so much, the IVs were in my neck, arms, even my hand till about December and now its Feb and I'm just skinny, I still have them, I have a few surgery's to remove them, there is some on my lungs as well as the cancer, which is why I lose my breath, but they said I only need one removed then I'll be fine. I was told last month about you, I only now read your file."
"So you pick the help?"
"No, my mom does, I judge."
"Gee, thanks. What do you think of my file?"
"You have done a lot of writing, I think I've read a few." She said looking at the file.
"Why did you tell me all that?"
"I just feel like I can."
"Does that mean?"
"It means I think I can actually handle having you around, so I wont get you to leave in the next two months, I only said that because I wanted to see what you would say, and well you took the bet, so I know your gonna stick around."
She smiled at me with a small smile I smiled back, she looked away and went back to laying down on her bed, she played her movie, I took this as my cue to leave.
"Goodnight Jam. Oh we have to go to the hospital tomorrow, its every Friday. 10am."
I looked at her before I closed the door
"Goodnight Avery, and alright ill be ready."
"You have a car right?"
"Yes."
"Ok."
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
As I closed the door, I wondered if her parents worry if that is the last thing she will say before she goes when they go to bed, I just got the sting.