The Good Neighbor by Kimberly A. Bettes Page A

have the energy. His lunch was merely a sandwich,
and his dinner was leftover meat loaf from yesterday. I knew he
wouldn’t mind, as meat loaf was his favorite.
    He’d fallen asleep before I made it home from
the doctor. I didn’t want to wake him. I watched him sleeping for a
few minutes, and I’d considered crawling into bed beside him and
nestling myself into his warm arms. I had even taken a step toward
the bed. I didn’t act on it, though. He needed his rest.
    I made a mental note to tease him about
cuddling with my pillow and went to the couch to sleep. I never
slept during the day, but I was sick and drained of my strength. I
would’ve slept in the guest bedroom, but I didn’t want to miss him
on his way out.
    I adjusted the cold, wet wash cloth on my
forehead and tried to find sleep.
     
     
     
20 Owen
    I woke at dusk. My internal clock was
completely out of whack. I was confused as to what time it was, or
even what day. Then, I remembered chasing Jenson with Andy
earlier.
    I also remembered Carla.
    I rushed to shower and dress, not wanting to
keep her waiting. Or me, for that matter. I couldn’t wait to see
her. It felt like it had been forever, though I’d just been at her
house last night.
    I thought about grabbing a bite to eat, but I
figured she’d have dinner waiting. Of course, if they had already
eaten, I’d get pretty hungry.
    I grabbed a granola bar and gobbled it down,
followed by a glass of milk. That would hold me if I needed it to,
and it wouldn’t make me full if she’d made dinner. That was
middle-of-the-road food. I was covered either way.
    I locked the door behind me and headed to
Carla’s in the dark.
    On the way, I thought about how I was going
to get my sleep back on schedule. I was fully rested now, and I’d
never be able to sleep tonight. I guessed I’d probably be up when
Andy got home in the morning and we’d go to bed at the same time.
This meant that I’d sleep all day and be up all night tomorrow
night too. This had to stop now before it went on so long it was
impossible to fix. I marveled at Andy’s ability to work swing
shift. I don’t know how he did it.
    I walked past Bernie’s house slowly. There
was a flicker through the window, which was unmistakable. He was
watching television. It was odd for Bernie to be home and not at
the bar.
    I saw his shadow fall across the curtains. He
was in there, all right. Maybe he was sick. It would serve him
right for scaring the hell out of Carla like that.
    I realized my fists were clenched as I
thought of him. I forced them to relax, and I kept walking, putting
Bernie as far out of my mind as I could. I didn’t want to think
about him now. All I wanted to think about was Carla.
    Oscar was lying on her porch, as if he
belonged to her. He was probably happier at her house than any
other on the street. She had kids. What dog didn’t like kids? I
patted his head and scratched behind his ears, offering him a few
‘good boys’.
    I rang the bell and the door was immediately
jerked open. It was almost as if ringing the bell opened the
door.
    Carla was excited to see me, I could tell. It
was in her eyes, in her smile, and in the way she looked at me. The
look on her face matched how I felt. It wasn’t a big surprise when
she bounced forward and threw her arms up around my neck. Without
hesitation, I put my arms around her waist and hugged her tightly.
It felt right, like that’s what we were supposed to do.
    It had been so long since I’d hugged anyone.
I’d hugged Holly. Once she was gone, Jill had hugged me a few
times, and even Andy had given me one or two hugs. But those were
sympathy hugs, and they didn’t count.
    Though it only lasted a few seconds, the way
Carla hugged me told me several things. First, it let me know she
wanted the hug, because she initiated it. Then, it told me she felt
safe enough and comfortable enough with me to be this close. Next,
it allowed me to see that she was as eager for me to be here as I
was.