Status: Complete
Honey, Where's My Arm?
Opening Up
After dinner, Lori, Andrea, and I did the dishes and then I went upstairs to take a shower. I stood there under the burning hot water for about ten minutes before finally shutting it off. I grabbed the towel and pressed it to my body as I leaned against the shower wall. "Don't let yourself get attached," I whispered to myself. "Even if he doesn't intentionally hurt you, he could get infected, and then you'll have to kill him....just like Paul." At the mention of my ex-fiance's name the image of him from the day before popped into my head. His clothes tattered and bloodstained, just like his graying skin. He was so inhuman standing next to the truck Merle had been driving. But when I looked into his eyes there was something different. It was as if for just one second he was human again, and not a mindless flesh-eater. For one second it was as if he recognized me.
It felt as if my throat had closed as I remembered swinging my katana through the air, and slicing through Paul's throat. I squeezed my eyes shut as I remembered his head falling to the ground, bouncing twice, then rolling away. As his body crumpled to the ground, mine had as well, and I sat on my knees and cried. It wasn't until the rain started that I bothered to start the walk back home.
I took a deep breath and got dressed, putting on a pair of black shorts and an Orlando Magic T-shirt. I quickly brushed my hair and left the bathroom. After a few steps Daryl appeared in the doorway. I put on a smile, even if it was faked, and greeted him. "I'm going to watch a movie, want to join me?"
"What movie?"
"The Princess Bride."
He shook his head vigorously. "No thanks."
"Why?"
"Not my type of movie."
I frowned, "But there's sword fights, a giant, a battle of wits, and so much more. It's everyone's type of movie. Besides, it's one of my favorites."
He sighed, "Fine. I'll watch it with you."
I smiled and he followed me down the hall to my room. He laid down on the bed as I put the movie in. I started the movie before curling up next to him and watching it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The movie was half over when Mariposa fell asleep next to me. I looked at her, she smiled while she slept, and it made me smile. I moved my arm in an attempt to get more comfortable and she moved as well, causing her shirt to raise a little bit to reveal the tattoo on her side. I gently touched the outline of the butterfly's wing and she mumbled something. Emily Zawatsky, I thought to myself. Her daughter's name. I wondered what she looked like. I imagined a smaller version of Mariposa, with long hair the same chocolate brown color, and big brown eyes. I imagined that she had the same smile too.
As my finger tip brushed across Mariposa's hip her eyelids fluttered, and I moved my hand before her eyes opened. She yawned and sat up, glancing at the TV, "Good, I didn't miss my favorite part," she said as the Spaniard ran down the hall chasing the man with six fingers. She spoke the lines along with him, getting excited as she watched the scene. "Isn't this movie fantastic?"
I nodded. "It's a good movie."
She grinned.
When the movie was over she said, "We can watch something else if you want. I'm kind of in the mood for a horror film."
I nodded and as she got up to change the movies I asked, "What did Emily look like?"
"People told me she looked like me," she said, walking over to the dresser and picking up a photo album. She carried it back over to the bed and sat down, opening it. There was a little brown-haired girl dressed like a princess, her head was tilted up, and she had a grin on her face.
"She was cute."
"That's me."
"Oh."
Mariposa chuckled and flipped to the middle of the book. "That's Emily."
"You're Jewish?" I asked, noticing the menorah.
Mariposa shook her head, "No, Paul was."
"Oh."
We looked through the album. Emily did look like Mariposa. She seemed so happy. "She loved to dance. We were always playing music, and she'd dance around."
"She was beautiful."
Mariposa looked up at me with sadness in her eyes. "My world...my world ended the day..." her sentence stopped as the tears rolled down her cheeks. I pulled her into my arms and she buried her face in my shoulder as she cried.
It felt as if my throat had closed as I remembered swinging my katana through the air, and slicing through Paul's throat. I squeezed my eyes shut as I remembered his head falling to the ground, bouncing twice, then rolling away. As his body crumpled to the ground, mine had as well, and I sat on my knees and cried. It wasn't until the rain started that I bothered to start the walk back home.
I took a deep breath and got dressed, putting on a pair of black shorts and an Orlando Magic T-shirt. I quickly brushed my hair and left the bathroom. After a few steps Daryl appeared in the doorway. I put on a smile, even if it was faked, and greeted him. "I'm going to watch a movie, want to join me?"
"What movie?"
"The Princess Bride."
He shook his head vigorously. "No thanks."
"Why?"
"Not my type of movie."
I frowned, "But there's sword fights, a giant, a battle of wits, and so much more. It's everyone's type of movie. Besides, it's one of my favorites."
He sighed, "Fine. I'll watch it with you."
I smiled and he followed me down the hall to my room. He laid down on the bed as I put the movie in. I started the movie before curling up next to him and watching it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The movie was half over when Mariposa fell asleep next to me. I looked at her, she smiled while she slept, and it made me smile. I moved my arm in an attempt to get more comfortable and she moved as well, causing her shirt to raise a little bit to reveal the tattoo on her side. I gently touched the outline of the butterfly's wing and she mumbled something. Emily Zawatsky, I thought to myself. Her daughter's name. I wondered what she looked like. I imagined a smaller version of Mariposa, with long hair the same chocolate brown color, and big brown eyes. I imagined that she had the same smile too.
As my finger tip brushed across Mariposa's hip her eyelids fluttered, and I moved my hand before her eyes opened. She yawned and sat up, glancing at the TV, "Good, I didn't miss my favorite part," she said as the Spaniard ran down the hall chasing the man with six fingers. She spoke the lines along with him, getting excited as she watched the scene. "Isn't this movie fantastic?"
I nodded. "It's a good movie."
She grinned.
When the movie was over she said, "We can watch something else if you want. I'm kind of in the mood for a horror film."
I nodded and as she got up to change the movies I asked, "What did Emily look like?"
"People told me she looked like me," she said, walking over to the dresser and picking up a photo album. She carried it back over to the bed and sat down, opening it. There was a little brown-haired girl dressed like a princess, her head was tilted up, and she had a grin on her face.
"She was cute."
"That's me."
"Oh."
Mariposa chuckled and flipped to the middle of the book. "That's Emily."
"You're Jewish?" I asked, noticing the menorah.
Mariposa shook her head, "No, Paul was."
"Oh."
We looked through the album. Emily did look like Mariposa. She seemed so happy. "She loved to dance. We were always playing music, and she'd dance around."
"She was beautiful."
Mariposa looked up at me with sadness in her eyes. "My world...my world ended the day..." her sentence stopped as the tears rolled down her cheeks. I pulled her into my arms and she buried her face in my shoulder as she cried.