In 102 Languages I Love You

"Madison, can you help me chop up these potatoes? I kind have to go help Laurie soon at her house. I could use two more hands." I heard mom yell from the kitchen as I sat on my couch, doing absolutely nothing except staring down at my fingers as they twitched. I've been putting up with these twitches since they first came to me at my brothers graduation six years ago. Now a days, I don't get them as often. Instead, my body and legs just make it harder for me to do things.

I had stopped trying to continue to do what I was doing (which was trying to read the newspaper.) The thin pages shook from the trembling of my hands, and jumped up from my hands pulse. The only thing to do during times like these were to just wait until it was over. And that was frustrating itself.

"I'm twitching." I yelled back, loud enough so she could hear me.

I didn't hear her say anything back. Listening closely, I could hear her turn off the faucet and hear her footsteps coming down the small hallway. Mom was always busy now a days. She never had time to sit down, read, knit, or watch some of her famous soap operas like she used to. She said she liked to keep herself occupied. Her body was soon within a few feet away from me, and when I looked up at her, she was taking off her apron. Mom was forty-three years old. But for a forty-three year old woman, she still looked pretty young. She still had her long brown curly hair, her and she was thing, even through two pregnancies. Hair strands were always escaping from her hair tie, and always falling over her face. She'd often tuck them behind her ears, to lazy to re due her hair.

"We'll I've got no time to cook and since Dan is off with Tiffany or who knows, they'll probably have dinner. You can order yourself something, right?"

I didn't even have time to say anything. Before I knew it, she had grabbed her jacket and shoved her arms in the slots, grabbing her car keys and stepping outside the door. "Alright honey, I'll be back later tonight, have fun. Love you."

Have fun? Love you to Mom, I thought, getting up from the couch and stretching out my arm muscles. My eyes quickly flew over to the phone on the small coffee table next to the TV. I walked over, grabbing the phone from the receiver and holding it in my hands. The phone shook every once in a while as I stared down at it. I could always call Frank and tell him to come over. After all, he had been whining to me yesterday about how spending time together would be rough. Getting my fingers to actually dial the right numbers was another task. Whenever I'd be halfway trying to dial his number, my finger would twitch causing to dial another random number, or dial the same number twice.

Ready to give up and throw the phone as far away from me as I could, I try once more, and get it right. I place the phone to my ear and wait patiently as I hear the ringing in my ear. A few seconds later a kind, soft, honey voice answers on the other side. "Hello?"

Linda.

The phone rubs against my hair from my hands slightly bouncing. I clear my throat and try not to sound so nervous. "Uh, yes hello. C-can I please speak to Frank, please?"

"And who may this be?" Lindas voice rang through the devise in my hands.

I gulped down saliva, steadying my voice. "Madison. I-I'm his... friend."

"Oh Madison! Hi dear, it's been a while since I've seen you. How are you, okay and all?"

She remembered me? I laughed nervously. "I'm good, how are you?" I asked politely.

A short silence followed, and I heard her mumble a few words I couldn't make out myself. I don't think she was talking to me anyway. "I'm good Madison, but Frank here is trying to pull the phone out of my hands. Take care darli-"

I barely heard the word 'darling' before Franks own voice rung through the phone. "Maddy!"
And in that second my muscles relax when hearing his voice. "Hey Frankie." I responded, the phone almost shuffling in my hands as the muscles in my fingers twitched.

"What's up? Why are you calling? This is kind of strange.." He laughed nervously. Over the phone Frank's voice sounded a bit deeper, and more man like.

"Well.." I began, emphasizing my first word. "Seeing as in yesterday you were whining about how you're never going to see me, and seeing as in Dan is out with Tiffany and my mom just left, I was wondering if yo-..." I stopped myself, hearing the phone shuffle from the other side.

"Frank?" I speak into the receiver befuddled, and then suddenly hear the line go dead. I still held the phone close to my ear, hearing that annoying sound booming in my ears. Defeated, I finally put the phone back into it's receiver and walk my way back to the couch. I sit myself down and stare at the phone ten feet away.

Frank could always call back.

I was in no need to try and call back again, not while my hands twitched at least. It's really
frustrating to try to even do the simples task of dialing some ones number, and not being able to because of my ALS. It's really terrible, you know? Your life is destroyed, pieces by pieces, by something you can't even see. Something you can't even fight off. I wish someone would have given me the chance to actually fight for my life. Sometimes I wonder how this really happened. The doctors don't know why people get ALS, just that they get it. But did I have something to do with it? Did my mom during pregnancy have something to do with it? I sighed, my fingers still twitching, my eyes still glued on the phone. Did my line just go dead, or did he hang up? No, he wouldn't hang up.

I lay my body on the couch, shutting off my eyes. Whenever there'd be nothing to do, this is what I'd do. I'd lie somewhere and think. Now, I'm one to always think about others, and just smother myself in to many thoughts. But what I realized is, I never thought about myself. Myself as in, my own small details that make up Madison Claire Darko. If there was something I'd love to ask Frank, it be why he liked me. I'm not trying to sound like a girl with low self esteem, I just want to know what's so 'special' about me he liked. I don't think anyone had ever thought of me as 'special', before Frank.

Ten minutes passed, and my twitching still hadn't left. I was ready to blow, it never stayed for more then an hour or two, and it had been four hours already. I was tired I'll admit, and ready to get some sleep. But every time I get really close to shutting my eyes and falling into dream world completely, my hands would tremble and shake furiously waking me up in the process. I sat up, and thought of doing something. Right now I was regretting giving Frank The Catcher in the Rye to read, at least that would have kept me occupied. I walked over to the window, and looked past the curtains. The snow that had once been a blanket over the floor had now melted. The trees were still bare and naked, shivering as cold winds rushed by our town. I let out a bored moan, closing the curtains, and being sucked into my boring living room once again.

I was walking over to the stairs, heading up to my room when I heard that unique knock against my wooden door. A slight change in mood quickly arose, and I got all jittery.

"Maddy!" Frank yelled in a huge grin, bringing his hands to my face, and colliding our lips together for one quick kiss.

"Frankie.." I smiled, pulling away. "Wait, how did yo- I didn't even get to-.." I rambled with myself. "Can you read minds?" I asked rather seriously.

He laughed at my stupidity, walking inside and closing the door. "Well even if you were going to invite me over or not, as soon as I heard "Dan. Mom. Not home" or something like that, I dropped the phone, grabbed my jacket and dashed out of the house. I think I scared my mom in the process too. And I sped my way here." He laughed lightly.

I narrowed my eyes, smacking him playfully on his arm. "So you did hang up!"

He pouted and cringed, rubbing the area my hand had made contact with. "Jeez, I just got excited." He smiled grabbing my hands into his.

"Well, don't speed next time. You should've taken your time. It's dangerous." I warned, letting go of his hands. I hid them behind my back so he wouldn't notice any twitches. His eyebrows turned into a V shape, and he pouted.

"Most girls would love to know their boyfriend sped to see them."

I shook my head. "Well those girls don't obviously know how dangerous it is to speed. You could've gotten hurt. And where would the boyfriend be then?"

Frank looked at me, straight into my eyes. "Good point." He admitted. "But you know, a good relationship is not always all caring. It's also honest. Now tell me, why are you hiding your hands from my view?"

I froze, gulping back nerves. Now I was the one that felt ashamed. I brought them back slowly to the front of my body, exposing them to Frank. He stared down at my fingers and stared as the muscles in my fingers jumped. "I'm just having one of those twitchy days. It should stop soon."

Frank smiled softly, extending his arm to grab my hand and wrap our fingers together. He stared down at the image of both our hands knotted together. I know he could feel the pulse of my hand jumping inside his own. He rubs his thumb over my flesh, creating small circles, tickling me with his nails. He does this because he can, and I let him because I can't do anything about it. His own hands jump along with mine, feeling some sort of beat rush through our own veins. "It's so cool.." He breathes, exposing his crooked teeth to me.

"What's cool?" I ask, wanting to hold him in my arms for some reason. I let go of his hands, and extend my arms, wrapping them around his neck. I know I feel really small compared to him, and he was small himself, but being cradled in his arms made him feel like a giant.

"You have rhythm, beats, music running through your veins. I swear, you could make music feeling your hands.." He laughed lightly.

He could make all of these things wrong with me feel okay. I smiled into his neck and held on tighter, taking in his scent. My fingers wrapped around his neck twitched and pressed against his wind pipes harder. I knew they must have been hurting Frank a little, so I let go, and stepped away. "So, it's..." I turned my head to the clock. "Two-twenty three pm. Mom said she won't be back until night, and Dan, well I don't even know. What do you want to do?"

He made a thinking face for a second, and just like on the pixel screens an invisible light bulb lit above his head. A smile smeared across his face, and he titled his head. "Grab your jacket."

"Okay?" I asked, walking over to the coat rack, grabbing my big black jacket, and putting it over my bare arms. "Where are we going?" I asked, as he grabbed my twitching hands into his, pulling me out of my house. I was barely able to grab my keys.We were exposed to the temperature outside, and I tugged my jacket closer to my body for warmth.

Frank walked over to his car, unlocking it and opening up his door.

"Where are we going?" I repeated.

He smiled. "You'll see."