We're Not Broken, Just Bent

“It’s benign Sunny, but I still have to have surgery to have it taken out.” I walked past Mark who was sitting on my living room couch. He called his parents, and then his siblings before calling Sunrise. I was busying myself with laundry but I soon found myself in his vicinity.

“Because it can still do damage to my hearing.” He caught my eye and smiled slightly as he leaned forward on the couch.

“I don’t know, we haven’t gotten an appointment yet.” I cringed at the collective ‘we’ he used, knowing that wouldn’t sit okay with the woman on the other end of that phone call.

“No, she isn’t doing the procedure.” He placed his hand to his forehead as he stared at the floor. I was trying to straighten out my papers and books that had accumulated in my living space over the last few weeks.

“It’s not that she isn’t capable, it’s just that it would be a conflict of interest.” I felt myself inwardly cringe at that one.

“Because we’re friends?” Yep, she was mad.

“No, will you just-“ He sighed out of frustration and leaned back quickly into the couch.

“Just, listen. No. Stop. Can you just- Of course not!” His sudden change in volume made me jump, and drop the nicely stacked piles of paper I had made.

“Fucking god dammit.” I muttered as I kneeled to my floor and began scooping the pieces of paper up off of the floor.

“Of course I’m yelling because you are being absolutely ridiculous!” He stood up from the couch, and hurried up the stairs still talking angrily into his phone. I sighed as I stood up and threw the papers back on to the table I had been trying to clean up.

“So much for that happening.” I mumbled to myself as I sat down where Mark had just been and turned on the television to find something to watch. I found myself engrossed in an episode of How’s It’s Made, when a knock from my front door pulled me out of the wonderful world of how they make fences. The process was hypnotizing.

“Bales, do you want me to get the door?” Mark’s voice carried from the front of my house.

“Yeah, please.” I answered as I finally tore my eyes away from the screen to find the remote. I swear to God it was right fucking here, how does this even happen?

“You lose the remote again, dearie?” I smiled widely at the slight Irish accent. I stood to turn and look at the man who was laughing at my horrible luck with remotes. Ted was a man in his early seventies, he had white hair that was always covered by an old, worn out newsboy cap. He had been born in Ireland but moved to the States when he was a boy. He met Rose when he was twenty-four and she was twenty. Rose was a firecracker and I loved her to death. She was a short woman with blonde hair that was cut in short curls close to her head, and she always had a way of making me feel better. They were two of the best people I had ever had the pleasure of being friends with in my life.

“Yes, yes I did Ted. Hello, hello.” I jogged to the entrance of my living room to greet him, Rose was coming in with Mark behind her. He was carrying some grocery bags and a large pot. Ted had another dish in his hands, which I grabbed as I went in for a hug. I greeted Rose in the same way and followed them in to my kitchen. Mark and I put the stuff down on the counter top and I turned my attention to introductions.

“Ted, Rose this is Mark. Mark this is Ted and Rose.” Mark shook Ted’s hand with a firm grip and Rose did an adorable little wave.

“I was just telling Ted if you didn’t find someone soon we’d be having to set you up with one of our grandsons. Although frankly he thinks you’re too good for any of them.” Rose was already bustling around the space, she knew where everything was. Ted and I mostly stood back and marveled at the speed of the tiny woman most nights. She was a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen.

“Oh, well this is Mark. My Mark, oh-uh, not my Mark. The Mark.” I felt myself become flustered and knew I was blushing. Mark awkwardly patted me on the shoulder a few times and laughed quietly.

“Oh! Old friend Mark?” Rose stopped moving momentarily to look at the both of us. I nodded and looked towards the floor with a sigh. Ted settled down at the breakfast bar and grabbed some vegetables out of one of the bags. He mostly did the knife work, Rose did all of the cooking.

“Yep, that’s the one.” I finally answered.

“I promise I am not as terrible as I am sure I come off in her stories.” There was a hint of joking in Mark’s tone as Ted began to laugh.

“That bad, huh?” Mark finally came to stand beside me, his eyebrow raised with a slight grimace on his lips.

“Bad? Is there something else we should know about the lad? She hasn’t said one bad word about you.” Ted was looking at us out of the corner of his eye as Rose placed a cutting board and knife in front of him. I avoided Mark’s stare as I went around the counter to see what Rose needed help with. Mark sat down in the seat next to Ted and leaned on his elbows.

“So, what are we having tonight?” Rose smiled sweetly as she pulled out another cutting board and placed it in front of Mark, the knife soon followed. Without a word Ted handed him half of the vegetables and they both got to work.

“In light of your amazing news, I decided to make your favorite.” My mouth instantly began to water as she pulled out lemons, chicken, and bread crumbs.

“Oh man, Mark you are in for a treat. Rose makes THE best chicken cutlets.” She reached forward and grabbed my hand, shaking it a few times lightly.

“We are just so proud of you.”

“Wait, what amazing news?”

“She didn’t tell you?” Rose rounded on me now, “you didn’t tell him?” I sighed quietly and shook my head.

“Bailey! You shouldn’t hide your good news. You should be very, very proud of yourself. You need to tell people.”

“Sweetheart I am almost certain this is the only man left in New Jersey who doesn’t know, and that is only because you just met him.” Ted turned his stare to me, smiling at his wife’s angry expression, “she has been telling everyone. And I do mean everyone.” Mark was staring at me, his knife hung in midair above a tomato.

“I am the recipient of the Derek Denny-Brown Scholar award, I am presenting my paper in two weeks at the annual ANA meeting. It’s not a big deal-” I couldn’t get one more word out as I was smacked on my hand with a wooden spoon.

“Hey! You know I think your full strength is back since the last surgery.” I retorted at the back of Rose’s head as I rubbed my now, red and sore, hand.

“Stop selling yourself short, dearie.” Ted spoke with a laugh, I’m sure he was just glad he wasn’t the one on the receiving end of that one this time.

“Bales, that’s so-” Mark’s expression gave his features a stunned appearance, “that’s so amazing! Why didn’t you tell me?” I shrugged my shoulders.

“Might have to do with the reasoning behind those fresh stitches on your head, son.” Ted pointed the handle of his knife in Mark’s direction. He looked surprised, as if he had forgotten why he had come to me in the first place.

“Oh, right.” He mumbled.

“Biopsy?” Ted asked with a serious tone. Mark nodded and went back to slicing things for what looked to be a salad.

“Not cancerous.” He responded after a beat. Ted reached up to grip his shoulder for a few moments, and then he let go.

“Glad to hear it. Even if it was you have the best doc in the world right there.” He winked at me and went back to his small pile of vegetables.

“Yeah, she is.” I returned the small smile Mark shot me, then turned my attention back to the fiery, wit-filled, tiny lady at my stove.

---

The rest of the night was filled with laughter, amazing food, and Ted’s great stories. He was one of the best storytellers I had ever met, and he had us all roaring with laughter throughout dinner. Mark being there made me feel like everything was right with the world, even if it was just for that instance. It was almost like he had always been here, as if we hadn’t spent two years not talking. I didn’t feel so alone anymore.

“So you let us know what we can bring.” We were saying our goodbyes at the door, Rose was referring to the little party the department was throwing me next week.

“I’m sure they’ll have-” She shot me one of her looks that always made me feel like I was a kid again, “You know what, I love your brownies, and I’m sure everyone else would too.” She replaced her stern expression with a smile. I hugged her and Ted goodbye as Mark was putting their things in the car.

“And Mark, hope to see you again.” He looked happy as she pulled him in for a tight hug.

“Yeah, me too.” He responded as they let go of each other. Mark came to stand by me on my steps as they got in and started the car.

“I really like them.” He turned to look at me as he waved goodbye to Rose as they pulled away from the curb.

“Yeah, they are pretty spectacular, eh?” He placed his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side in a slightly awkward hug.

“You are too, Bales. You are too.”