Slap!
Melanie threw her ace of spades down on the floor with gusto.
“It’s an aces war!” Jacob shouted, tossing one card face down, and flipping the next one face up beside it. “Let’s go,” he yelled at Melanie, shoving her shoulder to try and force her to play faster.
“I’m going, I’m going.” Melanie said, setting down her own cards in the play.
“Ready?” Jacob said, his eyes glittering with excitement as he peeked at his card.
“Ready.” Melanie said. They both flipped their cards at the same time.
“I win!” Shouted Jacob taking the stack of playing cards and shouting, “Fifty-two pick up,” before tossing them all in the air.
“I’m not cleaning that mess up,” Melanie said, “you are on your own.” Melanie stood, stretching out her back, and legs, which had gone numb sitting cross-legged on the hard floor with her nephew. She paced around the room watching as Jacob scrambled to pick up the mess he’d made. She was getting used to this room—they both were. Melanie couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not.
She looked at the now empty bed in the center of the hospital room. She hated this part. The waiting. The intrepid worry she felt for her younger sister. Jacob was still young enough not to understand what was going on with his parents. He just knew that every once in awhile they came to the hospital and he got to play cards with his aunt while his mom and dad disappeared for a few hours. To Jacob this was just another Monday, but to Melanie, this was the part of her life she tried to forget was real.
A lump filled her throat as she sat on the edge of the bed. Her sister, Becky, wouldn’t mind. They may not have shared beds when they were kids, but they shared nearly everything else, including their bedroom. Heck, even their childhood crushes were the same.
Melanie could still remember when her first boyfriend came over to the house to visit. Poor Becky had hidden in her room for hours, barely rushing out to use the bathroom now and then, so determined was she not to be noticed.
That summer of ‘92 was filled with bleached blond hair, boys, and MTV. For Becky, the year must have looked quite different. She spent most of her time trapped in the four walls of her bedroom avoiding Melanie’s dates. Back then they didn’t have television in their rooms so she could only imagine that Becky spent hours reading from their parent’s book collection. If Melanie wanted to she could probably even thank Melanie’s own budding social life in their teens for Becky’s current career as a writer. Although, somehow Melanie doubted thanking her would be the first thing to come to Becky’s mind. She had enough on her plate these days.
When Melanie first got the call from Becky needing her to come for her hospital visits to keep an eye on Jacob, she was floored. Her baby sister needed her, and she wanted more than anything to be there for her.
The smell of antiseptic drifted into the room as Melanie watched a hospital cart roll past. She looked over at Jacob, now completely absorbed in one of the children’s picture books that Becky had brought along to keep him occupied. Not for the first time, she was grateful that he wasn’t totally aware of what his mom and dad were going through. Looking down at her watch, Melanie was surprised to realize that it was quarter past two in the afternoon. Time really did fly when Jacob was there to keep her occupied. Becky should be back any minute.
Melanie stood peering out into the hall, staying out of the way of the hustle and bustle of the hospital staff. The elevator opened, and Melanie spotted the hospital bed being wheeled in her direction. Becky was right beside it, gripping tightly to the hand that lay limply on the bed. Her face was pale and drawn, her eyes scrunched as she wiped old tears with the back of her left hand. Melanie could see the moment she put the mask up. The one she wore for her son. The one she wore to soothe everyone else, when she was the one who needed soothing.
Jacob bounced around Melanie, having also spotted the bed wheeling towards them.
“Dad!” He shouted, running to the bed, where his father, Mark, lay quietly.
Melanie watched them for a moment, as Becky put her arm around her son, kissing him on the cheek.
“Dad’s doing well today,” Becky said to him. “But he is resting now. Let’s give Aunt Melanie a break, and we can all go get some lunch. What do you say?”
“I wish he would wake up.” Jacob said simultaneously petulant and mournful, ignoring his mother’s attempts to cheer him. “Then dad could eat lunch with us.”
Melanie saw the tears flood Becky’s eyes as she tried to compose herself in front of her son. It was clear, she wished for that as much as her son —if not more. Melanie knew it was time for her to intervene. The cues were all in place. Melanie was here to be the comedian, the cheerleader, the friend, the sister, the one who distracted everyone from the truth. The truth that Mark was unlikely to wake up, and if he did he might never be the same, but that truth is for another time. A time when Becky and Jacob are ready to hear it. For now, Melanie needed to do what she did best—intervene.
“Did I hear someone say lunch?” Melanie said, meeting them at the doorway. Her arm squeezing her sister’s hand briefly. “I’m starving. I think it’s only fair that since I was the loser in our card game that I get to pick the restaurant. Doesn’t that sound fair Jacob?”
“No way!” Jacob shouted, “I won, I get to pick! Please mom! Can I pick?”
“Sure hon,” Becky said, “Let me kiss your father goodbye and we can head out.”
Melanie again took in the scene around her, the scene they have been playing out for the last three years, as Mark stayed silent in his bed. Becky, kissed Mark, pressing her lips tightly against his cheek. Jacob ran beside them, shaking his father’s hand, and whispering in his ear, “I have so much to tell you,” causing the lump in Melanie’s throat to grow.
“Come on,” Melanie said, knowing the two of them could sit there for hours watching over Mark without her pushing them to keep living. “Let’s go eat.”
