Fighting For What's Missing

15.

"What did you do?" William chuckles weakly as he untangles my hair with a brush. "You barely moved last night, how is your hair so knotted?" I shrug. In the mirror, I can see how he untangles my hair without it hurting; he grabs my hair in his fist, just above the knot, and gently brushes out the knot. "Agnes?"

"Mm?" We look at each other through the mirror.

"You're quiet."

I think for a moment, but come up with nothing, so I ask, "what do I say?"

"I didn't it mean it like that. I'm just a little worried."

I turn, nearly falling off the stool, and face him. "Why?"

"Because I care."

"I care about you too," I smile.

William had some struggle but he put my hair up in a high ponytail then twisted it into a bun. It took him four tries. Mrs. Granger joined us after. William remained in the bathroom, standing by the door while Mrs. Granger and I get the right temperature for the bath.

"Okay," I nod at Mrs. Granger. "I like the water." William nods at me before leaving. He closes the door, but we don't hear him leave.

"Is he happy?" Mrs. Granger whispers, staring at the water with distant eyes.

I shrug. "I think...how is he supposed to be?"

She turns to me. "I'm so grateful he has you."

I smile and nod.

"Here," she hands me a long black t-shirt. "So, you have something to wear." I nod again, then she turns her back to me. I strip out of my clothes, completely naked, and put on the shirt.

When I'm done, Mrs. Granger faces me again and helps me into the tub. The large shirt bubbles around me, causing me to laugh. Mrs. Granger smiles. I can see William in her smile. Other than their smile, there's nothing really similar about them, not even their accents. Mrs. Granger's eyes are a dark brown and William's eyes are grayish-blue type. Maybe the shape of their eyes. Maybe.

"Do you want bubbles?"

I shake my head.

The rest of the bath was spent in silence. Mrs. Granger helped me dry off then I got dressed, her back turned to me again. I picked the Spongebob shirt and the jeans that didn't have sparkled stars or flowers on them. When fully dressed, I undo my hair, yanking it in the process, then brushed it out, again yanking it.

"Are y'all done?!" William calls from the other side of the door, "I'm hungry!"

I open the door. He's leaning on the door frame, arms crossed over his chest. "You can't rush woman," I tell him.

"Right," he grins, "I'm sorry. Did you put any lotion on your rash?"

"No," I answer, and he makes a face. "Not yet," I quickly add.

"I'll put it on downstairs," he extends his hand out. I nod, taking his hand, then we leave the bathroom and go downstairs.

*********

As expected, the car ride was awkward and quiet. William was odd when we arrived. He was tensed as we entered the diner then waited at the front while Mrs. Granger and I were sitted.

"What's he's doing?" I ask when the waiter left.

"Dunno."

I sigh then pick up the kid's menu. "The bacon and eggs look good."

Panic washes over Mrs. Granger's face. "You don't want pancakes?"

"I dunno why but they taste better when they're made at...home." I frown. I don't have a home anymore.

"Um..." she anxiously looks at William, who's still standing in the front, talking to the woman behind the desk. "Agnes," she looks at me, "what kind of cake do you like?"

"I think...ice cream cake."

"Alright," William returns then. He smiles wryly at me, sitting down next to me. "Do we know what we want?"

"Scrambled eyes and bacon," I answer, then William and Mrs. Granger share an uneasy look. I clench and unclench my fist under the table. Am I doing something wrong? Maybe I should ask for pancakes. I open my mouth to speak, but William beats me to it.

"One plate of bacon and another for eggs?"

"Yes!" I say louder than I wanted to. William chuckles weakly.

A different waiter comes takes our order. William ordered a lot. For himself, he got himself waffles, french toast, eggs, bacon, and a large glass of Sprite. Mrs. Granger only got a salad with water, William laughed at that, and I made him apologize. I got a medium-size plate of bacon that William and I shared, and a small plate of eggs and apple juice.

"Agnes," Mrs. Granger says after a few bites. "I forgot to mention that you start school Monday."

"Already?" Will asks. "And Monday? Can't you wait for me to....?" He trails off and looks at me with sad eyes. "I can't be..."

"I know," I whisper then reach out and grab a strand of bacon. He sighs deeply through his nose, still watching me. "Will?"

"Sorry, I-" he turns to Tisha then sighs again.

We continue eating in silence. I'm not so thrilled about school. Mrs. Granger mentioning it was like another reminder that William's leaving, and it hurts. Despite having barely any appetite left, I ate most of my food. William was watching me in the corner of my eye. And when I said I had enough, he jumped up and walked away from the booth. Less than a minute later, he returns with a smile.

"Agnes," he turns to me, "I wanted to keep it a surprise, but then it dawned on me that surprises are like secrets and I don't want any between us. Agnes, I..." his jaw clenches, "Tisha and I know it was your birthday two weeks ago-" my eyes automatically widen "-today is your day. I wanted the waiters to come by and sing you happy birthday, but if you don't, I'm guessing you don't, it's okay."

My birthday? My day?

"No singing," I breathe.

"No singing," he notes.

"And no my day."

That one he fights. "Tisha wants to make you a cake," he says.

"And there's a toy store that I know you will just love," Mrs. Granger chimes in. I shake my head. No to the cake and toys, William frowns, seeming to understand.

"Kid," he turns his body to face mine. "The day you were born is a day we need to celebrate."

I gesture for him to move closer, and he does, and I whisper in his ear, "we celebrate your birthday too."

He pulls away to look me in my eyes. "Deal. It's February 6."

"February 6," I note. He kisses my forehead then leans away. "Wait, how old are you?"

"I'm twenty-eight."

"Still young." I remember my mom complaining about being too old for anything fun and how she wasted her good years. I know she was talking about me, I heard her talking to her friend once. I didn't understand at the time, but I put two and two together.

William chuckles weakly. "I don't feel like it sometimes."

Will William soon feel the same as my mom? I cringe at the thought. I would like to ask, but Mrs. Granger's here and I know how uneasy she makes William. So, I grab a strand of bacon and lean back in my seat.

William makes an almost curious face. "You alright?"

I nod.

"Well, Imma be right back. I gotta call off your singers." He smiles before getting up and walking away.