The Day I Felt Alive

9

Hailee

Arlene had been in and out of sleep, her hand had kept her up most of the night. At some point I really thought she was going to wake me up to take her back to the hospital, she cried it out and took more medication. I really didn't know what else to do, I was just there awake with her till the pain lessen.

I had left work early morning, Arlene was still sleeping when I left. Which is good, we both needed some sleep. I woke up early enough to head home and change for work.

Work knew I was only working half a day, and we did the takes they needed with me and gave me the ok to come back to Arlene. I had to stop at home for a change of clothes again and shower, but I did stop for some lunch for us to eat.

I pulled into a driveway, the house was beautiful, a big two-story house facing the city. I left my car in the same place as yesterday and walked up the stairs to the door.

I knocked and an older lady opened the door, "Hi, how can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm looking for Arlene?"

"Oh yes she's upstairs, may I ask who's looking for her?"

"I'm Hailee, she works with me in the film industry, are you her mom?"

"Oh, no I'm just the housekeeping. You can come in, she's over by the pool to your right and up the stairs."

I stepped in, "Thank you," she closed the door and left me alone. I walked up a different set of stairs that led to the patio towards the back of the house. As I turn the corner, the whole wall was glass letting the beautiful view of the patio show from the inside, the pool came into view and so did Arlene and the city behind her.

It was late afternoon the sun had not set yet, she was leaning over the glass fence at the far end of the patio, she was looking out the city. She had a glass in her hand and she was drinking from it. Her long silver-dyed hair blew with the slight breeze, her back displaying a tremendous tattoo art piece, she had a dark green bralette swimsuit on. She looked like a tattoo swimsuit model, tattoos all over her body.

"You shouldn't have bothered to come back." She didn't look back at me, "I hired more help."

I placed the food on one of the round pool tables, "You should be in bed resting your hand, this happened yesterday."

"I am actually not a good company right now." ignoring me completely.

"Well unfortunately for you I cleared my afternoon for you, therefore I'm staying and I brought us some lunch."

Slowly she turned my way, her cheeks were red, her eyes bright red. She had been crying.

I took a step closer. The hand she had her drink in she lifted and motioned for me to stop, "no don't, I am not in the best mood please understand I am not kidding,"

"Oh, more than what you were yesterday? accusing me of being closeted." I moved to lean over the glass next to her. I looked at her and took her drink from her hand, and finished it, she was drinking apple juice. "I am here because I want to help you," I shook the glass.

"What you think I'm be drinking alcohol?" She mocked a laugh, "my hand is killing me but I can't be sitting in bed all day."

She slowly walked towards the table where she had her bottle in ice and grabbed the whole bottle instead. "Its the closes thing that looks like whiskey, don't judge."

I laughed at her, "when your off medication I will take you out for drink," she drank from the bottle, walked towards me, and poured me another glass.

"That is a lie, you don't have time for anything."

"I do, well I try. I am making time for you now aren't I?" I looked away from her towards the city and the sunset, such a beautiful view. 

"You need to make time for things that matter, why do you care so much? you don't even know me," I looked back at her, she had her hand up, possibly in pain, but she was stubborn, "you will end up leaving after you are done with the show," her eyes were cold when she looked up at me, the sun was shinning low and her eyes were twice as light grey, "you move on I stay, I'll stay here without you, your friendship or whatever this is. I won't hear from you after we close this show, friendship doesn't mean anything in the world you live in unless they on the road with you. Living with you, or whatever." Cold ice words leaving her lips, "life for me doesn't stop but I make the world stop for me, matter of fact I just released a piece."

"Really?" I went to sit next to her.

"Yes, so now the world will stop to wonder who this artist is all over again." she clinked her glass with mine. "Why can't you stop the world to give your own world the thrill of mystery?" I just looked at her. "So, tell me how can you help me? you can't even be truthful to yourself, can't even dare to be happy again, can't shut the world out for love? isn't that what true love is? stopping time, stopping to smell the roses?"

"Yeah," I looked up at the sun, as it hit the horizon.

"You want to come to help me? you need to go find yourself and be truthful to who you want to be, half the world wants to judge while the other half adores you, fuck the world, be you." Not sure what my face showed but her looked soften, "understand I am not in the mood for company, I warned you." 

"I was warned, but I wanted to be here, so I will take your words because you have a point."

Instead of arguing with her I got our tacos and I sat next to her and she actually started eating without saying a word, "maybe you were just hangry, you needed some food." I laughed at her when she gave me a stern look, "you old cranky and starving, not a good combination. I know older people get all cranky with life." I laughed at her again, this time she shoved me with her shoulder. I could feel the mood lighten.