Triad Tourists

Chapter 16

"Hey, Kelan. Pass me my phone?"

"Where it's at?" He asks.

"To your right at a 70 degree angle."

"You lost me at right." He holds up my phone. "you know I'm blind right? I see nothing, no darkness, no nothing."

"You don't see darkness?"

"I mean, I guess it's dark in here but I don't know how to explain it. Like, my vision of what stuff is is better now. Like if I hear a big dog bark I'll guess the type. Or if I imagine the floor I'll hear the sound of my stick hitting it then see it. I can see, but I can't see. I know how everything look 'cuz I wasn't always blind."

"What senses you use now?"

He pauses and gives me a look. "Ion know, the rest? You the Doctor. How I'm supposed to know?"

"You in the body! How you not know?"

"I been in this body all my life and it seem like most of it been me sleep."

"Mchht! You was only sleep a year or so. I know it was a lot of time. I'm actually surprised you can walk, much less fight." He laughs at that. "Answer me something, Kelan."

"Wha'bout." He says, sucking his lips.

"How was the Coma?"

He pretends to think, and then smiles his biggest smile ever. "Best motha-freaking sleep of my life! I was stuck in my body but a nigg@ go to up feeling like I was reborn. Y'all had me wrapped in thick blankets and I woke up seeing nothing, I'm like 'did I die or some?'. I'll do it again if I didn't come out blind the first time." He stretches. "The joint pain ain't rocking with me either but I'm getting there."

I laugh. "Maybe I should try a Coma."

"Keep taking them pills and you'll be in laying on your back one way or another."

I laugh. "Shut up, you get on my nerves." My phone dings when I turn on the screen. "Kiersten?"

"She called you? Tell her 'preciate it for hooking me up."

"K-kelan, shhh." I wave my hands at him.

Hello, Tallulah

I'm sorry for hitting you with this information, but Kelan must come back to the United States for school. Because you are on mandatory leave, Kelan was handed down to the State since neither of your parents have siblings or reachable relatives. I managed to have them agree to leave Kelan with me, but I need a video of you saying I have your blessing, and Kelan must enroll into a school by next term. I will buy a ticket as soon as I hear back from you.

Your friend, Kyle

I smack my forehead. "Dang!"

"What's wrong?" Kelan asks again. He looks over my shoulder.

I shove him off. "as if you can see my phone anyways. I could have a man ding-a-ling across my screen."

"Thank God for that?" He says.

I walk into another room so he doesn't hear me. "Kyle, you there?"

"Yeah."

"When does he have to be back?"

"By the time school starts."

I sigh. "This isn't really a good time, I didn't tell him he had to leave at all."

"But we knew the time was coming."

He's right, Kelan can't stay here. Work could go for days, especially since it's on a distress signal.