The Cabin

Layla: Too Lonely

Layla

I am a solitary person but I have to admit, being alone for days, kind of starts to mess with your head. I kept my movies going on constantly. The cabin was too quiet without them. I only really paid attention to the screen when I felt too lonely. I had a pattern now. I would wake up, shower, eat some oatmeal, and then listen to my movies while I either put together a puzzle or read. I know reading while having a movie going can lead to sensory overload, but I was able to tune out the sounds when I wanted to. My movies were there to pull me back to reality if I went too far away from myself. I try not to eat during the afternoon because I am not expending enough energy to warrant three meals a day. Supper for me has been Pizza rolls. I sleep on the couch. I feel lonely, but knowing that Mr. Williams may be my only company, scares me a bit. I am trying my hardest to warm up to the idea of him, but I still can't picture it.

This morning, I was reading while listening to Pride and Prejudice, when I heard Mr. Williams come through the device. "Good morning Layla," he said. I reached for the box and returned the greeting. "Would you like some company for dinner tonight?" he asked, there was a sense of hesitation in his voice. "I can't offer much' I responded after I had time to think about what was in the cabinet and freezer. "I could cook for you" Mr. Williams responded, with some eagerness. "okay," I replied before I realized had answered. "What would you like? You can have anything." was his response, and I could hear him getting slightly excited. I tried to think of food and options but I fell flat. What would be too little? what would be too much? Would it be homemade? Would it be takeout food? questions and thoughts filled my head so I simply responded with "Dealer's choice."Mr. Williams chuckled and asked, "Would 8 o'clock work?" in my head my initial response was, "Why wouldn't it? what else am I going to be doing?" I knew it would be rude, and get me off to a bad start so I replied with "Yes." and that was that. Our conversation ended. I went back to reading and when I looked around I noticed something that I had been curious about since my first day here. There were no clocks. The stove was connected to a power box thing that I needed to turn on for the oven or stove to be powered on. The microwave was blank and there wasn't anything else that told the time in there. I had no idea how long until 8 pm so I guess I was going to just wait.

The day dragged on. Once the sun started going down, I knew I only had hours left. My stomach started filling with butterflies. I didn't know if I was nervous because Mr. Williams was coming, or that I was nervous to see another person again. Was I supposed to dress up? Was I expected to greet him? I felt lost. I decided not to change. I was still wearing clothes I had packed for the holiday, so I was kind of dressed up. Mr. Williams could think whatever he wanted about my outfit. I stayed on the couch, but became more fidgety as the minutes ticked down. I began biting my nails. I only did this when I was stressed and too mindless to stop myself. Because I had just gotten through finals, I didn't have much nail to bite. I was nearing the end of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when the chime flowed through the cabin. I guessed that it meant that he was here so I stopped the movie. My heart began racing, but I tried to take slow breaths. I heard the door unlock and it opened revealing Mr. Williams. Cold air came racing in and I began to feel something. I wasn't sure what i felt, but I finally noticed that I was taking an interest in my surroundings.

Mr. Williams had his arms full and he looked toward me. Mr. Williams looked as though he was analyzing me as much as the cabin itself. I wondered what he thought. I watched as Mr. Williams took things to the kitchen and set things down. The door was slightly opened and unlocked. Although Mr. Williams pretended to seem uninterested in me, I could feel his gaze on me. Mr. Williams wanted to see if I would run. A hint of thought told me to bolt, but I didn't. I stayed put on the couch. I looked at Mr. Williams, the door, and then returned my gaze to the kitchen.