Hospital

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November 28th, 1958. 11:43 am, The Winter Household

I'm sitting on the couch in the foyer, half listening to Buddy's parents and my parents talk. We called them this morning and told them that we were here, and oh my God they were ecstatic. They ended up at my parent's house in five minutes. Normally it should have taken ten or fifteen, I assume they sped.

"So, how's New York?" Buddy's mom, Ella, asks me.

"Oh, uh, it's nice. There's a lot to do, never boring." I mumble, glancing toward them from my lap.

"Yeah? You like it better than ol' Lubbock?" She has a beautiful smile, I secretly wish I could smile like her.

I nod. "Yeah. I think I belong in bigger cities like New York and Chicago and Paris and London. This is the smallest place I've ever lived, and even then it's a medium sized city, you know?"

"I understand that. The Texan life isn't for everyone." Ella looks toward Buddy. "How do you like New York, sweetie?"

"I like it, better music scene. There isn't a taboo on rock 'n' roll." He rests his hand on my knee. It calms me.

"There is that," Ella responds "we do miss y'all, though." She looks almost sympathetic, for what reason, I don't know.

"Oh, happy belated birthday, Violet!" Buddy's dad chimes in.

"Thanks, L.O," I look up and half heartedly grin. "I'm happy I made it here." I wonder what's wrong with me. I'm having really extreme mood swings today, and I've only been up for two hours. I was happy when I woke up and was looking at the pictures, I was sad when I was in the shower, I was happy when I was doing my hair makeup, now I'm sad again. Oh, oh no. I forgot my anti-depressants at home. I look over towards Buddy. He's noticed too, probably before I did. One of the side effects of missing a dose is mood swings the next day. If I miss a week, the pills wear off completely and I'm miserable. I'll tell Buddy when we're alone again, maybe I have a couple of extra pills still left in my old room.

Buddy lightly squeezes my knee, his way of non verbally asking if I'm okay.

I respond by putting my hand onto his his and I squeeze it back. Yes, I'm okay. I can tell he knows I'm lying.

"Oh, Vi will you help me find my other socks upstairs?" Buddy asks, looking at me. I know he's trying to get me away from everyone so we can talk. Maybe I'll calm down.

"Yeah, I think they ended up under the bed, come on." I stand up "Excuse us." I say to our parents.

We climb up the stairs and walk to my room. I was stuck with the room at the end of the hall, but I didn't mind. It was secluded.

Buddy closes the door behind him. "Vi, did you forget your meds?"

I nod and look down.

"I'm sorry, doll. I know how miserable it makes you. D'you have any extras here?" Buddy walks over and wraps his arms around me.

"Maybe. I kept them in my nightstand." Neither of us move to get them. We just stand there in the middle of the room. How nostalgic. We used to do this all the time. Stand in the middle of the room while I had mental breakdowns and Buddy trying to calm me.

"You're gonna be okay, we'll find something." Buddy cooes. He always knows what to say, it's almost weird.

January 17th, 1955. 9:18 pm, The Winter Household

I'm sitting on my bed trying to hold back tears when I hear a hard tap on my window. I rush over and open it, letting Buddy in. He quickly sets down his bag and grabs my hands.

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