Tough Love

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Dani

After Eli is gone, I close my eyes and try to settle myself. My emotions are all over the place right now. I can't even begin to process the last few hours. Actually, it's longer than that. It's since my nightmare last night. I can't believe I made Eli take off his shirt, let alone feel up his chest. I know I was scared and I wasn't thinking straight, but that really wasn't the smartest move I've ever made. Still, I can't help but think that maybe I'm making some form of progress. A few months ago I would never have done something so bold.

I hear my poppa's voice whisper, “That's my girl. Just trust Eli. He's here to help you, you just need to trust him.”

If I didn't know any better, I would swear that he was sitting right here with me. My eyes snap open when someone knocks on the door again. This is turning out to be an annoying day. Does anyone else want to appear? My mood softens when I see Eli's dad at the door, smiling at me.

“Hey, Dani. Can I come in?”

“Yes sir.”

“You're looking a lot better than when I saw you yesterday. No more head bandage, that's good. You had PT today?”

“Yes sir.”

“How did it go?”

“Ok, I guess. I have exercises to do, so I'm getting there slowly.”

“Good. I brought books. Eli was very specific about what to bring. Him and Ash had an argument over which language to get, so I brought both of their suggestions.”

I'm excited by the news of books, and I see Don's face light up a little at my change of attitude.

“What did you bring, sir?”

“Well, the encyclopedias are pretty self explanatory, but Eli said to bring Chinese and Ash said Norwegian. They were arguing over which one would be more challenging, so I'll leave that with you to determine.”

“Chinese will probably be more challenging. It's character based though, so I might be able to memorize it quickly. The intonation is very important to the meaning of words.”

“Do you like learning new languages?”

“I just like learning, sir.”

He places the books on my little table and I snatch up an encyclopedia straight away.

“Do you mind if I sit with you for a little while? I start work in 40 minutes and I've got no where else to be right now.”

“That's ok, sir. I don't mind. How is Connie?”

“She's good, thanks. Work has been busy so she hasn't had time to stop by to see you. She did promise to stop by before Friday though.”

“It's ok. It's not important that people visit. I'm ok on my own, honestly.”

“We want to visit though. We care about you, so we want to make sure you're ok.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“So, you want to read me something? Maybe translate it into another language?”

“My poppa used to get me to read a book in my head and as I'm reading it, translate it into another language. It made me have to think quickly. I can read fast, but it slows me down to translate it on the spot. I haven't done that in years though. You want me to give it a go?”