IncuBUST

Wolves Without Teeth

I could hear music coming from room 319A. It was "Wolves Without Teeth" by Of Monsters and Men. I listened for a minute, raised my hand to knock, thought better of it and turned around to leave. Before I could take a step I heard the door behind me open. I almost kept walking. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned slowly and saw her casually eating one of the oatmeal peanut butter cookies I had made. She flapped her hand through the air to say "hey."

I stared at her for a moment and then quickly recomposed myself...as much as a young man wearing a panda shirt and penguin slippers could possible compose himself. How was I supposed to walk in the garden in fuzzy slippers.

"Hi," I said uncertainly. She waved the half eaten cookie in the air and with one hand asked if I had been the one to leave the box of sweets. I nodded. She asked, "Did you make it?" I nodded again. She smiled awkwardly and said, "They're good." We stood there in front of her open door for a moment and then I finally asked, "Were you going somewhere? I didn't mean to--" She waved me away and shut and locked her door.

"I was going grocery shopping," she signed moving around me and starting down the hall towards the stair case. Okay I guess I'll just go somewhere else. She looked back at me and signaled, "You coming?" I blinked and followed after her.

We started down the stairs and I asked, "So...how are you doing?" She glanced at me and then shrugged.

"Too soon to tell?" I inquired feeling stupider by the minute. She hesitated and then nodded. We made it to the last flight of stairs before I said, "I'm really sorry." She shook her head and then signed, "Don't be."

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?" I asked and she smirked at me.

"Why would I want to do that?" she said somehow making her gestures sharp with sarcasm. It made me think. Why would she care how I felt? I killed her father. Possibly her only means of support.

We reached the lobby and I hesitated. Maybe she only wanted me to walk her to the lobby...or maybe she was just being polite. She smiled timidly at an elderly woman retrieving her mail and then headed towards the door. She looked back when I hesitated and then gestured, "Come on." I left the building with her still in my sweat pants and slippers...which was a horrible idea because it really was like 90 degrees outside.