AJ’s face turned red as rage overtook him, probably as he thought of the secret I’d just revealed to him about Antonio and I. He grabbed the edge of the table and flipped it over sending the vase full of flowers crashing to the floor. He moved in closer to Antonio, only inches from his face.
I was grateful when the nurse came running in to see what caused the deafening noise. She assessed the mess and the tension between AJ and Antonio. “One or both of you has to go. Now, or I’m calling the police!” She said sharply. The standoff between Antonio and AJ was intense and I honestly feared that if something jumped off, the small nurse would be defenseless.
After a few seconds, Antonio let down his guard and trudged angrily out of the room, nearly knocking the nurse over on his way. The unspoken truce that existed between him and AJ for my sake was now broken. I was almost glad that AJ set Antonio straight. Maybe now, he’d get the picture and back off. Being friends wasn’t enough for him and he was having a hard time not crossing the line.
AJ came to his senses and bent down to help the nurse pick up the large pieces of glass off the floor. She rolled her eyes at him and continued to clean up the mess. “I’ll call in housekeeping to get the rest,” she said flatly as she turned to leave the room.
Why couldn’t he have just listened to me and let me tell Antonio to stay home?
*****
Saturday was even harder than Friday. I was doped up most of the day because the doctors had to increase my morphine dosage to help me fight the pain. When I awoke, it was nearly four in the afternoon. My parents were sitting together watching TV and AJ sat next to me, watching as I slept.
He looked drained, emotionally and physically. These last few days had been crazy and it was showing on his face. “You should go home and get some rest. I’ll be ok.”
He stared at me for a few seconds more. “I’m fine. I went back to shower and change this morning before you got up.”
“I know, but you can’t be comfortable in that chair. I think you should go and sleep in your bed and recharge before graduation tomorrow. I’ll be fine, seriously.”
My father overheard us talking and chimed in. “We’ll be here with her, and I’ll call you if anything changes. She’s right. You’ve been here almost all day every day. Get some rest, Son,” Daddy said reassuringly. Son? Things between them had changed drastically since their first encounter in November. Daddy had developed a new found respect for AJ and they were more than cordial toward one another – they were almost friendly.
AJ smiled weakly and nodded. “Ok, but I’ll be back later tonight.”
“No, just come back tomorrow after the ceremony,” I insisted while forcing a weak smile.
AJ was hesitant and then finally caved in. He almost forgot that my parents were in the room as he leaned in to kiss me. We both burst out laughing just before our lips met and he patted me on the head jokingly as he turned to leave. I pushed his hand away playfully and longed to follow him as he disappeared through the doorway.
By 9:00 pm I missed him like he’d been gone for a week, but I was glad that he listened to me and went home to sleep. He had a big day ahead of him tomorrow. I lay there and watched the large clock on the wall. Ten…..Eleven…..sometime before midnight I drifted off to sleep thinking of him.
The next morning I was trying not to think about the fact that I was going to miss walking across the stage, but I didn’t have much success. The only bright spot in my day was that the doctor finally let me wash up. I only had one usable arm on account of the broken ribs, but I made it work. I brushed my teeth three times before I was satisfied. Mom laughed as she assisted me with my routine, and I noted that she was careful not to let me see my reflection in the mirror.
I shuffled back to the bed and lay back down. The ceremony was scheduled to start by 2 pm and it was a quarter to. The realization made my heart sink as I thought about it. I asked mom to pass me my phone and I called AJ.