Page 33 of Rock Me

"What's up, J? Need help with something?"

"N-..." I bite back the trigger response of rejecting any help. "Er, yeah, would you mind writing a note for me? Still having a little trouble."

"Yeah, no problem," he says, picking the pen up off the floor and stands over the table, ready to write.

"Can you, um, can you just write the words, 'Les Feuilles Mortes'?"

He blinks for a few seconds, trying to make sense of the request.

"Yeah, honestly, no. No, I cannot write… um Le Frilly Moth.”

“Les Feuilles Mortes.”

“That’s what I said. Is there a note in English I can write for you?"

"Sorry, um, yeah. How about “Autumn Leaves"?”

"Autumn... Leaves," he says as he scribbles on the paper. "That I can do. That's it?" He holds up the note, checking his work.

"Yeah. Well, could you deliver it for me? To... er, the woman... er, to Noémie?"

"The newbie patient down the hall?"

"Yeah."

He just shrugs and folds the piece of paper and tucks it into his shirt, like it's nothing. Like that note doesn't contain the secret to my sanity.