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“Hey, check out what I got you,” she said as she pulled out the bandage roll and a bottle of alcohol from her bag. “Take care of your leg and stay away from me, will you?” she asked with mock sweetness as she walked past him.
“Marcia is really ill. She can’t even talk or get up. Time is running out.”
Aaliyah froze. Slowly she turned to face him.
“That’s a nasty joke,” she said, hoping that he would burst into laughter and tell her she looked li
ke an ape when she got angry. He didn’t do that.
“I’m serious, Aaliyah.”
She struggled to hide her tears as she didn’t want him to see her cry.
“When did it happen?”
“Shortly after you left. I got back to the camp and she began to complain to me of headaches. She slumped shortly afterward.”
Aaliyah sucked in her breath.
“Where is she?” she asked and Ted walked up to her.
“This way,” he said as he led the way. Aaliyah followed him to his parent’s corner where something lay in a heap on the ground. She bent down over the heap. It was her grandmother, who had been covered with blankets.
“Granny,” she cried as she took Marcia’s hand. She couldn’t fight the tears anymore so she allowed them to flow freely down her cheeks.
“Granny, please come back. Don’t die. You’re all I have left. Don’t die please.”
She didn’t mind the presence of people as she cried like a baby. She pulled off her bag and hugged her grandmother. The Hankins excused her, allowing her to be alone. Only Ted stood there, watching her as she cried.
After a couple of minutes, her sobs became quieter. He limped over and managed to kneel beside her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he spoke.
“It’s going to be okay.”
She looked up at him and saw hope in his eyes. Hope was what she needed. Against her better reasoning, she threw herself into his arms and cried again freely. He simply held her in silence, allowing her tears to flow down his shirt.
“I don’t want her to die,” Aaliyah whispered.
Ted stroked her hair with his hand that wasn’t holding the crutch.
“I wish it was within my power. Believe me, I do.”
Aaliyah was quiet for a while.
“I wasn’t always like this, you know,” she said finally. Her voice was full of sadness.
“Like what?”
She rolled her eyes.
“You know: rude and angry. Grandma used to say I was the brightness in her sun. I remember those days and somehow, I can’t seem to find my way back there.”
“What happened?” he asked sincerely.
Aaliyah broke out of the hug, wondering whether to tell him. She had never told anyone about it. She bit on her lips.
"I know you don’t know me and you might feel insecure sharing secrets with me but I guess the fact that we’re strangers should make it easier to off-load your burden. I mean, I don’t know you and so I can’t judge you, right?” Ted asked.
She looked into his eyes to see if his words were real. They were clear and sincere, inviting her to empty her heart.
