“I’ve never been to the doctor’s,” she said. “Never had a pap smear or been felt for lumps. Never, ever had an X-ray. Feel this,” she said, and put her upper arm before his face. He took it and ran his fingertips over it, finding a hard bump halfway along, opposite her fleshy bicep.“What’s this?” he said.“It’s how a bone sets if you have a bad break and don’t get a cast. Crooked.”“Jesus,” he said, giving it another squeeze. Now that he knew what it was, he thought—or perhaps fancied—that he could feel how the unevenly splintered pieces of bone mated together, met at a slight angle and fused together by the knitting process.“She made me a sling, and she fed me every meal and brushed my teeth. I had to stop her from following me into the toilet to wipe me up. And I didn’t care: She could have broken both of my arms if she’d only explained the photos to me, or left them with me so that I could go on investigating them, but she did neither. She hardly spoke a word to me.”She resettled herself against the pillows, then pulled him back against her again and plumped his head against her breasts.“Are you falling in love with me?” she said.He startled. The way she said it, she didn’t sound like a young adult, she sounded like a small child.“Mimi—” he began, then stopped himself. “I don’t think so. I mean, I like you—”“Good,” she said. “No falling in love, all right?”
“I’ve never been to the doctor’s,” she said. “Never had a pap smear or been felt for lumps. Never, ever had an X-ray. Feel this,” she said, and put her upper arm before his face. He took it and ran his fingertips over it, finding a hard bump halfway along, opposite her fleshy bicep.
“What’s this?” he said.
“It’s how a bone sets if you have a bad break and don’t get a cast. Crooked.”
“Jesus,” he said, giving it another squeeze. Now that he knew what it was, he thought—or perhaps fancied—that he could feel how the unevenly splintered pieces of bone mated together, met at a slight angle and fused together by the knitting process.
“She made me a sling, and she fed me every meal and brushed my teeth. I had to stop her from following me into the toilet to wipe me up. And I didn’t care: She could have broken both of my arms if she’d only explained the photos to me, or left them with me so that I could go on investigating them, but she did neither. She hardly spoke a word to me.”
She resettled herself against the pillows, then pulled him back against her again and plumped his head against her breasts.
“Are you falling in love with me?” she said.
He startled. The way she said it, she didn’t sound like a young adult, she sounded like a small child.
“Mimi—” he began, then stopped himself. “I don’t think so. I mean, I like you—”
“Good,” she said. “No falling in love, all right?”