Percival Chapter One Part Nine

“What’cha going to be? A writer.” She turned away from the bookcase and opened her purse and pulled out a stick of gum.

“I don’t know yet. I’m not sure about it. Maybe a doctor.” He was trying to impress her.

She sat down on the corner of the bed with their legs almost touching. He eyed her white stockings and his insides felt ablaze.

“You seem a tad nervous. Do I make you nervous?” she said.

“No,” he said and straightened his back.

Her fingers crawled onto his leg and he involuntarily tightened his muscle. She smiled. “What’s wrong? Is it me?”

“No it’s not you. I’m…um….doing a survey for my college.”

“What type of survey?” she questioned.

“I can’t have sex for a month. I have to check back for any signs of depression and health problems.” He always had a good imagination but he was surprised at how easy he pulled that out of nowhere. “But you can have the money anyways since you probably need it more then I do.”

She took the money and stuffed half of it in her bra and put the rest into her pocketbook. Her hand lingered inside her purse. “Can I use your bathroom?”

“Sure go ahead.”

Her high heels clicked on the floor as she entered and shut the bathroom door. Percival fell back onto his bed, his arms spread out, staring at the ceiling, and feeling like a total idiot. He heard a lighter being flicked inside the bathroom. She must be lighting a cigarette or something, he thought to himself. She was in the bathroom for awhile and Percival called out, “Are you alright?”

She didn’t answer but as soon as Percival got up to see if she was okay the door opened. Her shoulders were slumped over, as she made her way back to his bed. Percival stood by the fridge as she passed him, he could tell that she was drugged up. She flopped onto the bed and mumbled something.

“What did you say?”

“I waaas wondering if I could stay overrrrr?” She turned her head and looked at him.

“Sure. You can sleep on the bed.”

“I haveee a……good feeling….about you……you seem…...” The rest of her sentence was inaudible but Percival thanked her anyways.

She slept over that night and left in the morning. The next day she came back with a black eye and explained that Santiago was pissed that she didn’t give him the rest of the money the night before and she passed the whole thing off like it was just a thing that happens.

From then on she started knocking on his door late at night and he would let her in. After a week, he just left the door unlocked, so that she could slip in. She would go into the bathroom and do whatever she did, never doing it in front of him. This past week she started snuggling up under the covers and started to nibble on his ear. Percival wiggled away from her and turned to face her.

“What is it?” she said.

“I have AIDS,” he said and he expected her to jump out of the bed but she smiled. It warmed him that he told her and that she looked comfortable.