Selcouth

Roman headed off to work as I sat in the apartment. The silence was eerie and I wanted to get up and explore. My toes were wiggling to move and walk on something else.

I got off the couch and pulled a jacket on. Roman said it got cold during the night and I didn’t want to freeze.

I had one main outfit I wore because it was all Roman could afford and all I could fit into. It was a plain white t-shirt with some blue jeans and sneakers. The jacket I wore was big on me and black in color but it would have to suffice.

I took the stairs and left the building, shivering. Roman was not lying. It was freezing at night.

Shoving my hands into my pockets, I looked around the streets. It was just as busy as it was during the day.

Roman had a long shift all night so I was going to have plenty of time to explore without him worrying. Besides, Seward Park wasn’t too far from Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital, where he worked.

I walked to the park, seeing a sign in front of it. I tilted my head, trying to figure out what it said but I couldn’t possibly figure it out. I’d never learned to read.

I shrugged and walked into the park, looking around the area. It seemed so empty. Not a single soul was here. How could that be possible when this city never slept?

I looked at the trees, focusing on the leaves that hung about. I swallowed when lights began to appear within the trees, brightening the night. I quickly looked around the park, searching for anyone to see if they knew what this was.

I pulled my hand from my pocket, moving my fingers in a way to manipulate the lights. I caused them to flicker but nothing else came about. I was too weak to control these many lights at once.

I lifted my hand once again, twisting my fingers around in ways I could to control the lights. I sighed to myself when my attempt failed. I wasn’t getting anywhere with this.

“Excuse me, Miss, you can’t be out here. The park is closed and this is trespassing,” someone said as they shined a bright light in my face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I can’t read the signs. If this city never sleeps, why are parks still closed?”

They stepped forward. “It’s just a law we follow. I don’t make them. I enforce them.”

They came closer until I could see them. It was a man in some kind of uniform. He led me out of the park and looked around. “Where do you live?”

“I can walk myself home. I enjoy the fresh air anyway.”

“You’re that missing girl they found after eighteen years, correct?” he asked, pointing to me.

I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“I want you to be careful. Even at night, there are still bad people who are waiting to hurt someone like you. Let me drive you home.”

I couldn’t argue any more than I had. He had a uniform on. “Okay.”

I got into his car and looked around. This car had bars between the front and back seats. I showed him the way back to my apartment and he let me out. “Have a good night, Miss.” He smiled and drove away.

I went back up to the apartment and jiggled the handle. I frowned and tilted my head, knocking on the door. It was locked. Why was it locked?

“Excuse me, that’s my apartment. What are you doing?” someone behind me asked.

I turned my head, hair flying around my shoulders. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I thought this was mine. This is Apartment 41, right?”

“This is 14.” She pointed to the door.

I looked at the door and rubbed my eyes. “41... I don’t understand. It says 41, I swear it.”

She stepped closer, touching the numbers. “It’s 14. My best guess is your dyslexic. Your brain switches around numbers and letters, making it harder for you to read it properly.”

“Dyslexic? Where’s Apartment 41?”

“That will be a few floors up.”

“Oh. I thought I was here. I’m so sorry.” I left her, going up a few flights. I searched for 41 but found 14 instead. I didn’t understand why this was so hard.

I sat down in the hall, hugging my knees. “What’s wrong with me? Am I sick? Am I dying?” I began to sob, afraid of my own brain.

“Rapunzel, what are you doing out here?” Roman asked.

I looked at him and yawned, looking at the door next to me. “I can’t find our apartment... I left for a walk but some lady told me I was dyslexic and I can’t find 41 which is 14 and 14 is 41 and I’m scared. Am I going to die?”

Roman sighed and used his keys to unlock the door, opening it up. He bent down, scooping me into his arms. He carried me inside, closing the door with his foot. He set me onto the couch. “You’re not dying. Dyslexia happens to some people and it’s okay. You just have to learn how to live with it and I can help you. It’ll take work, though.”

I shivered, pulling the jacket tighter around me. “I’m going to live?”

“Of course. The doctors ran tests when we found you. Besides needing to eat more and exercise and get sunshine, you’re okay. You just need to continue to get the vitamins you need.” He sat next to me and grabbed my skinny fingers, warming them up. “Dyslexia happens. It’s part of life. You’re not going to die. Trust me on this.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him the tightest hug I could manage. “Thank you. I know it’s not your job to help me out but it’s kind of you to do so.”

He patted my back a bit before letting go of our hug. “I may be blunt but I give a damn about people. I just care more about their physical health than their feelings. Physical health is permanent and it keeps us alive. Feelings are temporary and change at any time. Of course, people should be happy but I think physical health comes first. If your drugs are killing you but you’re happy about it, I’ll tell you that your drugs are killing you, disregarding your feelings about it.” He shrugged and sat back. He looked at me. “I’m going to especially help you get your health up.”

I looked at my body and nodded, smiling a bit. “I’ve never met someone like you. To be fair, I’ve barely met people. I just find you so interesting. It’s fascinating how you view the world differently from me and how we’re so different.”

“It’s just science.” He chuckled, glancing at me.

“What do you mean?”

“Nevermind.” He shook his head, looking at the wall.

I shivered again, studying his expressions. I wanted to read his mind and get inside his head. What did a man like him think about? What was in his head that he wasn’t showing me? I wanted to explore every bit of his brain.

“How was work?” I asked.

He looked at me. “Well, it was work. We got new patients and I checked on our regulars. Nobody died today. That’s a win in my book.”

I smiled a bit. “That’s definitely a win.” I got up and went to the bathroom and checked out my limbs. They were slowly regaining their muscle. I would be healthy eventually. I couldn’t wait until that day.

I jumped at the sound of the knock on the door. “Yes?” I asked.

Romance responded, “I was just going to say I’m taking a nap.”

“Okay.” I opened the door and looked at him. “Have a good sleep.”

He was walking to his room as he looked back at me. “I’ll try.” He smiled a bit before glancing down. He stopped and turned around, coming back to me. “I think it can wait. We need to go to the store.”

I looked at what he was talking about. My jeans were turning red between my legs. “Why? This is just my menstrual cycle. Mother said it’s normal. All the girls have it.”

“We have to get you feminine products to control the bleeding.”

I scrunched up my face. “Control the bleeding? Can I do that?”

“The blood is...” He swallowed and grabbed a towel. “Let’s go.”

He took me down to his car and put the towel under my butt. The traffic was horrendous as usual. “You bleed because your uterus is shedding. Women can have babies. They carry the baby inside them. When they don’t have a baby, their uterus sheds an egg and the lining every month, preparing for the chance to have a nourishing environment for the baby if she has one. Well, this blood comes from a hole and these feminine products can either line your underwear and catch the blood, or they can plug up the hole. These products keep women from getting blood everywhere.”

I looked at my jeans and nodded my head. “I didn’t know. I learn something new every day.” I looked out of the car window. The sun was sitting high in the sky.

We eventually got to the store and I followed him to an aisle. I’d hardly been to stores around here and it always amazed me at how much they carried.

I grabbed below my stomach and winced at the pain.

Roman looked at different products. “I don’t know what to choose for you. You don’t know either.”

I looked at the different products, tilting my head.

“Excuse me,” Roman said, stopping a woman. “I’m trying to get her some feminine products but I can’t choose. She’s new to all of this stuff so she wouldn’t know either.”

She looked at me and saw the blood on my jeans. “Oh, wow.” She nodded. “Well, I would suggest these and these.” She grabbed two boxes and gave them to him.

He looked at them. “Tampons and long pads?”

“Yes. She may not know what she likes. The long pads catch more which she will need, and they come with the wings.” She nodded.

“Wings?” I asked. “Will I fly away?”

She laughed and shook her head. “No, they’re flaps to hold onto your underwear better. We just call them wings.”

“Okay. Will it help with the pain?” I pointed to my stomach.

Roman turned in my direction. “We’ll get something for that. Thank you.” He nodded at the woman and walked with me to another aisle. He grabbed some boxes and looked at them. “Okay, Midol. Aleve. Pamphrin. One of these has to work. Let’s go with Midol.” He grabbed two boxes. He looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

I sniffled and wiped my tears, shaking my head. “I’m sorry. I’m just really... I’m in pain but I’m so grateful that you’re helping me out and I don’t understand why you’re being so nice.”

“I’ve studied to help people. It’s something inside me. I can’t let people suffer when they need help.” He wiped away a tear with his thumb. “Let’s go pay for these.”

We paid and left the store. He drove back, getting stuck in more traffic. “Humanity won’t survive if there aren’t people helping people. This world will only get better if we care about each other. Hatred and abandonment aren’t going to keep the human race alive. It will destroy it. I don’t want to destroy our species.”

I looked at my hands, turning and admiring them. Was I a human?

“Zel?”

I looked at him, furrowing my eyebrows. “What?”

“Sorry. I took the last three letters of your name and made a nickname. I just wanted to ask if you’re doing okay.”

“I’m doing good. Just got some things running through my mind.” I looked at the cars in front of us.

“Which are?”

“Personal problems,” I whispered to myself. They were just my problems alone.