Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 92930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“Definitely not a seahorse.” I laughed and looked down at her dainty hand on my arm. “You know, long after I got this, I read something once that the dragon is apparently a symbol of strength and power. It also said that the power of the dragon must be balanced with wisdom. Otherwise, the greed that comes with that power turns him into a ravenous creature with an insatiable appetite.”
Little did she know, that was a cryptic description of my exact dilemma when it came to her.
The tension in the room was thick when she said, “Wow. That’s pretty intense.”
“Yeah.” I touched my finger to her neck. “What’s this, a sea urchin?”
When she looked down, I slid my hand up and pinched her nose.
She laughed. “You tricked me.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time today.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s for sure.”
Several seconds of silence passed. She bit her bottom lip nervously as I imagined sucking on it. You could tell she had something on her mind.
The words finally came out. “You know, I was really scared about moving here, but it was something I knew I had to do for myself.”
“Why did you choose New York of all places? That’s like jumping right into the fire.”
“As much as it scared me, I’ve always dreamt of living here. I told myself if I got into the nursing program, then that was the sign I needed to make the move. I felt so out of place that first day, though. I really considered just going back home.”
“I’m really glad you didn’t,” I whispered.
“Me, too.” She glanced over at the wall and hesitated. “You make me feel safe. I realize I don’t know you from Adam, but what I do know is that I feel more secure knowing you’re here. Is that strange?”
Pressure built in my chest. Hearing her say that felt so good and so awful at the same time. She was right. She didn’t know me from Adam and had no idea how true that statement was.
You should get out of here, Nina. Please.
I swallowed and said, “No. It’s not strange. I like how honest you are. One of the first vibes I got from you was that you wear your heart on your sleeve. You’re not afraid to make a fool of yourself, either, for the greater good. That says a lot about a person.”
“Thanks…I think?” She smiled and lightly punched my arm.
There was so much more I wished I could say to her, but it all stayed inside of me.
Then, Nina looked straight into my eyes with a permeating stare when she said, “I think sometimes people come into our lives at a certain time for a reason.”
That was the truth. I’d always believed that I was meant to meet Ivy when I did because she was going to need me. At the same time, it felt like destiny in a different way with Nina. I just couldn’t figure out why the man upstairs would lead me to her if he needed me to take care of Ivy.
She stayed for another several minutes, opening up to me about her first panic attack that happened in a dark elevator during a high school field trip. She just kept thanking me again for seeing her through things earlier but said she planned to spend the rest of the night studying. She wanted to make sure to get an A on her next exam to avoid another excursion for a while. I couldn’t say I blamed her.
My stomach felt unsettled because tomorrow I’d be leaving for Boston. It was the first time since moving to New York that I almost considered staying back in New York for the weekend. But I couldn’t.
I decided to make Nina an origami bat that I’d sneak into her room when she went to take her evening shower.
I jotted down some potential poems in my notebook before writing anything in permanent ink inside of the bat.
Well, what do you know? I was a poet and didn’t know it.
What I almost wrote:
Sorry you pissed yourself.
I hope we’re still friends.
Remind me next time,
To pack some Depends.
What I wished I could have written:
Don’t thank me for helping you through.
I should be thanking you.
Getting lost in your smile,
Made it all worthwhile.
What I actually wrote:
You didn’t run…you saw it through.
Mr. Bat is proud of you.
CHAPTER 6
Past
Reality has a way of smacking you in the face sometimes. That weekend, my visit with Ivy was one of the worst in recent weeks and definitely served as a wake-up call.
On Saturday morning, she seemed to be in a great mood, so I decided to take her shopping that afternoon for winter clothes downtown. We were inside Macy’s when she started having one of her delusions about me.
Ivy was trying on some sweaters in the dressing room. Nearly twenty minutes had gone by, and she still hadn’t come out. She’d only taken in a few items with her, so it shouldn’t have taken her that long. Even though I was standing right outside the fitting area, I started to worry that something was very wrong.