Shortly after 8 pm , there was a faint knock on the door. I wheeled myself away from the Olivetti, where I had unsuccessfully tried to start a new chapter and answered. Tina stood in the doorway and smiled down at me appreciatively. The wind outside had began to pick up, causing her loosely tucked waitress uniform to billow somewhat about her. Her hair hung loose about her face and for a moment shielded one eye. My memory picked up a faint imprint of something familiar about her look tonight. I must have looked completely lost in the moment because she raised her eyebrows somewhat at me before speaking.

"Are you going to invite me in or let me stand here until it starts to rain?"She pursed her lips as she spoke, feigning annoyance, before giving me her timid laugh.

"Sorry, I just had a moment. Come in." I did enjoy when she laughed that way, I thought. I shook my head and motioned her inside.

She stepped inside and leaned forward, kissed my cheek and laid her keys on the kitchen counter. She made herself comfortable, kicking off her shoes and stretching her legs as she fell dramatically against the back of the couch, her skirt riding high upon her thigh as she did. She looked exhausted, her normally bright eyes dull and tired. The small amount of makeup tried to mask it but the eyes always gave it away if you look close enough, which I had been. She reminded me of Megan sprawled lazily there on the couch despite the obvious difference in height and hair. She shifted her legs slightly and I found myself staring again. This time, her eyes locked with mine. She smiled behind flushed cheeks and adjusted her skirt, but only a little.

"Is that really all it takes to keep your attention?" she asked playfully and reached into the breast pocket of her blouse. She held up a pack of Marlboro's and shook them gently in my direction. "And these?"

"What can I say? I'm easy. Really want to win me over? Pour me a drink." I tried to laugh but coughed instead. It seemed even mentioning a drink caused my throat to dry immediately. My fingers did their nervous tremor but I locked them on the armrest of the wheelchair with gritted teeth. I forced a smile. It was a weak one, the one most alcoholics give when faced with the inevitability of needing a drink and forced to endure. She smiled at me and ignored the last part of my comment. Despite the smile, I could see tears beginning to form.

"The funeral was nice. They dressed her in her favorite dress and wrap. Just a small service, a few family members from the old country and a few friends from up north. Nobody really knew her as well as I did. Or my parents-"

The tears and sobbing took hold a moment, her entire body seeming to convulse. I maneuvered around the arm of the couch, pulling her towards me as she threw her arms wildly about my shoulders and back. She buried her head in my shoulder and sobbed for a few minutes. I rubbed her back and shoulders the best that I could from that position, running my hand in her hair before wiping her eyes myself. She finished drying them with shaking hands before pulling away and nestled back into the cushions behind her. Tina may have been very tall, but in this brief moment, she seemed to shrink and become small. I patted her leg just above her knee as she gathered her thoughts again.

"Anyways, I guess that's why I kind of wanted some company tonight. Florica was basically the only family I've known since my parents passed. She worked right across the street and I visited her daily, even if it was just to check on her. Hell, the only person I've spent more time with than her the last few years would be you. Well, through your writing. I know it seems silly, but there it is."

"It's not necessarily silly," I said as I made my way into the kitchen. I paused at the fridge a moment before reaching up and opening the door. I rummaged in it with my back to her. "It's honesty. It's something that most people struggle with. Something I try to bring across with my writing, even if I'm writing spook stories. She'll be missed. Can I get you something to drink? Tea or juice? Soda?"

"Tea would be fine, thank you. You see? That's what I like about your writing. It stems from something honest. Real. There may be all this supernatural and scary stuff going on, but it's the characters that make it seem real."

I brought her her drink and lit a cigarette. She sipped quietly and eyed Blue Mina in the corner. I nodded and she approached the folder beside the typewriter eagerly. She picked it up in her hands and fumbled through it some before sitting at the desk.

"Go ahead. I need some proofreading done anyway," I told her, but she was already lost in the pages. She would glance up at me from time to time, nodding in approval. She thumbed through the pages at a quick pace, occasionally pausing in thought before diving back in. I watched her eyes widen and narrow, then her mouth open in shock from time to time. It had been the first time I had ever just watched someone enjoy my writing in over three years. It reminded me so much of Megan and my stomach felt empty and my heart full at the same time.

When she had finished reading, she closed the folder and sat there. I waited while she let the story settle in her head. She smiled and stood up. She sipped her tea and sat beck on the couch. I followed her there and waited some more. She just stared into the distance towards the Olivetti and then back to me again.

"Damn it. You didn't like it?" I asked. For a single moment I believed that I may have misread everything I had witnessed. Her little reactions may not have been ones of enjoyment or intrigue, but disinterest and disgust. I remembered how Megan would play this quiet game with me from time to time. She had said it was one of the few ways to actually get through to me, especially when I had been stubborn all day. It was effective. It reminded me of all the years of rejection slips piling up, all the editor's notes stating "try again" and the times I had nearly given up, of which there were many.

"Of course I did!" she burst out, draping her arms around me with such force I nearly fell out of my chair. "I mean, that one scene was a bit gory and unnerving. I can only imagine what it took out of you to even attempt that. You're my fave writer for a reason, though. I literally felt what he felt when he had that nightmare and the moment that really got me, was when we find out that his brother was moving in. After all the history there, twisted shit between those two. Oh my god. Can you imagine how his wife must have felt?"

I sighed in exaggerated relief and we both laughed. I adjusted myself and turned the wheels forward, using my hands and arms to hold me up and leaned towards the couch beside her. She held the chair in place so that it wouldn't roll as I pushed up and into position. She raised her legs to give me room as I tried to get comfortable. There was tingling in my legs but still no continuous movement. Shamefully, I tried to kick at the damned wheels even though it would do no good.

"This shit is driving me crazy. Sorry, I just hate that fucking chair."

"Byron, don't worry. You'll get to walk soon enough. Just got to give it time is all."

"I know it's just frustrating. Guess I should see how lucky I really am," I said. She seemed lost in some deep thought as she looked away from me suddenly. I tried to place the look. There was sadness and shame in her eyes. "Tina, what's wrong? I know it's been a roller coaster of a week and emotional and that's okay. That's why we're here, now."

"I have to be honest with you about something. And it may change how you view me in some ways, but hopefully not. But first, I have a question to ask because it has been bugging me all damn week. Okay?" Her voice was soft but demanding.

"Sure," I said.

"Why the hell were your bed sheets so gross and bloody? And why did I find Florica's glass eye in your fucking bathroom?"