by naumachy » Tue Aug 02, 2016 1:32 pm
username; naumachy
name; alec ostein
gender; male
theme song; kettering - the antlers
i very much apologize if you do not like the song, but i urge you to listen to it before reading the story/understand the lyrics, as it ties in with the story!
why do they look so annoyed?;
it was a busy day- cars sped by and bikers weaved through pedestrians, the streets bustling with life. you weren't sure what you wanted to do today- perhaps visit the really fat pigeon that always sat on one park bench, or the florist down the road. before you could decide, you spotted something blue on the pavement; upon closer inspection, you realized it was a flower crown. sifting through several memories, you remembered that it belonged to a young kalon who looked a bit like a watermelon. though normally cheerful, he had looked rather annoyed this morning. the crown must have fell off, you decided.
you tucked the flower crown in your pocket, heading to the coffee shop you had seen him slip into earlier. a bell jingled as you opened the door; you bypassed the counter and headed to the back. arriving at the high table the young kalon was sitting at, you asked to sit in the seat across from him; he mumbled a "sure" without taking his eyes off the window or changing his annoyed expression.
deciding to break the silence, you ask "what's your name?" the kalon sighs and mutters, "alec. alec ostein." he still does not take his eyes off the window, the frown etched into his face deepening.
"hello alec, it's nice to meet you. have you perhaps lost anything lately?" you question in a cheery voice, producing the flower crown from your pocket. alec finally takes his eyes off of the window, brightening at the sight. he took it from you gingerly, placing it back on his head. "thank you," he says softly. he gazes at you for another split second before returning to look out the window; but the annoyance is not gone from his eyes. instead of leaving, you decide to press on "what's bothering you?"
alec seemed surprised that you were still there. "yknow, typical city day," he mumbled. deciding you weren't getting anywhere, you questioned him again- "you work at the hospital, right?"
this got his attention; he looked at you, curious. "yeah. i'm a nurse," he replied. "why?"
"just wondering if anything had happened lately," you said, crossing your legs. realizing you had caught on, alec sighed, looking down at his hands.
"she was just like any other that passed through- they always send me to care for the difficult ones, since i'm good with people, i guess. for an old woman, she was surprisingly strong. she wouldn't stand for anything the hospital did; said she didn't need help. said she'd be fine. cancer patients don't end up fine.
my first day, i didn't believe them when they called her a hurricane; after all, they had her sleeping and eating, and most difficult ones refuse that. but i walked into that room and i looked at her and though she was small and frail and looked as if the wires poking out of her were the only things keeping her from floating away there was a fire in her eyes. and boy was she difficult," alec paused to wipe his eyes.
"i was convinced she hated me- the first week, she wouldn't acknowledge me at all. i'd offer a smile while checking vitals; she'd turn over and pull the covers closer to her. the second week, she talked a bit- but only to snap at me when she wanted something. one moment she'd tell me i was too quiet- the next she'd say she hated my tone. never had i felt more useless- i had worked wonders with other patients, but she was different.
"but then i realized- i was excited to go to work in the morning; i was asking to stay longer, to spend more time with her. i was convinced i could get through to her. she noticed too, i suppose- started to scream at me to go, that i shouldn't care, that i should leave her to die. those nights had their ups and downs, but eventually she finally accepted that someone cared. and she cried, and so did i, and we just sat in silence," alec paused again, wondering why you were still listening. you urged him to continue.
"she began to tell me stories of her childhood- about things i had never experienced, and i told her about the things i'd seen that day- stuff that she couldn't see, like the cat that sits in the window around the corner and the one really fat pigeon. she'd tease me about my flower crown, and i'd call her old and then she'd tell me that she knew far more than i ever would. for those last few days we really became close, and she was happy, and i realized that i had grown to love her- not romantically, or even as a friend- but as a person.
"i knew the day was coming, that i'd have to say goodbye. and that last night we both knew, and i held her had in both of mine and we sat in silence once again. neither of us said goodbye out loud- if i did, she would've shoved me to the best of her ability and tell me that she sure as hell wasn't giving up yet." alec sniffed, and you placed a paw on his, motioning that you understood.
"i got so mad at myself. i thought that maybe, if i had done something- anything- different, i could've saved her, but i knew that was stupid."
alec looked up at you, and nodded. "thank you," he said, truly sincerely. "i guess it's helped to talk about it. only i would spill my life story to a total stranger," he laughed. "i should probably get to work though. there's a new patient i have and she's quite the fireball," alec grinned, parting ways with you and thanking you again for returning his flower crown.
well, he didn't seem very annoyed anymore.
Last edited by
naumachy on Fri Aug 05, 2016 5:02 am, edited 8 times in total.
