Those Who Spoon

Chapter Six

                                                Another Year Later

Ebenezer would not even have noticed her if his wheelchair hadn’t gotten stuck.

While throwing glares at personnel and visitors alike, he steered through the  blindingly white hallways of the hospital to pay his mother a visit (not that she was sick; good old Dolly had decided to donate her kidney to some person she had never met). Somewhere halfway, he took a corner too sharply. As a result the wheelchair rammed into the wall, bucked as he tried to go into reverse, whirred noisily and then refused to move at all. Its electric engine purred. Slamming the armrest in frustration, Ben exclaimed, “You little piece of—”

“Ebenezer?” The voice was high, melodic; angelic . . . he would have recognized it anywhere. Stiffening, Ben attributed it to his solitude and began to breathe in and out slowly. One, two, three, four, five, six – silently he counted to ten. When light footsteps neared, he was unable to resist throwing a quick look over his shoulder. The sight that met his eyes sent a pang through his chest. As his feelings had told him, as his mind had urged him to remember, it was indeed Ava Gingerroots, the beautiful nurse. And although he had often imagined she would have fattened by now or lost what had appealed him so much at the time, none of this was true. On the contrary: if anything, his memory had not done her justice.

She swiped a lock of hair away – it was still that odd shade of blonde; almost white – and smiled. “Ebenezer Soon. Well well. Never thought I’d see you here again.”

His mind had deflated completely. Ebenezer opened and shut his mouth again, trying to find the right words. Eventually, he stammered, “Not for myself.”

Bell-like laughter pealed from Ava’s lips. “Good,” she said, still grinning. “What are you doing here, then? Coming to see an old friend?”

Ebenezer stared at her in wonder. “I . . . uh . . .”

“Oh!” Ava exclaimed, saving the day once again. “Oh, I remember! Isn’t your mother here? Dolly Soon?”

He smiled in relief. “Yes, that’s her.”

“Something with her kidney, right?”

“She’s just donating it,” Ben said quickly, “but yeah.” He ran his gaze over Ava’s uniform, the files she was holding in her hand and – most importantly – the golden ring blinking triumphantly on one of her slender finger. “Did you . . . ?”

She followed his gaze and flushed in pleasure. “Yes,” Ava admitted happily, “I did.” Spotting the questioning look on his face, she added, “He is a wonderful husband. I’m a very lucky girl.”

“That’s good,” he said softly.

“But what about you? Where’s the fortunate girlfriend?” Ava searched his face. “Surely there are plenty of fish to pick from,” she joked. “Whole oceans full of them for you!”

Ebenezer licked his lips. “Single and loving it.”

“Single?” Ava cried out. “Well, if it makes you happy.” Seeing his downturned lips, she added, “You are happy, aren’t you?”

“I’ve got all the money in the world. Why wouldn’t I be?” Ebenezer grinned. “I’ve got everything I need. I don’t need to work until the day I die. In fact, I can sit on my ass all day while I pay others to promote my products. Life is great.” Before Ava could respond, Ben said quickly, “Oh, look at the time! I’m going to be late. Well, it was really nice seeing you again-and-have-a-great-life-I’ll-miss-you.” Then, with one violent thud of his fist, the controls worked again and Ebenezer was able to maneuver around the nurse speedily, who was still staring at him with those unbearably bright eyes. The chair seemed to move too slowly, and even by the time he was in his mother’s room, holding her hand tightly, Ben could feel them burning a hole into his heart. Even after all this years, she still had the same effect on him – imagine that. A woman he barely knew; a married woman.