Since my breakfast had been less than appetizing, my
stomach grumbled, happy to eat again. I removed the dome
and my empty stomach sank. Thick white bread sandwiched
lettuce, tomato, cheese, and—so gross—tuna salad. It smelled
like low tide on a hot day, and my stomach churned.
Holding my breath, I scraped off as much tuna as I could
before adding the small portion of chips to the topping
sandwich. It took all my stubbornness, but I got it down
without losing my lunch and breakfast.
The bowl of berries was even smaller than that morning’s,
but I savored each delicious bite.
I’d just finished when someone knocked and the door was
opened. Ignore-now-glare man came in to get the tray. He
tossed something to the couch next to me.
“What’s that?” I asked, not tearing my eyes from him.
I didn’t think he’d attack me, but I wasn’t sure. I didn’t trust
anyone, but especially not people I’d ticked off.“From the boss,” was all he said before leaving.
Once the door clicked closed, I looked at the box next to
me. A beautiful iridescent bow was on top of the pretty gray
wrapping paper. I took the bow and slapped it on my head
before tentatively unwrapping the paper. It took me a moment
to figure out what I was looking at.
An iPad.
He gave me an iPad.
I lifted the lid from the box to find a shiny, sleek tablet. It
was so pretty. I wasn’t sure if technology was supposed to be
pretty, but it was. My experience with gadgets was limited. My
old cell had been a laggy brick. The computer at the gym was
one step above a hamster-powered machine.
The iPad was the opposite of both.
Careful not to drop it, I took it out of the box and spotted a
note underneath.
A belated birthday present
-M
How did he know about my birthday?
I pressed the power button to find it’d been set up and was
ready to use.
Out of curiosity, I tried to download Facebook, only to find
it—along with every other app—had been blocked. Most of
the internet was unavailable, too, but I could visit some sites.
Bringing up Google, I typed in Maximo Black to find it
completely restricted. No websites, no pictures, no news
stories.
No surprise.
It was worth a shot.
I went to the bookstore app but wasn’t able to download
anything, even the freebies. When I checked out iBooks, there
were already some mysteries and historical nonfictions
downloaded.Since libraries were free, books had been one of the few
sources of entertainment I’d had access to no matter where
we’d lived. I preferred serial killer biographies or true crime,
with the occasional fantasy thrown in, but desperate times
called for desperate measures.
Turning off the soap opera I’d barely been following, I
opened one of the books and settled in.
I didn’t care that it was locked down tighter than a thirteenyear-old boy’s laptop. I didn’t care that the book selection
sucked. It was an iPad and it was mine.
My fingertips ran across some ridges on the back, and I
flipped it over to see an engraving.
Happy Birthday, little dove.
I wonder if he knows how few presents I’ve received in my
life… and that this is, by far, the best one.
_______________
“DO YOU KNOW what’s up with the TV?” I asked Ms. Vera
when she returned with dinner later.
I’d finished one of the mystery novels, despite it being
boring, long-winded, and so predictable, I’d correctly guessed
the clichéd villain in the second chapter.
My brain needed a rest.
“What’s wrong with it?” she asked.
“None of the channels are working.”
She glanced at it. “I’ll ask one of the men.”
“Thanks.”
She set down the tray. “It’s time for medicine and cream.”
Damn.
“Okay,” I muttered.
I scootered after her into the bedroom. Like the morning, I
took the pill and did my legs before she helped me reach myback.
“Thanks,” I said when she finished.
She offered me one of her motherly smiles. “Go wash your
hands then eat.”
I didn’t argue because my disassembled fishy sandwich had
left a lot to be desired.
When I returned to the sitting room, Ms. Vera was already
gone. Loneliness swirled around me.
A familiar feeling.
Sighing, I flipped through the three channels that worked.
Two were playing the news and one had a decade-old
syndicated sitcom. Leaving it on that, I lifted the dome to
reveal a huge piece of roasted chicken. I didn’t even care that
it was accompanied by a few roasted carrots and a butt-ton of
disgusting yellow squash coins. The chicken was massive and
would be more than enough on its own.
Cutting a big piece, I stabbed it with a fork and shoved the
whole chunk into my mouth.
And then I spit it back out into a napkin.
Rosemary.
The smell I hadn’t been able to place was my nemesis herb.
My mouth tasted like I’d just made out with a Christmas tree.