فصل بیست و نه

TWENTY-NINE

In the morning, Gage’s temperature was almost normal. His cheeks were chapped, but otherwise he was bright-eyed and full of beans. All at once, in the course of a week it seemed, his meaningless gabble had turned into a slew of words; he would imitate almost anything you said. What Ellie wanted him to say was shit.

‘Say shit, Gage,’ Ellie said over her oatmeal.

‘Shit-Gage,’ Gage responded agreeably over his own cereal. Louis allowed the cereal only on condition that Gage ate it with only a little sugar. And, as usual, Gage seemed to be shampooing with it rather than actually eating it.

Ellie dissolved into giggles.

‘Say farts, Gage,’ she said.

‘Farz-Gage,’ Gage said, grinning through the oatmeal spread across his face. ‘Farz-n-shit.’ Ellie and Louis broke up. It was impossible not to.

Rachel was not so amused. ‘That’s enough vulgar talk for one morning, I think,’ she said, handing Louis his eggs.

‘Shit-n-farz-n-farz-n-shit,’ Gage sang cheerily, and Ellie hid her giggles in her hands. Rachel’s mouth twitched a little, and Louis thought she was looking a hundred per cent better in spite of her broken rest. A lot of it was relief, Louis supposed. Gage was better and she was home.

‘Don’t say that, Gage,’ Rachel said.

‘Pretty,’ Gage said as a change of pace, and threw up all the cereal he had eaten into his bowl.

‘Oh, gross-OUT!’ Ellie screamed, and fled the table.

Louis broke up completely then. He couldn’t help it. He laughed until he was crying, and cried until he was laughing again. Rachel and Gage stared at him as if he had gone crazy.

No, Louis could have told them. I’ve been crazy, but I think I’m going to be all right now. I really think I am.

He didn’t know if it was over or not but it felt over; perhaps that would be enough.

And for a while, at least, it was.