Curvy Girls Can’t Date Soldiers by Kelsie Stelting

Twenty-One

Apollo

I heldthe phone to my ear for longer than I needed, wanting to catch every sound on the other end of the phone before she ended the call.

Nadira’s voice—talking to her—was incredible. I wanted to pound my fist in the air. I wanted to run ten miles. I wanted to jump on the trampoline in my parents’ backyard and fall happily on my back.

“You have it bad,” Josh chuckled from where he sat in front of his TV. He had his video game headset on and was tapping on the controllers, but apparently that hadn’t stopped him from noticing me.

“How much of that did you hear?” I asked, my cheeks getting got.

He made his voice all breathy and crackly like a pre-pubescent teen. “’So you’re a good girl?’”

“Oh shut up.” My ears were hot now. My neck too.

He grinned, still not looking at me. “You have a crush. It’s cute.”

I got up from the chair and grabbed my jacket.

“Where are you going?” Josh asked. “A convention for lovestruck schoolboys?”

I gave him the finger and left the room, not quite able to hide my smile. As I shrugged on my jacket and walked toward the elevator, I wanted to call my mom and tell her about Nadira. How talking with her made me feel.

But I already knew she wouldn’t answer, and part of me was mad enough to hold out until she called me first. So I went down to the parking lot and drove to see the woman who’d been my surrogate mother ever since I moved to California.

Just a few miles away, Brentwood Senior Community came into view. My dad’s parents still lived in their home and my mom was estranged from her folks, so at first going into a nursing home had been strange. But now, the people there were like my second family.

I parked close to the front, since the visitor spaces were always open, and walked to the front door. I tapped in the entry code and said hi to Rosie, the woman who always parked her wheelchair in the sun coming through the front windows.

“Hi, baby.” She extended her arms.

I went and gave her a hug. She squeezed me tight, placing a big wet kiss on my cheek that I’d wipe off later—out of her sight, of course. I wondered how many hugs she got a day, if she even got one, and my heart tore just a little bit.

Miss Honey, one of the CNAs, passed by, pushing a cart of laundry and said, “Hi, Apollo! Aunt Tilly’s in the dining room. I bet if you ask Amanda, she’ll grab you a plate for supper too.”

“Thanks,” I said, then gave Rosie my biggest smile. “See you Saturday, Rosie.”

She smiled and waved, then I went in search of my aunt. I’d almost forgotten it was supper time. My stomach tied in knots from my conversation with Nadira, but maybe it would help to sit and eat with my great-aunt.

I made my way to the dining room where Aunt Tilly usually went to play Skip Bo with some of the other people here. The nurses called them residents, but that made me uncomfortable. The term seemed too formal. This was their home. They lived here.

I found Tilly at the end of a table wearing one of the big covers they put on some of the people here before eating. Since Tilly’s stroke, her left hand didn’t work as well, and the shaking could cause some issues.

As I drew closer, I said, “Hi, Aunt Tilly.”

She looked up at me, giving me a lopsided smile. She couldn’t speak, but her eyes focused in on me. I leaned over and gave her a hug before pulling up a chair beside her. Most of the people at her table were nonverbal, which made me sad. Tilly’s stroke had taken her ability to talk, but not think. She probably would have loved hearing others’ conversations. At least, I would have if I were in her shoes.

Amanda, the cook at the nursing home, came out of the kitchen carrying three trays. Catching sight of me, she grinned as she set the trays down at a different table. “Tilly, you have a visitor?”

Aunt Tilly smiled at me.

“Do you want some supper, honey?” Amanda asked.

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” I replied.

She put her hand over her heart. “Not if you keep talking with that southern charm.”

The tips of my ears got hot, but I smiled and turned back to Aunt Tilly. “I just had great news and wanted to come tell you.” I swore I could see the spark of a question in her eyes, so I continued. “You know that girl I’ve been emailing with? I called her on the phone tonight and...”

And what?I thought, not sure how to finish. How could I even describe this feeling in my chest that was somewhere between flying and soaring.

“I like her,” I finished.

Aunt Tilly put her good hand on mine. There was a bit of food on her fingers, but the gentleness of it nearly brought tears to my eyes. I missed my mom, but having Tilly step in made it a million times better.

Amanda set a tray in front of me. “Here you go, honey. Mashed potatoes, chicken fried steak, and extra corn. Just for you.” She winked.

I smiled and thanked her, then ate alongside Tilly. She might not have been able to talk, but she spoke to me more than she’d ever know.