Chapter 5 The Abelle Story: as told by Reggie Hinkley

Ben's curious about Abelle and her arrival. Reggie's obliges him with the strange tale.

 

Tuesday �" Lunch

The Story of Abelle: As Told by Reggie Hinkley

 

            “Abelle? Chick with her arms wrapped up? Yeah, I know about her. Why?” Reggie c***s an eyebrow and grins, “What, you got a big old hard-on for this girl or something?”

 

                “No, I’m just curious.” Benjamin pushes his fruitcup across the table and Reggie snatches it up, reaching across the table to grab Benjamin’s spoon. “What do you know about her?”

 

                “I heard a couple of the nurses talking about it last week. Crazy s**t, man. When do you think she showed up at Green Oaks?”

 

                “I don’t know, like three weeks ago?”

 

                “Wrong! I’m sorry your answer must be in the form of a question.”

 

                “What? Reggie, what the f**k are you talking about?”

 

                “Jeopardy! Are you telling me you’ve never seen Jeopardy?!”

 

                For a moment, Benjamin wonders if reaching across the table and strangling Reggie with his bare hands would get him out of Green Oaks and sent to an actual prison.

 

                Reggie licks syrup from the plastic top of the fruitcup and raises all of the fingers on his free hand. “Little Miss Razor got here five weeks ago.”

“Five weeks? There’s no way. I’ve been here for over two months. I would’ve noticed her if she had been here half the time I was.”

 

“Well, from the way the nurses put it, this chick showed up in the lobby five weeks ago. She was cut deep on each arm, from here to here.” Setting his spoon down, Reggie drags an imaginary line from the crook of his elbow to the very end of his wrist. “Apparently, the receptionist thought she was going to bleed out right then and there, right? This girls is soaked�"soaked�"in blood. Left a big long trail of it from the street outside all the way to the front desk.” Reggie chuckles through a mouthful of soggy fruit. “Would’ve freaked me the hell out.”

 

“So who brought her in?”

 

This is the longest conversation Benjamin has ever had with his “friend.” Reggie is shifting hyperactively in his chair, hardly containing his excitement. “THAT! That, amigo, is the ‘crazy s**t’ part. They asked her who dropped her off, and she said no one, but she was bleeding like a stuck pig! If she’s telling the truth, that means she stood out there in the street, carved the f**k out of both arms, and then strolled right in to Green Oaks.”

 

Benjamin sits back. “That’s all really hard to believe.”

 

Finishing his snack, Reggie drained the remaining syrup back into his throat, frowning. “These portions are ridiculous. Three spoonfuls, and it’s gone. Realistically, can’t they make even a slightly larger cup�"“

 

“Reggie. She got here five weeks ago and they sent her to a hospital. She’s been staying here for three weeks. Cuts like that… Is two weeks enough time for that to heal?”

 

“I don’t know, man.” Reggie shrugs. “Some people heal faster than others.”

 

Reviews

[Stacy Purvis]

Lol! The humor in this is great. Keep it up. Love your writing. Thank you for sharing.