Chapter Four: The Morning After

When I awoke the next morning, Lee-Ann was sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading the paper. I picked myself up and resumed my humanoid shape. I thought about putting my coat and hat back on, but I figured there was no point to that now. I walked over, pulled out a chair across from her and sat down. We sat in silence for a time, and I wondered what was going through her mind as she flipped through the paper. Finally, she spoke up.

 “So….how long were you planning to wait to tell me the truth?” She put down the paper and looked straight into my mask, and I could see that she was less than pleased, but in her voice, she sounded hurt. I looked down at the table, unable to face her. Even though technically I could still see her fine, over the years I have begun to use the same body language as regular people to convey how I feel, and right now I felt ashamed. “I..I’m sorry Lee-Ann…I didn’t want to lie to you, but let’s face it, most people don’t exactly react well to monsters in their home.” She gave me a stern look and said, “I don’t give a damn what you are, but I can’t stand people who lie. So, if you want to keep staying here, I want the truth. All of it.” I was taken aback, less by her attitude and more by what she had said. I could stay? And she doesn’t care what I am? No one has said that to me in ages, and if I had a face, it would be covered with a giant, goofy grin. But I had to focus, she wants the truth and that’s what she’ll get.

“I meant what I said when I told you I have amnesia. There is much of my life I do not remember. Namely who or what or where I was before I became a monster.” Before I could get my next sentence out, she raised a hand to stop me. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but could we not use the word monster? It makes me think of like, horror movies, and doesn’t really describe you. You seem like more of a…I don’t know, a thing? Monster just has such a negative sound to it.” I laugh a little, I'm not sure if ‘thing’ is much of a compliment either, but I understand what you’re trying to say, and I thank you for it.” She smiled at me briefly, “you’re welcome.” Her expression quickly changed back to its stern demeanor, and the smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. “Now, get back to talking. I want to know the whole story. I don’t care how long it takes. I called my boss and told him about what happened last night, leaving out the parts about you of course, and he gave me the day off. So we’ve got plenty of time. Get talking.” I could tell she was very serious about this, and it was obvious there was no getting out of it. I settled into my seat, as much as someone like me can, and began to tell my tale…