“He said I should be around you and Eric,” she said, staring at me intently, as if trying to read my mind. A faint glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes, hoping that I would be able to unravel the mystery of her strange visions. “That only you know
the truth and can help me deal with it ,” she continued, leaning forward as if afraid to miss something important. “What does that mean? What truth and who is he talking about?”
I sighed deeply, feeling the weight of her expectant, cautious gaze on me, stood up, and started pacing the room. I mentally thanked her for not bringing up that brief conversation she had had with Eric when he was still drinking, namely what he had said about me doing the job better than him.
“I, I don’t know,” I said a near-truth. “And the pain?” I glanced at her stomach.
Sabrina hesitated for a moment, then looked out the window again.
“It only hurts when I try to ignore it.”Ì stared at Sabrina in bewilderment, not believing my ears. Could such a thing really be possible?
“So? ”
“Well… I pretend not to see. I try not to notice. I think pain is how she’s trying to get my attention. ”
I now watched Sabrina’s every move intently. Genuine shock reflected on my face.
“Can she physically affect you? ” I whispered in horror.
“Yeah, maybe,”
“So that means…” I started, “in the kitchen then and then today…”
“Yes. But when you or Eric are around, something changes. She can’t get too close and it doesn’t hurt as much as when I try to ignore her,” Sabrina fell silent and tucked her legs under her.
“So that’s why you’re always hovering around me.”
She blushed and nodded, about to say something when the front door slammed, making us both jump in surprise and turn towards the direction of the sound.
“Hey everyone! I’m home! ” Eric’s hoarse voice echoed from the hall.
“Jack!” Sabrina jumped to her feet and, coming up to me almost face to face, grabbed my hand and whispered excitedly: “Please, don’t tell him anything! I don’t even know why I decided to tell you all this nonsense. ”
“No, not nonsense. Sorry, I need to… figure some things out,” I muttered, stepping out of the room uncertainly and heading towards the kitchen, where Eric was making a racket.
I caught my friend rummaging in the fridge, hoping to find something he hadn’t already nibbled on. He was humming some tune to himself and making dancing moves, completely oblivious to my presence. I reached him in two steps and slammed the refrigerator door right in front of his surprised face.