Beginning of Healing
390 Words
“Here you are.”
Juliet stood at the doorway, watching him longer than necessary before stepping in.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
James didn’t look up immediately. The newspaper rustled softly in his hands.
“You read books… and newspapers too?” she added, forcing a light tone. “Reading newspapers makes you look like men from the ’80s.”
There was a pause.
Then, slowly, James smiled.
“I like newspapers,” he said. “They feel… more real. Besides, most of those TV stations just recycle what’s already printed.”
Juliet stepped closer, studying him.
“You know what?” she said quietly. “You look handsome when you smile.”
His fingers tightened slightly on the paper.
“Let me wheel you upstairs.”
Without waiting for a reply, she moved behind him and began pushing.
Halfway up, she froze.
“Oh no…” she muttered under her breath.
James’s smile faded. “What?”
Juliet hesitated.
“I… forgot to tell you. There’s no breakfast today.”
The silence that followed was sharp.
“No breakfast?” James repeated, his voice lower now. “Why?”
His face hardened, the softness from before gone.
Juliet forced a laugh. “Hey—relax that face. You look ugly when you frown.”
That only made it worse.
“Let’s just go,” she added quickly.
Outside, the air was cool, but the tension lingered.
Juliet wheeled him around the estate, the sound of the chair against the pavement filling the gaps between them.
When they finally returned, she bent slightly to face him.
“How do you feel?”
James exhaled slowly. “Stress-free.”
A beat.
“You’re… smart,” he added. “Wise too.
Intelligent.”
Juliet blinked, caught off guard. “Thank you.”
For a moment, it felt normal again.
Then suddenly—
James pushed his wheels hard.
“Hey!” Juliet gasped. “Stop! Where are you going?”
He didn’t look back.
“I want you to catch me.”
There was something strange in his tone—challenging, almost daring.
Juliet hesitated… then ran after him.
From a distance, his mother watched.
A faint smile touched her lips—but her eyes lingered longer than they should have.
She believed her son was healing from the grief.
- Writer
