Listening In

Ginger scooted the milk crate closer to the wall. She leaned in, pressing the water glass against her ear, which was still wet from the shower. When Eddie walked in, he took one look at her, wrapped in her bathrobe, wet hair clinging to her face, straddling a milk crate, and he hung his head. He walked over and took the glass from her grip. She smacked at his hand until she realized he was just turning it around and handing it back to her. She'd been holding the wrong end to her ear. Once she leaned back toward the wall, she could hear much better.

Eddie sat on the sofa and watched her listen hard. He studied the scene. She had a wild look in her eye he didn't see often. Her body was completely still, as if every cell in it were concentrating on the task at hand. He stood up to join her, but his small, quiet movement was too much distraction. She waved him away and back into his seat on the couch.

When Eddie walked up to the door, he saw that the lights were off in Daniel's apartment. He would swear that no one was home. But Ginger seemed convinced otherwise. He sat there, watching her react to whatever she was hearing through the water glass. Something was happening in the dining room next door.

She was essentially listening to a silent argument. Daniel and his daughter were trying to out quiet one another.

Ginger could feel the little girl's presence in the room, but she couldn't hear it. She was desperate to hear her voice. Once Ginger knew that the little girl was okay, she promised herself she'd put the glass down, go sit on Eddie's lap, and pretend it was a night like any other.

But Ginger also knew that the little girl didn't always speak, and if she did, it didn't mean she was alright. It just meant she felt like she had something to say.

She let the glass slip away from her ear and out of her hand. Eddie stood up as it shattered on the floor. He walked over and scooped her up in his arms. She let herself hang limp, arms dangling over her head and toward the floor. Eddie had to stop halfway down the hallway to readjust her body. She brought her arms up and put them around his neck. She looked him square in the eyes and said, "You can just take me."