The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 41

How Is She?My birthday falls on a Friday. December 29. In the aft(prenominal)wardsnoon, Mom helps me tape trash bags around my cast so I can take my premier shower since I broke my leg. This is sort of embarrassing to talk somewhat, but Mom has to help me suffer my cast turn out of the shower, so she holds the shower curtain for me, protecting the cast, as I straddle the brink of the tub, trying to keep my weight on my good leg. Mom hands me the soap when I aim it and also the shampoo. She pretends not to look at my naked body, but I am sure she turns a glimpse at some point, which makes me disembodied spirit strange. I havent twisted out in days, so I feel very small and weak but Mom doesnt check out anything about my diminished girth, because she is a physical body woman.After my shower, Mom helps me put on a pair of sweatpants she has modified, cutting one leg impinge on at the thigh so my cast can fit through. I also put on a button-down shirt from the Gap and my n ew leather jacket. I hop down the steps, crutch my focus out the door and into the backseat of Moms car, sitting sideways so my cast will fit.When we arrive at the Voorhees house, I crutch my way into Cliffs office, pick the black recliner, prop my cast up on the footrest, and tell Cliff everything.When I finish my story, Cliff says, So youve been in bed since Christmas?Yeah.And you have no interest in construe or think ofing television? noneAnd youre not working out your upper body at all? No weights?No.What do you do all day?I sleep, or I think. Sometimes I write, but Danny has been coming to visit me too. I had already told Cliff all about God reuniting Danny and me, which even Cliff had to admit was a bit of a miracle and maybe the silver lie to my awful Christmas.What do you and Danny do when he visits?We play Parcheesi.Parcheesi?Its the Royal Game of India. How can you not crawl in it?I k like a shot Parcheesi. Im just surprised you and Danny play board games together.Why ?Cliff makes a droll face, but doesnt say anything.Danny brings his Parcheesi game all the way from North Philly. He rides the trains.Thats good, right? It must be nice to see your old friend.I was sorry to learn that he still cant rap, even after a second operation, but his aunt got him a job doing the janitorial work at her church, which is also a day-care center. He wipes down the pews with pine oil and mops the floors and empties the trash and vacuums every night stuff like that. He smells like pine trees now too, which is sort of a nice bonus. But Danny is quieter than I remember him creation in the bad place.Did you tell Danny about what Tiffany did to you? Cliff asks.Yeah, I did.What did he say?Nothing.He didnt present you any advice?I didnt ask him for any advice.I see. Cliff grabs his chin, which lets me contend he is going to say something my mother has told him. Pat, I know how you lost your memory. Everyone does. He pauses here, gauging my reaction. And I think you remember too. Do you?No.Do you want me to tell you how you lost your memory?No.Why?I dont say anything.I know Dr. Timbers used to tell you the story every day as part of your therapy. Thats why I never brought it up. I thought maybe you would talk about it when you were ready, but its been almost five months and now you have a broken leg, and things seem to have gotten worse. I cant help feeling as though we need to start trying other tactics. What Tiffany suggested about closure is true. Im not saying her methods were honorable, but you rattling do need to come to terms with what happened, Pat. You need closure.Maybe my movie isnt over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers incantation the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the movie is going to end bad, something striking happens, which leads to the happy ending. This seems like a good spot for something dramatic to happen, especially since its my birthday.Your life is not a movie, Pat. Life is not a mov ie. Youre an Eagles fan. After watching so many NFL seasons without a Super Bowl, you should know that real life often ends poorly.How can you say that now, especially since the Eagles have won four true and are headed into the play-offs even after McNabb went down Cliff just looks at me, almost as if he is scared, and suddenly I realize that I was just yelling. But I cant help adding, With a ostracise attitude like that, it will end poorly, Cliff Youre starting to sound like Dr. Timbers You better watch out, or youre going to be defeated by pessimismThere is a long silence, and Cliff looks genuinely worried, which begins to worry me.On the drive home, Mom tells me that people are coming over for my birthday. She is make me a birthday dinner. Is Nikki coming? I ask.No, Pat. Nikki is never coming, Mom says. Never.When we arrive home, Mom makes me sit in the family populate while she cooks meat loaf and mashed potatoes and green beans and an apple pie. She keeps trying to talk t o me, but I very do not feel like talking.Jake and Caitlin arrive first, and they try to cheer me up by talking really enthusiastically about the Birds, but it doesnt work.When Ronnie and Veronica arrive, Emily climbs onto my lap, which makes me feel a little better. Caitlin asks Emily if she wants to draw a picture on my cast, and when she nods, Mom finds some markers and we all watch little Emily draw. She starts off by making a wobbly circle, which is understandable, since the cast is not perfectly flat, nor smooth. But then she just scribbles all sorts of colours everywhere, and I cannot tell what she is up to until she points to her creation and says, PapDid you draw a picture of Uncle Pat? Ronnie says, and when Emily nods, everyone laughs because it looks zilch like me.When we sit down at the dining-room table, my father is still not home. however after the win over Dallas, he has been pretty distant lately, hiding in his study again. Nobody mentions my dads absence, so I dont either.Moms meal is delicious, and everyone says so.When it is time for pie, they sing Happy Birthday to me, and then little Emily helps me blow out the candles that make the shape of the number 35. I hardly believe that I can actually be thirty-five, because I still feel like I am thirty maybe I besides wish I were thirty, because then Id have Nikki in my life.After we eat our pie, Emily helps me open my presents. I get a brand-new wooden hand-painted Parcheesi board from Mom, who says she invited Danny to my party, but he had to work. Ronnie, Emily, and Veronica get around me an Eagles fleece blanket. Jake and Caitlin give me a membership to a gym in Philadelphia. The brochure in the box says the club has a pool and a steam room and basketball courts and racquetball courts and all types of weight-lifting equipment and other machines that build muscles. Its where I work out, my brother says. And I was thinking we could start working out together once your leg mends. Even th ough Im not all that interested in working out so much anymore, I realize that the membership is a nice present, so I thank Jake.When we retire to the living room, I ask Veronica about Tiffany. Hows Tiffany? I say. Im not really sure why I ask. The lyric just sort of slip out of my mouth, and when they do, everyone stops talking and a silence hangs in the air.I invited her to your party, Mom finally offers, probably just so Veronica will not feel badly about her sister being excluded.Why? Jake asks. So she can lie to Pat again? round him back a few more years?She was only trying to help, Veronica says.Your sister has a funny way of helping.Stop, Caitlin says to Jake.And then the room is silent again.So how is she? I ask, because I really do want to know.