Red Band Society
Chapter Four
THANKSGIVING (one year before entering hospital)
I sat at the table that was bombarded with half my family tree. Nanny was at my left side while my eight year-old cousin, Emy, sat at my other side. The table was filled with the bountiful meal that my mom prepared in 12 hours total. A large, bronze turkey was the center pieces while various sides were surrounding it with large serving spoons/forks stabbing their innards: mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, a variety of steamed vegetables, my mom's famous cranberry-orange salad with pecans, three kinds of stuffing, and so much more.
The room was bombarded with the aroma of the massive home-cooked meal, and the heavenly scent was honestly making my stomach queasy. Everyone around me were digging into the meal like it was going to be there last meal on this planet Earth. Uncle Rick's plate resembled Mount Everest while my two year old cousin, Charlie, was stuffing his pudgy little palms into the steamed, garlic potatoes and shoving them into his mouth. Me, on the other hand, just sat at my placement with my eyes fixated on the greens that garnished the turkey. My plate was completely bare.
My mother looked over at me with a perplexed expression. "Alexander," she perked up, "why don't you have any food on your plate?" Her statement made everyone turn their attention to me, and instantly, my cheeks flushed a bright red. I hadn't having the spotlight on me -- for good reasons or bad.
"Yeah, kiddo, where's the food on that plate? Put some meat on those bones!" boomed my Uncle Kurt. His wife, my Aunt Marcy, nodded in an agreement. Sighing, I slowly rose up, with my plate clad in hand, and reached towards the deviled eggs. I took only one of the small hors d'oeuvre and placed it in the center of my plate. Uncle Kurt was watching my every move, and when he noticed the measly egg on the core of my plate, he snatched the spoon for the garlic mashed potatoes, spooned a gallop out of the bowl, and splattered it on the remaining space of my plate. My eyes widened at the gigantic portion. That's when the shaking started to set in. "There you go, kid. Eat that up."
I nodded with a weak smile before placing my bum back on the chair. Once my sorry ass sat down, everyone went back to their business of scarfing down the meal. I sat in quiet for the second time, eyeing the food as if it were my worst enemy. Oh wait, it was. I picked up my spoon slowly, and the shakes that convulsed through my body made it a struggle for me to steady it. I scooped up a lump of the garlic mush and lifted it towards my quivering lips. The smell of the strong herb was enough to make my stomach do a million back flips. I inhaled deeply before shoving the entire metal utensil into my mouth.
The glob of potatoes rested on my tongue, my saliva making its ways inside of it to moisten it up. The longer it sat on my taste buds, the more I felt nauseous. Soon, my shakes turned into heavy quakes. The spoon dropped from my hand with a loud crash, and everyone perked up from their meal. My eyes watered, a few tears actually streaming down my cheeks. My lungs lost their ability to breathe, and I instantly spat out the potatoes. The, now, watery substance splashed on top of the stray egg on my plate. The entire was looking at me like I was nuts; my mother stood up and ran to my aid. "Alexander, what is wrong? Alexander -- Alexander!?"
All I could hear was the sounds of what could be heavy wind. My mother's voice sounded like how the adults would sound in Charlie Brown specials -- blah, blah, blah. I shot up from my chair, my chair colliding to the floor, and ran to the small bathroom that rested downstairs. I locked myself in, and I curled in the corner of the room. Beside me was the freshly cleaned toilet, and the strong aroma of cleaning chemicals was enough to make me finally vomit that lingering sickness up. I hurled into the toilet, the only thing coming up was the little bit of apple I ate last night as a snack. The rest was just the canary bile that rummaged my stomach. As I heaved out the contents of my belly, I let out strangled sobs.
And that, m'friends, was the first of many of what I like to call "Anorexic Break Downs".
I awoke to a bright light blinding my virgin eyes. At first, I thought I had dropped dead somehow, but that assumption went into the garbage when an over call announcement went off that dinner was going to be served in an hour. I sat up as slowly as I could, my eyes still squinting from the furious light above me. As I rose, I felt a sharp stinging in my side. I hissed, and my hand instantly flew to where the pain was coming from. My hand rested upon what felt like a tube, and it was inserted in my side. I followed the tube all the way up to a baggie that hung from a metal pole. It was filled with this milky substance. What the hell was that?
"Hello, Alexander," I heard a female's voice cut through my thoughts. I turned over to see Nurse Tay strutting in, "you feeling okay?"
"I guess so. I don't really remember how I fell asleep."
"You had an awful attack a few hours ago when I gave you some crackers to eat. We assumed it was because your body lacked its desired nutrients, so that will explain why you have that tube in your side. It's food." I squinted my eyes at her.
"That gross looking stuff is food?"
"It's a concoction. It's most likely disgusting, so you should be thankful you're not tasting it." Nurse Tay chuckled. She waltzed over to my side and examined the tube. "I think I can take this out of you. I'll give you a break so you can roam free for the time you have before dinner." While she spoke, Nurse Tay maneuvered the tube out of my side. After it was removed, she just put a simple bandage on it. "You're free to go, m'friend. If you want, I can take you to where you're thinking of going?" I sat and thought for a moment. I knew that Jack wanted me to meet his friends on the balcony, and he was probably worrying about me -- not that I was a big deal to him or anything yet.
"Um, would you mind taking me to the balcony? This kid Jack wanted me to meet his friends..."
"I can take you there, sure!"
I walked towards the doors that lead out to the balcony after leaving the elevator. The doors were glass, so I could see everyone and everything that was on the balcony. One person that caught my attention was Jack. He was sitting on a large lawn chair, laughing up a storm. Around him were, most likely, his friends. I took in a large breath before walking through the doors. My entrance perked the attentions of everyone. When Jack saw me, a wide smile spread across his face. "Alex! Hey!" Jack got up and ran towards me. He embraced me in a large hug and squeezed me tight. "I'm so glad you're okay. I heard you passed out, and I got really scared." I pulled away from the embrace and looked into Jack's eyes.
Why did this kid care about me so much? We just met. I was going to question him though -- not yet. I gave him a faint smile. Jack took hold of my hand and dragged me towards the circle of his friends. "Alex, these are all my friends!" He first pointed to a red haired girl; it was the same girl I saw with one arm this morning! "This is Hayley," he then pointed to the kid I saw with her, the kid in a wheelchair, "this is Zack," then towards a pretty muscular kid, "and lastly, this is Rian who's deaf." I decided to give Rian a wave to alert my notice of him. Rian smiled and waved back.
"So, Alex," Hayley spoke towards me, "I hear you just joined us misfits today?"
"Um, yeah." I nodded shyly.
"Jack told us you're here because you're anorexic." Jack was telling my friends about me? Wow, I felt famous for a moment before I stepped down from the ridiculous pedestal.
"Yeah. I have been for about a year and half."
"Interesting," Zack nodded, "I have been handicapped since I was about five. I'm paralyzed from the waist down, and it's because I was in an accident with my bike. I was hit by a car." My eyes widened at the story.
"Oh my God, that's terrible!" I gushed in horror.
"Nah, it was pretty fun, actually. It may have hit like a bitch, but rolling up a car is a pretty sweet feeling." Zack let out a laugh, but me, I felt totally awkward. How the hell is it fun to roll over a car and almost die? I shook it off, though.
"Have a seat, Alex!" Jack gestured kindly. I nodded and sat down in a chair beside Jack. When I sat down, I examined the group a little closer. Through my search, I noticed all of them wearing these red bands. I couldn't help but ask,
"What are those bracelets for?" (Note: the entire time I'm talking, Hayley is signing whatever is being said to Rian like it's nobody's business) My question made everyone smile, even Rian once he was signed what I asked.
"You see, Alex," Jack started, "those bands represent our little group of friends. I started the club, actually, so I kinda pick and choose who is with us and who isn't."
"Oh, I get it." I showcased my understanding. Jack then went over to the table and picked up a stray red bracelet. I looked up in curiosity as he held the bracelet in front of me. "What?"
"Alex, I know we just met, but I think you'd be the perfect addition to our group of friends. Do you, Alexander, accept this red band?" Jack's proposal was shocking; I couldn't believe he -- they -- were allowing me to be apart of their group of friends. I was just a newbie, and they barely knew me! Inside, I was so shocked, but then, the shocked feeling was dominated by the feeling of actually being appreciated. I felt accepted for my issues; even though, all of our issues were being cured in one way, shape, or form. Smiling, I responded with,
"Yes, I accept the band." Everyone around me clapped, and Hayley let out a 'woo!'. Jack took hold of my wrist and snapped the bracelet in place under all my yarn bracelets I wore. Putting a hand on my shoulder, he announced,
"Alexander, welcome to the Red Band Society."
I sat at the table that was bombarded with half my family tree. Nanny was at my left side while my eight year-old cousin, Emy, sat at my other side. The table was filled with the bountiful meal that my mom prepared in 12 hours total. A large, bronze turkey was the center pieces while various sides were surrounding it with large serving spoons/forks stabbing their innards: mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, a variety of steamed vegetables, my mom's famous cranberry-orange salad with pecans, three kinds of stuffing, and so much more.
The room was bombarded with the aroma of the massive home-cooked meal, and the heavenly scent was honestly making my stomach queasy. Everyone around me were digging into the meal like it was going to be there last meal on this planet Earth. Uncle Rick's plate resembled Mount Everest while my two year old cousin, Charlie, was stuffing his pudgy little palms into the steamed, garlic potatoes and shoving them into his mouth. Me, on the other hand, just sat at my placement with my eyes fixated on the greens that garnished the turkey. My plate was completely bare.
My mother looked over at me with a perplexed expression. "Alexander," she perked up, "why don't you have any food on your plate?" Her statement made everyone turn their attention to me, and instantly, my cheeks flushed a bright red. I hadn't having the spotlight on me -- for good reasons or bad.
"Yeah, kiddo, where's the food on that plate? Put some meat on those bones!" boomed my Uncle Kurt. His wife, my Aunt Marcy, nodded in an agreement. Sighing, I slowly rose up, with my plate clad in hand, and reached towards the deviled eggs. I took only one of the small hors d'oeuvre and placed it in the center of my plate. Uncle Kurt was watching my every move, and when he noticed the measly egg on the core of my plate, he snatched the spoon for the garlic mashed potatoes, spooned a gallop out of the bowl, and splattered it on the remaining space of my plate. My eyes widened at the gigantic portion. That's when the shaking started to set in. "There you go, kid. Eat that up."
I nodded with a weak smile before placing my bum back on the chair. Once my sorry ass sat down, everyone went back to their business of scarfing down the meal. I sat in quiet for the second time, eyeing the food as if it were my worst enemy. Oh wait, it was. I picked up my spoon slowly, and the shakes that convulsed through my body made it a struggle for me to steady it. I scooped up a lump of the garlic mush and lifted it towards my quivering lips. The smell of the strong herb was enough to make my stomach do a million back flips. I inhaled deeply before shoving the entire metal utensil into my mouth.
The glob of potatoes rested on my tongue, my saliva making its ways inside of it to moisten it up. The longer it sat on my taste buds, the more I felt nauseous. Soon, my shakes turned into heavy quakes. The spoon dropped from my hand with a loud crash, and everyone perked up from their meal. My eyes watered, a few tears actually streaming down my cheeks. My lungs lost their ability to breathe, and I instantly spat out the potatoes. The, now, watery substance splashed on top of the stray egg on my plate. The entire was looking at me like I was nuts; my mother stood up and ran to my aid. "Alexander, what is wrong? Alexander -- Alexander!?"
All I could hear was the sounds of what could be heavy wind. My mother's voice sounded like how the adults would sound in Charlie Brown specials -- blah, blah, blah. I shot up from my chair, my chair colliding to the floor, and ran to the small bathroom that rested downstairs. I locked myself in, and I curled in the corner of the room. Beside me was the freshly cleaned toilet, and the strong aroma of cleaning chemicals was enough to make me finally vomit that lingering sickness up. I hurled into the toilet, the only thing coming up was the little bit of apple I ate last night as a snack. The rest was just the canary bile that rummaged my stomach. As I heaved out the contents of my belly, I let out strangled sobs.
And that, m'friends, was the first of many of what I like to call "Anorexic Break Downs".
I awoke to a bright light blinding my virgin eyes. At first, I thought I had dropped dead somehow, but that assumption went into the garbage when an over call announcement went off that dinner was going to be served in an hour. I sat up as slowly as I could, my eyes still squinting from the furious light above me. As I rose, I felt a sharp stinging in my side. I hissed, and my hand instantly flew to where the pain was coming from. My hand rested upon what felt like a tube, and it was inserted in my side. I followed the tube all the way up to a baggie that hung from a metal pole. It was filled with this milky substance. What the hell was that?
"Hello, Alexander," I heard a female's voice cut through my thoughts. I turned over to see Nurse Tay strutting in, "you feeling okay?"
"I guess so. I don't really remember how I fell asleep."
"You had an awful attack a few hours ago when I gave you some crackers to eat. We assumed it was because your body lacked its desired nutrients, so that will explain why you have that tube in your side. It's food." I squinted my eyes at her.
"That gross looking stuff is food?"
"It's a concoction. It's most likely disgusting, so you should be thankful you're not tasting it." Nurse Tay chuckled. She waltzed over to my side and examined the tube. "I think I can take this out of you. I'll give you a break so you can roam free for the time you have before dinner." While she spoke, Nurse Tay maneuvered the tube out of my side. After it was removed, she just put a simple bandage on it. "You're free to go, m'friend. If you want, I can take you to where you're thinking of going?" I sat and thought for a moment. I knew that Jack wanted me to meet his friends on the balcony, and he was probably worrying about me -- not that I was a big deal to him or anything yet.
"Um, would you mind taking me to the balcony? This kid Jack wanted me to meet his friends..."
"I can take you there, sure!"
I walked towards the doors that lead out to the balcony after leaving the elevator. The doors were glass, so I could see everyone and everything that was on the balcony. One person that caught my attention was Jack. He was sitting on a large lawn chair, laughing up a storm. Around him were, most likely, his friends. I took in a large breath before walking through the doors. My entrance perked the attentions of everyone. When Jack saw me, a wide smile spread across his face. "Alex! Hey!" Jack got up and ran towards me. He embraced me in a large hug and squeezed me tight. "I'm so glad you're okay. I heard you passed out, and I got really scared." I pulled away from the embrace and looked into Jack's eyes.
Why did this kid care about me so much? We just met. I was going to question him though -- not yet. I gave him a faint smile. Jack took hold of my hand and dragged me towards the circle of his friends. "Alex, these are all my friends!" He first pointed to a red haired girl; it was the same girl I saw with one arm this morning! "This is Hayley," he then pointed to the kid I saw with her, the kid in a wheelchair, "this is Zack," then towards a pretty muscular kid, "and lastly, this is Rian who's deaf." I decided to give Rian a wave to alert my notice of him. Rian smiled and waved back.
"So, Alex," Hayley spoke towards me, "I hear you just joined us misfits today?"
"Um, yeah." I nodded shyly.
"Jack told us you're here because you're anorexic." Jack was telling my friends about me? Wow, I felt famous for a moment before I stepped down from the ridiculous pedestal.
"Yeah. I have been for about a year and half."
"Interesting," Zack nodded, "I have been handicapped since I was about five. I'm paralyzed from the waist down, and it's because I was in an accident with my bike. I was hit by a car." My eyes widened at the story.
"Oh my God, that's terrible!" I gushed in horror.
"Nah, it was pretty fun, actually. It may have hit like a bitch, but rolling up a car is a pretty sweet feeling." Zack let out a laugh, but me, I felt totally awkward. How the hell is it fun to roll over a car and almost die? I shook it off, though.
"Have a seat, Alex!" Jack gestured kindly. I nodded and sat down in a chair beside Jack. When I sat down, I examined the group a little closer. Through my search, I noticed all of them wearing these red bands. I couldn't help but ask,
"What are those bracelets for?" (Note: the entire time I'm talking, Hayley is signing whatever is being said to Rian like it's nobody's business) My question made everyone smile, even Rian once he was signed what I asked.
"You see, Alex," Jack started, "those bands represent our little group of friends. I started the club, actually, so I kinda pick and choose who is with us and who isn't."
"Oh, I get it." I showcased my understanding. Jack then went over to the table and picked up a stray red bracelet. I looked up in curiosity as he held the bracelet in front of me. "What?"
"Alex, I know we just met, but I think you'd be the perfect addition to our group of friends. Do you, Alexander, accept this red band?" Jack's proposal was shocking; I couldn't believe he -- they -- were allowing me to be apart of their group of friends. I was just a newbie, and they barely knew me! Inside, I was so shocked, but then, the shocked feeling was dominated by the feeling of actually being appreciated. I felt accepted for my issues; even though, all of our issues were being cured in one way, shape, or form. Smiling, I responded with,
"Yes, I accept the band." Everyone around me clapped, and Hayley let out a 'woo!'. Jack took hold of my wrist and snapped the bracelet in place under all my yarn bracelets I wore. Putting a hand on my shoulder, he announced,
"Alexander, welcome to the Red Band Society."
Notes
there may be two updates tonight if I feel up to it! :D
but am i the only one who loved the ending line? like, gosh, the story can sorta finally set sail!
xoxo krys
@Candy_Monster
I was going to do one, but I wasn't really sure what to put in it and thought it was kinda pointless. But, thank you for the suggestion ❤
12/31/15