The Other Hand by Andrew Kane

Author:Andrew Kane
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Berwick Court Publishing Co.

Miriam lay in bed, staring at the ceiling after tossing and turning for almost two hours. She was all cried out, left only with ruminations about how awful a person she was. In her mind, the choice was simple—awful person or awful daughter—and somehow her own happiness didn’t seem to matter. That’s how she saw it. It was also becoming apparent to her that sleep wasn’t in the cards.

She sat up on the side of the bed. In the darkness, she was still able to see the clothes she’d quickly tossed on a chair just a few feet away. She was usually more fastidious than that, never leaving things strewn about. Clothing was either rehung or put in the laundry basket. Everything was always tidy with her, except her present circumstances.

She stood up and walked to the bathroom. Not because she had to go, but because she didn’t know what to do with herself. She splashed some water on her face, went back into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. Glancing again at her clothes, she decided to get dressed.

She finished dressing, grabbed her coat and her bag, and left the apartment. It was just after 4 a.m. Her roommates were asleep, and the street was empty. The Upper West Side was a pretty safe neighborhood, as far as city neighborhoods go, yet she knew it probably wasn’t the best idea for a woman to be out alone this time of night. She didn’t really care.

She started walking toward West End Avenue, then made a right and headed north. She was acting on pure instinct, lacking any forethought of the consequences for her behavior. She just felt that she had to go where she was going.

She came to Raj’s building and pressed the front door buzzer. The voice on the intercom belonged to one of his roommates and sounded wide awake. She wasn’t surprised. They were always up, especially on weekends.

He buzzed her in without a moment’s pause. She assumed that he either had no clue about what had happened earlier with Raj and her, or he was stoned and had little idea of what he was doing. She also anticipated that Raj was likely already asleep, or at least hidden in his room.

When she entered the apartment, it was apparent to her that she’d been correct on both accounts. The roommate, Sonny, simply said hi and walked off. He was obviously out of it. She looked in the living room and saw three guys and three girls sitting around quietly, seemingly lost in their own worlds. One of the girls acknowledged her and lifted a hand, attempting a wave. Miriam responded in kind.

She made her way to Raj’s bedroom, stopped at the door, took a breath and knocked lightly. No answer. She gently turned the knob, slowly opened the door and found him sound asleep, just as she’d expected. She couldn’t help but admire his ability to do that. While the smallest of problems usually meant total insomnia for her, not even a nuclear attack could keep him awake.

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