Numb

9. Numb

“…And we walked to the pizza place after school. And then when we were leaving, I, being the irresponsible goof that I am, did not hold the door for Sam, and it hit him square in the face…”
Mom’s face was filled with doubt and skepticism as she listened to Bobby try to explain. She put her hand on her waist and observed me, slumped on the living room couch. I didn’t say a word as I bent my head backwards and clogged the flow from my nose with another cluster of cotton balls from the first aid kit Mom had brought.
“I find that hard to believe, Bobby.”
She knew. It was obvious that she knew. I could tell by the squint in her eyes and the slight dip in her lips. Mom was a hawk. She could read through lies like a pop-up book. But she also knew that if I didn’t tell her something, it was for a reason. If I was enduring a “boy issue” and didn’t tell her, she knew that it was probably because I could resolve it by my self; otherwise, her meddling would only make it worse. That’s why they call it a “boy issue”. Mom trusted that I would only lie to her on these grounds and these grounds only. It was sort of like a scout’s honor. I could never violate this silent code of principle.
Nevertheless, she was worried, as all mothers are.
“It was really no big deal. It just—”
“Bobby, will you go and get some ice from the freezer?” she interrupted, not taking her eyes off me.
Bobby glanced at me, in my pathetic position, and nodded solemnly. Without a word, he made his way behind the couch and towards the kitchen.
Mom shook her head at me.
“Trouble at school?” she inquired.
I chuckled coldly. She had no idea.
“Sam, you’d tell me if something serious was going on at school, wouldn’t you?”
I peeled my eyes off the ceiling and lay them on her. She bit her lip and her brows furrowed. She was terribly apprehensive.
“Everything’s fine, Mom. Like Bobby said, it’s no big deal.”
Her tense face loosened as Bobby entered the room with a dripping bag of ice. She sighed. It was a type of sigh I couldn’t decipher. She clutched the bag from Bobby’s hand and placed it on my nose.
“Tell me when it feels numb,” she said.
I didn’t understand that. How could you feel numb if numbness is defined as not feeling anything at all? Nevertheless, soon enough, the aching pain I had felt began to dissipate as the ice began to dull the stinging.
“Ok, it’s numb,” I said, as I removed the frigid bag from my face.
Mom grabbed some tissues and blotted under my nose.
“Sweetheart, you are so lucky your damned nose ring didn’t add more damage than cutting you, or else you would’ve been with me at the hospital!”
I was somewhat relaxed, not realizing that she was trying to keep me from wondering what she would do next. Suddenly, without even bracing my self or drawing in a deep breath, she pinched my nose and quickly shifted it back into its proper position so that it was no longer crooked.
I yelped and started screaming profanities while holding my face in my hands. A couple of tears welled in my eyes, but I could still see Bobby staring back at me with his eyes growing wide and his jaw practically touching the floor.
“Oh my God, Mrs. P! That was so awesome!” he exclaimed.
Mom giggled lightly. I wasn’t so amused. After all, my whole face was throbbing, and my nose was still leaking red.
“God Mom, you think you could give me a heads up next time you’re about to have me endure severe pain?!” I barked. She playfully hit me on the shoulder.
“Oh hush. It wasn’t that bad,” she chuckled.
“Mom, for Christ’s sake, you readjusted my freakin face!”
At this point I was just being melodramatic. My nose actually wasn’t aching as horribly anymore. I rose from the couch and gazed at the small mirror hanging above the russet mantel place in front of me. My face actually did not look as awful as it felt. Even though it was bruised, my nose was back in place and not a crooked, sharp hook wedged between my eyes anymore. I watched through the reflection in the antique as Bobby moved towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“At least you won’t need any fake blood for tonight,” he snorted.
I turned to face him, rolling my eyes. His jokes healed.
“Sam, make sure to wash up before you and Bobby go anywhere. And take a jacket with you, I heard it’s going to rain tonight.”
“Ok Mom.”
“And be careful of opening doors.” She winked.
I smiled and made my way towards the basement door with Bobby tailing behind me.