He reluctantly entered Arabella’s bathroom. Not that he wasn’t happy to see her, he was just…ashamed. He was sad that he hadn’t talked to her in a year and a half, but the last time he talked to her, his life wasn’t garbage. He was disappointed in the fact that so many times, Arabella had told him to be happy. No matter what he did, be happy. Live the life you want to live. He did far from that.
When Hunter finally did enter, he wasn’t sure what to do. Hunter stood in Arabella’s bathroom. Just stood. He glanced around the large bathroom. It had been a long time since he had ever been in a bathroom this nice. He had actually never been in a bathroom this nice. It was almost like he was on a foreign planet. He took off his jacket and hung it on the door. He stripped off the clothes he had gotten from Martha two weeks prior and set them on top of his jacket. Stepping into the shower, he felt bad. He felt like he was imposing on Arabella. He wasn’t looking for a handout, but she seemed happy enough to help. "She wants to help me. This is no different than any of the other things I’ve done. This is just another job." He said quietly to himself. He finally turned on the water.
After his shower, he stepped out and dried himself off. He picked up the pair of pants that Arabella laid out for him. "Are these pre-wrinkled?" He said shaking his head. He slipped them on and they sagged a little. He grabbed the belt and looped it around his waist. He pulled on the shirt and looked at himself in the mirror. A mere hint of what he was stood in front of him. He pulled on the hoodie and took one look at the shoes and the watch. He sighed and tied up his old, beat-up pair of green Chuck Taylors. He took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom with his clothes balled up under his arm. He walked slowly down the hall and stopped to see her staring right at him, her eyes red from crying. His heart sank. She gestured toward the food on the table. It smelled so good. He took a couple of hesitant steps forward. "I uh…Look, Arabella. I appreciate all this. Believe me, I do, but I can’t accept all this. I already feel like I should give the clothes back." He said a lump forming in his throat. Arabella casually walked toward him and took the clothes from him. She tossed them into a garbage chute on the wall. She immediately walked to the sink and washed her hands.
"Come on. Eat." She said sitting down at the table. She set her glass of wine down and pushed it aside. She took a plate and filled it with food. "I hope you like Orange Chicken. I got a double order." Hunter stood there and sighed at his clothes being thrown away. He was tempted to just walk out, but he reminded himself that it was just another job. He sat down and took a plate from the stack. He took a spoonful of rice and an egg roll and set his plate in front of him. He reluctantly picked up the egg roll and took a small bite. This was officially the first actual meal he had had in two weeks. He had learned in the first month of being homeless to eat slowly. His stomach wasn’t used to a lot of food. He needed to eat in moderation. He took another bite, chewed, and swallowed it.
"So, what do you need me to do?" He asked. If he was going to get all of this stuff, he was going to do something for it. Arabella blinked at him a few times before taking a sip of wine.
"I wonder what you would look like with short hair." She said, quietly studying his face with another sip of wine. "You should try this Cashew Chicken. Ugh. It’s SO GOOD." She picked up the container and held it out to him.
"Umm…No, thanks." He said waving away the food. She shrugged and put it back on the table
"Seriously though. Arabella, what can I do in exchange for all this?" He said calmly. He coughed a few times and took a drink of water from the glass she had set out for him. She raised an eyebrow.
"You alright, Hunter?" She asked, eyeing him cautiously. Hunter nodded.
"Yeah. Just uhh…Had some food go down the wrong tube." He lied. He took another sip of water and cleared his throat. "So, what do you need me to do?" He said swallowing hard.
"I need you to sit and stay with me for a while and tell me what happened. Also you’re going to learn what a razor is." She said taking another sip of wine. "No, It’ll probably look better long." She said studying his face. Hunter set down his fork and unintentionally coughed a few times. He held up a finger toward her while he took another drink of water.
"Arabella, I really don’t want to get into how my life fell to pieces, if you don’t mind." He said, standing up. He shook his head and his eye blinked slowly. "Thank you for the hospitality. I’ll see you…around." He said feeling dizzy. She stood up and looked at him carefully.
"Hunter? Are you feeling okay?" She asked taking a step forward. Hunter swayed a little and shook his head.
"Arabella I am fine." He said taking a deep breath. "I feel….just fine." He said walking toward the door. She took a step in front of him and put a hand on his chest.
"Hunter, you should sit down." She said with concerned eyes. Hunter took a dazed step back.
"Arabella. Please…get out…of-" He said as the world seemed to start rolling. He landed hard on the ground with a thud. He passed out.