CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
"Matchstick models? Really?" she said, smiling sweetly.
"Really," said Frog. "It's from childhood."
"Well I like things in childhood that I don't like now..."
"I miss childhood. I had arms then."
"Oh, I'm sorry..."
"I'm kidding! Well, no, I'm not kidding, I do miss childhood and I do miss having arms."
"I just think you're inspiring...the way you saved those children...with no arms...sorry, don't want to sound patronising..." They had met at the bravery awards. Susan felt like a fraud being there. All she'd done was get shot in the hip, trying to protect her mother from robbers. She hadn't known they would actually shoot her! She's just stepped in front of her mother, that was all. She wasn't brave, not like frog.
"It's not patronising, it's factually accurate," said Frog, smiling. "I saved some kids and I have no arms. You didn't even mention that I'm albino, that would be really patronising!"
"Your arms, how did you lose them? They didn't mention that..."
"Accident."
"Isn't that usually how people lose their arms?"
"Car accident," said Frog and his tone had shifted. He obviously didn't want to say ay more. Susan felt guilty again.
"And the albinism..."
"Pretty much since birth," said Frog. "It's funny, kids used to pick on me for it. Until I beat them up. Now when people look at me funny I honestly don't know if it's because of my unnatural skin tone or my lack of arms. Probably the arms."
"It is weird, having no arms," said Susan. Why did she say that? Idiot!
"Well, yeah, took some adjustment. Felt like dying for a long time."
"But then you saved those kids from a burning building and turned a corner."
"Not really, I ended up with burns all down my back. Pretty much still felt like killing myself after that."
"I'm..."
"Don't say sorry, please."
"But you did come here...you look happy..."
"I'm talking to a pretty girl for the first time in years, I'd be stupid not to be happy."
"Thanks," she said, blushing. "Oh yeah, the match stick models..."
"It was just something I was interested in as a child. One of my earliest memories was an interview with this old guy...he must be dead by now, come to think of it, on tv where he was showing a match stick model of the Titanic he had made...I mean, it was perfect scale, all the details were right...but in match sticks! It fascinated me, but I never told anyone because it sounded lame. I always meant to get into match stick model-making some day...until, you know, I lost my arms. Talk about irony, huh?"
Susan had asked him, earlier, if there was anything she could help Frog with and he'd said match stick model making. "And you'd like me to...be your hands?"
"You don't have to," he said. Was he blushing? Could albinos blush?
"I don't have many friends," said Susan. This was true. She used to have a few. Then she got shot. Her friends had kept calling, but she didn't want to go out anymore. Everything seemed to have changed. She'd gotten over it, she thought, but she'd never quite got back to having proper friendships.
"And an albino with no arms is, naturally, desperate for friends..."
"No!"
"I'm joking, again," said Frog. "If we're going to be friend you will have to develop a sense of humour."
"I'd like to make a match stick model of the Titanic with you," she said, deciding she really did want to do it in that moment.
"Well okay then," he said. "I've got match sticks in my bedroom..."
She laughed. "I think downstairs in front of my witnesses will be better."
"Hey, it's not like I could lay a hand on you or anything!"
"Really," said Frog. "It's from childhood."
"Well I like things in childhood that I don't like now..."
"I miss childhood. I had arms then."
"Oh, I'm sorry..."
"I'm kidding! Well, no, I'm not kidding, I do miss childhood and I do miss having arms."
"I just think you're inspiring...the way you saved those children...with no arms...sorry, don't want to sound patronising..." They had met at the bravery awards. Susan felt like a fraud being there. All she'd done was get shot in the hip, trying to protect her mother from robbers. She hadn't known they would actually shoot her! She's just stepped in front of her mother, that was all. She wasn't brave, not like frog.
"It's not patronising, it's factually accurate," said Frog, smiling. "I saved some kids and I have no arms. You didn't even mention that I'm albino, that would be really patronising!"
"Your arms, how did you lose them? They didn't mention that..."
"Accident."
"Isn't that usually how people lose their arms?"
"Car accident," said Frog and his tone had shifted. He obviously didn't want to say ay more. Susan felt guilty again.
"And the albinism..."
"Pretty much since birth," said Frog. "It's funny, kids used to pick on me for it. Until I beat them up. Now when people look at me funny I honestly don't know if it's because of my unnatural skin tone or my lack of arms. Probably the arms."
"It is weird, having no arms," said Susan. Why did she say that? Idiot!
"Well, yeah, took some adjustment. Felt like dying for a long time."
"But then you saved those kids from a burning building and turned a corner."
"Not really, I ended up with burns all down my back. Pretty much still felt like killing myself after that."
"I'm..."
"Don't say sorry, please."
"But you did come here...you look happy..."
"I'm talking to a pretty girl for the first time in years, I'd be stupid not to be happy."
"Thanks," she said, blushing. "Oh yeah, the match stick models..."
"It was just something I was interested in as a child. One of my earliest memories was an interview with this old guy...he must be dead by now, come to think of it, on tv where he was showing a match stick model of the Titanic he had made...I mean, it was perfect scale, all the details were right...but in match sticks! It fascinated me, but I never told anyone because it sounded lame. I always meant to get into match stick model-making some day...until, you know, I lost my arms. Talk about irony, huh?"
Susan had asked him, earlier, if there was anything she could help Frog with and he'd said match stick model making. "And you'd like me to...be your hands?"
"You don't have to," he said. Was he blushing? Could albinos blush?
"I don't have many friends," said Susan. This was true. She used to have a few. Then she got shot. Her friends had kept calling, but she didn't want to go out anymore. Everything seemed to have changed. She'd gotten over it, she thought, but she'd never quite got back to having proper friendships.
"And an albino with no arms is, naturally, desperate for friends..."
"No!"
"I'm joking, again," said Frog. "If we're going to be friend you will have to develop a sense of humour."
"I'd like to make a match stick model of the Titanic with you," she said, deciding she really did want to do it in that moment.
"Well okay then," he said. "I've got match sticks in my bedroom..."
She laughed. "I think downstairs in front of my witnesses will be better."
"Hey, it's not like I could lay a hand on you or anything!"
