Shocking Discovery

*Jimmy*

I sat in the living room waiting when I heard footsteps. I looked and saw Mrs. Forrest standing in the doorway.

�Dinner�s ready,� she said.

�Thank you,� I replied. These ladies had a feast tonight. I mean, Holy crap!

�Whoa!� I said. �You didn�t have to go all out for me like this.� Grace smiled at me.

�It was no real biggie,� she said. �Really!� I looked at the table again. So many colors. It felt like Christmas to me.

�Wow!� I mouthed to myself. My girlfriend clapped her hands together.

�Right!� she said. �Let�s eat!�

�Yeah!� I cheered.

We all sat around eating. Mrs. Forrest kept her eyes on me the whole time. Uh-oh. Here come the questions. I braced myself for the flood.

�James,� she said. �What do you do for a living?� I sat up at the table.

�I work in a record store,� I replied.

�Record store?�

�Yeah.�

�A clerk?�

�Yes ma�am.�

�Are you in school now?�

�I�m thinkin about grad school.�

�Thinking about it?�

�Money�s tight at the moment.�

�I see.�

The crab soup tasted rich. Real crab and herbs.

�This is good soup,� I said.

�Thank you,� Mrs. Forrest replied.

�Try the duck,� Grace said.

�I will,� I said. Mrs. Forrest took a sip of wine.

�How long have you been dating my daughter?� she asked.

�Five weeks,� I said.

�I see,� she said. The duck turned out to be juicy and tender.

�I really do love your daughter,� I said.

�I see,� the old lady said. The dinner went on nicely. Halfway through, I lowered my fork.

�May I use your bathroom?� I asked.

�Sure, go ahead,� Mrs. Forrest replied.

�Thank you,� I said with my head bowed. I stood up and left the table. In truth, I went to go snooping. All of these questions about me had me wonder about Grace herself. This shouldn�t be too long.

I first went into Grace�s room by accident. Good place to start. I looked around at first. Nice and clean so far. I took small steps inside. Awards and family pictures decorated the walls. Many books filled the purple bookcase against the back wall. It�s all green so far. Grace appears to be a smart woman. But, I must keep looking. Right, time to start searching.

First place to look? Under the bed, of course. I walked over and lifted up the red and yellow comforter. Shoes, containers, and a little pink box. I dragged out the little pink box. The bunny, Mimiko, smiled on the front. I felt along the white Romaji letters. What could be inside here? Jewelry? Money? A diary? I unlatched the box and opened it. My face twisted in shock.

Pills? I looked through the many bottles. Nineteen to be exact. I just couldn�t understand it. Pills? I shook my head. I can�t have a sick girl! Wait, maybe there�s a better explanation for this. I�ll have to see. I made my trip back to the dining room. Grace and her mother eyed me.

�Found your way just fine?� Mrs. Forrest asked. I nodded quickly.

�Yes ma�am!� I replied. I sat down at the table.

Time for dessert. A nice chocolate cream pie for everyone. I held my tongue for most of it. How do I ask gently? I don�t want to come off as a rude bastard. I glanced at me girlfriend. I drew in a breath. Looks like I have no choice but to go for it. I lowered my spoon.

�When I was in the bathroom, I noticed there were many pills in the cabinet,� I said. �Are any of you sick or something, if you don�t mind me asking.� Nobody spoke for a moment. I feared Grace would get mad at me for asking. But instead, my girlfriend smiled at me.

�It�s okay,� she said. �I had bipolar disorder since I was seven.�

�Seven?�

�Yeah. I have it under control now.�

I found myself smiling. �Oh, I see.� I began to relax. Bipolar disorder. Under control. That�s all it is. What was I worried for?

The rest of dinner turned out great.