Where’d they go? I miss him… Where did you go? I want it all back… tell me where I can find them. Please help me.
         He bolted upright in bed, his brown hair matted to his sweaty forehead. His clothes felt heavy and damp. He tore his shirt off and left it lying by his bedside. What was he looking for? What did he want? He curled into a ball and kicked the blankets away from his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to find whatever he wanted. Who was he begging?

         The thoughts didn’t come to him. Frustrated, his hands curled into fists and made contact with the wall, leaving a gaping hole through the plaster.
         “Kevin!” Eli burst through the door of Kevin’s bedroom, half asleep with his shirt barely hanging onto his body.
         “WHAT DO YOU WANT? I’M THINKING.” Kevin kicked the blankets off his bed furiously.

         Eli calmly walked into the room, picked up the blankets, and folded them neatly by the foot of Kevin’s bed. Picking up the abandoned shirt from the floor, he threw it in the laundry basket. Ransacking through the tidy dresser on the opposite side of the room, Eli picked out a new shirt and walked towards Kevin.
         Kevin had been watching Eli with fascination. The way he moved, the way he didn’t have to think about what he was doing. He didn’t try to fight when Eli forced the shirt over Kevin’s head and pushed his arms through the sleeve. Eli looked the bed over; there were bits of plaster all over the bed.
         “Come.” He led Kevin out of the room.
         Kevin resisted. “This is my room…”
         “I know. This is Kevin’s room. It will always be Kevin’s room.”         

         Kevin looked at Eli doubtfully, but followed him.
         They walked down the narrow corridor to Eli’s door. The sheets were clean and nothing was out of place.

         “Sleep here today, okay?” Eli sat Kevin down on the bed.
         “No. I don’t want to. This isn’t my room. I want my bed.” Kevin folded his arms and pouted childishly.

         “You can’t have it today. Sleep here.” Not the slightest bit of irritation creeped into his voice.
         “I’m not sleeping!” Kevin lay his head on the pillow.
         “Okay.” Eli closed the door lightly and walked back to Kevin’s room.
         Silently, Eli gathered the bits of plaster and threw them out. He gathered all the sheets, blankets, and pillowcases off the bed. Dumping them into the laundry, he walked back to the hole in the wall. Eli brought some plaster from the supply closet. Carefully, he filled the gap and waited for it to dry. By that time, the sun was rising and the elderly were outside doing exercises. Leaning against Kevin’s dresser, he closed his eyes but his muscles remained tense.

         Kevin awoke in a tangle of Eli’s blankets. He sat up.
         “This isn’t Kevin’s room!” He whined.

         Standing up, he walked back to his room to find the hole filled up and the bedspread cleaned and replaced. There was no evidence of Kevin’s anger except for Eli had his back against the dresser, hands covered with dried bits of plaster. Kevin walked over to Eli and nudged him with his foot.
         Eli didn’t stir.
         Kevin defiantly walked away and into the kitchen. He looked around, unsure of the utensils and appliances. He pulled open the fridge door and looked at the round brown objects on the side of the door. What were these called again? Eli taught him this, why didn’t he remember?

         Oh, right. Eggs.

         How did Eli do this? Something here made fire. Fire is hot. He remembered that too.

         He turned around and looked at the stove skeptically. Kevin slowly reached out and placed a finger on the surface of the stove. Yes, it was warm. This had to be it. Kevin placed the egg in the middle of the stove and waited. Did he forget something?

         Right, Eli said that you eat the inside of eggs, not the outside. You throw the outside out. Kevin smashed the egg onto the stove, splattering the yolk over the counters and walls. Kevin reached for the shells.

         Eli’s hand swiftly reached from behind Kevin and grabbed the shells off the stove. A moist towel in the other hand wiped the egg off the surfaces in the kitchen.

         “You want to eat eggs, Kevin?” Eli looked at Kevin, who felt ashamed.

         “It’s okay. You can tell me.”

         Kevin slowly nodded. “Yeah, eggs.”

         “Okay. Eggs.” Eli smiled warmly despite his lack of sleep. The dark circles under his eyes had become severe in one night. Kevin walked out of the kitchen and sat at the counter, trying hard to memorize everything Eli did to make an egg. One day, he’ll be able to remember how to make that egg. He’d learn to do a lot of things and become a useful person. Maybe Eli would be proud of him then.

         “Here, Kevin. Do you want juice, milk, or water?”

         Kevin looked at Eli. “I want that.” He pointed to the mug of black coffee resting on the counter.

         Eli raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think you’ll like it.”

         “You never give it to me. Give it to me.” Kevin reached for it.

         “It’s really hot. Eli poured some of its contents in a smaller cup and set it in front of Kevin.

         Kevin reached for the cup eagerly and took a sip. The bitterness of the coffee made his face scrunch up. He dropped the cup on the counter, spilling a dark pool of black coffee. A stream of it tricked down the edge of the counter and onto Kevin’s leg. He stood up immediately and began shaking his leg. By that time, Eli had already thrown out the broken cup and mopped up the mess with a rag.

         “Go get changed.”

         Kevin limped to his room. “This wasn’t my fault, Eli. That wasn’t a very good drink.” He disappeared into his room.

         Eli slumped against the counter.

None of it is your fault, Kevin. It’s mine. In time, you’ll remember and then you can hate me all you want. For now, let me take care of you. I’ll spend the rest of my life doing it if I have to. I won’t leave you to fend for yourself when you’re like this. I’m the reason you’re like this. I’m sorry.