Tammy was beginning to wonder if she’d ever meet a sane person again.

Joyce, the old woman, had been talking nonsense about pirates for thirty minutes now, and Aidan was making things worse by going along with it.

“They killed my husband,” she said, the twentieth time that hour.

Then, all of a sudden, she’d forget about her husband and go onto a new topic.

“What happened to your head, dear?” she asked, pointing to Tammy’s forehead.

Aidan jumped in, beaming with confidence. “Nothing. It’s fake. We were playing a game.”

Aidan shoved his finger into the wound, making Tammy flinch.

“See,” he placed the same finger in his mouth and sucked on it.

Tammy’s stomach churned at the sickening act. “He’s lying."

He smiled, turning his attention to Joyce. “She’s a good actress.”

“Who is she?” Joyce asked, fidgeting with her glasses. “I’ve never seen her before.”

Aidan pulled Tammy close in an attempt to deceive the old woman. “My niece,” he stated. “Isn’t she pretty?”

Everything about that comment sent waves of nausea through Tammy’s body, and she pulled away.

“Anyway,” Aidan continued, grabbing Tammy’s hand before she could get too far. “We need to go. Dinner’s getting cold.”

~

“Well, that was fun,” Aidan said as he shut the door. “But, I didn’t realize we were playing outside.”

Tammy remained quiet, wondering when he was going to flip at her attempt of running away.

“I’m sorry about Joyce,” he went on, “she can be a little over-the-top.”

Tammy glanced at the tiny pieces of mushed up banana left on her palm. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She has Alzheimer’s,” Aidan explained. “Her family pay me hundreds a week to have her here. I take care of her, keep her company.”

With that, he shook his head. “Chances are, she’s already forgotten about your existence. So don’t get any ideas.”

Tammy’s stomach growled as her attention drifted from him to the abandoned plate on the floor.

Aidan watched with keen eyes. “You want some more?” he asked before making his way to the cooker. “Think yourself lucky. Next time I won’t be as forgiving.”