23 To 15

"23 TO 15" it was just us three in that room, her, her son and I. after the pills were taken, her son fought with her, trying to convince her of her impact on his life. I fought with her, trying to get her to regurgitate and go to the hospital. when her son left, I asked her how many pills she had taken in total. the number was 23. her son walked in and out, going outside every few minutes to smoke a few cigarettes. on his last trip outside, I asked her again: “how many pills did you take?” she said, “fifteen.” I looked on in shock but understanding. “why did you say there was more than there actually was?” before she could answer, her son returned. “hey, you’re going to have to stay up with her throughout the night since she’s refusing to go to the hospital,” I told him. he kept his eyes on his phone, “duh,” he said. shortly after, she made herself throw up what she could. 23 to 15 made every sense. her son saying duh made none however. she said, “I’ll be alright.” if they both knew everything ahead of time, why didn’t he stop her? why didn’t she stop herself? it was then I knew I wasn’t needed, so I left. “keep me updated,” I said while touching her shoulder. I’m still unsure of what it was I walked into but I got some poetry out of it. you can never go wrong with the word. just don’t ask her or her son to confirm that. you’ll get 23 answers dropped down to 15 and her son will tell you he already knew that. “duh.” By: Chicano Eddie 4202017