04.28.03
#376 - Chapter 1: Dan White

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     "Jason, you can leave Friday." The nurse said.
     "Okay." I responded.
     She walked out of the room and I could hear her think, "about damn time."
     She was new and didn't know much about me, but the reason she didn't like me was because all I ever said was 'okay', but that was because I didn't really want to get to know her, if I did, I would remember her name to say the least. I guess I don't care because I'm getting out of this place soon and because I thought she was a bitch and a pain in the ass. Most of the nurses are.
     I don't think anyone cared at the the moment, but I was real glad that I would be leaving this place. Not that a mental institution was a bad place. It's real quiet here, where I stay. That's been the way I like it, but not anymore. There's no need now.
     I sat back at my bed and there was a sudden knock on the door and I looked at the camera to see who was there. It was a guy, one I haven't seen before. He looked about twenty-five with dark hair and a lot of freckles. He looked tall and scrawny. Next to him was another nurse, not that I was surprised. Nurses are everywhere in this place.
     "Sir, this man wants to see you. Do you allow him to enter?" The nurse said.
     "Sure." I answered.
     The door opened and the man stepped in. He looked even more scrawny in person and the freckles on his face were more obvious. I montioned the nurse away and she did so: she closed the door and left. The man walked over to where I sat.
     "Hello." He said, "Jason? I'm Dan." He muttered. He looked out of it, but managed to extend his hand out.
     I looked at his hand, then looked at him. I didn't take his hand, "Call me Jay." I said instead.
     "Jay." He said silently. He seemed so nervous it made me look as if he was seeing me as the president or something. He didn't seem bothered that I didn't shake his hand; I don't think he even realized it.
     "Who are you?" I asked.
     "I'm Dan. Dan White."
     He wasn't lying about that, that's for sure.
     "What is it you want?" I asked.
     "I-I ... I will be living here a week from today."
     "I see." Somehow I already knew that he was going to say that.
     "So why do you want to be here?" I asked, referring to the mental facility.
     "There's a man after me..." He answered.
     It seemed to me at this time that this was a man that was running away from his problems. There are different ways of doing it and I guess this man wanted to do so by voluntarily staying in a mental hospital. Way to go, I thought.
     In the silence of my own thoughts, I could hear him thinking.
     "He doesn't like me. He hates me." Those were the thoughts.
     I chuckled to myself in amusement. Me? I don't hate anyone. But that wasn't what he was supposed to be concerned about... Why would a man care about what Jay Rynolds thinks about anyone? Either he works for someone or he's a really disturbed guy.
     "Tell me Dan, who exactly is after you?"
     "He... He thinks I stole five grands from him!" He shouted at once.
     I believed him... mostly because he was thinking, "please believe me, please believe me."
     "Why does he think that?"
     "Because he's insane!"
     Where there's something ironic then. Look who's at the hospital.
     "It's all my dad's fault you see. He borrowed money and now that he's dead, they're after me."
     "And you think that being here will help you escape?" I raised an eyebrow and chuckled some more.
     "I don't know. I didn't know what to do!"
     "Do you have a family?"
     "No. none." Then after a few seconds of silence he added, "how about you?"
     "Well Dan, I've been here for just about ten years, so no, I don't."
     "Well, don't you have like... like a mom? Or a dad...?"
     "My mom died when I was seven, my dad turned into a drunk after that. He loved mom dearly, but after she was gone, he didn't know what to do. He eventually passed away when I was around ten. My aunt from my dad's side took me in. She never cared about what I did. She didn't want me you see..."
     "Oh. I'm sorry." Dan said nervously.
     "Naw, what you got to be sorry for?"
     "Anyway, my aunt had her own family to take care of and love... guess there just wasn't enough room for me. By the time I was fifteen they'd forgotten I existed so I had to fend for myself. By the time I was eighteen, I went off my own direction."
     "Oh..." The man seemed speechless and uncomfortable. He looked around the room and after a few seconds he cleared his throat, "So... why are you here?"
     "Are you sure you really want to know?"
     "Yeah." The man responded honestly.
     "Alright then sit back... it's going to be awhile." The man sat next to me on the bed, already anticipating a story.

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