I hand Vinny a plate of today’s lunch. He waits there with his hand out waiting for another plate. I remember that he needs one for Evelyn. I watch him walk over, fixing the smile on his face, all to prove to his sweet Evelyn, that is still somewhere inside her, that it’s all going to be okay. He sits down and gives her the plate of food, the most important meal of the day. A plate consisting of finely cut up waffles and eggs smoothed to perfection with maple syrup, that way it's just easy enough for Evelyn to swallow.

“How are the pancakes today, Evy?” Vinny takes the fork out of her mouth and gently pushes her bottom jaw closed. He’s not expecting her to say very much of anything back but he tries every day. And will continue trying. Evelyn mumbles a little “mhm” and Vinny nods with a small smirk and gives her a wink. 

I glance over to see Vinny pushing Evelyn in her wheelchair towards the door for their usual morning stroll. I go to pick up their plates. Vinny’s plate is cleared and half of the pancakes are still left on Evelyn’s plate.

“The birds are so cheerful today, Evy.” Vinny keeps the conversations up just to remind her that he’s there. And to remind her where she is, what she’s doing, what she hears. Sometimes it can be difficult for Vinny to keep telling Evelyn the same few things every day. But he remembers it’s not that difficult when it’s for someone has so much love for. “Teach me how to whistle, baby. You know you do it so lovely.”

Evelyn comes in and out of the woman that Vinny holds onto all the time. She’s here but she isn’t. Then she isn’t here again, but she is. Evelyn whistles with the birds hidden in the swaying trees. Most of the time she’ll pick the robins to mimic and communicate with.

They come back inside and pick out a puzzle. Vinny picks out the puzzle, the one that use to be Evy’s favorite. The 300 piece puzzle with a landscape of a cabin on the lake, the sunrise in the back, and a robin on the railing of the cabin. Vinny does most of the puzzle for Evelyn because her hands don’t work that easily anymore. But Vinny’s okay with that. While he puts together some of the pieces, he talks her through it. He tells her the funny feeling the pieces have on the bottom of them. How it can be so fuzzy sometimes, and has a soft home smell to it as well. The kind of smell that their home used to carry. 

Vinny leaves the unfinished puzzle on the table and slowly begins to push Evelyn towards the hallway, for their evening laps. Vinny describes the pretty pictures on the wall as they pass them. One of the pictures always caught Vinny’s eye. It was of the sea foam green waves of the ocean reaching upon the shell-ridden silky sand. He remembers the times when the chilling water would rush between his and his sweet Evelyn’s toes as they made their evening stroll along the coast. From time to time, Evelyn will lightly raise her hand and gesture towards the paintings on the wall or when a familiar, but not so familiar face passes by. Vinny hears her breathy laugh and immediately flashes his usual radiant smile.

And as the lap comes to an end, they slowly make it back to the main hallway. Close by Evelyn’s room. They make a turn and go in, Vinny closes the door behind them. He places her on the bed, making sure she’s comfortable. Making sure the view from her bed to the TV is perfectly met, that the covers aren’t in an odd spot, and triple-checking that she has three pillows and the extra fourth pillow just in case three isn’t enough. Then he goes back to check if the view is still good, which it always is and he flips through the channels. Trying to find the one that plays ‘Friends’. The show that always seems to brighten her day, or at least that’s what Vinny likes to think. He says that it always makes her laugh that breathy laugh that he loves so deeply, even though I think he knows deep down, that she doesn’t know much of what’s going on anymore. But, about three episodes go by and Vinny slightly opens his eyes to look at the time. Spotting out the difference in the time, he leans over to check on his Evelyn. But she’s fallen asleep too. He quietly gets off the bed so he doesn’t wake her. Vinny briefly leans over to kiss her forehead. He doesn’t get to do that when she’s awake. Because most of the time she’s awake, she’s not Vinny’s Evelyn. He proceeds toward the door, but pauses and turns back around to take another look at his Evelyn. His lovely Evelyn. He moves to the door and closes it behind him.

Vinny paces the main hallway. Tracing the footsteps him and Evelyn would usually make everyday. Vinny goes left, right, left right. Back and forth. Everytime Evy’s room comes into peripheral vision, he picks his head up to try and peek inside her room. He just wants to know what’s going on. But more than that, he just wants his Evelyn to know what’s happening. What she’s doing, what she sees, and hears. 

He begins talking. Hoping Evelyn hears his voice, “C’mon Evy. Let’s go finish the puzzle, Evy. It’s okay sunshine. You’ll be okay.” Vinny whispers some more under his breath before he begins to lose some. 

Vinny is resting on the chair outside. Letting the sun beam on his face. He listens to the birds sing. A robin suddenly flies down near him. The robin stays there for a little while. Tilting its head in all different directions. Vinny attempts to give out a little whistle, but before he can the bird does.

“The robin said something, Evy. The robin is talking to you.” The robin lets out another whistle that sounded more like a laugh. Vinny smiles and the bird flies away into the sky in between the rays of sunshine.

Evelyn wasn’t there with Vinny. But she still got the message. And he got hers.