“Essie…â€? Casimir whispered dreamily, as though in a dream himself. His eyes were closed, and I wondered if he was sleeping.
“I’m right here,â€? I murmured. “I always am.â€?
“I love you…â€? he said to me. Something told me that if he was fully conscious, then he wouldn’t have told me such a thing so bluntly. But then again, he had told me a good many things this summer.
Slowly, he awakened from his dreamlike state. “Must’ve dozed off,â€? he mumbled.
We sat there for another moment, immune to the passing of time. “The movie’s over,â€? I commented. “Do you feel like going?â€?
“Not really,â€? Casimir replied thoughtfully.
I nodded.
“You know,â€? he said, “I recall that song you sang to me that night you found me sick on the bathroom floor, after I was in bed. ‘You Are My Sunshine,’ it was. I kept wondering where I had heard it before, and why it sounded so familiar. Then, I remembered.”