The Absent Husband III
The absent husband is watching Patti as her doctor gives her one last opportunity to stay in the hospital. The charges would be dropped and she wouldn't be going to jail. Patti sees the absent husband, though she pretends she doesn't. The doctor can sense Patti scanning the room, responding to internal stimuli. She looks at the doctor and tells him she will take her medicine. She asked how the nurse was doing. She appeared to be concerned, but fuming inside over the absent husband's nonchalant attitude.
If he is not there, Patti thinks, then she must be insane. But she doesn't believe this. She sees Errol, but knows if she has one more outburst, she'd be jailed. She does not like jail. She feels she is no criminal and believes only the lowliest of people are there. Patti is combing her hair. It was once bouncy, lively, and smelled good. It is graying a little. She has split ends. She can see them in the small hand held mirror. She sees the absent husband behind her. But Errol doesn't say a word and neither does she.
During the cigarette smoke break Patti goes to the young man she fancies. She offers him her cigarette and apologized for her past behavior. He accepts the cigarette. They're hard to come by in this place. Patti speaks to him as they sit on a bench, her hand on his shoulder. A burly male nurse tells her that is not appropriate behavior. Patti stares at him. She wishes she could kill him with that stare. But she slowly removes her hand from the shoulder of the young male patient. Patti smiles at the male nurse and walks away.
The young man tells Patti he has a girlfriend on the outside. He tells her he could never be interested in her because he is in love. Patti tells him she doesn't believe in love anymore. She told him that Errol doesn't love her and in fact he is not real. She said to the young man that Errol might be a delusion. The young man looked at her as if she was crazy. He thanked her for the cigarette and excused himself. Patti sits on the bench feeling the hand of the absent husband on her right shoulder. She looks at the hand without a wedding ring.