Healing Hand

"So, why do you always wear that glove?"
"The world may never know."
"Tell me!"
"That's a story for another day."
"Pleeeeeeeeease?"
"It's not something I like to talk about."
"Just this once, though!"
"Alright, alright."

I guess I've gotten used to this, but it's still fun to tease the kids before telling them why I wear my glove. I'm not apathetic about my experience—I don't like talking about it in detail—but I'm able to at least use it as a story to the little ones.

"When I was about your age, maybe a few years older, one of my friends was sick at school."
"Aw! Was he okay?"
"I'm getting there."
"Okay.."
"I was trying to cheer 'im up a bit, and patted 'im on the back, when he immediately started feeling better!"
"Wow, really?"
"Nah. I don't actually remember when I could start healing people. I guess I've had it as long as I can remember."
"Oh."
"Wow."
"I don't think people still remember me for that. Most've forgotten, and I'm glad to finally live in peace."
"Why's being famous bad?"
"Ya don't get enough time to be by yourself."
"I could live with that!"
"Sure you could. I can't, though. Anyways, the glove still has to do with my friend."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he gave a pair o' gloves to me one year for Christmas, 'cause my hands were cold all the time."
"So where's the other glove?"
"I lost it."
"You LOST it?"
"Nah. It's in my pocket, I just don't usually wear it 'cause I actually use my hand. Wait, where'd it go?"
"So you DID lose it!"
"No, I'm just fooling around with you. See, it's right here!"
"Okay. So do you just wear it because your hands are cold?"
"No. My friend caught some weird illness in his second year of college. That was the only time I was unable to cure someone."
"Oh, that's so sad!"
"I'm kidding you again."
"Stop it! So he's still okay?"
"No. I'm sorry, it's not something I shoulda joked about. It happened twice after, when I was 40, then 60. I imagine it'll happen again when I'm 80, if I live that long."
"So.. you wear the glove because he died?"
"Yeah."
"Oh..."
"Don't sweat it, kid. A lotta other people 'ave asked me the same thing. It's just curiosity. People've asked if I wear my glove because my other hand kills, or if it's diseased, or malformed... No, pretty much I wear a glove because I want to."
I got up and left.