She hadn't known what to expect, but she hadn't expected that. He wanted her to re-name him? He said it playfully, as if to dare her. She'd always said yes to that tone, before. She squinted at her plate and then started cutting up her lunch-dinner/breakfast into bite-sized pieces. She had to say something. "Did you ever use another name? Something your family gave you?"
Something started screaming in her head, just then. She was missing something massive. Her stomach twisted. By chance, her eyes fell on the wall, and then she couldn't stop looking at the words spinning into language after language... And he, he'd been a wreck, and the only thing he'd been doing was... was this, this, what she wanted. Put it ahead of everything else -- his health, his life, even this world. Some of it was the drugs, sure, but...
The pies. How he always helped her with everything, everything but going home. He left, even when she knew it must've killed him, because she thought it might not hurt so bad if he were gone. And now, drugged out of his mind, his only real thought was how he could get her home again - no matter the cost.
He asked her for a name that she would like better.
Her lips parted as she stared at the wall. He just wants to make you happy, you stupid bint. You stupid, stupid git. And how had she repaid him? With anger. Repulsion. Rose shoved her palm across her face and let out a breath. Her hand came back wet. "I'm sorry," she said. "If you like 'John Smith', I like it. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."