Ethan, Who Loved Carter by Ryan Loveless

Ethan off him. “Come on. Elliot says it’s bed time.”
    “Uh-huh.” Still drowsy, Ethan got up with Carter and trudged after him. Carter picked up his bag and followed Elliot up the stairs with Ethan tagging behind. His room was the first at the top of the stairs. “Night,” Ethan said. Giving a nonenergetic wave, he disappeared inside.
    “It’s this way,” Elliot said. Carter followed. Elliot stopped at a door adjacent to the bathroom and reached in to turn the light on, illuminating a king-size bed, white carpeting, and mahogany furniture stained dark brown. “Goodnight.”
    “Night,” Carter said. He watched as Elliot walked away. He’d expected Elliot to have something cutting to say now that Ethan was out of earshot, so the silent departure left him confused and a little unsettled. He didn’t know what to make of Elliot. Setting his bag down on the dresser, Carter opened it and pulled his pajamas and toothbrush out. Hooking them under his arm, he headed to the bathroom for a shower. He wasn’t a morning person and preferred showering at night. Undressing quickly, he found that the bathroom wasn’t as cold as he’d anticipated. Instead, the heat was at a cozy level, and the plush carpeting felt nice under his bare feet. He peed—the toilet revealed directions for aiming and shaking himself clean without making a mess written in marker on the inside of the lid—washed his hands, and turned his attention to the bath. The faucet had a child lock on it to prevent the water going too hot, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out how to turn it on. There was a metal bar attached to the shower wall. Carter’s grandmother had had one installed after she broke her hip. It took him a minute to realize this one was probably for Ethan.
    Once he got into the shower, he noticed a laminated sheet of paper stuck to the wall at the end of the tub, a few inches above his head.
    “Steps for a Successful Shower,” it said. Then, beneath the title:
    1. Wet your hair.
    2. Shampoo your hair. Rub well!
    3. Rinse until water runs clear (no soap).
    4. Condition your hair. Rub well!
    5. Rinse until water runs clear.
    6. Wet loofah.
    7. Add soap.
    8. Wash your body. Remember your ears, face, and privates (front and back).
    9. Rinse.
    10. Turn water off.
    11. Towel your feet off before stepping out onto the carpet.
     
    As Carter followed each step, he realized the list was at Ethan’s eye-level. After getting out of the shower (toweling his feet first) and putting his pajamas on, he opened the door to release some of the shower’s steam. Looking for toothpaste, Carter found another note inside the medicine cabinet called “Brushing your teeth” that started and ended with what to do with the toothpaste cap. He read it as he brushed and rinsed his mouth. The paper was yellowing and curled up at the corners. When Carter touched it, a piece broke away.
    “I don’t use those anymore.”
    “What?” Carter jumped back, feeling guilty for his uninvited exploration into Ethan’s life. Ethan stood in the doorway dressed for bed in his red pajamas.
    “I have bad days; that’s why they’re still up. But I don’t use them much.” He moved past Carter toward the sink. “A few years ago, the house was covered in notes. I couldn’t remember the steps to do anything. I even had a note telling me to turn my alarm off in the morning.”
    “A lot of people use lists.”
    “Brain-damaged people.”
    “Everyone.”
    Ethan picked up the toothpaste and unscrewed the cap with the same care he put into every task. “I don’t think so, Carter. I never saw a regular person’s house with lists like mine.” He squeezed a pea-size amount—the same quantity the yellowing directions advised—onto his brush and put it into his mouth.
    Carter watched him, but Ethan didn’t seem inclined to continue the conversation. “Goodnight,” Carter said.
    Ethan waved at him over his shoulder and kept his focus on the mirror as he brushed his