I texted Eric. Found the note. TY
He texted back: Is it too soon to tell you I miss you?
Lol
I’m serious, he texted.
Later, Eric.
And then I promptly called Jackie to tell her everything.
‘Omigosh! I think I’m falling in love with him,’ she said.
I looked at the flowers he’d brought. ‘Yeah, I keep pinching myself. Is this real? Is this really happening to me? It’s like those fairy-tale romances you read about, but you never think it’s going to happen to you.’
Jackie cleared her throat. ‘So, when am I going to meet him? What about a double date next weekend?’
‘He asked me to visit him. Said he had a guest bedroom.’
‘If you go, make sure you give me his address. I’ll call to check in with you.’
The week went by in a blink. Eric and I talked for hours every night and my days were filled with thoughtful texts from him.
On Wednesday, I walked into work to find a gorgeous arrangement of sunflowers on my desk. I opened the card. I hope these make you smile, Eric.
I took a photo of the flowers and sent it to Eric along with a message. Thanks for the flowers. They’re beautiful.
Patty, the office busybody who always looked like she was dressed for a funeral, walked over. ‘Gorgeous flowers. A new admirer?’ She winked.
If I told Patty who sent the flowers the entire office would know by the time I closed my file cabinet drawer. I wasn’t ready for that. Patty walked away when she realized I wasn’t going to divulge any details.
I caught myself thinking about Eric throughout the day. I’d hear a song on the radio that reminded me of him and my insides would turn to liquid. When I dressed for work, I’d wonder which outfit Eric would like better – the skirt or slacks and blazer. And despite my busy life, I practiced shooting baskets every day at the gym. I was determined to beat him the next time we played.
Thursday morning I woke up and felt warm. At first I thought I was having a hot flush, but I quickly realized I had a fever. I doubled over in pain from stomach cramps and ran to the bathroom, where I camped out most of the day. I thought I’d escaped the stomach flu that had swept through the office. Apparently I hadn’t.
I was supposed to meet Jackie at Tony’s, but I knew I’d have to cancel. I called to tell her. ‘There’s no way I’m going to make it.’
‘That bad, huh?’ Jackie said.
‘Yep. I’ve been camped out on the bathroom floor most of the day. I don’t remember the last time I felt this sick.’
‘It’s been going around my work, too. Is there anything you need?’
‘No. Stay away. I don’t want you to get this. Guess I’ll have to call Eric and tell him I won’t be coming this weekend.’
‘Oh, that’s right. You were supposed to go down to his place. That stinks.’
‘Sure does. And I was really looking forward to it, but all I want to do is sleep. Even if I felt better by tomorrow morning I wouldn’t go.’
‘Well, go back to bed and if you need anything call me.’
I hung up and called Eric.
He answered before I had a chance to speak. ‘How did you know I was thinking about you?’ Eric teased. ‘I can’t wait to see you this weekend.’
‘That’s what I was calling about.’
‘Shelly, what’s wrong. You don’t sound like your normal cheerful self.’
‘I’m not. I’m sick. Sorry, but I won’t be able to make it down tomorrow.’
‘You have nothing to be sorry about. Of course I’m disappointed I won’t get to see you, but I totally understand. Is there anything I can do for you?’
‘No, but thanks anyway. I think the best thing for me is rest.’
We hung up and I grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator and crawled into bed. Izzy snuggled beside me.
‘I don’t know, Izzy. I haven’t felt this lousy in forever.’
In fact, the last time I felt this sick I was married to Scott. That’s when I learned how seriously he took his vow to love me in sickness and in health. He was as caring as the stink bug I’d found crawling in my car earlier in the day. But when Scott was sick, he reverted to his childlike self. He was the world’s biggest baby and expected me to be at his beck and call.
I managed to get through the night only throwing up once. In the morning, I felt like I’d been to a war zone. My gut hurt. My head hurt. My back hurt. I thought about eating a banana but just thinking about it made me nauseous. Instead, I filled up my water bottle. I knew it was important to keep hydrated.
I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. God, Shelly. You look awful. Gray bags draped under my eyes. My hair was a tangled mess. About all I could manage to do was brush my teeth. The rest would have to wait.
A few hours later, I was awakened by my ringing cell phone. It was Eric. I wasn’t in the mood to talk, but I didn’t want to be rude. I figured he was calling to check up on me. ‘Hello.’
‘Shelly?’
‘Yeah,’ I croaked.
‘Can you come to the door?’
‘What?’
‘Can you come to the door?’
‘My apartment door?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Why?’
‘I left something outside your door. I didn’t want to get too close and get sick. Call me back so I know you got it.’
What the…? I crawled out of bed, stumbled to the front door and looked through the peephole. No one was there. I cracked the door a few inches and peeked out. I didn’t see anyone. Then I looked down and saw a huge pink bag with ‘Get Well’ written on the front.
I picked up the bag and carried it to the kitchen table. I pulled out a large plastic container labeled chicken soup. Then a box of crackers, a bunch of bananas and a jar of apple sauce. There was also a brown, fluffy teddy bear and a note.
Shelly,
I can’t get you out of my mind. I wish I were the one who was sick and not you. I hope you enjoy the chicken soup I made. If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know. When you cuddle the bear, I hope you think of me.
Love, Eric
I couldn’t wait to call Eric. ‘Thank you so much. I can’t believe you made me soup and drove all this way to deliver it.’
‘No distance could keep me from you.’
‘Are you for real?’
Eric cleared his throat. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s just that no man has ever talked to me the way you talk to me.’
‘Is that a bad thing?’
‘No, it’s just different.’
‘Different good or different bad?’
‘Different good.’
‘That’s a relief,’ Eric said. ‘Look, Shell, I don’t want to scare you. And if being nice to you is scaring you, then I’ll try to turn it down a notch or two. But it’s hard because I really care about you and I want to make you happy.’
I took a deep breath. ‘You are making me happy. I’m just not used to it I guess.’
‘Look, I can’t change your past and how you were treated, but I can change your future if you’ll let me. You’re everything I’ve been looking for in a woman and more. You should go back to bed and get some rest. Can I have a raincheck for next weekend?’
I put the soup in the refrigerator and went back to bed. I texted Jackie.
Eric made me soup and dropped it off.
Jackie texted back. He drove all that way?
Yes.
Jackie sent a smiley face. No one has ever made me soup.
Me neither.
Sounds like a keeper.
I know. Pinch! Pinch! Pinch!
It’s real girl. Enjoy it!
I spent most of the day in bed. When I finally got up it was dinnertime, so I made a bowl of Eric’s chicken soup. It was delicious. Big chunks of meat, fat slippery noodles and broth seasoned just right. It tasted as good as the soup my grandma used to make.
I took a photo of the bowl and texted it to him. Delish! Thanks again!
He responded in what felt like nanoseconds. Feeling better?
A little.
Good. Keep pushing the water.
OK. Later.
You can count on it, he texted.
I showered and crawled back into bed. Izzy curled up next to me. She hadn’t left my side all day. Normally, she rotates to different spots around the apartment, but when I’m sick or upset, she stays by me. I reached down to pet her and she purred. I turned on the TV, thinking maybe I’d watch a movie. The last thing I remember is the hero carrying the girl out of a factory. She’d found her white knight. Had I?