Closing my eyes, I mentally repeated: "I will forgive this. I will forgive this. I will forgive this." Opening my eyes, I glared at him. "You realize, don't you, that you're like a window and I can see through you? What do you want now?"
"Let me help."
"Help with what? Not haunting me anymore so I watch my show? You do know I've been looking forward to this all week? Just being able to relax and put work, life, and my health issues out of my mind. How do you propose to help with that?"
"Tomorrow you will see."
"So now you'll let me watch my program? After making me miss the opening dialog? And tomorrow, how will I know it's you?"
"You will." and with that mysterious response, he left. I spent the next few hours watching a show I hadn't seen since my childhood, crushing once again on Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict. I thought nothing more of his visit until I was laying in bed that night and received a text message from a friend.
Come 2 church w/me in morning. want u 2 meet someone.
I rolled my eyes. My best friend had been trying to fix me up with single men from her church for months now, and just didn't get it that I was happier without a man in my life.
I quickly sent her a text back. Im really not intrsted in mting any1. bsides i have plans.
what plans?
sleeping late. taking nap. going 2 bed early.
picking u up @ 1030a. this 1 is different. not gonna take no 4 answr. just b ready 2 have ur world rocked.
I screamed and tossed my phone to the floor. She was persistent, and I knew that she really would not take no for an answer. Once she had actually used her spare key to my apartment and dragged me out of bed to take me for coffee one Sunday morning when I had ignored her calls for a week.
I had been fighting depression for months since my divorce. Work was frustrating me with all the demands from clients during the day that often kept me awake all night. The stress was beginning to take a toll on me physically. Insomnia. Hair loss. Heart palpitations. High blood pressure. Weight loss.
I'd been to see doctor after doctor and they had all told me the same thing. Get rid of the stress in your life. Ha! Easier said than done. They didn't have the bills I got stuck with after my divorce.
True to form, at 10:30 the next morning, I heard her knocking on my front door and ringing the bell. I opened the door as I heard her key in the lock.
"You're dressed!"
"Of course. I didn't relish the idea of getting dragged out of bed again and thrown into the shower."
"Great! Let's get going, we have time to stop for coffee and donuts at Krispy Kreme now! I'm so excited for you today!"
Two agonizing hours later, I still hadn't met this magical man of my dreams and I was more than a little annoyed. As we left the church, I rounded on her.
"I thought you said that you were going to introduce me to someone who was going to rock my world!"
"I am! We're going to meet him right now!"
"So what was behind dragging me to church with you this morning?!?!"
"Oh, I just wanted to spend some time with you. I worry about you. You know, eventually these chains will break."
"Tell me when so I can mark it on my calendar. I want something to look forward to."
"What if I told you that you were about to meet someone who would give you something to look forward to every day?"
"What if I told you that you were about to meet someone who would give you something to look forward to every day?"
"It's a lie."
"No, it's not! Look, we're here now."
She pulled into a dirt driveway that looked like it went on forever before disappearing behind some trees.
"If you are setting me up with some redneck hillbilly, I'm really not interested in going any further. Please stop the car and turn around."
"Trust me, you will feel so differently about it tomorrow!"
"I very much doubt that. Seriously, stop the car and turn around. I don't like this at all."
She came to a stop in front of an old pine green house on a lake with large picture windows in the front and back so that anyone standing in front of the house could still see the lake beyond. There was a beautiful flower garden on the lake side that reminded me of the houses in the Netherlands that had similar windows to showcase their flower gardens in the backyard. I stepped out of the house, mezmerized, and heard her call out "Yoo Hoo! We're here!!"
An elderly couple came out of the house, holding hands, and gave her a hug. "We're so glad to see you! This must be your friend! He's going to be so excited to meet her, we've been talking about her all week!"
Just then a tiny black and white tuxedo kitten with a big blue bow around its neck came out of the house and rubbed up against their legs.
I gasped and clutched my chest. Oreo! "Again!"
A very different and delightful take on Sandi's prompts.
ReplyDeleteAwww! This is a wonderful use of the prompts.
ReplyDeleteGood, good use of the prompts!
ReplyDelete