a lily pad with a lime green frog on it, I had the artist slip
in a yellow ribbon. Most people never even notice it.
“Yeah,” I said. “I thought it was cool. You know, to
show my support.”
“Yeah,” she said. “That is cool. Did they hurt?”
“You don’t have any?” I asked her.
“Not a one. I’m not a fan of needles.”
I laughed. “Who is?” I asked her. “It’s not the same
as getting a shot, or getting blood drawn,” I told her. “It’s more of a scratching
sensation.”
“Oh,” she said. Then she added, “I’m not really a fan
of scratching either.”
I laughed; she looked like she was serious. All in
all, it was a great night, and I was so glad that I went.
The next day, I woke up with a knot of excitement in
my belly. I couldn’t wait to see her. As I mixed my juice and took my meds that
morning, it suddenly dawned on me that today was day four. Not a great day to
be going out on a first date. I thought about the movies and popcorn. Not that
I planned on eating any, but the butter smell was going to be enough to put me
over the top while we’re sitting there in that dark theater looking up at a
huge screen. I almost had to run to the bathroom and throw up just thinking
about it. Damn it! What was I going to do? I wasn’t going to cancel our date.
As I was thinking about it, I walked over to the
window and noticed that it was raining. I smiled suddenly as I realized that
was my out. “Thank you God,” I said it out loud and smiled. I grabbed my phone
and called Molly.
“Hello?”
The sound of her voice made my stomach do a
somersault. Jeez, I was a mess.
“Hey Molly. I was wondering if you minded terribly if
we changed up the date a little.”
“Okay,” she said. “What did you want to do instead?”
“I was just thinking, since our options were the bike
or the bus and it’s raining…maybe you would want to come to the apartment and
we could cook dinner and watch a movie here?”
She was suddenly silent. Shit, I blew it. She was
going to cancel now. She wouldn’t agree to it again, either. I should have just
risked it.
“Okay,” she said in the middle of my self-lashing.
“Okay…okay, great!” I said. I am astounding myself
with my words lately.
“I’ll ask Megan to drop me off,” she said. I couldn’t
stop smiling. I had to clean house, and go to the store and hide my
medications. Jake came out of his room then, doing that sleepy shuffle walk he
does every morning.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” I told him as I went back to making my juice
drink. “Do you mind not being home for a while tonight?”
Jake grinned then. “You bringing Molly here?” he asked.
“Yes, but stop grinning like a pervert. I remembered
that it’s day four of my meds. I don’t want to be puking at the movies.”
“Oh, man. I forgot. Does Molly know?”
“No, Jake. Same plan as before okay? No one knows.”
“Sure,” Jake said. “Of course, no one knows.”
“Good,” I said, “Help me clean up?”
Jake was reaching for his cereal bowl. When I said
that he looked around and said, “Clean up what? It looks fine.”
“It’s a sty, Jake.”
He shrugged and said, “Okay, I guess.” He’s a good
friend.
By the time Megan dropped off Molly, the apartment was
clean, the medications were hidden and the ingredients for dinner were bought
and prepped. I hoped she wasn’t expecting steak or seafood or something fancy
like that. Not that I minded fancy, per se, but my nutritionist had me on a
pretty strict diet, and if I faltered on that even for one day, it can make me
pretty sick. Not even the day four of my experimental meds could rival how sick
I got when I go off my diet. Something about the fat content of a lot of foods
just no longer sat well with my stomach.
Molly knocked on the door. I knew it was her, because
she had texted me before they left the dorms. I wanted to run over to it, but I
made myself wait a decent amount of time before I did. When I
in a yellow ribbon. Most people never even notice it.
“Yeah,” I said. “I thought it was cool. You know, to
show my support.”
“Yeah,” she said. “That is cool. Did they hurt?”
“You don’t have any?” I asked her.
“Not a one. I’m not a fan of needles.”
I laughed. “Who is?” I asked her. “It’s not the same
as getting a shot, or getting blood drawn,” I told her. “It’s more of a scratching
sensation.”
“Oh,” she said. Then she added, “I’m not really a fan
of scratching either.”
I laughed; she looked like she was serious. All in
all, it was a great night, and I was so glad that I went.
The next day, I woke up with a knot of excitement in
my belly. I couldn’t wait to see her. As I mixed my juice and took my meds that
morning, it suddenly dawned on me that today was day four. Not a great day to
be going out on a first date. I thought about the movies and popcorn. Not that
I planned on eating any, but the butter smell was going to be enough to put me
over the top while we’re sitting there in that dark theater looking up at a
huge screen. I almost had to run to the bathroom and throw up just thinking
about it. Damn it! What was I going to do? I wasn’t going to cancel our date.
As I was thinking about it, I walked over to the
window and noticed that it was raining. I smiled suddenly as I realized that
was my out. “Thank you God,” I said it out loud and smiled. I grabbed my phone
and called Molly.
“Hello?”
The sound of her voice made my stomach do a
somersault. Jeez, I was a mess.
“Hey Molly. I was wondering if you minded terribly if
we changed up the date a little.”
“Okay,” she said. “What did you want to do instead?”
“I was just thinking, since our options were the bike
or the bus and it’s raining…maybe you would want to come to the apartment and
we could cook dinner and watch a movie here?”
She was suddenly silent. Shit, I blew it. She was
going to cancel now. She wouldn’t agree to it again, either. I should have just
risked it.
“Okay,” she said in the middle of my self-lashing.
“Okay…okay, great!” I said. I am astounding myself
with my words lately.
“I’ll ask Megan to drop me off,” she said. I couldn’t
stop smiling. I had to clean house, and go to the store and hide my
medications. Jake came out of his room then, doing that sleepy shuffle walk he
does every morning.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” I told him as I went back to making my juice
drink. “Do you mind not being home for a while tonight?”
Jake grinned then. “You bringing Molly here?” he asked.
“Yes, but stop grinning like a pervert. I remembered
that it’s day four of my meds. I don’t want to be puking at the movies.”
“Oh, man. I forgot. Does Molly know?”
“No, Jake. Same plan as before okay? No one knows.”
“Sure,” Jake said. “Of course, no one knows.”
“Good,” I said, “Help me clean up?”
Jake was reaching for his cereal bowl. When I said
that he looked around and said, “Clean up what? It looks fine.”
“It’s a sty, Jake.”
He shrugged and said, “Okay, I guess.” He’s a good
friend.
By the time Megan dropped off Molly, the apartment was
clean, the medications were hidden and the ingredients for dinner were bought
and prepped. I hoped she wasn’t expecting steak or seafood or something fancy
like that. Not that I minded fancy, per se, but my nutritionist had me on a
pretty strict diet, and if I faltered on that even for one day, it can make me
pretty sick. Not even the day four of my experimental meds could rival how sick
I got when I go off my diet. Something about the fat content of a lot of foods
just no longer sat well with my stomach.
Molly knocked on the door. I knew it was her, because
she had texted me before they left the dorms. I wanted to run over to it, but I
made myself wait a decent amount of time before I did. When I
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