the
stairs.
“I'll join you” Margaret
said, “Wait, that didn't come out right. I'll go to bed also.
It's been a long day with a very rough start.”
Margaret walked along behind him as
they climbed the stairs. He stopped to see her into her bedroom.
“Thank you again Greg, for
everything you've done for me. If I'm a bother let me know and I'll
find somewhere else to go.”
Margaret leaned up and gave him a
somewhat firmer kiss than she had earlier in the day, still chaste,
but definitely more than a peck.
Greg found a smile creasing his face:
“So far, you've been far more of
a delight to have around than a bother. I really don't see that
changing at all but I'll tell you if it does. Good night, Margaret.”
“Good night, Greg.”
Greg laid in bed awake for at least a
half an hour, until he could no longer smell her scent in his
nostrils and exhaustion overpowered his memory of the gentle feel of
her soft lips pressed against his own. His last conscious thought
before falling asleep was to hope that she was resting well.
----
Chapter
7 – The DMV and a Surprise
Greg woke up later than normal the next morning. When he tried to
get out of bed, he let out a groan and fell back on his stomach. His
back was abominably stiff this morning and it hurt to move. He
glanced at the clock:
Shit, it's been almost eleven hours since my last painkillers,
no wonder I can't move. I need to remember to bring those up with me
tonight.
He forced himself up out of bed and
gingerly got dressed. The wall of the staircase was a great help to
him as he made his way slowly down the stairs. The hand rail took
care of him for the last few feet once the wall was no longer
available. He made his way into the kitchen and went directly for the
painkillers. It said something that he didn't even notice Margaret,
dressed in her newly cleaned clothes, sitting at the table.
“You look horrible”
Margaret said, “like you're in a lot of pain. Is there anything
I can do to help?”
“Yeah, I forgot to take my
painkillers up with me last night and I'm long overdue for my next
dose. Give these a few minutes to take effect and I'll be much better
company.”
Greg slumped into a chair after
swallowing his pills.
“I don't normally sleep this
late” he said, “But I guess my body decided that I needed
the rest.”
“I've only been up for fifteen or
twenty minutes myself, so I understand. I'm normally up between five
and six in the morning.”
Greg decided that she must be a morning
person if she regularly got up that early. That was okay with him
since he was one himself most of the time. Evidently just not when he
was in major pain, as he had just discovered. It was half-past eight
already though, and he felt as though he had missed a major portion
of his day. He resolved to try to get up closer to his normal six
o'clock the next day. He hadn't even set his alarm last night so if
he did so tonight, he'd probably be able to get up on time.
“Could I convince you to make
some coffee Margaret? I'll talk you through the process for the whole
beans. I cleaned the machine last night so it should be all ready to
get set up.”
“Certainly, while it brews I can
make us some breakfast if you'd like.”
“I think I would, assuming it
isn't ready for at least another ten minutes. I'm ravenous but I
don't think I could eat just yet, not until the edge is off of my
back pain.”
He talked her through the simple setup
for making his gourmet coffee. He showed her where he kept the good
beans in the refrigerator and where he kept the distilled water he
used when brewing the good coffee. He listened as the blades began to
grind the beans and began to feel a little more back on track. As the
scent of the brewing coffee filled the air simultaneously with his
pills beginning to kick in, he felt nearly human.
“Would eggs, bacon and toast be
okay for you?” asked Margaret, rummaging through his
refrigerator.
“That would be wonderful, two
eggs
stairs.
“I'll join you” Margaret
said, “Wait, that didn't come out right. I'll go to bed also.
It's been a long day with a very rough start.”
Margaret walked along behind him as
they climbed the stairs. He stopped to see her into her bedroom.
“Thank you again Greg, for
everything you've done for me. If I'm a bother let me know and I'll
find somewhere else to go.”
Margaret leaned up and gave him a
somewhat firmer kiss than she had earlier in the day, still chaste,
but definitely more than a peck.
Greg found a smile creasing his face:
“So far, you've been far more of
a delight to have around than a bother. I really don't see that
changing at all but I'll tell you if it does. Good night, Margaret.”
“Good night, Greg.”
Greg laid in bed awake for at least a
half an hour, until he could no longer smell her scent in his
nostrils and exhaustion overpowered his memory of the gentle feel of
her soft lips pressed against his own. His last conscious thought
before falling asleep was to hope that she was resting well.
----
Chapter
7 – The DMV and a Surprise
Greg woke up later than normal the next morning. When he tried to
get out of bed, he let out a groan and fell back on his stomach. His
back was abominably stiff this morning and it hurt to move. He
glanced at the clock:
Shit, it's been almost eleven hours since my last painkillers,
no wonder I can't move. I need to remember to bring those up with me
tonight.
He forced himself up out of bed and
gingerly got dressed. The wall of the staircase was a great help to
him as he made his way slowly down the stairs. The hand rail took
care of him for the last few feet once the wall was no longer
available. He made his way into the kitchen and went directly for the
painkillers. It said something that he didn't even notice Margaret,
dressed in her newly cleaned clothes, sitting at the table.
“You look horrible”
Margaret said, “like you're in a lot of pain. Is there anything
I can do to help?”
“Yeah, I forgot to take my
painkillers up with me last night and I'm long overdue for my next
dose. Give these a few minutes to take effect and I'll be much better
company.”
Greg slumped into a chair after
swallowing his pills.
“I don't normally sleep this
late” he said, “But I guess my body decided that I needed
the rest.”
“I've only been up for fifteen or
twenty minutes myself, so I understand. I'm normally up between five
and six in the morning.”
Greg decided that she must be a morning
person if she regularly got up that early. That was okay with him
since he was one himself most of the time. Evidently just not when he
was in major pain, as he had just discovered. It was half-past eight
already though, and he felt as though he had missed a major portion
of his day. He resolved to try to get up closer to his normal six
o'clock the next day. He hadn't even set his alarm last night so if
he did so tonight, he'd probably be able to get up on time.
“Could I convince you to make
some coffee Margaret? I'll talk you through the process for the whole
beans. I cleaned the machine last night so it should be all ready to
get set up.”
“Certainly, while it brews I can
make us some breakfast if you'd like.”
“I think I would, assuming it
isn't ready for at least another ten minutes. I'm ravenous but I
don't think I could eat just yet, not until the edge is off of my
back pain.”
He talked her through the simple setup
for making his gourmet coffee. He showed her where he kept the good
beans in the refrigerator and where he kept the distilled water he
used when brewing the good coffee. He listened as the blades began to
grind the beans and began to feel a little more back on track. As the
scent of the brewing coffee filled the air simultaneously with his
pills beginning to kick in, he felt nearly human.
“Would eggs, bacon and toast be
okay for you?” asked Margaret, rummaging through his
refrigerator.
“That would be wonderful, two
eggs
Similar Books
