Read Online A Life Less Broken by Margaret McHeyzer - Free Book Online Page B

wraps. Well, I didn’t make the bread, I bought that. But I put
everything else together to make the wraps.”
    I look over
my shoulder at him and he’s standing a few feet away from me, smirking a cute little
smile, waiting for me to open the door.
    “I brought a
picnic blanket too, so we don’t need to sit on the damp grass.”
    I put my
hand on the doorknob and close my eyes, willing myself to just open the fucking
door.
    “If you like,
you can bring a pillow out so you can lie under the sun and soak up some of
those tantalizing rays.”
    “I used to
love the sun,” I say as I lean my forehead up against the door. The cool of the
wood instantly travels through my body and calms the heat pulsating through
every part of me.
    “And one day
soon, you’ll learn to love it again. Starting with today. We can just sit and
have our lunch, and when we’re done we’ll pack up and you can come back inside.
But for now we need to feed our bodies so we can nourish our minds.”
    I unlock the
first lock.
    “I was going
to make,” he coughs, “that is, buy, a hazelnut cake for us, but I didn’t know
if you have nut allergies. Do you have any sort of allergies?”
    “No, not to
my knowledge, but I’m not keen on a lot of red meat. I prefer chicken and
turkey. And I don’t like cauliflower, that stuff is just gross.”
    “Yeah I’m
not keen on it either,” Dominic says.
    I unlock the
second lock and crack the door open a few inches.
    “I have
strawberries and blueberries too. I’m hoping they haven’t gotten too squashed
in the bag. If they are we’ll just put them in the glasses with our lemonade
and call it punch.”
    I pull the
door open further.
    “Do you have
a favorite cheese? I love brie, or is it camembert? Those two look and taste
the same to me, I mean they’re both covered in that white stuff and they both
taste great. But you know what I don’t like? Blue cheese. I mean they inject
the cheese with that stuff to make it go all veiny. It smells like socks to me,
not that I stick my nose near stinky socks or anything, but that’s how I
imagine dirty socks would smell.”
    The door is
completely open now and I’m standing one small step from being outside.
    I turn and
look at Dominic, and his encouraging smile is trying to reassure me.
    “You’re so
close, Allyn.” His voice is gentle. “Step outside and breathe.”
    I lift my
foot and place it on the other side of the door frame.
    “Today is a
good day to live,” he says, but doesn’t move toward me. He’s doing what he
always does, giving me space and letting me do this on my own terms.
    “Today’s a
good day to finally see, Dominic.” And I step entirely outside.
    The sun bathes
me in her bright, warm rays.
    “I think
here’s a good spot, what do you think, Allyn?” Dominic calls from halfway down
the back yard.
    “Sure,” I
say as I walk to meet him.
    He shakes
the picnic blanket and spreads it out, then slips off his sport shoes to sit on
it. He starts taking out all the food from one of the calico bags and lays it all
out on the blanket.
    “You know, food
tastes better when you sit down and make conversation with the other person,”
Dominic says as he gestures for me to sit opposite him.
    I also slip
my shoes off and sit cross-legged on the blanket facing him.
    “Now
regardless of how bad this tastes, you’re only allowed to praise my efforts.”
    I find
myself smiling at his silly sense of humor.
    “Dominic,
this tastes fantastic, I’ve never had anything so good,” I sarcastically tease
him.
    “Can you at
least take a bite before you say it? It makes it more believable that way.”
    “Do you want
children?” I ask, completely changing the conversation.
    Dominic
coughs a little, then regains his composure.
    “They’ve
never been something that I’ve seriously considered. The thought has crossed my
mind, but I’ve never been one hundred percent ready for children.”
    “Are you
married?”
    “I was, and
I suppose