| Subject: Re: Love is in the Air C3/3 |
Author:
fananicfan
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 18:45:53 07/28/07 Sat
In reply to:
fananicfan
's message, "Love is in the Air" on 21:51:59 07/27/07 Fri
Chapter Three – Cards, Flowers, and Candy
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2006
SAN DIEGO
Who would have thought that Mattie's date could be so draining, especially on me? But both Mattie and I seem to need to recover from her date, and we sleep in. Since we don’t get up until 1000, I suggest that we get dressed and go out for brunch.
Over brunch, Mattie fills me in on her ‘perfect evening.’ She tells me where they went to dinner and what they ordered. She describes the decorations in the ballroom where the dance was held. She said that there was a photographer there and that Paul had insisted that they get a picture together so they'd have a memento to remember the evening. Mattie continued by telling me that they'd danced to three songs and was able to give me the names of each one. She even included the fact that he’d kissed her goodnight when he'd dropped her off. I don’t think I’d have included that if I’d been telling my mother about a date, but then again, maybe I would have if my mother had been around.
It doesn’t matter what task Mattie does, she moves through the house like she’s floating. As we go about our day, the distant look in her eye tells me that, though she’s physically present, her mind is still in the clouds.
As it gets later and we prepare for bed, Mattie asks my advice on three outfits before choosing something to wear for school tomorrow when she’ll see Paul again.
When I lay my head on the pillow to sleep tonight, I can’t keep myself from reflecting on the only time when I needed the perfect dress, shoes and makeup – the day I married Harm.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2006
LONDON
I finish the morning staff meeting and mumble on my way back to my office, 'I might as well have been talking to myself. I know that the closer we get to relocation the worse it will get, but I think that top notch lawyers ought to be able to pretend to be paying attention to me at least twice a week.'
It's Monday, not one of my favorite days to begin with, and it's started out all wrong. So I lock myself in my office, hoping that I'm not distrubed for the rest of the day. I even decide to work through lunch so that I don't have to leave and return to my office.
My planned solitude works until mid afternoon when Petty Officer Banks knocks on my office door. He turns a bundle of mail over to me and has a 'cat that swallowed the canary' grin on his face. I'm concerned that my yeoman has succummed to whatever relocation craziness the others have until I flip through the envelopes and see a personal piece of mail to me from a Sarah Rabb. I think that my petty officer is really okay. He just knew that I had mail from my wife, which meant that my mood was going to improve after I'd read it.
I open the envelope and pull out the enclosed Valentine's card. The front of the card says 'To My dear husband on Valentine's Day.' The inside has a mushy love poem. I won't tell anyone, but I like it because it's from her. On the inside cover across from the printed poem, she's written a note that says:
You don't strike me as being the flowers and candy kind of guy so I didn't know what else to get you except for a card to tell you that I love and miss you. I hope next Valentine's Day were together because my present would be so much different. To give you an idea, I'd make you forget the stripper that you liked so much a few weeks ago.
Love,
Mac
The thought of her stripping on our last night together brings heat to my cheeks. What a night it was! I don't want the card ending up in the wrong hands, so I put it back in the envelope. I'll take it home with me tonight and put it among my personal belongings for packing. As I slip the envelope into my briefcase for safe removal from the office, I wonder if she'll like what I've arranged for her tomorrow.
Petty Officer Banks is correct. My mood improves and I get a lot of work done. I even manage to get far enough ahead that I don't feel guilty for reading my email and taking the time to email Mattie and Mac before I leave for the day.
I read the card from Mac several times before I'm finally able to get to sleep.
SAME DAY
SAN DIEGO
Today was one of those days that let’s you know why Mondays have such a bad reputation. The only thing that went the way I'd planned was getting the papers about Tyler mailed off to Virginia. To top it all off, I’m getting home an hour late because of an accident on the freeway.
I stop at the mailbox on my way into the condo because I’m hopeful that I'll have mail from Harm or Tyler to give my day a pick me up, but I don’t take the time to look through it in the car.
I get into the condo, and Mattie's on the couch, talking on the phone. I’ve just walked in the door and I hear her say. “She just walked in, so I can ask her now. Do you want to hold on or do you want me to call you back?”
I see her lower the handset from her ear. Whoever it is must be waiting for my answer.
“Mac, Paul’s on the phone. He wants to know if he can take me to school tomorrow since tomorrow's Valentine’s Day .”
When you live so far from your Valentine, the date gets lost, so I hadn’t realized that Valentine's Day was tomorrow. I sent a card to Harm a couple of weeks ago to make sure that it got there on time, but I haven't thought about it much since.
“You’re supposed to help Trish after school tomorrow. Since Frank will be picking you up, I guess it would be okay for tomorrow.”
She lifts the handset back to her ear. “She said that it was okay as long as I help my grandmother after school like I promised.”
Having answered her question, she returns to her phone conversation. While she talks, I begin my coming home from work routine and put down my things, change my clothes and go to the kitchen to start dinner.
When I pass back through the living room, Mattie's still on the phone. The look on her face when she told me about the dance yesterday, especially the little twinkle in her eye when she'd shyly told me that he'd kissed her goodnight, causes me to shake my head as I pass behind the couch. I can’t believe that I’m watching her experience first love, and I’m wondering if I’ll survive it.
I manage to pry her away from the phone to eat dinner. During dinner, she starts talking about Paul wanting to take her to a movie this coming weekend, and I have to remind her that we’ll be out of town. We leave Friday night for Virginia to spend the President’s Day weekend with Tyler. I’m prepared for a fight, but she doesn’t offer one. She simply says, “I’ll tell Paul in the morning that I can’t go this weekend.”
Mattie goes to her room after she helps clean up after dinner. She’s says that she's going up early to do her homework and pick out the right outfit to wear to school in the morning. I image that since Paul is picking her up and it’s Valentine’s Day, it'll be a tougher decision than it was for her last night.
I learned my lesson after running up and down the stairs the last two days, giving my assistance and opinions on outfits, so I grab the mail and my briefcase, and head to my room after dinner. I’ll work in my room so I don’t wear myself out climbing the stairs.
I manage to get out a couple of case status reports before I’m called to her room to give my first opinion. I return to my room and I’m able to read the first report before I’m summoned to her room for outfit number two. I read the other status report and put them back in my briefcase before I’m called for opinion three. I return and pull out my speech for the JAG conference. I didn’t work on it at all at the office today. I know that it's still weeks before I have to give it, but at the rate I’m writing, it won’t be enough time. I don’t get even one line written on my speech before Mattie appears at my bedroom door for opinion number four.
I’ve worked on my speech for a few minutes and I’ve given my opinions on two more outfits when the mail stacked on the bedside table catches my eye. I haven’t sorted through it yet. I wonder if I got any mail. I’ll have to wait a couple of minutes to find out because Mattie’s back for opinion number seven.
Mattie has left, and I begin to flip through the envelopes. I find something from Tyler. I open the envelope to find a smaller envelope inside. I don’t get a chance to open the smaller envelope immediately because Mattie appears for an opinion on outfit number eight.
When Mattie leaves, I open the smaller envelope. It's one of those little cards that kids give out at school to their classmates when they’re Tyler’s age. The card is red with a white heart on it. Inside the heart in red letters it says, “Will you be my Valentine?” Under the heart, he’s printed ‘Love, Ty.’ I love this little boy so much that the simple card and the fact that he sent me a Valentine has brought tears to my eyes.
My moment is interrupted by Mattie’s return. She has the last outfit and one from earlier. She’s narrowed down her choices and, when she leaves my room this time, she says that she’s made her choice for tomorrow.
‘I hope that we don’t have to go through this every night,’ is my thought as I reach for the Valentine from Tyler, place it over my heart and say a little prayer that he’ll soon be here with me.
As I lean the card against a framed wedding photo on my nightstand, I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get a card from the man with me in the picture. I get ready for bed, trying to be rational about not getting a card from Harm. Harm has shown me a romantic side, but it's been in private. A valentine may be too public a display or perhaps he's just too busy. I have one more excuse for him. He's a man, so maybe he just doesn’t know that it's Valentine’s Day.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2006
SAN DIEGO
I'm up a little earlier this morning so I'm sure to be dressed when Paul arrives to pick up Mattie. It's a good thing, too, because he's ten minutes early this morning.
I open the door and see the nice looking young man in a pair of dark gray slacks and a button up blue shirt that really helps bring out the color of his eyes. His hands are behind his back like he might have a Valentine's gift for Mattie. I don't have time to ask him to come in before Mattie's at the door next to me.
Mattie asks him to come in and says that she just has to get her backpack to be ready to go. She's floored when he pulls his hands out from behind his back. In one hand, he has a single red rose and, in the other, a chocolate bar. She's staring at him stunned, but he must be thinking that she doesn't like it or it isn't a grand enough gesture.
He starts to stammer out an explanation while he offers her the dark chocolate candy bar, "You said that you were trying to keep in shape and you were cutting back on snacks, so I didn't buy you anything more than a candy bar."
Mattie's smiling as she takes the candy bar from him, but doesn't speak. His voice is steadier as he hands her the rose. "I'm sorry, but my part time job doesn't pay enough for me to afford more than one."
Mattie finally realizes that she's hurt his feelings by not speaking and replies. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to think that I don't like the gift. I just wasn't expecting anything, and you surprised me." Mattie looks down at the floor shyly. "I bought you a card. It's in my backpack."
I have to say something or they're going to be late for school. "Mattie, I'll put your flower in water for you and your candy bar in the drawer so that you can go upstairs and get your backpack."
Mattie hands the items off to me and I head to the kitchen to put her rose in water. In the kitchen, I slip the candy into the drawer and move to get the small vase from under the kitchen sink. I fill the small vase with water, slip the stem into the opening and leave the kitchen. I've decided that the vase should be on the table at the end of the couch so she can see it when she comes home.
Paul's still in the living room near the door and, as I approach the table, he says, "Mattie said that she forgot to do something for her dad and she'll be right down. I promise that I'll get her to school on time."
"You drive carefully and get the two of you there safely," I respond as I place the vase on the table. In my head, I'm asking, 'What could she need to do for Harm this morning?'
I hear Paul say, "Yes, ma'am," to my driving instructions just before Mattie reaches us.
"Mac, Harm told me that, if it got here before today, I was suppose to hold onto it and give it to you on Valentine's Day." She offers me an envelope.
He remembered the day and sent me a card, but he made sure that I'd get it on the right day...that's sweet. With her task for Harm completed and Paul waiting, Mattie's off to school, and I'm alone to read my card.
I manage to keep my hands steady as I excitedly open the envelope and pull out the card. The front of the card reads, 'You know what's better than winning the lottery?' I open the card to see the answer, 'Having a wife like you.' I start to close the card and see that he's written something on the inside cover. It reads:
Dear Mac,
I love you. I hope you enjoy your gift and have a wonderful day.
Miss you much,
Harm
I go to the office with a spring in my step that he didn't forget Valentine's day, but confused about what gift he's talking about. I checked inside the envelope three times for some clue, but there was nothing. Maybe the card was the gift, but a card is a card, not a gift...well, not to me anyway.
General Cresswell calls this morning with details for the JAG conference. He suggests - in that ordering kind of way - that I have Lt. Graves make the arrangements since she did such a good job last year.
Lt. Graves and I go over the notes that I made while speaking with the general, and I tell her that she can expect a fax from HQ to be waiting when we're done, with the names of those attending and those confirmed to speak at this time, and with more information to come as it's known. I also tell her that the general is expecting a fax with the location and dates confirmed by the end of the day, Washington time.
I dismiss Lt. Graves, and she leaves. A moment later, there's a knock on my door. "Enter."
When the door opens, I hear, "These just came for you, ma'am," in PO Coates voice, but all I see is a dozen long stemmed red roses arranged with baby's breath in a beautiful crystal vase. "Is over here a good place to put them, Colonel, or would you like them on your desk?" Jennifer asks.
"Desk," I say, staring as the flowers come closer and she sets them on the desk. With the flowers on the desk, I see the card envelope stuck on one of those plastic sticks in the arrangement, but I hestitate to reach for it with Jennifer still standing in front of my desk. "Was there anything else, Petty Officer?"
"Yes, ma'am..." She lifts up a box and sets it on the desk in front of me. "...candy."
In front of me is a pound box of Godiva chocolates. "Thank you, Petty Officer. That'll be all."
"Yes, ma'am."
As soon as my door closes, I reach for the card in the flowers. The card reads:
Surprise, I didn't forget.
This isn't the gift either.
Love, Harm
I exit my office and ask Jennifer if there's anything else and, to my surprise, she pulls an envelope out of her desk and extends her hand to allow me to take it. "He said that I'd know when to give it to you."
I go back into my office and open the envelope that I'd just received from Jennifer. Inside, I find a note:
I know that, between you're job, Mattie, and wanting Tyler, you're under stress. Since I'm not there to give you a massage, I've arranged for you to have a day at the spa. I hope you enjoy your gift.
Harm
I look at the other piece of paper that was in the envelope. It's a gift certificate to one of the best spas in the country and the one that Harm's mother goes to. I can't believe that he did all this for me. He didn't just buy a card and call a florist, he planned this day.
I want privacy to talk to Harm, so I leave the office early.
Has he been waiting for my call or did the caller ID give away that it's me, because he answers the phone by saying, "Does this call mean that you'll be my Valentine, Mac?"
"Yes, and will you be mine?"
"'Yes."
"I called to tell you that this was the best Valentine's Day I've ever had."
"So you think you'll keep me?"
"I must say that, this morning when Mattie was getting a rose and a candy bar from Paul, I was a little jealous that she'd gone out on one date and was getting something, and you hadn't even sent me a card, but I was in for quite a day."
"That boy made Mattie forget to give you your card? I knew I didn't like him."
"She didn't forget, but I didn't get it until after Paul had given her the rose and candy. And what do you mean you don't like him? You've never met him."
"I don't need to meet him. I got the email with the two pictures that you sent, one of Mattie and one with her and that boy standing too close together. I don't like him."
"She'll date him just because you don't want her to if you tell her that. Don't push, Harm."
"Mac, you don't understand -"
I cut him off. "I do understand, Harm, both sides. Who do you think took those pictures? I saw first hand how grown up she looked. I understand your concern. You don't dislike him, you dislike the fact that he's the first step in Mattie exercising her independence, growing up and doing things that are out of our control. But I was a seventeen year old girl who's father didn't approve of any boy I was seeing or even my friends, for that matter. He voiced his disapproval loud and clear, and I did just the opposite. You said yourself that mentoring or guiding are better ways to describe our realationship with Mattie than parenting, and if we get her hackles up, she'll ignore us and run off to get married or something. What's worse is that she won't feel as if she can talk to us about anything important because she'll think that we'll judge and not listen."
"I see your point, but I don't have to like him. I just need to be less vocal, at least to Mattie, right?"
"That's right. I didn't call to get you all worked up over Mattie and Paul. I called to tell you that I think you're a wonderful husband." I swear that I hear Harm coo when I said 'wonderful husband.' I won't tease him about it, because I don't think he'd take it as the good natured ribbing that I'd mean it to be at the moment.
We talk for a few more minutes and agree before we get off the phone that the only thing that could have made the day better was for us to have been together.
I go to sleep with tears threatening to fall on this Valentine's day, but they're tears of happiness. I guess Mattie won't be the only one walking on air with her head in the clouds around here. Love is in the air, and there isn't anything that we can or want to do to fight it. Tonight, I'll fall asleep and dream of a perfect Valentine's Day...when my one true love and I are no longer apart.
The End...
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 