Friday, March 9, 2018

Gifts

I met Mica and Sophie for lunch. I haven’t seen Sophie since the rescue fundraiser, and there was much to catch up on. I’d like the three of us to get together more often again. We used to play cards on Friday nights until Mica cooled on the idea. If not cards, maybe we can start Friday dinners.

After I dropped Mica at home I did some shopping. One could argue I do not need another piece of clothing, and one would be correct. However, there’s a hole in my wardrobe where once there were skirts and dresses. Going into spring and summer, I should have a few pieces in the category. Today was a bust, although there’s a dress I’m going to stalk to see if it makes it to clearance. It’s at a department store where it takes three markdowns to bring prices into my comfort zone.

I was at that store when I received a message from Eve asking what I was doing. She was across the street at PetSmart buying dog food and had me wait for her. The consensus on the dress was it’s a strong yes but needs to be a oh-hell-yesss! to justify full price.

The bar we’ve been meeting at on Fridays is in the same shopping center. We walked over to have a drink, just the two of us. We haven’t done that for ages.

She caught me up on what I missed at work this week (nothing important), told me a little bit about their trip to DC but wanted to wait until Paul could be there to tell some stories, and filled me in on the job offer their daughter received yesterday (yay!).

I gave her the highlights of my time with Izzy, filled her in on the little white dog’s surgery, and admitted that this week off was a total bust for getting anything done.

She asked if Blaine and I were doing something this weekend. I told her I thought so but that he’s been working long hours and may opt for a quiet night at home.

She talked about Blaine’s late wife, who was her best friend. It sounds like she and Eve were similar in personality—outgoing, fun, organizers always bringing people together. Since I’m none of those things I was curious why Eve thought Blaine and I would be a good match. I didn’t ask, but later she answered it on her own, saying I was a lot like him. Hearing that calmed something that has been flitting around the back of my mind for some time.

When I got back to my car I had to decide what to do with a large snickerdoodle cookie and a small bag of popcorn. I bought the cookie from a cookie shop near where we had lunch, and the popcorn came from the only place in town that still pops it fresh. Both are favorites of Blaine's, and I picked them up with the intention of leaving them at his house so he'd find them whenever he got home from work. I second- and third-guessed myself, though. Was it fun and friendly or stupid and intrusive?

In the parking lot I put both into a simple gift bag I had picked up, wrote a quick note on the attached card and drove very slowly in the direction of his house. As I turned onto his street I decided to go ahead and leave it. I looped the bag handle over the handle of his front door.

When I got home I realized chances weren’t good that he would see it. He enters the house through the garage. So I sent a text letting him know something was waiting for him.

The phone buzzed a short time later. “This is the first thing that has made me smile all day.”

“My work is done.”

“Can I call when I get home?”

Maybe not the first time I’ve smiled today but definitely the happiest smile I’ve had. “Please do.”


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