I'll Go with You

Today was an exciting day; well, yesterday was really an exciting evening making today the exciting day. When I arrived home yesterday, my first paycheck was waiting for me in the mail. I hadn’t been so excited to see a piece of paper with numbers on it since I had gotten an A, probably a one-time occurrence, on a math test in high school; geometry, trigonometry, and pre-calculus kicked my butt always.

Anyway, when I got up this morning, I knew I had to go to the bank. I began to do what I usually do when I have tons of free time; no, it wasn’t get on my bike, though that came later. I made a list of the things I needed to do today.

My list was:

Bank
Key
Cat litter
Orchid

My errand to the bank had two purposes; I needed to deposit my check, and I then I needed to transfer money into Nathan’s account. While Nathan hadn’t run out of money, I wanted to ensure that he could buy Quinn, his Dad, a really good present. Being the good cop parent, I would give Nate my usual “try harder” speech in regard to his report card; Quinn would be much less understanding, so I encouraged Nathan to buy his Dad a really, really nice present to soften the report card blow he would receive from his Dad upon return!

It was a lovely morning, so when one can’t bike, one can enjoy a ride in the car with Coldplay, because at that moment, with the windows down and the tunes blaring, I was in my place. I was so excited. Why? I got paid!

I hadn’t felt this great in ages, and when I got in the line at the bank, I know I was smiling. I felt like I had the first time First National supermarket paid me when I was 16, except I wasn’t looking forward to buying a new Bonnie Bell lip smacker; I was going to pay my mortgage! As the teller deposited my check, I almost gushed to the teller, who was probably half my age, “I just got my first paycheck,” but I decided that I would just say that to myself, over and over, and do a little dance with the mini me inside my head.

When I left the bank, I headed to the veterinarian’s. My pet sitter worked there, and she was going to watch the animals, because Marcia and I were sleeping over Laura’s house tonight; okay, I just felt like I was 16 typing that! Anyway, I liked my vet practice; however, there was one thing that irked me about it.

It wasn’t the prices, the facility or the people. It was this damn sign they had in the entryway of the building. It show three beautifully decorated different treats – cupcakes, whoopee pies, and colorful cookies. Every time I saw it, I thought, “MMmmmmm,” and every time after my stomach grumbled with anticipation, I’d read the small print saying, “Can you believe these are not for you but for your dog? Pooch Barkery, 978, 555-1234” and then my stomach would say, “Ack, pft, ptooey, dog treats!” I, rather my stomach, fell for that sign each time I went there.

After dropping off my key, I headed to the grocery store. If there’s one thing I buy as much as I buy milk, it’s kitty litter and litter box deodorizer; emergency grocery trips in my house are all about milk and kitty litter. Since I was feeling wealthy, I picked up cat treats, too. This morning, I was the Employed Fairy, I sprinkled my good fortunate dust on Nathan and now on the cats.

My last stop was to the florist. My florist, Stella, always had the most beautiful orchids from Thailand. And, I loved orchids, even more than roses, which I found funny, because orchids didn’t have a scent (and I always do), and they were very difficult to maintain as plants (and I killed every house plant I ever owned). But, I had successfully maintained an orchid for over a year now, even getting it to bloom in May.

I perused the case, and I saw the purple orchids I usually purchased; however, when I looked toward the top of the case, I saw the most beautiful large yellow orchid in a vase. Stella said, “Oh, that’s the orchid they use for corsages.” It had three large flowers on its single thick stalk; it was so simple yet said so much in its simple glass vase with a single blue sheer ribbon tied around it.

I said, “How much is that one?” She said, “Aw, I should sell it for $25, but for you, $20.” I always loved the way Stella made sure to tell me that she was giving me the bargain of my life; I said, “Okay. I’ll take it.”

She asked me if I needed a card. I quickly glanced at all the sentiments. I said, “No. I think the orchid says it all.”

When I got home, I left all my things in the car and grabbed my orchid. It was time to sprinkle some more dust. I headed over to Susan’s and knocked on her door.

She opened the door, saw me standing there, and then she opened the screen door. I handed her the orchid. She smiled; see, no card necessary.

I asked how she was doing, and she got teary-eyed and said, “Good,” and then she hesitated and said, “Well, okay. You know, what you said helped me tremendously.” I put a hand on each one of her cheeks, and I kissed her on her left cheek. I said, “Remember, I’m always right next door.” She thanked me, and I went home to sprinkle some more dust.

I greeted Monty, who was snoozed in my herb bed, and I asked, “Wanna go for a walk?” Monty shook his head and said, “What? A walk? Really?” I grabbed a plastic bag, hooked him up to his leash, said, “No barking!” firmly to him, though knowing him he heard, “More barking!,” and we headed outside.

Susan was in her yard setting up chairs for her family gathering. I said, “Monty’s going to water the neighborhood.” Susan put down a chair, thought for a second, and then said, “I’ll go with you.”

I said, “That’d be great!” We walked around the neighborhood chatting about jobs, cats, and everything else that mattered to us this morning. Sometimes you don’t need to talk about it; you just need to feel it.

When we got back, Susan resumed her chair arranging, and I walked back to my house. As I climbed the steps to the front door, I thought that though it gets easier, it’s still always a bit difficult. And, as thankful as Susan was for my words and company, I was just as fortunate, because I realized that I now had a friend who understood my loss and who I knew would always go with me, too. ♥