Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 62430 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62430 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
“Hello, Nurse Matthews,” he said.
“I can explain.” I approached the counter, my thoughts racing, my heart searching for salvation in his eyes.
“Not here,” he cut me off.
The hostess smiled awkwardly, pretending to be absorbed by picking dried jelly off a menu.
“I have to go to work,” Porter said, finishing his coffee and standing up.
“I’m sorry—” I tried.
He waved me off. “Meet me here for dinner tonight.”
My heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t jumping for joy, but I hadn’t completely destroyed all hope of a future. We had a date, our first real date. Tonight I could explain my reservations and why I had chosen to rebuff him and beg for his forgiveness. Tonight, I could tell him that I thought of him as more than just a patient. From the very beginning, when I’d first laid eyes on him, I had known that he was different.
He took two steps toward me, bent his head, and kissed me on the cheek. The soft brush of his lips was electric, sending a jolt clear through to my core. His newly shaved jaw was smooth as satin, like a warm breeze against my skin. I fought to maintain my dignity, to stay upright when my knees shook. Butterflies swarmed in my stomach, sending heat racing throughout my body.
Nodding to the hostess, Porter strode out the door, sparing me not even a backward glance. I felt the breath return to my lungs in one sweeping gasp. My feet came unglued, and I could finally see the world around me. I searched apologetically for the hostess, accepting the jelly-stained menu without a word. My knees were grateful for the relief when I sank onto a stool, the same stool that Porter had so recently vacated. A cacophony of triumph sounded in my ears, and the one overarching revelation—I have a date tonight—rang loud and clear.
17
PORTER
Icouldn’t believe my luck. Here, I had been trying to convince myself that Gina didn’t really care, but she had driven all the way out here to find me. It was obvious she thought I would be angry, but the anger had dissolved the moment I saw her face in the diner. Only joy remained. She had followed me into the real world.
I went to work that day with a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon on my face. No one could get me down, not bitter customers or sarcastic Derrick. I had packed a lunch for myself, another one of those normal people milestones that I seemed to be hitting left and right. Before treatment, I had never eaten lunch, choosing to use the time off to get high or get drunk. Now, I had my cooler like the rest of the guys, with an apple, a banana, some nuts, and crackers. I still hadn’t graduated to cooking, but the drink I brought along was a protein shake instead of beer, so that was enough of a breakthrough.
I sat down in the employee lounge, which was really just a back room with a table and a fridge. I grabbed my lunch and ate it as the rest of the guys shuttled in and out, remarking on my newfound hunger.
“I see you’re eating better,” Mr. Matthews said.
I nodded over my banana.
“No sandwich?” another worker asked, sitting down next to me.
“I’m off of sandwiches for a lifetime.” I grimaced, remembering the soggy tuna fish and bleached ham and cheese of the past few weeks.
I smiled at the delivery driver after the paperwork was signed and all the logs had been removed from his truck. He gave me a strange look, as if people in our line of work shouldn’t be too happy.
“What’s going on?” he asked suspiciously.
“I have a date,” I said stupidly.
“Ah.” He tilted his head back and laughed, climbing into his rig.
When the workday was done, Mr. Matthews came by personally to thank me. It might have been something my counselor encouraged him to do or his way of checking up on me. Either way, it was endearing. I felt like I owed him a lot, and maybe with his help, I could manage to stay in line.
“Good job today, Porter.” He clapped me on the back.
“Thanks,” I said.
“You seem happy.”
There was no way I was going to tell my boss that I was planning on seeing his daughter later. There was only so much support one man could offer another, and I knew I had a hell of a lot more to prove before Old Man Matthews would see me as anything even close to good enough for his girl. I didn’t want to chance a lecture or a disapproving eye, so I concocted another reason for my high spirits.
“I’m gonna get a TV.”
“Nice, what brand?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I dunno. I’ll see when I get to the store.”