Page 43 of Half Blind

“Bonus on shutting down the Field of Flowers,” she said. “Since you sent me, I felt you deserved a slice of the pie. The others, I wanted the boys to have a starter gift from me, no matter what they decide to do in life.”

“Aren't you all kinds of thoughtful,” Apple said, pausing. “Oscar is missing you. He's asked to call you.”

“Not a good idea, but I will write and keep in touch,” she said. “You good?”

“Yep.”

“Talk soon. Cranberry out,” she said, ending the call.

Leaning against the kitchen island, instinct made her check the fridge. Nothing was taken down, which meant he planned to take her out for dinner. Mustang had food stores in the pantry for his lunch for next week. This gave Helen an idea.

She pressed 1 on her Technician phone. Patiently, she waited for her handler to answer.

“State your need, needy person,” the voice said.

“Requesting an additional day and evening, returning to the training assignment on Tuesday morning by ten a.m.,” Helen said.

“This is not Summer Camp, Cranberry,” the voice said.

“I know, but he's starting his new job on Monday. I want to be here to send him off, and I want to be here when he comes home from his first day to provide support and encouragement,” Helen said. “We all need that.”

She heard a loud sigh. “You're seriously asking me for an additional day off from your training to stay and play house with your man friend? Tell me, Oh Delusional One, why would I agree to that versus washing you out and giving you all the free time in the world to pack his lunch and ask about his day?”

Helen didn't miss a beat. “Because I know when you need a tracker, you're going to call him to ask for an assist. If I am here every day with nowhere to go or anything to do other than fondle my anger, when he says you asked a favor of him, I will kindly say, ‘Fuck that chick; she didn't do you any favors.’ Or you can give me an additional day from playing with poisonous plants to take care of this man, who will help you when and how he's able when you call for an assist because that is who he is.”

The voice replied, “I am starting to see who you are as well.”

“If you didn't know, you'd better ask somebody. Back in the saddle on Tuesday and thank you for this. This will mean a lot to him. Cranberry out,” she said, and hung up the phone. She exhaled softly, looking out the large paned window, “Yeah, this place needs some curtains.”

*****

THE WEEKEND WENT FARbetter than either of them anticipated. Helen was adamant on the curtains; privacy fence or not, the idea of no coverings on the windows creeped her out, the sheer idea of some weirdo out there peering in watching their sexy time made her skin crawl.She found drapes for the living, dining, and bedrooms and personally hung them using his power drill and leveler.

Saturday night, for the first time as a couple, they went on a date. Nothing fancy, but a simple dinner at a local eatery, a stop at a bookstore, and enjoyed pie and coffee at a diner. Much of the day, they ventured around Plainfield, receiving odd stares as they shopped for a few items.

“I don't want to furnish all the rooms just yet,” she told him.

“Okay.”

“Nothing else to say,” Helen commented.

“Usually, a blanket statement like that from you has deeper meaning; therefore, I won't push,” he said, noticing the echo in the home was no more. “The curtains are nice and you're good with that drill.”

An odd expression came to her face. “I was thinking, when Bad Apple first taught me to use a drill, that it would be used as some form of tool to extract information from a suspect. You know, all James Bond and shit, like 'Where are they hiding the children, you slimy caterpillar catcher' kind of thing?”

“Caterpillar catcher. Odd turn of phrase,” he said, arching his eyebrow.

“The entire life cycle of a chrysalis is a learning experience for me,” she told him.

Mustang stopped. He stared at her for the longest, seeing and slowly beginning to comprehend. “You know a lot of things, don't you?”

“I've either been ignored or fixated upon, both of which made me hypervigilant,” she said. “I don't know what to do with what I know, so I remain quiet, sharing when necessary, shutting the hell up when it's not.”

“Okay, then riddle me this: Do you believe I'm going to ask to marry you?”

Helen watched his face. She knew the answer he wanted; however, it wouldn't be the answer she'd give. Over the weekend, she’d watched him as he watched her. This house would be their home. Her intention was to make it a place where they both could recharge and be themselves, and she didn't plan to move too fast by nesting, and they had no baby birds to feed or tend.

“You already stated you would; therefore, you will,” she said softly. “However, what is driving you bat shit crazy is the concern that I might be bat shit crazy. This will either be the best decision of your life or the worst. I gave you sixteen reasons why I looked forward to sharing this journey through our old age with you. I am what you see. There's nothing hidden with me, no personal agendas or vendettas. You take care of me; I will take care of you. Colt gets handled on a regular basis and I get to enjoy it and not feel like a piss pot for an unappreciative man.”

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