Page 29 of Lovesick
We had been getting a teensy bit annoyed with each other, but we had to laugh. “Let’s like…try to fit some more into the boxes. I’ll ask the mover about the rest when he gets here.” I suggested. We didn’t have a lot of time anyway.
“Sounds great.”
While we finished up, Zoe and I talked about men and life after college the whole time, breaking down into giggles or full-blown laughter more than once.
“Is it safe to come in now?” Abigail asked after hearing us laugh.
“Completely,” I promised her. “In fact, we could use some help.”
“Okay. With what?” She sat down on the floor next to us.
With Abigail there, our threesome was finally complete. Together, we had a great time messing around and getting absolutely nothing done until the mover arrived.
Shortly, the driver came up to help us start carrying stuff downstairs, looked at what was left unpackaged, and said it would be fine to put what was left in bags for such a short distance. I sent Zoe a triumphant grin. She ignored it, of course, and grabbed a box.
We had the truck loaded quickly, and as I had expected, my stuff took up a laughable amount of space in the back. That was good, though, because most of my things would end up stacked in a corner inside Marty’s apartment for a while until his treatment was finished. Then, we would have to find a place of our own.
The day I had spoken to his case manager, Mrs. Franklin, for approval to move in with Marty and become his caregiver during his stay, I explained, “I’m not exactly family. I’m his girlfriend.”
I told her Marty, and his parents were on board with it, and that I had just finished nursing school. Then, her eyes lit up when she recognized me from my rotations at the cancer center. “Oh, hello, Maggie. I have no problem at all with you moving in. You will be a big help to all of us… another set of trained eyes on our patient.” She grinned, “And I’m sure Marty’s recovery will be a speedy one with you by his side.”
And now, today was the day. It was finally time for me to move out of the sorority house, leave my college life behind, and spend the time before beginning my career as a nurse with the man I loved.
And…I was excited. I knew caring for someone during chemotherapy was no simple task, and there would be hard times and long nights, but I didn’t care. Anything that kept me close to Marty would keep me happy - just like I had told Zoe.
I was excited until everything was loaded into the truck and there was nothing left to do but get in and drive off. Before I could do that…I felt the gazes of my two best friends boring into my back.
As the driver rolled down the metal door of the truck and locked it, I pulled Abigail and Zoe into the tightest hug that I could muster with my arms not being able to reach fully around them. “I’m gonna miss you guys.” Squeezing muffled my voice, hiding my emotions until I had contained myself, and we had all let go of each other.
“I’m going to miss you too. But we’ll see each other again soon! We have to hang out. Zoe’s not leaving yet, and neither am I.”
I knew that, but the moving truck behind me made everything feel so final. “Okay.” I pulled them into one more hug. The driver, who probably dealt with tearful goodbyes all the time, just sat in the driver’s seat with his nose in his phone.
Finally, I went to my car, waving at my two friends the whole time, and drove off, leaving a chapter of my life behind with the big old house.
There wasn’t much time to get sentimental during the drive, either, since the trip was really only a few miles. After that, I had to inform the front desk that I was moving in, and, with the help of the driver, ferry all my things up the elevator to Marty’s apartment.
“Can you set my things out here, and I’ll take them in?” I asked the driver. Marty might be tired, and I was feeling…protective, I guess.
“Sure, no problem.”
“Hey.” I grinned at Marty as I carried the first of my things into the room. “Sorry I got here late.”
“I’m just glad you’re here.” He watched me work. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw his fingers twitch slightly like he wanted to reach out to help.
We chatted a bit as I moved things in until I was out of breath.
“Want to sit outside?” I asked. It was late April - only a few days before graduation - and the Louisiana days were starting to grow swelteringly hot - but today was a beautiful day.
“Sure. I was hoping you would.” Now, it was my turn to get twitchy fingers. I really wanted to help him up from the couch, but I knew this was one of the few things he could do on his own - he wouldn’t appreciate me taking that away from him. So, I was content sliding the porch door open instead. Then shut it once he was outside.
We sat close to each other, turning our chairs so we could look at that park while we held hands or put a hand on each others’ thigh. “How are you feeling?” I asked quietly, not wanting to disturb a bird that had perched on a small ornamental tree nearby. I made it a point to ask how Marty felt once or twice a day, but no more than that. I trusted him to let me know if something was wrong.
“Not too bad, today. Still achy, but not as tired as I was last week.”
It had been a little while since his last chemo treatment, so that was to be expected. Still, it was good to hear everything was normal. We did what we usually did - chatted on and on about anything that happened to come up. Marty had a lot more to say than usual, which was fantastic - when he talked a lot, it meant he was feeling better.
“Hey, what’s that?” Marty asked, raising his hand carefully to point.
