Page 12 of The Opposite of Romance
Sandy
You love me
Me
Of course, I do.
What are you up to?
Sandy
Just shopping for baby supplies with Stella. You?
Me
Had a productive writing day, believe it or not. And now I plan to put some pictures up.
Sandy
Yeah? And do you know how to do that?
Me
How hard can it be?
I shoot her a selfie with a hammer I got from Home Depot last week.
Sandy
Oh, you GOT this.
Her text makes me laugh out loud before I lock my phone. I have a box of framed pictures, documenting our lives since the birth of both Olivia and Asher, and I want to put them in the hallway, along the stairs. I’m hoping they’ll help make this house a home.
Dropping the box on the first step, I prepare my nails and hammer, courtesy of the pink toolbox I bought. The hammer has a pink handle, which I love, though it seems a little heavy. The YouTube video said I should measure everything out, but I clearly see the right place for them, so there’s no need for that. I’ll just put one above each step.
Grabbing a nail, I place it gently on the wall, squinting to find the perfect spot. It feels weird to wield the hammer in the very direction of my fragile fingers, but it’s what everyone does,right?
And the videos make it look super easy.
There’s no need to be afraid, even though my hands are definitely shaking and my breathing is erratic.
Squinting once again, I bring the hammer up and, deciding to rip off the bandage, smash it onto the nail with all my force.
“Aaaah!” My heart is beating out of my chest as I check my hand to see if my fingers survived. Seems like they did, unlike the wall that sports a large hole in it.
“What happened?” I almost jump out of my skin at the panicked sound of Logan’s voice.
“Jesus Christ.” I grab my chest.
“Are you ok?” His eyes are wide with concern.
“You scared me.” I catch my breath.
“You were the one screaming bloody murder.”
“Oh, sorry. I had an…” my gaze falls to the hole in the wall, “accident.”
“What happened here? Is your hand ok?” His hand gently grasps mine, checking it for injuries.
