Luck of the Draw

Chapter 14 - To Dine is Devine

Carly arrived the next night as promised, and she actually brought finger food. Mickey couldn't believe it.

"How can I possibly eat this stuff like this?"

"Thanks, Carly, for bringing dinner, I don't know what I would have done on my own." She dug dishes out of his cupboard and set the table, pouring them each a glass of the wine she also provided.

"I'm sorry—"

"There you go again with the sorry bit. Cowboy up, Mickey, there are plenty around worse off than you." She helped him to his feet and handed him his cane. "Why are you crouched like that?"

"It's nothing." He stood straighter.

"Must be something, nothing wouldn't make you stoop like an old man."

"I spilled that soup the other night and burned myself, okay?"

"Again? Guess that gave you a flash into the future, eh? You should look into protective clothing. Here, grab my arm."

"I can't hold—"

Her look shut him up, and working the cane into the edge of his cast, contrived to make his way to the kitchen. She held the chair while he lowered himself to the table, and then she plopped down across from him.

"This is sauce, hot sauce. It's for those breaded shrimp. This stuff is for the mushroom rolls, you just spread it on like this." She took her knife and smothered a large mushroom with a pink goo. Mickey looked forlornly at the knife beside his plate.

"The rice is wild and fried and the chicken slices are grilled and marinated in lime juice. They go really good with that garlic bread." Carly began eating while Mickey examined the best way to get something from the selection to his mouth without wearing it.

Before he could tackle the shrimp, she reached across with one and stuck it in his mouth.

"I'm not a total idiot, Mickey. I did know you would have trouble." She buttered a mushroom and offered him that, shaking her head. The rest of the meal continued the same way and by the time it was all gone and the wine was finished, Mickey was comfortably sated and more admiring of his new neighbour than he could show.

His eyes rolled carelessly in his head and the warning about drugs and alcohol briefly entered the empty space. They went back to the living room and enjoyed another bottle of wine to go with the sweets that were dessert. Mickey felt air beneath him and relished the heady feeling. He was getting used to having help from his comely neighbour.

"I had this guy in the store from some outfit that manufactured plant seeds and food and stuff. He brought me a quite nice poinsettia plant, a real one oddly enough, while also trying to pedal sesame seeds that were genetically grown. I gave him a taste of mine and he packed his samples away. It was a blast. I even sold him a whole whack of spices."

She popped a sweet in her mouth and Mickey watched her chew, admiring even more the easy, natural beauty of this woman that suddenly entered his life in a most bizarre way.

"Was it a company called NaturGro?" He ventured.

"Yeah, you know it?"

"They tried a year or so ago to get Mac to stock their stuff but he wasn't having any part of it. Their claim was that you use one of their shrubs for foundation planting and you never have to replace it. He wondered what the hell good that would do his business. Guess they're giving us another run."

"Smart." She drank some wine and downed another sweet. "He was so easy," she laughed. "I got the feeling he thought his charm would just bowl me over." He wasn't that bad looking but he was quite full of himself."

Mickey felt a twinge. Jealousy?

"Is he still in town?" His eyes went away on their own and he had to focus hard to get them back.

"No idea. I would guess yes because his licence plate was from out of county."

"What do you mean? How do you know that?" One eye rolled away on its own.

"Just something I picked up somewhere. Different counties have different suffix codes. Glen Springs- or at least the county we're in has a suffix of ALD."

"What does it mean?"

"Search me. Anyway, because of that I think he's likely still around. There isn't much between here and where he came from that want his product."

"Maybe he's going further." He shook his head slowly and reseated the fugitive orb.

She drank some more and set her glass down. "Let's drop Mr. NaturGro and talk about something else."

"Okay. How am I going to repay you for all this, and not just today either."

"Well that poses a real question, doesn't it?" The question required her to refill her glass and tuck her feet under her on the sofa.

"It does for me." He wondered what he'd asked.

"Hmmm. How long are the casts on for?"

"The hand maybe another week." He shrugged staring at it with wonder. "The fingers a few days and the leg probably the middle of next week."

"So not that long, except for the hand we should see you back soon."

"You saw my back at the hospital." He rolled his head toward her on the sofa cushion.

"Back to work, Mickey. Are you drunk?"

"Hopefully. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'm slipping into some kind of delirium."

She took his glass and set it down. "Shouldn't have had that, or the painkillers, not both together."

"Is that why I don't hurt?"

She laughed. "You wanted to repay me so let's say when you're mobile you can help me at the store. I want to start getting set for Christmas; it's almost upon us."

"Christmas! It's only just the end of November!" His shout brought a landslide of boulders behind his eyes.

"It's the start of December, Schafer and I want to make displays of the popular spices people use over the holidays. A lot of cooking goes on at Christmastime."

"Whatever you need, Carly. I can't thank you enough." He groped for the arm for support.

"No, you can't. That's why you're going to help in the store." She leaned her head forward and gave a short nod affirming that Mickey understood. He barely noticed.

"Meanwhile, can I uhm, rely on your continued assistance?" His focus asked the one to his left, and the other held her glass up to her lips and studied him, answering. "I could manage I suppose."

He felt relieved and he shifted carefully as he forced his thoughts into broaching the next subject. "Do you think you could speak to my boss at the nursery and plead my case a little? He is threatening to fill my position if I'm not back."

"Was Monday your deadline?" He nodded with difficulty.

Carly smiled. "It's going to be so much fun owning you, Schafer."

He slipped into unconsciousness, imagining himself her personal property, with mixed emotions.