English Version: Dandelions in the Wind

41

Exhausted from her day, Dionne wearily stepped out of her sleek black car and stopped in front of the polished modern door. She quickly punched in the security code on the keypad, and the door opened smoothly on its hinges. Dionne was preoccupied with her thoughts and hurrying to get inside, but she failed to notice the shiny sports car parked near the garage.

Once inside, Dionne tossed her leather bag carelessly onto the sofa and considered heading straight to her bedroom to rest. However, the sound of a familiar voice halted her plans. "Dee, is that you? Are you home?" Charlotte called out from the kitchen.

With a puzzled frown creasing her forehead, Dionne followed the sound of Charlotte's voice and found herself at the kitchen doorway. She leaned against the frame, her right arm supporting her weight, her posture relaxed yet curious. Inside, Charlotte stood at the counter, gracefully pouring a homemade soup from a white Tupperware into a ceramic bowl. She was still dressed in her work attire, a white shirt under a black apron, her office blazer, and a leather briefcase abandoned on a nearby chair.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the office?" Dionne asked, her tone light yet tinged with genuine surprise.

Charlotte finished ladling the soup and wiped the bowl's rim with a tissue. She looked up with a warm, reassuring smile. "Someone's got to keep an eye on you," she responded playfully. "Plus, you mentioned you'd be home early because you're feeling sick. I brought reinforcements—soup," she added, pointing at the steaming bowl with a flourish. "Straight from the front lines of my favorite deli."

Easing herself from the doorway, Dionne walked towards Charlotte, her high heels clicking decisively on the tile floor. She reached out and affectionately kissed Charlotte on the cheek. "What did I do to deserve this royal treatment?" she asked softly, her thumb gently brushing Charlotte's cheek to remove a trace of her lipstick.

"Besides being adorably helpless when you're under the weather?" Charlotte teased, a twinkle in her eye as she set aside her apron on the kitchen island. She placed her hand on Dionne's forehead. "You do have a fever," she observed. Gently, she guided Dionne to sit on a stool on the kitchen island. "Now, sit down and eat before I have to spoon-feed you," she said with a gentle chuckle.

Dionne laughed softly, the tension easing from her shoulders as she settled onto the stool. "Keep this up, and I might just fake a cough...forever," she joked, spooning some of the soup and blowing it gently. "I like it," she declared after tasting it, the chicken soup flavors soothing her.

Charlotte settled next to Dionne with a teasing roll of her eyes. "Don't you dare. I want you to be at your best. But for now, I'll settle for taking care of you. It's not every day I get to flaunt my bedside skills." She delved further into the plastic bag, pulling out a soda bottle sealed with a pull-tab lid. "Why can't they just use a normal twist-off lid for this soda?" Charlotte grumbled.

Dionne put her soup spoon down and reached for the bottle. "Let me try," she offered. With a practical use of the spoon's handle, Dionne popped the tab off effortlessly. "See, it's easy," she said, flashing a victorious smile as she set the bottle back beside Charlotte.

Charlotte rolled her eyes playfully. "Show off," she teased. "Thanks, though. I don't get why it's so easy for you. Can you also open it with paper? At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised."

Dionne chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "Actually... yes, I can open it with paper, too."

Charlotte shook her head, half-amused and half-admonishing. "If you keep opening bottles for me, I'll never learn to do it myself. I'll get too used to having you around," she said, pouring the soda into a glass and sipping it thoughtfully.

"I should add 'personal bottle opener' to my girlfriend's resumé," Dionne quipped, returning to her soup. "Old habits die hard, I guess. I've always been ready to pop a lid for you."