Easily Erased

I'll Catch You

It was a cold Saturday morning, and the sun had yet to rise. The relentless buzzing of Adimchi’s phone woke him with a groan. “Stop!” he mumbled, eyes still closed as he fumbled for the phone on the bedside table. Finally, he grabbed it and answered, pressing it lazily to his ear.

“Wake up, sleepyhead! You should be jogging or at the gym by now, not sleeping!” Mary scolded.

“Good morning to you too, Hazel,” he replied groggily. “I have a gym at home. I don’t need to go out.”

“Well, get your butt out of bed. Our date is this morning,” she announced. Adimchi sat up instantly.

“Our date is this morning?” he exclaimed, the word ‘date’ erasing any trace of sleep from his eyes.

“Yes, Adim. Get dressed and pick me up at my place. And don’t wear a suit and tie. Casual wear is fine,” Mary said with a smirk.

“Who goes on a date early in the morning?” Adimchi asked, exasperated.

“We do, Adim. No more questions. Be here in fifteen minutes,” she replied, hanging up.

“You, beautiful witch,” he grumbled, running his fingers through his hair. Reluctantly, he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. He dressed in a black shirt, army green combat shorts, and black sneakers.

Downstairs, Adimchi packed snacks from his fridge into a bag. He believed no restaurant would be open this early, so he wanted to be prepared. With hands full of snacks, he hurried to his car, dropping some items on the way. Realizing he was short on time, he left the fallen snacks and drove to Mary’s home.

…

“You’re ten minutes late,” Mary noted as soon as Adimchi parked in front of her gate. “Guess it’s not just women who keep people waiting.”

“It was short notice. I had to get ready,” Adimchi replied, walking up to her.

“I can see that,” Mary said, glancing at his outfit.

“Is that a compliment?” he asked with a smile.

Mary shrugged. “Is it bad to compliment your man?”

“My man?” he teased.

“Just tell me why our date is so early. Where are we going?”

“Hiking,” she answered, and Adimchi’s forehead wrinkled.

“Hiking? Why hiking?”

“Because a date can be anywhere, doing anything together. Hiking isn’t a bad option, is it?”

Adimchi was disappointed. His idea of a date involved movies or dining, not hiking. He felt lost.

“How long will you stand there in silence?” Mary snapped.

“Oh, sorry. Just thinking how great your idea is,” he forced a smile.

“You were, weren’t you?” she replied, biting her lip.

“Yes, so where are we hiking?”

“It’s a surprise,” she said.

“Did you pack food?” he asked, concerned.

“Really? Food is your concern now?” Mary exclaimed.

“No, I just thought we’d need energy for hiking.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve taken care of that,” she said, grabbing a picnic basket. Adimchi’s grin widened.

“You look excited,” she noted.