Wide Open Spaces

I Was Made For Sunny Days

Stevie was still feeling out of sorts almost a week later. The thing she noticed more than anything else was how tired she was. She tried to make it a point to go to bed a little earlier and fully wind down before bed so she would sleep through the night. Nothing was really helping. The morning of the craft show was a difficult one. She felt like she was running on empty, even after having several cups of coffee that made her more jittery than anything else. She wasn't sure how she would make it through the day let alone that night when her paintings were going to be shown in a local but well known gallery. Both she and Lindsey would be in attendance as there would be party in her honor. She got dressed for the first event of the day, did her makeup, curled her hair and pulled on her boots. Lindsey had decided at the last minute to come with her and she welcomed the help. She had so much to set up and was really hoping to get it done as quickly as possible.

They pulled the Jeep up to the convention center's service entrance and Lindsey helped her unload her totes and unwrap the breakables. It took seemingly forever and they both worked up a little bit of a sweat. Lindsey opened a bottle of water and shared it with her. She looked pale again and he pressed a kiss to her temple and rubbed her back.

"Are you still not feeling well?" he asked.

"I have no idea what's going on. I'm going to ignore it and just enjoy the day."

"Alright, I will leave you alone about it."

"Thank you" She got up slowly, her head pounding as if she's had too much to drink. She could feel the familiar unsettled feeling grow in the pit of her stomach but she managed to keep it at bay for most of the day. She kept herself busy, constantly talking to people in a group in front of her booth and her sales were going well. She excused herself for a moment leaving Lindsey to tend the booth.

She had been gone for nearly a half hour when he began to worry. Still, he sat in his seat, waiting for her to come back thinking she might have been caught by a friend. It seemed as if she knew everyone, everywhere she went. He always liked that about her, she was a magnet or a flame that would draw everything to her. She dazzled in a crowd. He spoke to a few women about her work as they approached her table. He finally spotted Stevie coming toward him and she sat next to him without a word until the women had left.

"Thank you for taking care of the booth for me. I'm sorry I was gone for so long."

"Are you okay?" he asked and she shook her head.

"To be honest, I feel terrible."

"Maybe we shouldn't go tonight"

"I have to. My work is being shown, the party is for me. I can't just not show up."

"I know. I just think it's a bad idea."

"Why don't we wrap up here and I promise I will rest when I get home. Is that a deal?"

"Okay, deal" he said kissing her cheek. "I hate that you feel so horrible."

"It's okay" she said. He helped her load everything back up and it didn't take nearly as long to close up as it did to open. He drove her back to the house and drew her a bath so she could relax for a while. He took care of the kids and made lunch for Stevie's parents. They all sat in the kitchen chatting and having a great time, Stevie could hear them from the bathroom and smiled to herself as she sunk down into the bubbles. Her iPod was set up in the dock and she was listening to a playlist Lindsey had made for her. The Weepies weren't a usual choice but she particularly liked this song. She found herself humming along as she bathed herself, feeling much better than she did just an hour ago.