It's been almost a whole year. And I am in much better shape. Today I am able to get dressed and take myself to the store. I had George's driver take me since his house is nearly forty miles from town.
I am strolling through the supermarket. George is unpacking from his most recent trip. Their last tour was shorter than the rest, this one being only a couple of months instead of five or six at a time. I look down at my list and orient myself in the store.
George has insisted Miss Judy take a week or two off. She's been working pretty much nonstop since I arrived. She told us the other day that even though she loved her job and loved taking care of me, she appreciated the break. George gave her a healthy tip on her check and told her to treat herself nicely. Since she was out, I was cooking the meals.
It didn't bother me any. I found that I loved cooking and truly enjoyed making big meals for everyone. Cooking helped me pass my days. I found solace in front of the stove or preparing something for the oven. And George and the other lads sure didn't mind either. They were over nearly every night to eat what I had put together for dinner. They came so often that it was a given that I would always double, if not triple, whatever I was making.
I was standing on my tip toes, reaching to the top shelf for a box of noodles, George loved the curly ones. When I finally grabbed it, I turned to put it in the shopping cart. I looked towards the bottom shelves for the tomato sauce. Once I found that, I stood up to put the two cans in the buggy as well. Just as I stood up, my eyes looked forward at the person watching me from a few feet away. My mouth fell and I dropped the cans, splattering tomato sauce everywhere.
"Kara?"
