The box arrived special delivery. He wasted no time tearing off the brown shipping paper.
"What the hell's this?" he said, taking a step back from the table.
A purple elephant smiled at him from the top of the box, an image completely irrelevant to its anticipated contents.
"Fuck. They better have gotten my order right."
He had tried so hard to take control of his predicament and was in no mood for anything to go wrong.
His mind flicked back to happier days. Was it just last month that he and his wife had shaken out the checkered tablecloth for a picnic by the lake?
She had been in a playful mood which caught him a bit off guard. As she sat on the other side of the cloth with her long legs stretched out, she had lifted her flowered skirt a few inches, then glanced at him to judge his reaction.
He could feel his heart beat a little faster when he glimpsed the edge of the slinky red panties he had given her for Valentine's Day.
"Shall we eat, drink and be merry, sweetheart?" she teased.
What the hell had gone wrong? he wondered for the thousandth time as his hands reached to lift the top off of the box. He noticed they were trembling a little but wasn't surprised. After all, this was his only chance to make things right again.
The tissue paper was crisply folded and as he peeled back the layers, he sucked in his breath.
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The train was moving, but barely. She looked at her watch again and sighed in frustration. If it didn't clear the tracks to allow traffic to get moving in five minutes, she was screwed. She craned her neck in the hopes of spotting the caboose.
Grrrrrr..... Just a long line of graffiti covered cars. No end in sight. Ok. She was definitely screwed.
Turning the car around to go the other way would waste even more time. She flipped her phone open to call the office. At least she would have a legitimate excuse why she was going to be late, but she didn't want to keep her boss waiting too long.
He hadn't been in the greatest of moods lately and she definitely did not want to provoke him. She wondered what was eating him this time as she punched the speed button for work.
"His wife must be a saint," she concluded as she waited for Susan to pick up on the other end.
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"Daddy? Daddy.... are you up??!"
Panic stricken, he almost dropped the box on the floor. The doorknob rattled. Thank God he'd locked the door.
"Daddy??"
"Coming sweetie, just give me a minute!"
"We're supposed to leave in ten minutes and I didn't see you come down for breakfast! I'm gonna be late for school! I HAVE TO BE THERE ON TIME TODAY! IT'S EXAMS!!"
Damn! He'd forgotten that he promised to drive her to school.
"Oh, sorry sweetheart! I slept in. I'll be down in a minute."
With an annoyed sigh eerily reminiscent of her mother, she stomped away.
He grabbed the box and frantically looked for a safe place to stash it. God, how had he gotten himself into this? Ok, be a man! There was no time for self-pity. He had to think fast. He wedged the box behind the headboard of the bed.
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The train had slowed to a dead stop. Oh Christ!! She knew if she was late one more time, there would be hell to pay. She pulled out her phone again and quickly tapped a message. Hopefully her co-worker would cover for her one more time. She owed her big time. Lunch wouldn't cut it. She'd have to take a shift for her, maybe even two.
Her mind was racing as she contemplated various scenarios. She gave a rueful laugh. There was no doubt about it - her New Year's resolution to get more organized had definitely been broken long ago. Funny how when you're dying to slow down and have time to think and you finally get your wish, it always seems to be when you can't enjoy it.
She checked her make up in the visor mirror. The plum liner the Shoppers Drug Mart lady had suggested did look good with her brown eyes.
Feeling a little better she reached into her purse for some gum and out popped the postcard from Ken. Ah, what should she do about Ken? Another unfinished piece of business. She sighed and pushed the card back into her purse.
The train started to move.
----------- to be continued......
