You Are On My Mind

I Got A Surprise For You

Danny Reagan stepped out of the airport doors, heading straight for the streets. It took him ten minutes to get to the hustle and bustle of the city, bringing him comfort and anxiety all at once. He breathed in the city air deeply, and, as he exhaled, he coughed violently. "Yeah, I missed that too." He mumbled to himself.
Danny stood on the corner, wondering where he should go first. He looked at his watch, then groaned; it was still on Iraq time. He saw a street vendor selling hot dogs- suddenly he knew what he wanted to do first. He ordered two hot dogs and got the correct time. As much as he wanted to see the one person who would always bring a smile to his face, he decided to see someone else first. He would need this person to arrange a surprise.
*************
Linda's purse bounced on the back of her hip as she and her roommate walked back to their dorm. She clutched two new books for her new course- Psychology and You. Previously, she had been studying beginners' psych; now, in her second year of college, she was on the second level of difficulty.
"When do you go to the hospital?" Her roommate, Brie, wondered as they stopped at their dorm.
"My shift starts at one, so not for an hour yet. I figured I'd grab some lunch and start looking over these books."
"Hey, I'll get us some tacos, and grab the mail, hm?"
"Yeah, that sounds fine. I want a soft shell and just meat and cheese-"
"I know. I'll see ya in a few."
Linda smiled and took the key from Brie. She shouldered her way through the door, kicking it shut with her foot. She turned to her room, plopping her books and purse on the bed. Like always, she picked up the picture on her nightstand. It was of herself and her boyfriend, smiling at the camera after they had gone to his high school graduation. She remembered going over to his house, and him changing into jeans and a tee immediately.
Linda smiled and put the picture down on the nightstand. She reached up to touch her necklace- a stethoscope with the tubing in a heart shape, and the chest piece had a single ruby in it. Her boyfriend gifted her with that when he came back from the Marines for the first time. She couldn't believe she had gone fourteen months without hearing or seeing him.
Linda sat on her bed, twisting her promise ring around her finger. Her boyfriend had told her she could see other people, but she didn't want to. All the other boys were rude and mean, and they kept wanting her to 'make sure they were in top health'. She shuddered at the thought of those boys. Her boyfriend was different; he was kind and gentle, and respected her. He didn't treat her like she was a fragile girl, he treated her like she was a badass. She smiled and looked down at the ring, suddenly catching something she hadn't before.
The ring was a beautiful piece of jewelry. On the thin band there were three gemstones: a ruby for her birth month, green peridot for her boyfriend, and a blue sapphire. At first, she thought he had picked sapphire because the blue went well with the deep red and lighter green.
Before she could finish her thought, Brie came in, "here's your taco and your mail."
"Thanks." She quickly looked through the mail, then sighed.
"Nothing from Danny?"
"Nope."
"Too bad, but.... I think I've got something to cheer you up."
"Not another boy toy again!"
"Nope! Somethin' better!" Brie quickly disappeared and reappeared, "ta da!"
Linda, who was on her stomach on her bed, looked up from her books to see a familiar face. "Danny!" She leaped off the bed and into her boyfriend's arms. The next week or so was going to be fantastic.