12 Days to Find a Husband

Chapter 5 - The Caution

Upon entering Gregory's car, Anna-lea's shame came crashing back down on her again like a heavy wave. It smelt disgusting. The odour of vomit seemed to permeate the entire vehicle and they drove with the top down to the doctor's office. After dropping Gregory off, Anna-lea took the car to get detailed, inside and out. The car wash made her pay extra for the smell and she couldn't really argue. She left it with them to be picked up later.

Taking a taxi uptown town to pick-up her own car, Anna-lea reflected on the previous day and night and came to the conclusion that it had been a horror show. She vowed to make everything right for Gregory, for starters, and then get herself into gear and start looking for a husband. First, she wanted to go back over her great aunt Hilda's will. If there was a legal loop-hole, she wanted to know about it. Anna-lea made a mental note to ask Gregory when she went back to pick him up in an hour.

After paying the taxi driver, she had to rush to the dry cleaners to drop off both the suit Gregory had been wearing last night and the outfit he had worn this morning when she sprayed him, before heading back to her own place for a quick shower and change. Gregory didn't want his shirt back so Anna-lea decided she would wash that herself later. The jeans she had ended up borrowing from him this morning would also have to be cleaned later.

She arrived back at the doctor's office to find Gregory waiting on a seat at a bus stop outside the building.

"Great, you're here. Jump in," Anna-lea yelled out as she pulled up at the bus stop, instead of heading on further to find a car park. In her haste, she hadn't noticed the patches over Gregory's eyes.

"Is that you Miss Warrington?" Gregory asked.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see the patches. Hang on," Anna-lea said, switching the ignition off and quickly running over to Gregory to help him back to the car.

"Is it that bad?" she enquired.

"No, not really, but the doctor wanted me to rest my eyes for a couple of days and he knows me well enough to know that I wouldn't do it without eye patches over them," he answered.

"Great. I mean, it's not great but.... Oh never mind," Anna-lea replied as she heard a loud siren blast over her shoulder.

A police car pulled up behind her car.

"Crap!"

"What?" Gregory asked.

"A police car has just pulled up behind me and I'm parked in a bus zone. Come on," she replied, guiding Gregory over to the passenger's side front door.

The policeman approached the car at the same time they did.

"Miss, is this your vehicle?" he asked.

Anna-lea made sure Gregory was seated before turning to the policeman and walking over to him.

"I'm sorry officer, I was picking up this gentleman and, as you can see, he can't see, so I didn't have a choice but to stop here," Anna-lea explained, motioning over her shoulder to Gregory.

She went on.

"He was waiting for me at the bus stop."

"Please show me your licence and registration," the officer requested.

"Honestly, we've just been here for a minute," Anna-lea protested.

"Licence and registration, please," the officer insisted.

Anna-lea let out a sigh and headed back to her car for the documents. She leaned in over Gregory to get them.

"Is everything all right?" Gregory asked.