Learning to Live: Time Change?

9:00- 10:00 AM

Twenty-one hours off the island…

When I came downstairs ten minutes later, Penny was grabbing some plates from the side cabinet in the kitchen. It could have been from shock, but I didn’t remember this place or how exactly I had gotten here.

“Hi.”

Giving me a small smile, she moved the dishes to the counter. “Hi. Feeling any better?”

“Aye.” I chuckled, thinking that she knew me better than I knew myself. “Nothing that your breakfast won’t solve. It smells delicious.” As I leaned against the other side of the counter, my headache was momentarily forgotten. She continued to move around the kitchen, rendering me helpless. “Anything I can help with?”

When she turned back around, she looked slightly humored as I gave her my most serious look. “You’ve been home for less than a day. All I want you to do is sit back and relax.”

I had to chuckle a little at the fact that she was as serious about wanting me to relax, as eager as I was to help her do something. I wasn’t used to just sitting around all day, or sleeping in. I had already figured out, that being home would teach me how to live at a slower pace. Being with her right now, would give me a new chance to start over. And with that new start, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her and make her my wife.

“Desmond?” She reached back and grabbed the plates with a pause. I looked at her, still half in thought. “You sure you’re alright?”

“Guess I just have a lot to think about. You know, I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve slept in a real bed, eaten real food, or had water that came out of a faucet.”

“It’s going to take awhile before everything feels like home again.” Dishing up a big plate full of eggs, she handed it to me and was just about to dish herself up a plate when the doorbell rang.

“Expecting someone?” I knew by the expression on her face that she hadn’t.  

“Would you mind getting it? I’m still in my nightgown.”

Nodding, I walked around the corner and opened the door to see a blonde haired woman—no more than twenty five years of age, standing there on the patio with a baby in her arms.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you so early in the morning, but as I was driving down your street, I started having some car troubles. I was wondering if it was too much to ask, if I could use your phone to call my boyfriend.”

Her baby began to fuss in her arms. “Yeah…sure. Please, come in. How old is your baby?”

“Thank you. He’s almost four months old.” I closed the door behind her, led her into the living room and returned to the kitchen.

“Who was at the door?”

“A woman having car troubles—asked to use our phone to call her boyfriend.”

“Mmm…” She offered handing me the phone. The question didn’t come to mind, until I was headed back towards the living room. I wondered if having people come to her door so early in the morning was a daily occurrence.

When I returned back in the room, I saw the woman trying desperately to rock her son back and forth. “Thank you.” She took the phone and began dialing. “I apologize ahead of time if he starts making a raucous. We’ve been up since five this morning, but I chalk it up to the time change.”

“Time change?”

“We just flew here from Australia. My boyfriend and is in a band and we flew down to be with him.” She put the phone up to her ear, and I gave her some privacy and returned back to the kitchen, which just happened to be empty.

“Penny?”

“I’ll be out in a minute.” I heard Penny’s muffled voice come from one of the back rooms. She emerged about five minutes later, wearing a pink top, a black sweater and jeans, just as the woman came in with the phone.

“Thank you. We’ll get out of your hair now.”

“Is someone coming to get you?”  Penny inquired, now standing beside me.

“Yeah…my boyfriend should be here within the hour.” The woman turned to leave: her baby fussing even louder than before.

“You’re welcome to stay until he gets here.”

“No. I couldn’t do that to you.” She gently guided her pinky into the baby’s mouth and he began to instantly suck on it. “Besides—I’m pretty sure we just crashed a perfectly good breakfast for you two. Thanks for letting me use your phone.”

“Of course.”