Almost an hour later, Denny received a call."Hello?" Denny took the call without hesitations when he saw the name flashed on his phone screen."Mister Vero, good morning, it's me, Marie Lewis from Sweet Haven," a woman's voice was heard loud in the silenced-filled office room. Denny was too busy to keep a hold of his phone on his ear, so he pressed the loudspeaker button. "Good morning. Are you on your way to pack Trisha's things?" Denny asked without ado. "Mhmm... I was about to, I was actually on the road, but my car broke. I will take a taxi to get there, so I called to inform you that I might be delayed," Marie stated clearly. She was not sorry or proud. She was just honest to tell Mister Vero of her situation to avoid misunderstandings. She was not going to disobey, and she was actually on her way to do as ordered of her, but her car could not move after a stop at a red light. She even got panicked as cars behind her kept their loud honking to make her move, but she had to get
Carl arrived just as he estimated. As he dialed Marie's number while approaching her location, she quickly got into the vehicle as soon as Carl pulled over by the side road."Hey!" Carl greeted Marie casually as soon as she got seated. He just glanced at her with a gentle smile then focused on the road driving."Hi!" Marie replied shortly. She was relieved to realize that the man was not making her feel uncomfortable in any way. It wasn't long ago when they've met and parted a bit awkwardly. But she felt like the man had forgotten about that incident, so she also had to let it slip. She just thought that maybe he was not having a good day then, unlike today. He was warmly smiling."I have heard from Mister Vero, your car broke down," Carl spoke with the same casual and gentle tone."Yeah, I haven't been able to bring my car to the shop for a while. I guess the engine got overheated as the engine oil wasn't changed in a while already," Marie answered casually. The two were conversing
"Does it mean I will have to say yes to a date with you for me to see Trisha?" Marie raised her eyebrows in disbelief.Carl nodded firmly. He was being straightforward with his deal and proposition. "And I am afraid you will have to decide now as it will tell me where to go from here," Carl pressed on the navigation system touch screen to punch in the address Marie would give for an answer.Marie did not think so hard, it was just a date, and honestly, it feels good that even at her age, someone was still formal enough to ask her out. She would get jokes around at work about wanting to date her, but none has come forward as to bluff her with a deal of wanting to take her out on a date. "Fine, date it is," Marie blurted. "But it's been a while. I am not really sure I still know anything about dating," she added with a sass. "You can't expect anything.""Fair enough. It only means we are on the same boat," Carl chuckled. "I don't know how to date a woman. You might have to tell me you
"Really?" Trisha looked out to check if the neighbor Marie saw was visible through the window, but she did not see anything. "Oh, I haven't seen anyone around other than us around here," Trisha chuckled. She sat back and handed Marie the glass of juice. "Here, have a drink first. I did not prepare coffee so you could get a rest before you go to work for today," Trisha's face showed an awkward smile."I told you not to worry about me, I am old. And to be honest, even if I sleep late every day, I can not stay long in bed in the daytime," Marie stated. "Maybe it's because I have been an early riser for more than three-thirds of my lifetime that I can no longer adjust to change how my body clock works. A cat nap would be enough for me to take before I start my night duty and that's it.""I might agree with you," Trisha nodded. "I have been in Sweet Haven for a few months, ever since my training days, but I still had not been able to stay long in bed after seven in the morning. If I do, I
Carl went back to where his boss was. He will have to wait until Mister Vero gets off work, send him home, and Carl can prepare for his date the next day. He needs a little grooming, after all. He planned the things he would do. He even made a memo list to make sure he didn't forget anything. He was so excited that he didn't notice the time. He had lunch on a bench as he enjoyed the calm noon wind under the shades of trees in the park beside the hospital. It was also an open area for patients and families to walk for exercise. He saw couples, young and old, sharing laughter, talking. Some were arguing in low voices. Some were just quiet but still harmonious. "I am going crazy," Carl chuckled, laughing at himself. "I seem to notice there are couples wherever I turn my eyes to."It made him think he should really have a partner of his own. He imagines himself being one among someone with joyous laughter. But as he turned to look at another side, he saw a couple with the man being taken
Trisha heard the sound of the car's engine arriving. She was already prepared to go to the supermarket as she could not find anything she could fix for dinner among Mister Vero's stocks of food in the pantry. She hurried to welcome the Master of the house. But she did not open the door. Instead, she waited on the farther side behind it, hiding. Denny was too excited to see his girl knowing she was waiting for him at home. It was a new feeling he was enjoying.He had never been too eager to get home before today. His house suddenly felt warm and homey, knowing Trisha was in there, doing whatever she was doing while waiting for him to come home from work. He called out as soon as he opened and got in the door. "Honey...!? I'm home..." Denny chuckled. He was also enjoying even the sound of his chosen endearment for them to call each other. It was intimate like they were playing a husband and wife role on a movie of their own. He walked straight from the door, thinking she might be in
Denny came down wearing blue jeans and a white shirt with a lightweight puffer vest. He was looking even younger from his business looks yet equally dashing. The area they live in has four seasons, but as it's in the farther south region, it doesn't snow in the winter months. The lowest temperature would usually be within zero to negative five degrees. Today it was still five. Cold but lesser cold than in places with snow all around. The cold wind blew outdoors but with warm clothes, it would be manageable.For Denny, a sweatshirt, a pair of jeans pants, and a vest would be fine. Besides, they were going indoors—restaurant and supermarket, then back home. Trisha was wearing a hooded sweatshirt but with a fleece innerwear shirt and winter wear leggings. She could wear the hood if she felt cold and pull her sleeves to hide her hands like wearing gloves. "Who are you? Where is Mister Vero?" Trisha asked with astonishment. In her eyes, this man is a stranger, a handsome stranger. Had he
Denny drove to the biggest shopping mall in the downtown area. It had restaurants and many other shops in the whole establishment, including a supermarket. It even had other entertainment booths, as well as cinemas. Many people shop and spend time with their family indoors in the mall as the air conditioner would be adjusted according to the season and weather outside. If it's cold, the heater will be on, while coolers will be on when it's hot. "I haven't tried any of this, so you are not allowed to laugh at me," Denny warned Trisha. "Yes, honey," Trisha replied with a nod. The word "honey" became casual and fluent as if she was addressing Denny as her master. The respect it contained did not lessen by the sweet word; rather, it solidifies it. Charming and respectful in a way. They arrived at the place after about half an hour drive. The parking lot was within the building, so Denny drove his car to the closest empty spot, but as it was the weekend, they still had to reach the sev