Dream // Van McCann

17. I'm Proud of You

Friday

Florence could've gone home but she waited for me saying there was no point in going home. If she went home, she'd only be home briefly before having to leave again. After work, she stopped by and told us to pretend she wasn't there but I couldn't leave her alone.

It was obvious she was bored. She was sat on the couch twiddling her thumbs, staring at the clock as if willing it to move faster. It was clear she wanted to talk to someone but feared she would be a bother. Meanwhile, the three of us were frantically trying to finish everything before the weekend. I took a moment to make tea and walked over to her, hugging her from behind. She turned to face me and I leant in to kiss her on the lips.

"How was work?" I asked.

"It was okay. I didn't finish the report but I can take care of it on Monday. I couldn't focus as I'm so stressed right now." When Florence is stressed, she can't keep still; her energy has to go elsewhere. She's been off all day, ever since this morning.

When she woke up, she spent a long time deciding what to wear and how to do her makeup. The first outfit she chose made it look like she had a very important meeting to attend. I told her she was going to look out of place in the hospital so she went to change into her normal attire. Her makeup is usually more bold but today, it was toned down. She looked like the girl next door which was very strange to me. I almost prefer that she be herself rather than who she thinks her mum wants but I understand she wants this to go as smooth as possible.

And when I got ready, I started thinking about her family and how this would be their first time meeting me and my first time meeting them. I put a little more effort into how I usually dress, making sure to tuck my shirt in, but not enough to tip off Bondy and Larry. To be honest, we were both nervous.

"It'll be alright. Just give me half an hour and I'll be done," I told her.

I went back to make tea and brought it to my desk, drinking a good portion before sitting back down. All that was left was the conclusion. I had to summarize what I wrote and then I'd be done. Meanwhile, I could hear Bondy and Larry stirring which meant they were done and getting ready to go home. Larry stood up and shut his laptop.

"I'm done. I'll see yas next week," he said, putting his stuff away. He thought about whether or not he wanted to take his laptop home but decided against it. It was a good call. Normally I try not to do any work once I leave but sometimes I can't help but check my emails. I'm definitely not taking it with me to Portugal.

Larry was first to leave as he and Maeve had plans tonight so they had to get moving. Bondy stayed a little longer asking if I was good. He offered to help me, joking that Florence looked eager to leave, and then they both had a little chat about weekend plans before he too left.

"I'm done," I told Florence, shutting down my laptop and stretching my arms over my head. "Thanks for waiting." I thought about taking my laptop with me but the thought of carrying it with me to the restaurant and hospital made me change my mind.

"I was thinking we should eat at a restaurant not too far from the hospital," Florence started as we made our way towards the lift. "Is Italian okay with you? I found a mom and pop restaurant with good reviews nearby."

"I'm fine with it but how does your family feel about it? Since we're gonna get takeaway from there."

"They like Italian food. You can't really go wrong with it, can you?"

We reached the garage and I went to pay for my parking ticket. I don't drive enough to pay for monthly parking but this building has better parking rates compared to street parking. We made our way to the car and I put my bag in the boot. Florence and I normally take the bus to work but since we planned to go to the hospital after, we just thought it'd be easier to take the car.