The Simple Reality

Sweetest Bear

The late afternoon had come around and Björn was finally off the phone, his duties completed, tasks checked off, and solutions for how to make it up to her much clearer now. He had been standing in the living room in front of the large floor to ceiling windows, hands in his pockets and only considering in what way he should approach her now. For all he knew, he was afraid the moment he would walk up to her they would fall into the same pattern again. One of them getting a call or being called over to attend to something and the moment or plan he had in mind would slip from him. He winced. Agnetha was sitting, swiping along her phone and sipping the hot coffee she'd taken, and he was betting she was towards the end of it by then. Behind him, Björn caught his granddaughter in the living room too when she wondered about his behavior.

"What is so interesting?"

"What?"

"You've been standing like that for ten minutes."

"No I haven't," he answered.

"Yeah, you have," Ester laughed.

"Did your grandma say anything at all?" he asked gently.

"About what?"

"N-No, I mean nothing really, just—"

"Like you telling her the trip is extended after she spent an hour painting her nails and changing in front of the mirror, you mean?" She paused and his head tilted while staring blankly. "No. She said nothing." Björn exhaled very subtly and then checked the clock on the wall for the time.

"Do you want to help me with something?"

"With what?"

Half past six was when Björn had re-entered the living room which now had a television running and his daughter, Linda on her laptop, occupied with a few things with her mother. Home decor was being planned between the two, a good exchange of opinions before they decided it could be too soon to order. Neither could make up their mind, and neither of them had to admit it. Björn had been the first to see that. He waited patiently and settled at the next couch beside them. Minutes passed and at last their conclusion was made, they'd leave the items in the cart until their minds could be made up. He could have helped them decide that, he thought to himself humorously.

"What's going on?" Agnetha wondered, looking over at him. He was lingering like he had something to say though he wouldn't start.

"I have something for you whenever you are finished." And there he'd found a smile fighting to not spread on her lips.

"What is it?"

"You have to follow me." He didn't waste time, nor did he wait for her. Her face fell into fast thinking seeing him nearly out the sliding doors, and she was still cozily seated with her daughter. And her daughter had known at least half of what he had been up to that day. She grinned to him then encouraged her mother to get up.

"What on earth?" she breathed. There was an ache in her leg as she got up, sliding her feet into white Birkenstocks and followed outside to see him making his way down the steps. "Björn, where are you going?" She hesitated at the top of the stairs seeing him halfway down. Her arms dropped off her hips and she followed him. She squinted her eyes seeing him at the shore.

"Will you have a date with me?" he gestured to the boat. "Actually no. It's already decided so you and I will go on a date. I'd like us to have the date we planned. Right now. I can't coordinate good plans, let's be honest, you can't either. We're both always wrapped up in our own schedules, it's no wonder we are at the end of the month and our anniversary was at the start. And even when we are both home, we can hardly share a sentence or two before it's interrupted."