Dream // Van McCann

34. Enjoy This Moment

Saturday

Florence woke up fairly early to get a head start on the day. She didn't have to necessarily tag along with Madelyn and her fiancé. They were looking at several venues that required driving all over. Deep down, I knew the reason she agreed to come along was so she could have an idea of where she wanted to get married.

"What time are you visiting my parents?" she asked casually.

"Erm...I dunno," I lied. "I've got a lot of errands to run so I don't know if I'll have time to visit them today." I turned around so my back was to her. I'm a terrible liar. The moment I lock eyes with her, she's going to know I'm lying.

"Oh," she replied. "Well do you think you'll have time to drop this off then?" I turned around and saw her pushing the pasta maker forward.

"She wants to make pasta this weekend, right? I can drop it off," I told her and she smiled.

"Thanks, babe." She walked towards me to give me a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm not sure when I'll be home but I'll let you know."

The flat was quiet when she left, not that she's talking all the time. When you've lived with someone long enough, you start to miss their presence the minute they're gone. Now don't get me wrong—I enjoy my time alone too but I don't enjoy an empty flat like I used to.

The plan was to meet her parents for lunch. I preferred dinner but that meant there was a possibility Florence could tag along if she came home early enough. I went to the restaurant to pick up the food. I'd take them out but her mum doesn't feel strong enough to dine out. I didn't want to say anything but the decline in her health was quite worrisome. Some days, she'd be so tired or in so much pain that she'd be asleep most of the time. All you could do was sit and give her company.

She doesn't eat much as the pain and tiredness gives her less of an appetite but her husband makes an effort to treat her well and that meant making sure she got to eat her favorite foods. It was sad thinking how much it hurt to see his wife like this. They've been together for ages. To see your other half go out like this must be hard to sit through but he's a champ for staying positive.

I drove to their home which was in the suburbs. It was a nice, quiet area—perfect to raise a family. It was difficult to picture Florence growing up here as I've always seen her as a city person. She would never feel at home in the suburbs.

I've only been to their home once or twice—not enough to remember how to get there by memory. All the houses looked the same to the point the neighborhood just looked sterile and lacked personality. Eventually, I found their house and parked the car on the street. I walked to the boot of the car, took out the pasta maker, and walked to their door to ring the bell. I could hear someone approach the door and then it opened.

"It's nice to see you, Van. Come on in," Mr. Carter said, holding the door open. I walked in and looked around for Florence.

"Florence isn't here, is she?" I asked out of caution.

"No, she's not. Should she?"

"She should be out with friends. I was just making sure," I answered and Mr. Carter smiled. "This is for Hannah, by the way." Mr. Carter took the pasta maker from me and set it on the counter.

"She'll stop by a little later to pick it up. In the meantime, you can put the food on the table. I'll help my wife come down."

All was fine until he mentioned his wife and I began to get nervous. You just never know what mood she's in. Mr. Carter disappeared up the steps and I took the moment to unpack the food. The food was still warm so I went to find plates and utensils to set the table. Even though I've never rummaged around their kitchen before, I was able to find everything after opening a few cupboards and drawers.