I Eat Oreos

13

Kayla

Immediately when I closed his door, I prayed for him. With one hand on the door, I first asked God to give him peace. I could tell a lot was going through his head. Then I asked that God would guide him in each situation he was in. I wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but he was stressed about whatever it was.

I didn't take what he said to heart. I mean I did believe that anger sometimes brought out the truth of what people thought. I knew I was the "fixer-upper." I was always trying to help people and make them better. I was working on not doing that, but I guessed that it wasn't getting too much better.

I had a habit of inviting myself into a situation trying to find solutions to others' problems. I just wanted to make people feel better. But I needed to learn; people didn't need my solution, they needed God's solution.

I stopped by the kitchen, grabbed two spoons and a jar of ice cream. I walked down the D wing and knocked on her door. Mrs. Rosenburg's bright smile made my mood a little better.

"Get on in here, girl," she waved me in already knowing what I hadn't said yet. I sat down on the chair in her room. I popped open the ice cream cap and dug in.

"I don't think I'll have any. Too many calories." I froze and looked at her as though she were crazy.

"I'm kiddin', child. You see these rolls on me? Why quit now?" She snatched the spoon and the ice cream jar.

"Mrs. Rosenburg?" She looked up at me while stuffing a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. "Do you think I'm annoying?" I asked nervously. She passed the jar of ice cream to me. That's how it worked. Whoever wasn't talking ate.

"Now, what did that boy say to you?" Pass.

"I'm just asking you a question. Do you?" Pass.

"He said something. Now tell me what is it." Pass.

I sighed giving up on keeping it to myself. "He said I need to stop trying to fix everything because I can't."

She turned and put the ice cream on her desk. Oh, boy.

"He's right. You can't fix everything and you shouldn't try to. I'm sure he didn't mean to speak to you so harshly, though. He came in looking pretty upset already. Sometimes things build up in a person and they explode. You just happened to be there."

I understood that. Gavin had always been so kind to me since he got to our house. He'd never been intentionally rude to me. The way he was lying on his bed told me something was wrong.

"To answer your question: no. I don't think you're annoying. I think your heart is in a good place. God has made it such a way. But you have to allow God to tell you when the time is right to intervene and help."

I nodded my head agreeing with her. I knew from that moment on, I would ask permission.

"He will come around, you know. He is real smitten with you. I see it."

I rolled my eyes. "Mrs. Rosenburg, no-" She raised her hand to stop me. "You hush, now. I'm older, I know more than you," she said then stuck her tongue out at me. So mature.

I really loved that Mrs. Rosenburg came around as much as she did. She was seriously one of my best friends.

"Mrs. Rosenburg, how come you come around as much as you do? I mean not that I mind it. I love it in fact. But don't you have a house in South Carolina?"

She'd shown me pictures of her house. It was a lovely ranch style home. She'd decorated beautifully with flowers in each room.

She passed and sighed.

"It's lonely there." I looked at her confused. "Mr. Rosenburg is boring?" I asked. He was a retired businessman.

"Kind of. I mean aren't all the dead kind of boring?" My mouth hung open. "Mrs. Rosenburg, I didn't know."

"Oh, I know. I don't talk about it."

It was clear now why he never came with her and why she barely talked about him in present. She told few stories about him, but she had before.

"I'm sorry to remind you," I spoke quietly feeling guilty. "Remind me? I think of him almost every second of every day. When you're with someone all of your life and they did everything for you, it's kind of hard to let them go. You know I didn't know how to pump gas until he passed?" My eyes widened shocked. Mama and daddy taught me before I could even drive. Mostly so Mama didn't have to get out the car and do it herself.

"He was the sweetest thing. He didn't make me lift a finger. I was spoiled rotten. I had to beg to work in his office as his assistant. I was with him all the time ever since we were 15. I don't like being by myself." A frown came upon her face at the end of her sentence and I couldn't help the hug I wrapped her in.

"Well, I'm glad you're here. Now I don't know what to do without you." She gave me that bright smile and kissed my cheek.

"I'm glad I'm here. Now, let's finish that ice cream."