When she reappeared carrying a tray, the smell of freshly baked bread filled the air, and he forgot that only a few minutes earlier he hadn’t wanted to eat. Now he was absolutely famished as she placed a tray before him that looked like it was a prop from a food channel on television.
“Croque Madame!” She exclaimed.
“Wow, this is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” he said truthfully. The delicate pearl white china plate held a beautiful ham and cheese cradled between slices of lightly toasted bread and topped with a perfect fried egg and a creamy sauce.
He shook out the linen napkin, lifted the knife and fork into his hands, and dug in. It was both sweet and delicious, unlike anything he ever tasted in his life.
“Maybe tomorrow morning you will be strong enough to come downstairs and have breakfast, perhaps even outside in the sunshine. It won’t remain warm very much longer. Autumn is set to take hold quickly, and winter won’t be far behind.
Reed absorbed her words. As he continued to gain strength again, it would soon be time to move on from Sara-Kate.
“You look tired,” she remarked.
Her lovely voice broke up his depressing thoughts. “I suppose I am tired.”
“Well, you finish up with dinner, and I’ll be back for the tray. You can sleep then if you want.”
Once again, as soon as Sara-Kate left his presence, the feeling of loneliness consumed him. It was almost as if she was a missing piece of him that he could no longer live without. A piece he didn’t know existed, but now relied on for his existence. It was silly, he knew. Yet at the same time, he couldn’t shake the feeling.
He ate mechanically, the fork going to the food and into his mouth, but he no longer tasted it. The more he repeated the pattern, the more weary he became. Finally, he put down the fork, lifted the tea cup, and drank the warm liquid down. He didn’t even remember putting the tray aside when his head hit the pillow. It was the last thing he remembered before blacking out into a dreamless sleep.
***
The sun streamed in beneath the closed blind of the bedroom window when Reed opened his eyes. The first sight the greeted him was Sara-Kate’s beautiful smiling face, and red pony tails. To be near her another day brought him sheer joy.
“Good morning, Reed. How are you?” she asked, the smile never leaving her lips.
“As long as I am here with you, I will always be well.” After he said the words, he realized they came from his lips almost involuntarily, from a place within him he didn’t know existed. The thought was startling, but from Sara-Kate’s unchanged expression, she didn’t seem to mind.
“How about after your shower, you get dressed and come downstairs? It’s such a lovely day to have breakfast outside. Perhaps afterward, you can do some writing, if you feel up to it.”
Casually, she touched his bare shoulder, and her touch invigorated him. Please don’t stop touching me, is what he wanted to say. Instead, he said, “Sure, I’ll be downstairs in a little while.”
“Do you need any help?” she asked.
“No, I can handle it,” he answered, even though there was such a yearning to keep her near, to pull her into bed on top of him, and beg her to make love to him all morning...all day, and far into the night.
“Alright then, homemade brioche French toast and coffee await you when you’re ready.”
Then as improbable as it was, she seemed to leave the room almost floating above the carpet.
Now he was seeing things!
He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He was going crazy for sure.
After a shower, he ran a razor over his chin, and blotted his face dry. He felt almost normal again, and that was most welcome. He went back to the bedroom, rifled through his suitcase, and slipped into a pair of old, faded jeans and a well-worn t-shirt. Before he made his way down the stairs, he grabbed a blank notebook and a pen from his suitcase.
Once downstairs, he looked around at the tastefully decorated living room. He barely remembered crossing through it when he first arrived at Sara-Kate’s home. He looked outside the large picture window, and saw the pathway that led from the house, on to the residential street. There were other homes up and down the street. So how did he end up choosing this house after his accident?
However it came to be, he was glad he made the right decision, and chose Sara-Kate’s home. Everyone else probably would have closed the door in his face when he turned up on their doorsteps looking for help.
The sudden aroma of cinnamon filled his nostrils. Immediately, his stomach growled with hunger. He followed the scent through the dining room, and into the spacious kitchen where Sara-Kate, dressed in a flowing, lavender dress that rested gracefully at her ankles, prepared breakfast.
Again, the feeling of joy and thankfulness consumed him.
She turned to him, spatula in hand. “I’m thrilled to see you out of bed, and on your feet.”
“I’m getting better, a little at a time, I guess.”
She placed the spatula on the stove, walked to him, and looped her arms around his. “Let’s get you out into the sunshine for a while.”
He walked along with her out the back door of the house, into a lovely garden. It was Sara-Kate’s own personal paradise. All around him were flowering bushes, and shrubs in pinks and purples. A large greenhouse sat off in the distance. Everything enclosed by the safety of a six foot tall stockade fence. Attached to the house, was a long, narrow sun porch.
She led him to a patio with a wicker table and chairs.
“Just relax, and I’ll bring you
