Another coughbroke through her thoughts and she rubbed her temples in slightaggravation. She thought back to Greg’s surprise gift of roses andallowed herself a small smile as she continued on her paperwork.The coughing stopped and Amber looked up for a moment, listeningfor the signal that the cougher was failing.
No insistentbeeping came through the dead air and she nodded to herself. Shepeered down at her watch and noted it to be 11:30PM. She let out alittle puff of air before going back to her paperwork.
She usually wasnot so behind on it but the afternoon had been full of demands andshe could not do her work in between as she normally did. She wasnot complaining too much, there was no one waiting at home for herat the moment. This made her both sorrowful and content. Sorrowfulbecause Greg wasn’t home and content because he would not be tryingto stay up late even if he had to work early in the morning.
Finally Amberfinished her paperwork, placed all the files in their appropriateplaces and waved her good-byes at the other two nurses. Thebrunette that had replied to the bell had not come back yet butAmber was not worried. The older woman in that room had problemsunderstanding what they said. Her memory was failing and everythinghad to be re-explained to her multiple times before she understood.It was in vain since the woman would forget again a few hours laterthen demanded to know why she was in the hospital.
Amber left viathe creaky elevator and was soon striding quickly towards hersilver sedan. It was coated in a fresh but thin layer of snow. Shestarted the engine to warm it before brushing off the whitenesscovering her car.
The air waschilly and the night was silent. Nary a car passed on the streetand the slowly cascading snow combined with the dull glow of streetlights made her think she was in a dream. She took a moment toappreciate the scenery around her before locking herself into thecar and pulling out of the parking lot.
Home was notfar away and she walked most days. But Greg worried for her safetyat night and insisted she take the car when she would be workinglate. Even with his absence, she obliged his suggestion. She pulledinto the drive-way a few moments later and dragged her weary bodyfrom the car.
She noted thatthere was snow gathering in the driveway and on the sidewalk. Amberknew she would be shovelling it away the next day if it kept up.She did not expect the neighbours to do it every day since theywere well past retirement age after all. Amber stepped through thesnow wondering when she should get up to shovel and almost steppedon the package sitting on her front porch before she saw it.
She stared atthe bright red box that had miraculously remained clear of snow andblinked a few times in wonder. It was her favorite brand ofchocolate, a brand that she did not buy for herself because it wastoo expensive to indulge in every day. A folded white card sattapped to the box, the same kind of card that had come with theroses from the day before.
Amber croucheddown and gently lifted the box into her arms before opening thesmall card and seeing the same message of “To my sweet Valentine”written in the same flowing golden script. Amber smiled broadly andlooked around for footprints besides her own. The snow had coveredthem and she wondered how Greg was getting her gifts delivered from1,500 miles away.
She thoughtabout this conundrum as she unlocked the front door and strodeinside her warm home. She placed the box of chocolates on the tablein the front entrance that was normally used for mail. The door wasclosed and locked and she was hanging up her coat when she realizedthat Greg must have arranged the deliveries with a friend before heleft.
She chuckledlightly at the thought and pulled off her shoes. They were placedon the shoe rack by the door to dry while she untied her mid-backlength curls. Amber lifted the box of chocolates into her armsbefore starting to make her way upstairs.
A sense ofbeing watched came over her and Amber half-turned to look at theclosed and locked front door. She half-expected to see that someonehad snuck in behind her and was ready to grab her on the stairs. Noone was there and Amber shuddered before hurrying up thestairs.
After changingthe alarm was set to 8AM and she cuddled in bed. The feeling ofbeing watched had left for the most part and she sighed, beratingherself for being so easily frightened. The outer wrapping waspeeled off the chocolates and she indulged in one before turningout her bedside lamp and going to sleep.
Valentine’sDay, 10 Years Prior:
Amber flicked aloose strand of hair behind her ear, happy that her hair had grownback swiftly. Unfortunately it had become curly rather thanstraight as it was prior to the major cut four years ago. She stillhad some resentment towards her friends over that since her hairhad always been her biggest concern.
It wasWednesday, an awkward time to celebrate the day of love and Amberfelt slightly frustrated. She had separated from her most recentboyfriend two months ago and would be alone for the fourth year ina row. She always seemed to fall out of love with whatever boy shewas dating around winter time. She assured herself that four boysin four years was not a big deal. Other girls were all ready deepinto the double digits now.
Amber shook herhead to force the thoughts out and continued on her walk to the busthat would take her home. Disappointment ran through her veins likeit was on some crazy marathon when she saw Greg’s rusted blue sedansitting in the student parking lot.
He had beenavoiding her all day and not being able to talk to her best guyfriend about her problems was frustrating. Tina and Susan weregreat to rant to about relationships but as
