| |
Wilma (Earl & Wilma) Sunday 9:00 a.m.
I realized I was in a strange place before I opened my eyes. There were beeps and buzzes, some near my head, others farther away. I was in a hospital.
I waited a few seconds, trying to figure out what had happened. I didn’t recall being in the car, so it couldn’t have been a traffic accident. My doctor says I’m healthy, so I didn’t think I’d had a heart attack.
Then I remembered those two men standing over me, waiting as I lost consciousness. What had happened to save me?
I opened my eyes and found Julie sitting in a chair by my bed. “Hey, girlie. It’s good to see you awake.”
I had to try twice before getting my question out. “E—Earl?”
“I sent him to get some breakfast. He’s been a mess all night long, wanting you to wake up but also wanting you to rest and get those drugs out of your system.”
“They m-made me swallow pills.”
“That’s what we figured. You’re okay now, though your stomach is probably sore. They had to pump it.”
“Yes.” After a few seconds I said, “How come I’m not dead?”
“Earl.” Julie smiled. “You should have seen him, Wilma. He scared one of those creeps so bad he ran away. Then he took on the big one.” She shook her head. “Old farmers must be tough, because your Earl managed to put that muscle-bound goon on the floor.”
“Earl beat up Turk?”
“If that’s his name. When he saw what they’d done to you, Earl went a little Rambo.”
Earl came in right then. His face lit when he saw that I was awake, and I put out a hand. Taking it, he leaned close. “Are you feeling okay, Sweetheart?”
Julie waved and backed out of the room, leaving us in private. “Julie says you saved my life.”
He looked down, embarrassed, but his voice held a note of pride. “I wasn’t about to let two hooligans hurt my best girl.”
“How did you find me?”
“When you didn’t come back, I went looking. I know you don’t like it when I worry, but it felt like something wasn’t right.”
“Earl Schmidt,” I said, “you are one amazing man. I’ve always loved you, and now—well, now I’m willing to admit that I need you too. You’re always watching out for me, and that’s a good thing.”
“We watch out for each other, Honey. I’d starve to death without you. My half of our partnership is keeping us as safe as I can.”
“Well, you scored a big fat ten this time.”
That was all we said on the topic, but I had learned two things. First, Earl’s fussing is all for the very good reason that he loves me. He’s better than I am at looking ahead and predicting what bad things might happen. And he’s better at physical stuff. I don’t know what I’d have done if our roles were reversed, so I’m glad it was him that had to rescue me and not vice versa.
The other thing I realized is that being irritated with your mate doesn’t mean you don’t love him anymore. Irritation is temporary, the result of bumping against each other for years and years. Give it a while and love overcomes irritation, any day of the week.
