V’s First Day Home
Sleep overcomes me instantly. Even the pile of mail blocking the entrance to my apartment door is a just barely identifiable nuisance.
I toss my duffle bag on the living-room couch and head straight to the shower. This is my standard routine after a long flight. I stand under the hot water and let it bathe my body and soul with refreshing, relaxing, calming streams.
By the time I finish I am just able to stumble to bed before my eyelids collapse in the down position.
Sleep flies by and I finally awake hours later to someone pounding on my door. I slip on my jungle print robe and wade through the mail one more time. There is Karl with a tray of food.
“I thought I better feed you or else I might not see you again until after the Spring hibernation season!” Karl says with playful sarcasm.
I smile, feeling slightly self-conscious in the robe I picked up in Africa on my training mission. I love this robe because it marks the start of a new life for me; however, I am also painfully aware of how loud the print is to the casual observer.
“Nice robe.” Karl says and then heads to the kitchen.
I follow her, and the food, to the kitchen. The smell of food wakes up my stomach which breaks into an instant chorus of anticipatory rumbles.
“I made you Lemon Tofu.” Karl says. “Patrick made it for me the other day and I absolutely loved it. I hope it hits the spot.”
Then she puts the tray on my kitchen table, gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and says that Finn is hoping we can all meet at the StuffedZoo about 2PM today.
As quickly as she appears, she disappears. My mind is still recovering but the food is helping. It is absolutely fantastic. I know I could enjoy it more if I ate it slower but I am famished.
After I finish eating I just sit in my chair enjoying the moment. It feels good to be home. It feels good to have someone that cares enough about me to bring me breakfast. It feels good to have a job that is fun, exciting and brings joy to people.
Then I look at the clock…1:45PM…yikes…Finn wants to see us in 15 minutes.
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