Yesterday I was sick. I went into work thinking everything would be OK, but after 45 minutes my forehead felt like lead, and I had to prop my head up with my hand. I was just run down, my energy-ometer on low. So I went home. The walk home felt like I do when I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. I stumbled, tried to minimize the intake of light and moved forward on autopilot rather than deliberately took steps. I hate feeling yucky and I hated that I had to leave work when I already planned a day off this week, but what is there to really like when you’re sick? The comfort of a man, that’s what! Even though it was 9:30 and I knew he’d still be sleeping, I called him.
“Hey babe, it’s me. Sorry to wake you up.”
Grumble.
“I’m just calling cuz I’m going home from work cuz I feel awful.”
“Mmm-hmm. You’re going home? Are you OK?”
Am I OK? Oh, hearing him ask those words almost made me feel a tiny bit better. The comfort.
I did go home and sleep in his T-shirt and my AE girl boxers, so the effort was definitely put in to cure myself. But after lying in bed awake for approximately 40 seconds, I called him again. I really thought he’d be awake at that point.
“Hey babe. I was just thinking. If you have today off, do you think you could come get me?”
“Let me like get up and brush my teeth and stuff and I’ll call you back.”
I knew it was his day off, and one of his last days off with time to himself before we spend our free time moving, and assembling IKEA furniture. But I was sick, and sick me could only process one thought: I needed him.
He picked up on this and did the Prince Charming thing, coming to rescue me. I feel bad today, but sick me yesterday would not have understood this logic if today me explained it to her.
While yesterday was by all accounts uneventful and boring (as I slept most of it away), what meant the most to me was the effort he took to come and be with sick me. It’s one of the most important things in the world. Feeling the love for sure!