A Penguin Prompt - 1. Prompt 431

“Guess who got flowers?”

The microwave beeped and I removed my steaming hot bowl of New England clam chowder. I had made a batch over the weekend, since it was Daniel’s favorite soup. “Since you’re asking, I’m guessing it’s either you or me.” I sat at the table and stirred the soup.

Beth set a large bouquet of flowers on the table and grinned. “Wrong on both accounts.”

I looked closer at the flower arrangement. It was a colorful array of a variety of flowers in a vase shaped like a penguin. I smiled and grabbed the card. “It’s been a long time since Penguin got flowers.” I opened the envelope and tried unsuccessfully not to cry.

Eight years ago today I fell down an embankment because I couldn’t stop staring at the hot man walking toward me with a cat on his shoulder. I’ve cherished every single one of those days that you and Sean have been in my life, Penguin – the good and the bad. Tell Sean not to worry about picking up dinner tonight. Meet me at Meadowlane Park at six. You both know the spot.

All My Love,

Daniel

I felt a jolt on my lap, immediately followed by a furry head butt on my chin. I petted Penguin and held him close. “Thank you, Pen,” I whispered. “You brought Daniel into our lives and I’ll never forget you for it.” Penguin purred and licked my chin.

My shift ended at three, so I had a few hours to kill before I needed to meet Daniel at the park. I figured I’d go visit Siobhan and Caitlyn – my sister and niece – to allow Daniel any privacy he needed to complete his plans. I was so distracted by thoughts of my husband and what I wanted to do to him when we got home from the park, that I didn’t see the bicyclist until he was right in front of my car.

I slammed on the brakes as he swerved away, but it wasn’t enough to prevent me from hitting him. I opened the door and ran to the front of the car, expecting the worst. He was clearly a serious cyclist. He was dressed in the form fitting shorts and shirts that bike racers wore, and thankfully wore a helmet. He was laying underneath the bike on his back.

“Are you ok?”

He nodded. “I think so. Can you get my bike off of me?”

I lifted the bike and set it to the side. It was very light. He stood up shakily and I reached out to steady him.

“Take it easy. Are you sure you’re all right? I’m a nurse,” I said.

“Yeah. I think so. It’s just some road rash and bruises. Nothing I haven’t had before. Sorry about that, man. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going and missed the stop sign. Did I damage your car?”

“Let’s get you taken care of first. Do you want me to call an ambulance?”

“Nah. I’m just bruised, like I said. Name’s James.”

“Sean.” I shook his hand.

He looked at the front of my car. There was a minor dent from where I hit his bike. “Do you have a pen and paper? I’ll give you my number and you can let me know what the damage is.”

“Yeah, sure.” I grabbed a pen and paper from the glovebox and handed it to him. “The damage is minimal. I wasn’t exactly paying attention myself.”

“Nice flowers. Did you piss off the wife?” he asked with a smile.

I laughed. “Those are actually for my cat, Penguin.”

He raised an eyebrow. “They’re for your cat?”

“Yeah, from my husband. We met eight years ago today, because of Penguin.”

“It sounds like an interesting story.” He handed me the pen and paper.

“Are you sure you’re ok?”

He nodded and checked over his bike. “The wheel is bent, but the frame looks ok.”

“Can I give you a ride home? You’re not going to be able to ride your bike.”

“That’d be great. I was twenty miles into my ride, so it’d be a long walk home.”

I opened the trunk of my SUV and slid the bike in. James was very pleasant to talk to. I told him about how Daniel and I first met and about Penguin’s journey as a therapy cat. James was recently married and an avid biker. He was training for a hundred kilometer bike race taking place the next month. James lived in a nice suburban neighborhood. He thanked me profusely for giving him a ride home. I told him it was the least I could do after hitting him with my car.

After a brief visit with Siobhan and Caitlyn, I pulled into the parking lot of Meadowlane Park and walked to Daniel’s and my spot with Penguin perched on my shoulder. I smiled as I set Penguin down and sat on the blanket next to my black-haired husband. He returned my smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“You’re awfully brave sitting this close to where you fell down that embankment.”

“Ha ha.”

“Penguin loved the flowers. What a great idea, sweetheart.” I kissed him.

“Thanks. I wanted to do something special for you, since you’ve been working so much lately.” His voice sounded flat.

I put my arm around his shoulders and drew him into my side. “I’m sorry I’ve been working so much, but I didn’t want to pass up the overtime. Is everything ok? You seem like something’s on your mind.”

Daniel moved away from me and played with some blades of grass.

“Talk to me, babe. What’s going on?”

“I was working at a house on the corner of Main and Fifth this afternoon.”

“And…did the homeowner piss you off or something?”

He frowned, then met my gaze. “No. Well, they were pissed when I almost ran them over with my lawn mower.”

“Why did you do that?”

“I was distracted by watching my husband flirting with a hot guy on a bike, then driving off with him.”

No wonder that intersection sounded familiar. “Daniel…”

“Have you really been working overtime, Sean?” he whispered.

“Are you accusing me of having an affair?” I was shocked.

Daniel’s face contorted in pain and he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He shook his head, then nodded. “Yes. No. I don’t know. Sometimes I wonder what you’re doing with me, Sean. Things have been going so great, I wonder when it’s all going to come crashing down on me. I guess now I know.”

I took Daniel’s hand and squeezed it. “Sweetheart, that guy on the bike ran the stop sign and I hit him with my car. I gave him a ride home because his bike was too damaged to ride.”

He looked at me hopefully. “Really?”

“God, Daniel…I would never cheat on you. I can’t believe you would even think that.”

“I’m sorry, Sean. It’s just when I saw you with that guy, I had flashbacks to Trevor. He cheated on me all the time, even though he said he loved me.”

“I’m not Trevor, Daniel,” I said in a strangled voice. It cut very deeply whenever Daniel became insecure because of his abusive ex.

“I know that, Sean. Sometimes my insecurity comes to the surface when I least expect it. I trust you. I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”

“Do you think you need to make a counseling appointment?” Daniel had been doing so well, he stopped seeing a counselor two years ago.

He nodded. “It might not be a bad idea.”

I opened my arms and we embraced tightly. I smoothed his hair back from his forehead and kissed him. Penguin jumped into my lap and head butted both of us. We laughed and petted him at the same time.

“Are you hungry? I brought all your favorites.”

“I’m starving.”

“Good,” he said with a sly smile. “You’ll need your energy for the surprise I have planned for you when we get home.”

“Oh? Maybe we should skip dinner…We can always eat later.”

He shook his head. “Nope. You’ll just have to wait.”

I pouted as I took a bite of my sandwich.

“Happy Anniversary, Sean. I love you so much.”

“Happy Anniversary, sweetheart. I love you, too.”