Mark stood there with his hands on his hips and said, "Geez…I feel like I'm talking to my mother…"
I pulled a card out of my backpack and said, "This is the number to an orthopedic doctor in Texas…he's a friend of mine…make an appointment, have him check out your hips…and every other joint…I'm serious Mark…don't let that pain get any worse…if it does…by the time you do have it checked out it might be way too late."
Mark said, "I don't know whose worse…you or Glenn…" He snatched the card and put it in the back of his wallet…
I smiled as we came to a stop next to my red Toyota RAV 4…and I said, "Yea…well it's just cause we love you too much…and its cause my doctor sensors are going off…I have to be loving to someone who's in pain."
Mark said, "Can I call you sometime?" I said, "I'd really like that."
Mark said, "By the way…you were wrong last night…"
I said, "Wrong…about what?"
Mark said, "When you told Jamie you were in love with someone who clearly wasn't in love with you…I loved you then and I still love you now…"
I felt the blush creep into my cheeks and said, "Exactly how much of that conversation did you hear?"
Mark said, "Exactly?"
I nodded and he said, "All of it…"
I started with, "Mark, I…"
And didn't get to finish…he stopped me and said, "It's okay darlin'…I know I put you through hell…and I'm sorry about it…and pretty soon I'm going to make it up to you…I should have never let you walk away that night…it was a stupid mistake…I figure that letting you walk away was the easiest thing for me to do…rather then avoid everything…but it was the dumbest…but I'll give you a call tomorrow or something and talk to you about it then."
I said, "Okay."
Mark pulled me tight to his body and hugged me like we hadn't seen each other in years upon years. I could still smell his familiar scent…leather and cologne. It was the only scent he ever had on him…nothing more…nothing less…even after he would shower he still smelled like leather and cologne…That was one of the things I always enjoyed about him…his hair smelled like shampoo…but the rest of him was leather and cologne…
I breathed in as much of his scent as I could before pulling away…I got in my RAV 4 and took off…Mark watched me drive away and then went back to help Glenn and Jamie get back to the hotel to rest.