Writer's block sucks. I know things I want to do in the story, but the problem is it's too soon to do them. So how to fill time until then? One way is to NOT stare at a blank word document, but I found myself doing that a lot.
Also I got busy doing real life stuff besides my full time job. I have a driver's license now; I'm street legal. This is probably the best thing that's gonna happen to me for a while so I'm sorta tellin' everyone (sorry, not sorry).
But you guys are here for a story, so let's (kinda) get to it.
Needless to say, this wasn't the anniversary Erica had in mind.
It started with her having to physically drag her husband to the car and realizing that she would have to be the one to drive.
"You know this is essentially kidnapping," Geoff felt the need to point out once she had adjusted herself in the driver's seat. Erica said nothing and tossed her purse into the backseat. She then reached for the small bag Geoff had prepared, dug through the contents, and selected the two items she needed. She passed the map and bag to Geoff, and then threw his mobile phone behind him. "Erica!"
"You bought that mobile phone only for emergencies. Calling my parents every thirty minutes to check our on child does not constitute as an emergency."
"But how will I know if-"
"I trust my family. You should do the same."
"I do. I just trust them more if I'm actually there."
Erica patted his hand. "Poppy will be fine. You will be fine."
He bobbed his head. "Poppy will be fine."
"And so will you." Geoff just continued to bob his head. "Now let's hit the road."
Neither of them really such much throughout the drive. Every now and then Erica could hear Geoff repeating to himself, "It's gonna be fine; Poppy will be fine. I'm not abandoning my daughter; I'll be home tomorrow. The house isn't gonna catch fire or any other worst-case scenario in which my child goes missing. It's fine. Poppy's fine. That's our exit."
"DAMMIT, SCHWARTZ!"
Upon arrival, Geoff was unbuckled and out of the car before Erica put it in park so that he could get to the phone. He got no answer and left what seemed like a five-minute message before hanging up. "No answer; I left a message."
"I heard," she retrieved her purse and they went to check in. "This hotel seems nice," she tried small talk.
"It's a resort hotel; they usually are."
"They got a pool, a spa, a casino, some restaurants," she noticed an advertisement, "and apparently Steve and Eydie are performing this weekend."
"Mom would like that."
"Uh…sure, Linda would probably like that; but what would Geoff like?"
"To reunite with his child."
Erica tried a new tactic. "Maybe we won't do any of that stuff I mentioned. We just might spend all our free time in our hotel room. That would be nice."
"I guess."
"Not stress out about what we should do and just spend time together. Order room service, maybe rent a movie, curl up together and fall into a night of uninterrupted sleep."
"Poppy has difficulty sleeping through the night. You sure your parents can-"
"Here's our room," a frustrated Erica unlocked the door to their hotel room and then hurled her bag onto the closest of the two beds. "I'm just gonna go freshen up. You just keep talking about worst-case scenarios or maybe call my parents and leave a ten-minute message." She slammed the bathroom door shut.
"Erica," Geoff knocked on the door. "I'm pretty sure you're upset." No answer. "If you want to talk, I've got some time before the conference." Silence on Erica's end. "Okay, there is definitely something bothering you. Our anxieties present themselves in different ways and-"
Erica practically ripped the door open. "Our anxieties? Is this another 'what's mine is yours' thing? What anxiety could I possibly have?"
"Separation anxiety."
"I don't have that."
"I kinda think you do. Maybe we could talk about-"
"-about what a luxury it is to have time to be a couple for our anniversary, but you're constantly freaking out about not being near our baby?"
"I just feel it's too soon for her to be without us for so long. Don't you?"
"Geoff, we're gonna have to do it at some point. Might as well get it out of the way. This was some pretty opportune timing AND we left our child with people we can trust."
"True: but I don't know if I would let Barry leave the house with Poppy. The last time he took her outside, he didn't put on her hat and she almost got sick."
"'Almost' being the key word. I'm sure he learned his lesson after you gave him that very loud—very long—lecture."
"Most of a baby's body heat is lost through their head."
"Most of a baby's body is their head!" Erica took a deep breath. "Alright, listen: I came here to take a break from parenting and celebrate the fact that you and I have been married for a whole year. Can we do that? Can we just enjoy each other's company and not think about our child?"
There was a tense bout of silence before Geoff shrugged. "Honestly, Erica: that's asking too much of me. I love Poppy so much. When I'm not near her, I can't stop talking about her. I've always wanted to be a dad, and now I am. I can't even try to pretend that I'm not. I know my wife is more than capable and would be okay if I left her alone, but I don't know that my baby will." Erica didn't say anything. "This doesn't mean I love you any less! I love you more than anything and I want this time together. I just…I just need you to respect that this is hard for me and if I can't be with my daughter, then I should at least be able to talk about her, or call and ask about her, or Hell, even think about her."
"Fine," Erica conceded.
"I think maybe I should head to the conference now," he took his bag. "Just remember that I'll be here when you're ready to talk." He left her alone in their hotel room.
"Well," she spoke to the open air, "I can't guarantee that I will be here." She angrily reached for her purse and took off.
Erica had continued to spend the Saturday exploring what the city had to offer. It didn't seem like there was much for someone to do solo; nevertheless, she did it anyway. The swimming, the spa visit, the gambling, the eating, and even the Steve and Eydie show—though the latter she was accompanied by her mother-in-law (and thank God Linda hadn't once questioned if anything was wrong).
And despite everything she did, it wasn't enough to take Poppy off of her mind. There were kids in the pool, discussions of children at the spa, childlike tantrums and behavior at the casino, family restaurants/families at restaurants, and even the entertainment had anecdotes about their own family. All of that was enough to make her mind circle back to her own daughter…
…and the fact that maybe Erica wasn't ready for this either.
True, she had wanted to spend her anniversary with her husband and thought of this as a golden opportunity to get away with him (not to mention her parents would be grateful for any time with their grandchild). To be with Geoff, to have fun, and to not worry about their child for a little while just seemed ideal. Truth be told: when Erica suggested getting away, she had been a tad stressed from taking care of the baby all day. As much as she loved Poppy, respites away from her were always welcome.
Just maybe not respites this long.
Maybe trying not to think about Poppy was asking a bit too much of herself. Geoff had figured that out. Sometimes he knew Erica better than she knew herself. That's why she should have believed him when he said he loved her more than anything. She believed it the other times he said it. Erica's stubborn pride be damned, she needed to talk to Geoff and tell him he was right.
When she did make it back to the hotel room, Geoff was already asleep in the bed closest to the door. No point talking to him now. Erica set her purse on the nightstand next to the furthest bed, changed into some pajamas, and got into said bed. At least she could try to get some much-needed sleep.
"Crap," the sensation that she forgot something crept over her. Erica turned on the bedside light and started rummaging through her purse, "I hope I remembered my…yep, got it." She then felt something unfamiliar. "The hell?" The item in question? A Minnie Mouse pacifier.
Poppy's favorite pacifier.
Erica looked at it reverently for a couple seconds before breaking down into a sobbing mess. She was holding it close to her when she felt a familiar pair of arms tenderly wrap themselves around her. "Geoff?"
"I'm here," he quietly promised before kissing her cheek.
"Geoff, I-"
"Shh, it's okay," he put the pacifier on the nightstand and then started to sway Erica in his hold. "I got you."
They didn't say anything for the rest of the night. Honestly, they didn't really need to. At least not right away. Geoff held Erica close to him and together they stared longingly at the pacifier on the nightstand. After that, it didn't take much longer for them to fall asleep; comfortable, safe, and loved in each other's embrace.
Is it selfish to make a throwback to your own (semi-)original story? Did anyone honestly catch it? Was there an accidental Full House reference in there?
I actually know how this story is gonna be structured, but I needed some filler before getting back to the A-plot. So I thought I'd give a little something for the Gerica fans.
