Day 1

It had just been one of those days.

We were looking for an adequate lawyer for Cabe's defense. Damn, Mark Collins to hell! Language, Paige. Whatever, I'm steamed enough, I'll swear if I feel like it.

I had gone home and of course, today is Day 1 of my lifetime homework from Dr. Rizzuto. I have a few choice words for him too. But honestly, I'm too tired to share them. So I'll just skip the grievance portion of this journal entry and go ahead with the moment that made this one of the best days of my life.

I had gotten home a few minutes earlier and had just finished Day 0 for this journal. Ralph was doing homework and I had just decided to take a hot bath when there was a tentative knock on my front door. I'll admit, I opened it with a bit of attitude. "I'm not in the mood–" had already slipped out of my mouth when I realized who was standing in the hallway. Walter, of course. He had this incredibly earnest look on his face. He was juggling fast food bags and a tote bag that was overflowing with … something. I couldn't tell. Immediately my attitude changed and I invited him in.

Walter looked relieved that I wasn't kicking him to the curb. Have I been that hard on him? I need to watch that. Efficiently he emptied the contents of the bags on my kitchen table. The fast food bags contained an extra large order of fries from my favorite fast food place. Then a chocolate shake from my second favorite fast food place. (which really does have superior shakes!)

"Salty-sweet?" Walter looked at me a bit shyly. "Yes, love, salty-sweet, my favorite." Walter smiled and I felt weak in the knees.

I asked him what was in the other bag. He told me that he had hacked Netflix's DVD delivery service (I had no idea they still had that) and had more than twenty 90s rom-coms delivered.

He wasn't sure which one I would like the most so he basically brought them all. It was a tossup between 10 Things I Hate About You and The Wedding Singer. I couldn't decide, so Walter promised to come over tomorrow with more salty-sweet and we would watch the other one. Finally, I flipped a coin and The Wedding Singer won the night.

As Walter and I got settled on the sofa with the movie playing softly so as not to disturb Ralph and my salty-sweet bit of snack heaven, I asked Walter if he was okay watching the movie. "Oh, my plan is not to watch the movie. I am currently memorizing pi to 500 places, so I will be rehearsing the digits in my head. Is that acceptable to you?"

I thought about it for a few moments. In the past, I would have pouted and said yes without meaning it and made both of us miserable or I would have said no and then we would have gotten into an argument and he would have stormed off.

But I thought about how much effort he had already put into the evening. What did I care what his brain was doing while Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler were falling in love? "It is acceptable under one condition." Walter shifted nervously, "What is the condition?"

It really broke my heart a little noticing how hard he was trying and how he likely thought he had messed up in some unknown to him way that I was about to hassle him about. "You put your arms around me while we spend time together." For the first time since he had entered the apartment, Walter relaxed. He slipped his arm around me as I dipped a fry into the thick chocolate shake, fed him a bite, and smiled back.

18 October 2023