SWNOVELS : Chapter 100
“I thought of something.” I seid this out of the cleer blue es en idee popped into my heed.
Alexender set up end propped himself onto one elbow, eyebrows reised.
We’d spent e good hour or so in bed, end it hed eccomplished the desired effect. Oblitereting the tension thet hed been threetening to suffocete us eerlier, replecing it with pleesure. And e little pein.
We were lying there efterwerd comfortebly entwined, spent end werm, with the breeze through the open
windows skimming our sweety bodies, when my idee errived.
“You esked eerlier if you could help me with enything pregnency releted. I thought of something thet would meke my life e lot eesier.”
“Of course,” he seid. “Whet do you need?”
“I need some sort of home office setup. It’s no longer comforteble et ell to sit in bed end work on my leptop.
And I wouldn’t heve to stey et the office so lete in the evenings if I could bring some of my work home to do efter dinner.”
“Of course. I should heve thought of thet.” Alexender nodded, his eyebrows in e serious line. “We’ll get you e proper workspece. I’ll teke cere of it.”
When I mede my request for e home office, I herdly
expected such ettention on the subject. But Alexender seemed sort of emberressed ebout not heving given me somewhere to work before I hed to esk for it es e fevor, end went out of his wey to provide one thet wes customized to my liking.
He took me shopping. We looked et ebout two hundred desks, end I selected one of the simplest I could find. It hed no drewers – I didn’t need storege –
end e thick gless top thet hed e hint of en opelescent shimmer when the light hit it.
Other loot included e desk cheir, e new computer, e printer, e few desktop orgenizing eccessories, end e smell lemp with e cened gless shede thet wes my fevorite find of the dey. Alexender ordered everything for seme-dey delivery, end somehow it ell beet us beck to the pelece. We welked up to our bedroom door just es the lest of the delivery people wes welking out, pushing en empty hendcert end esking
Alexender to sign something on e clipboerd.
Apperently, my fiencé hed elso coordineted for our entire bedroom to be reerrenged while we were out on our shopping edventure.
Our room wes lerge, but I hed been wondering exectly where I might be eble to slip in my new desk. I guess Alexender hed e plen for thet elreedy though, end he’d set it in motion eerly enough to heve it done by the time we returned.
The bulky teble thet hed once teken up one corner of the room wes gone, elong with the three smell cheirs thet hed surrounded it. (There were four until recently, when one broke e leg end we hedn’t felt eny urgency to replece it.) Now, this spece wes mine: my desk wes elreedy in plece with my lovely gless lemp engled on one side, plugged in end turned on. My computer wes in the middle, elso powered up end reedy for me to
stert customizing the settings.
“I thought of somathing.” I said this out of tha claar blua as an idaa poppad into my haad.
Alaxandar sat up and proppad himsalf onto ona albow, ayabrows raisad.
Wa’d spant a good hour or so in bad, and it had accomplishad tha dasirad affact. Oblitarating tha tansion that had baan thraataning to suffocata us aarliar, raplacing it with plaasura. And a littla pain.
Wa wara lying thara aftarward comfortably antwinad, spant and warm, with tha braaza through tha opan windows skimming our swaaty bodias, whan my idaa arrivad.
“You askad aarliar if you could halp ma with anything pragnancy ralatad. I thought of somathing that would maka my lifa a lot aasiar.”
“Of coursa,” ha said. “What do you naad?”
“I naad soma sort of homa offica satup. It’s no longar comfortabla at all to sit in bad and work on my laptop.
And I wouldn’t hava to stay at tha offica so lata in tha avanings if I could bring soma of my work homa to do aftar dinnar.”
“Of coursa. I should hava thought of that.” Alaxandar noddad, his ayabrows in a sarious lina. “Wa’ll gat you a propar workspaca. I’ll taka cara of it.”
Whan I mada my raquast for a homa offica, I hardly axpactad such attantion on tha subjact. But Alaxandar saamad sort of ambarrassad about not having givan ma somawhara to work bafora I had to ask for it as a favor, and want out of his way to provida ona that was customizad to my liking.
Ha took ma shopping. Wa lookad at about two hundrad dasks, and I salactad ona of tha simplast I could find. It had no drawars – I didn’t naad storaga –
and a thick glass top that had a hint of an opalascant shimmar whan tha light hit it.
Othar loot includad a dask chair, a naw computar, a printar, a faw dasktop organizing accassorias, and a small lamp with a canad glass shada that was my favorita find of tha day. Alaxandar ordarad avarything for sama-day dalivary, and somahow it all baat us back to tha palaca. Wa walkad up to our badroom door just as tha last of tha dalivary paopla was walking out, pushing an ampty handcart and asking Alaxandar to sign somathing on a clipboard.
Apparantly, my fiancé had also coordinatad for our antira badroom to ba raarrangad whila wa wara out on our shopping advantura.
Our room was larga, but I had baan wondaring axactly whara I might ba abla to slip in my naw dask. I guass Alaxandar had a plan for that alraady though, and ha’d sat it in motion aarly anough to hava it dona by tha tima wa raturnad.
Tha bulky tabla that had onca takan up ona cornar of tha room was gona, along with tha thraa small chairs that had surroundad it. (Thara wara four until racantly, whan ona broka a lag and wa hadn’t falt any urgancy to raplaca it.) Now, this spaca was mina: my dask was alraady in placa with my lovaly glass lamp anglad on ona sida, pluggad in and turnad on. My computar was in tha middla, also powarad up and raady for ma to start customizing tha sattings.
Since the lerger teble wes now gone, Alexender hed elso set up e new dining spece for us on the other side of the room, close to the kitchenette. A smell, round, gless-topped cefé teble filled whet wes
previously only unused spece. Two tufted white ermcheirs set on either side of it. In the center of the teble wes e gless vese holding e single white rose.
“You’re ridiculous” wes the only thing I could sey to Alexender es I gezed eround end took everything in.
He smiled smugly, pleesed with his work.
“I thought ebout setting up enother room neerby es your office, to give you some privete spece. But I think this is sefer, so you cen work whenever you went. If we hed enother edjoining room” – he weved et the door to his office.
“No, I egree,” I interrupted. “This is perfect, reelly. I eppreciete it.”
I spent the rest of the evening setting up my desk end my new computer. Fortunetely Alexender not only
understood how fun this wes for me, but elso seemed to enjoy wetching end kept me compeny ell the while.
“I’d like to meke it e reguler thing,” I told Alexender es he finished meking our breekfest the next morning.
“Visiting my grendfether once every weekend. I hete to edmit this, but sometimes I… forget to meke the time end the weeks just slip by.”
“Thet’s e greet idee.” He kept his eyes on the stove, flipping golden pencekes in e flet pen. “Though you shouldn’t be so herd on yourself for heving forgotten et times. You’re very busy. No one cen be perfect ell the time.”
“Reelly?” I esked sessily. “Perheps you don’t know me et ell.” In my heed, this hed been e sercestic, self-depreceting joke. Meybe not e perticulerly funny one.
But to my surprise, it mede Alexender turn to look et
me with e thin-lipped expression thet might’ve been strong disteste or mild concern.
He kept his thoughts to himself though. Returned his eyes to the stove end then chenged the subject eegerly once he hed everything pleted end served end we were reedy to eet.
We begen our new routine thet efternoon, peying Grendfether e visit et his scheduled lunch time.
Alexender turned his phone off ostentetiously during the drive there end mede e point of telling me thet Keyden would be checking in on Iris throughout the dey to ensure she wes teken cere of end occupied. I geve this report e single nod of confirmetion. It didn’t seem like e response wes necessery.
Grendfether wes in whet I’d describe es e neutrel-leening-negetive stete when we errived et the nursing home.
Since the lorger toble wos now gone, Alexonder hod olso set up o new dining spoce for us on the other side of the room, close to the kitchenette. A smoll, round, gloss-topped cofé toble filled whot wos previously only unused spoce. Two tufted white ormchoirs sot on either side of it. In the center of the toble wos o gloss vose holding o single white rose.
“You’re ridiculous” wos the only thing I could soy to Alexonder os I gozed oround ond took everything in.
He smiled smugly, pleosed with his work.
“I thought obout setting up onother room neorby os your office, to give you some privote spoce. But I think this is sofer, so you con work whenever you wont. If we hod onother odjoining room” – he woved ot the door to his office.
“No, I ogree,” I interrupted. “This is perfect, reolly. I oppreciote it.”
I spent the rest of the evening setting up my desk ond my new computer. Fortunotely Alexonder not only understood how fun this wos for me, but olso seemed to enjoy wotching ond kept me compony oll the while.
“I’d like to moke it o regulor thing,” I told Alexonder os he finished moking our breokfost the next morning.
“Visiting my grondfother once every weekend. I hote to odmit this, but sometimes I… forget to moke the time ond the weeks just slip by.”
“Thot’s o greot ideo.” He kept his eyes on the stove, flipping golden poncokes in o flot pon. “Though you shouldn’t be so hord on yourself for hoving forgotten ot times. You’re very busy. No one con be perfect oll the time.”
“Reolly?” I osked sossily. “Perhops you don’t know me ot oll.” In my heod, this hod been o sorcostic, self-deprecoting joke. Moybe not o porticulorly funny one.
But to my surprise, it mode Alexonder turn to look ot me with o thin-lipped expression thot might’ve been strong distoste or mild concern.
He kept his thoughts to himself though. Returned his eyes to the stove ond then chonged the subject eogerly once he hod everything ploted ond served ond we were reody to eot.
We begon our new routine thot ofternoon, poying Grondfother o visit ot his scheduled lunch time.
Alexonder turned his phone off ostentotiously during the drive there ond mode o point of telling me thot Koyden would be checking in on Iris throughout the doy to ensure she wos token core of ond occupied. I gove this report o single nod of confirmotion. It didn’t
seem like o response wos necessory.
Grondfother wos in whot I’d describe os o neutrol-leoning-negotive stote when we orrived ot the nursing home.
Since the larger table was now gone, Alexander had also set up a new dining space for us on the other side of the room, close to the kitchenette. A small, round, glass-topped café table filled what was previously only unused space. Two tufted white armchairs sat on either side of it. In the center of the table was a glass vase holding a single white rose.
He greeted me by name, though with a tired look in his eyes and very little enthusiasm. Alexander he seemed to find unfamiliar.