The day after I left my reply taped to Jacob’s locker, I found an envelope with my name on it stuck to the backside of the supply closet door.
Dearest Briana,
I laughed.
Thank you for your kind reply and for offering to repair the phone. I had insurance and the cost was minimal, so that won’t be necessary, though I appreciate the offer. I will however accept your invitation to be invited and never come. That sounds like an excellent time. I also enjoy not answering calls, not networking, never leaving the house, and hanging out with my dog.
I’m glad you were able to forgive me, and of course I forgive you as well. I understand what it’s like to go through a tough time and the strain that it takes on your mental health and patience. I think you were generous in your interactions with me, all things considered, and I look forward to continuing to work with you. I hope you’re not too hard on yourself over it and that you thaw and eat your cupcake.
I must return to my isolation now. I need twenty to twenty-two hours of alone time a day to function.
Sincerely,
Jacob
P.S. I’m only partly kidding.
I laughed. Then I read it again. I liked someone who could poke fun at himself.
An hour later, I left a yellow folded Post-it taped to his charting computer.
You have a dog? Can I pet it if I promise not to make direct eye contact with you or make small talk with you about the weather?
–Bri
An hour later there was a folded notepaper taped to my charting computer.
Dearest Briana,
Yes, you may pet my dog. But I should probably mention that Lieutenant Dan likes talking about the weather, so while you might not want to bring it up to me, maybe mention to him what a cold spring we’re having?
Do you have any pets? I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely, Jacob
We got super busy after that and I didn’t have time to respond before I got off. I stopped at Target on the way home to get some nice paper and a better pen than the cheap Bic I’d been using, but I didn’t really like the
selection, so I Googled and found a stationery place called Paper Waits Cards and drove there instead.
For his letters Jacob used really nice heavy paper and this linen-type envelope. It was very fancy and it kind of made me want to be fancy.
It was a nice diversion going into a store I’d never had a reason to go into. It felt like a mission or a scavenger hunt or something. It felt like I had a project that I was actually into.
I went with pink-lined paper that had vintage flowers in the corners. The package came with three prints: roses, lilacs, and daisies. That way I could write him three different letters and they’d all be on different paper.
Once I got what I needed I hurried home. Benny’s dialysis machine was getting delivered today.
It took me two hours to set it up and then a long training session with a dialysis nurse to make sure I knew how to use it. Then I had to hook Benny to it and get dinner going. I watched a movie with him while I monitored his vitals, so it was late by the time I sat down to write.
The writing was really relaxing. Cathartic. I liked having something to do.
