Page 12 - LIfesOuttakes1

leave me for good. I stroked her blond hair, wishing I could draw the sickness from her and take it upon myself. At times exhaustion overcame me and I started to drift off to sleep, only to wake with a start, panicking at my lapse as I checked on her again. The three days took their toll on me as I sat in the chair, praying, with her in my arms. Finally, her fever broke and she was able to come home. Unshaven and unkempt, I carried her from our car and tucked her gently into her bed. She still didn’t want to do much and just lay there, quietly holding “bankie” close. I would come home from work each day and open the cupboard, hoping to see a Tinkertoy in my cereal bowl, but it wasn’t there - none in my bed, none in my shoes, none in my computer. Then, one day, coming in from work tired and hungry, I did pull out a plate and, to my great joy, I found a dirty, chipped, unsanitary Tinkertoy. I turned around and my little blond gremlin poked her head around the corner. Though she was still pale, her eyes had a sparkle I hadn’t seen for a long time. I held up her Tinkertoy. She came to me and hugged my knees. She then took her Tinkertoy and toddled off, humming. You know what? I really do like Tinkertoys in my cupboard. 7