CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM AND LOVE
In the fluorescent light of the refrigerator, the halved parsnips look naked – pale and fleshy as limbs. Annie pauses before pulling them out. A refrigerator is like a hospital, a bright place that is not cheerful. A protective but uncertain place to wait.
“What are you doing?” Anthony says. He’s standing in the doorway.
“I woke up and I was hungry, so here I am.” She replies as she puts the foul looking parsnips away.
Anthony walked up behind her, “Are you feeling okay?” He inquires as he wraps his arms around her.
Annie leaned back into Anthony’s strong arms and just relaxed. “I’m fine. I was just hungry and we both know how often that happens so I thought I’d take advantage of it.” She let the refrigerator door drift shut, leaving them in almost complete darkness besides the streetlight streaming in the kitchen window. She was thankful for the dark, the fluorescent light reminded her too much of the last few months and she would rather just forget. Hospitals were not a place most people wanted to remember and she had seen more than her fair share lately.
“Are you sure?” Anthony asks, still sounding unsure of her answer. “Does your head hurt or anything else?”
He sounded worried but Annie didn’t turn to look at him. Instead she just leaned further back into his arms. “I’m positive. No pain or anything; just a hungry gut.” She smiled and turned in his arms. “Unfortunately, we have no good food.”
“That’s what happens when you’re not home for almost a month.” Anthony laughed a little, relief evident on his face that she was joking with him just like before this whole mess had started. “However, I think I have a little something that your gut will be pleased with.” He said, mimicking her.
“Oh really, what would that be?” She inquired with a mischievous grin. He opened the freezer and pulled out a tub of chocolate chip ice cream. Her face broke out in a huge smile of genuine happiness, one that he had not seen in quite some time.
“You got me ice cream?”
“Well technically I got us ice cream, but yes, I got you ice cream.” He grins right along with her. They went together to sit at the kitchen table together, still in darkness. Anthony grabbed two spoons from a drawer near the sink and came back to the table with Annie and the ice cream. After a few minutes of silently eating their ice cream, Anthony finally broke the silence. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
It was soft, a whisper really, but Annie heard it clear as day. She looked up from her ice cream and saw tears glimmering in his eyes. “Oh, of course I’m okay. Everything’s fine now. The doctors say the tumor’s gone and it wasn’t cancerous. I’m going to be just fine. Correction, we’re going to be just fine.” She smiled at him and he smiled back, both genuine smiles of pure happiness. Annie stood up and moved over to sit on Anthony’s lap. Once there, she lightly pecked a small kiss on his lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He replied. They both knew their ordeal wasn’t quite over yet, but they were getting there. And with chocolate chip ice cream and love, where could they go wrong?