massage.
“Your neck and shoulders are very tight. It’s contributing to the pain in your head. And why are you fixing the vehicle? You should just buy a new one. It’s been tearing down more and more,” Rashid said as he took the towel off of her forehead, rung it out in the bowl next to him and replaced it, this time on her neck.
It did something funny to Crystal’s stomach to see Rashid playing nursemaid to Gail. It was petty of her, she knew, but she didn’t like it. She tried to ignore it as she joined the conversation. “I’m with Rashid on this one. I don’t understand why you haven’t bought a new one. It’s not like you can’t afford it.”
“The stuff breaking down on my car is normal maintenance things that have worn down because of the mileage. It’s expected. Besides, and I know you’ll both think this is foolishly sentimental of me, but that car is the one Jason bought for me when the business first started doing well. It’s really the last piece of him that I have. Thanks, Rashid. I feel much better now.” Gail removed the towel from her neck and handed it back to him.
He took the towel and the bowl and left the room. Gail looked at Crystal and told her, “You have a wonderful husband. You’re very lucky. It’s at times like these when I miss Jason the most.”
“Yes, I do,” Crystal acknowledged. Inside she felt guilty. How childish of her to begrudge Gail the little bit of comfort Rashid had given her when she considered all that Gail had lost. Rashid was hers. Every loving and caring ounce of him belonged to her. So he spent a few minutes helping her sick friend. She should be happy he was compassionate enough to do so, instead of jealous of the attention he was paying to someone else. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Now I can show you the pictures from my trip.”
For the next hour, Gail laughed, ooh’d and ah’d over everything Crystal showed her. Then they joined Rashid in the dining room for dinner. Crystal served since Carmelita only worked half-days on weekends. The conversation was lively and fun and Crystal enjoyed herself immensely. She was sorry to see Gail leave but realized she needed to rest.
As they cleared the table, Rashid commented, “She’s really not that large to be four months pregnant with twins. Do you think that’s normal? Are we sure everything’s alright?”
“I’m sure everything is fine, but if you have any questions, she has an appointment next week. You can ask Dr. Hagan then.” Once again, all of this concern over Gail was starting to annoy her.
“Do you think she’ll get a newer vehicle? Jason wouldn’t want her holding onto that thing, not if it’s starting to tear up. It was used when he bought it.”
“I’m sure Gail will do whatever she deems best,” Crystal said shortly.
“I’ll talk to her. See if I can convince her to buy another one. She’ll need something larger eventually and higher off of the ground. As her pregnancy advances, she’ll have difficulty getting in and out of her car, as low as it is,” he finished thoughtfully.
“Well, if she doesn’t, you can always buy her one,” Crystal suggested sarcastically as she finished loading the dishwasher and turned it on. “I’m going up to take my shower. Are you coming?”
“I’ll be in the office.” She watched as he left the kitchen, his mind clearly on something else.
* * * *
The next Friday when Gail walked into the waiting room, she was startled to see Rashid. After checking in to let them know she was there, she took a seat next to him.
“Hi, I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you’d be busy like Crystal.”
“I had my secretary put your appointment on my schedule so I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Oh, that was smart.” Gail mentally scrambled for another topic of conversation. When she couldn’t find one, she reached for one of the pregnancy related magazines on the table.
“You are feeling better? There’s been no
“Your neck and shoulders are very tight. It’s contributing to the pain in your head. And why are you fixing the vehicle? You should just buy a new one. It’s been tearing down more and more,” Rashid said as he took the towel off of her forehead, rung it out in the bowl next to him and replaced it, this time on her neck.
It did something funny to Crystal’s stomach to see Rashid playing nursemaid to Gail. It was petty of her, she knew, but she didn’t like it. She tried to ignore it as she joined the conversation. “I’m with Rashid on this one. I don’t understand why you haven’t bought a new one. It’s not like you can’t afford it.”
“The stuff breaking down on my car is normal maintenance things that have worn down because of the mileage. It’s expected. Besides, and I know you’ll both think this is foolishly sentimental of me, but that car is the one Jason bought for me when the business first started doing well. It’s really the last piece of him that I have. Thanks, Rashid. I feel much better now.” Gail removed the towel from her neck and handed it back to him.
He took the towel and the bowl and left the room. Gail looked at Crystal and told her, “You have a wonderful husband. You’re very lucky. It’s at times like these when I miss Jason the most.”
“Yes, I do,” Crystal acknowledged. Inside she felt guilty. How childish of her to begrudge Gail the little bit of comfort Rashid had given her when she considered all that Gail had lost. Rashid was hers. Every loving and caring ounce of him belonged to her. So he spent a few minutes helping her sick friend. She should be happy he was compassionate enough to do so, instead of jealous of the attention he was paying to someone else. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Now I can show you the pictures from my trip.”
For the next hour, Gail laughed, ooh’d and ah’d over everything Crystal showed her. Then they joined Rashid in the dining room for dinner. Crystal served since Carmelita only worked half-days on weekends. The conversation was lively and fun and Crystal enjoyed herself immensely. She was sorry to see Gail leave but realized she needed to rest.
As they cleared the table, Rashid commented, “She’s really not that large to be four months pregnant with twins. Do you think that’s normal? Are we sure everything’s alright?”
“I’m sure everything is fine, but if you have any questions, she has an appointment next week. You can ask Dr. Hagan then.” Once again, all of this concern over Gail was starting to annoy her.
“Do you think she’ll get a newer vehicle? Jason wouldn’t want her holding onto that thing, not if it’s starting to tear up. It was used when he bought it.”
“I’m sure Gail will do whatever she deems best,” Crystal said shortly.
“I’ll talk to her. See if I can convince her to buy another one. She’ll need something larger eventually and higher off of the ground. As her pregnancy advances, she’ll have difficulty getting in and out of her car, as low as it is,” he finished thoughtfully.
“Well, if she doesn’t, you can always buy her one,” Crystal suggested sarcastically as she finished loading the dishwasher and turned it on. “I’m going up to take my shower. Are you coming?”
“I’ll be in the office.” She watched as he left the kitchen, his mind clearly on something else.
* * * *
The next Friday when Gail walked into the waiting room, she was startled to see Rashid. After checking in to let them know she was there, she took a seat next to him.
“Hi, I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you’d be busy like Crystal.”
“I had my secretary put your appointment on my schedule so I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Oh, that was smart.” Gail mentally scrambled for another topic of conversation. When she couldn’t find one, she reached for one of the pregnancy related magazines on the table.
“You are feeling better? There’s been no
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