She reads over the items I added. “I can’t believe I was going to forget eggs.”
I shrug. “You haven’t done this in a while. I’m impressed you remembered everyone’s favorite cereal.”
She folds the piece of paper and sticks it in her purse. “I’ll be back soon. If you girls need anything call me. Your dad went up to see Grandma this morning and won’t be back until Sunday evening.”
“He didn’t say bye?”
“It’s a seven-hour drive up to Napa, he left before five this morning so he’d have most of the day with her and tomorrow.”
“Right.” I shake my head. “How’s Grandma doing?”
“Oh, you know, the usual.” She waves her hand before swiping up her keys. “Spying on neighbors and calling the cops on loose cattle.”
I laugh. “She’s something else.”
“That she is.” She starts for the garage door. “See you in a bit.”
Once she’s gone I rifle through the pantry for popcorn. I decide to make regular butter popcorn and Kettle corn. After they’ve both popped I put them in separate bowls and carry them upstairs while Perry, of course, follows.
Pushing the door open to my room I find Meredith has moved my three bean bags in front of my TV as well as dumped all my pillows and blankets onto the floor.
She pushes a DVD into the player as I walk in.
“That smells good.” She hops up and takes one of the bowls from me as Harlow comes in behind me.
“What are we watching?” Harlow asks, shoving her hand into the popcorn bowl I hold then taking a bite.
Meredith flops into a beanbag and popcorn bounces out of the bowl and onto the floor. Perry dives for it, devouring all the pieces in seconds.
“Ladies and … gentleman” —she glances at Perry— “first up, we are watching The Proposal, because Lord knows my love of Ryan Reynolds is unparalleled, but can only be overshadowed by my love of Betty White, so this movie is the best of both worlds.”
Harlow looks at me and shakes her head, stifling a laugh.
Meredith picks up the remote and skips through the previews while Harlow and I get situated in beanbags on either side of her.
I pick up one of the blankets and drape it over me.
My melancholy that’s hung like a dark cloud over my head all morning has disappeared. Don’t get me wrong, my heart still aches, but it’s a little lighter now.
The movie starts, and the three of us being, well, the three of us, goof off as we watch the movie. Reciting lines and making up our own as we go.
By the afternoon we’ve devoured all the popcorn and snacks Meredith brought and have raided the freezer for ice cream.
“Do you feel better?” she asks, putting yet another DVD in.
I smile and nod. “Loads better.”
She bites her lip and I can tell she wants to say more, to maybe even talk about why I was down—she knows the reason—but then she decides better of it. I think it’s best not to talk about it right now. My emotions are already all over the place from finally getting a transplant; toss in worrying about my donor’s family and it’s a recipe for disaster. Right now, I have to focus on healing. That’s the most important thing of all, because while I feel amazing that doesn’t mean my body doesn’t have to recover from the trauma.
Meredith lies back into the beanbag once more and presses play when the screen pops up.
I’m thankful that her and Harlow have decided to spend the day with me. Not just distracting me, but truly having fun. I needed this.
The movie has barely started when my mom appears in the doorway of my room. Meredith presses pause so she can speak.
“Meredith, your mom called and wanted to know if it was okay if you spent the night—you know we don’t mind.”
“Cool, thanks Kate,” she thanks my mom.