She grins as she sits up, but quickly frowns. “Trash can!”
I glance around the room, spot it, and give it to her as she starts to heave. I’m so leaving a bigger tip than I was planning to. When she’s done, I take the trash can, but can’t walk far because she leans against me.
“I want food.”
I laugh. “Really?”
“No, but I feel weak.”
Well, I don’t like the sound of that. Slowly, we get her dressed and I hold her against me as we walk out front, where I pay with a hefty tip and let them know about their trash can situation. Once we’re in the car, I head to the outskirts of Raleigh. Sylvia doesn’t question where we’re going. Then again, she has the seat reclined back and her eyes are closed.
If they were open, she’d see where we’re headed. What better place to go on our ten-year anniversary than the diner where I took her on our first date? If the place wasn’t such a hot spot for college kids, I’d be surprised that it’s still here and as busy as ever. I don’t know if Sylvia will want to eat anything here, but it’s worth a shot.
“Oh, Scott.” Her eyes are welling with tears again as she takes in the bustling diner. “We haven’t been here since college.”
“I know. It’s about time we returned, don’t you think?” She nods. “Do you think your stomach can handle it?”
“It better,” she says as she unbuckles her seatbelt.
That’s good enough for me. I get out and walk around to open the door for her. We must have come at the busiest part of the day because we have to wait for a table. That’s certainly okay. I don’t mind holding my girl against me for a few minutes.
“Do you remember how nervous you were?” Sylvia tilts her head back to look up at me with a smile. “One of the few times you’ve been so nervous with me.”
“You were this beautiful girl who was giving me the time of day; of course I was nervous. I didn’t want to mess it up.”
“When did you know you were going to marry me?”
“Definitely not that night.” I chuckle when she frowns. “You’re a handful, Sylvie. I was enamored and I wanted you, but you were a bit much. I wasn’t used to it.”
People think she’s nosy now? Our first date was like an extreme version of twenty questions, except there was like a million. Sylvia learned way more about me than I learned about her because she only answered a handful of the questions she was asking me. My laid-back personality and me actively trying to tame her has paid off over the years. She’s a lot calmer in that area than she was.
She was high-strung in that she was super outgoing, loved to talk, didn’t like to be told to do anything, and she liked to banter. I like going with the flow and adjusting to whatever life hands me on the fly. Sylvia adjusts like that as well, but there’s more emotion that comes along with it. She expresses it more than I do.
Meeting Sylvia was like moving right into a hurricane when I was previously floating in calm waters. Calm waters was what I was used to. I wasn’t sure if Sylvia was crazy or just a quirky girl. All I knew was that I had to find out and hope I survived.
I ended up marrying her.
“I’m not a handful,” she mumbles. Her lips turn into a pout as she rests her forehead against my chest.
“You are, and we already know that I don’t mind. I did marry you, after all.”
She’s saved from responding because we’ve been summoned to a table. We’re quiet as Sylvia tries to find something that won’t upset her stomach and I try to find the healthiest thing I can possibly eat. I might just get something small and rack up at dinner. Back in college, I didn’t watch what I put into my body, but I sure as hell do now. Makes a world of difference.
Once we order, one glance at Sylvia, and I can tell she’s back to worrying.
“Get over here.”
She frowns at the order, but she moves to my side of the booth. I slide an arm around her shoulders and hug her tight to my side. “Anything else planned?” she asks.
“Figured you’d want someone other than Stella and Stephanie to do your nails.” I lift her hand and kiss it.
“I thought this day was supposed to be about us?”
“Wasn’t exactly about us ten years ago,” I say with a low rumble of a laugh. When it came to our wedding, Sylvia was definitely in charge. She told me when and where to show up, and I did what I was told. “You need this more than me anyway. When was the last time I treated you to something nice?”
“When we went on vacation, so just two months ago.”
“And that’s a damn shame. Should be more often.”