Page 72 of Nuts

It amazed me that he could go right back to eating. I really needed to know what was in the package. He, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care one way or another.

It could have been a tabletop. Or a workbench of some sort. I wondered for a moment if it was a headboard for a bed, and then decided not, due to the width being narrower than a mattress.

“After we eat?”

“I’ve got a few things to get done. I’ll get to it at some point, yeah.”

I let out a sigh and sat down. “Okay.”

Percy’s mood had changed completely. Now eating – and acting – normally, he seemed to have dismissed whatever it was that was troubling him earlier. I, on the other hand, was overcome with interest about the delivery.

“I think I’m done,” I said.

He looked up from his plate. “You didn’t finish your food.”

“I’m full.”

He nodded. “I’m close.”

I stared at the cardboard box while he continued to eat. After a few moments, he cleared his throat.

“What was that chicken again?”

I sighed. “Baked chicken.”

“You can add it to the short list,” he said.

I shifted my eyes to him and managed to smile. “I’ll do it.”

“What’s on your agenda tonight?” he asked.

“I was going to do some research, and then go to bed.”

We carried our plates to the kitchen and cleaned up the dinner mess together. After I wiped down the countertop, I turned to face him.

“Are you going to open it now?”

“Maybe in a bit,” he said. “I’ve got to respond to some emails first.”

“Baseball card business booming?”

He grinned. “I suppose.”

I took one last glance at the package. “I’ll be in my room.”

“Same here.”

“Let me know if you…when you open it.”

“Oh. That?” He turned toward the package as if he forgot it had arrived. “Yeah. I’ll let you know. First things first, though.”

I went to my room and began research on management practices. Fifteen minutes into my first webinar, the contents of the package no longer mattered.

Percy’s knocking on the door startled me. I pulled one of my earbuds and set my phone aside.

“Come in.”

“I was mistaken,” he said. “That package wasn’t for me. It’s for you.”