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After today, I will be going back to my empty life in England – my patients need me there,I thought sadly to myself.
However, at the end of the day, I had to return home to an empty apartment only to crash in exhaustion. There would be no one to greet me when I came home, no one to kiss me good morning or make pancakes with me when I got up.
I didn’t even have a pet because I was too busy to care for one. I really would miss Buddy too…
Is this how my terminal patients feel?I thought to myself. I was quite sad knowing that I was going to leave soon but I was also determined to just enjoy the day, as Amanda wanted. I wanted to leave great memories behind and hoped that they were enough to tide me over when I eventually have to return to London.
Today is really all I have. I must make this count.
My reverie was interrupted when Buddy let out a short bark to remind us of his existence. We broke apart and laughed. I went back to cooking the rest of the batch while she made coffee.
“What’s all this ruckus early in the morning?” Grandma Margaret walked into the kitchen with a fond smile on her features. “And what is that lovely thing I’m smelling? Are those chocolate-chip pancakes?”
Looks like she has her hearing aid on today,I grinned to myself.And it also looks like she has a keen sense of smell for someone her age!
“Yes, ma’am!” I replied, flipping another pancake. I turned to Amanda and handed her a plate with a stack of pancakes. “These are already done. You and Grandma Margaret can start eating. I’ll just whip up a small batch without chocolate for Buddy.”
She shook her head. “Nope. We’re all eating together today.”
I smiled softly back at her. “Okay.”
We stood like that for a moment before I had to turn back to the stove to avoid ruining a perfectly good pancake. I whipped up a special batch for Buddy while Amanda set out the table.
Grandma Margaret was already waiting for her pancakes.
I set the stack of pancakes in the middle of the table and her eyes were wide with wonder.
“That is one of the handsomest stack of pancakes I have ever seen!” she marveled.
And I was proud to say they really were—light, fluffy, and golden, with a smattering of chocolate chips, they looked absolutely mouthwatering.
“Handsomer than, say, your ‘hot personal doctor’?” I teased her.
She laughed, wagging her finger at me. “You cheeky young man, you. By the way,” she paused and pulled out something from behind her. “I made these for you. I heard that London is godawful cold. You’ll need them to keep your tootsies warm.”
“Thank you, Grandma Margaret,” I told her warmly. I opened the package and drew out a pair of wool socks the color of Amanda’s eyes.
Fuck. I’m bound to get depressed whenever I see these, I thought.Depressed and happy at the same time.
“Do you like them?” she asked me.
I nodded. “I love them.”
Amanda smiled at us and whipped out her phone. “How about we take a few selfies? It would be an awful waste to not at least have a picture of these gorgeous pancakes.”
“And gorgeous doctor!” Grandma Margaret added.
I laughed and we posed for a couple of selfies with the pancake and a couple more with me holding up the socks Grandma Margaret made for me. Buddy even joined in on the fun and posed for some of the pictures, too.
The senior dog barked and wagged his tail at me expectantly. I laughed and slid a couple of pancakes—chocolate-free, of course—into his dish.
“Of course, I didn’t forget about you,” I winked at him.
He barked happily again and then proceeded to gobble up his pancakes.
“Mm…These are the greatest pancakes I have ever tasted!” Grandma Margaret exclaimed, wagging her eyebrows at me. “You haven’t lost your touch, Oliver.”
“I’m glad you like them, Grandma,” I grinned at her.
