How different our lives are when we really know what is deeply important to us, and keeping that picture in mind, we manage ourselves each day to be and to do what really matters most."
I ran towards the smoke. Jeff ran after me yelling, “Rorey, wait! Be careful. Do you even know who that is? It could be dangerous.”
“Dangerous? DANGEROUS? Forgetting Christmas is dangerous. Telling me what to do is dangerous. Showing up on my door step without warning is dangerous. Getting married at the age of 16 is dangerous. Running after a friend who just wrecked his pickup on account of me hugging some long lost stranger who did 2 dangerous things, is completely safe.” I thought.
“Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, are you ok? Charlie can you hear me? Charlie where are you?”
“I am here. Follow my voice. I am trapped.”
“I am here. Follow my voice. I am trapped.”
“Trapped? Rorey you can go in there.” Jeff said with worry dripping from his voice.
“Oh yes Jeff, and what do you presume I do, leave him here until my parents get home next week?
Ya, you have always had such bright ideas haven’t you? Now, go call 911 while I check to see how he is.”
“But…”
“NOW!” I hollered at him.
Ya, you have always had such bright ideas haven’t you? Now, go call 911 while I check to see how he is.”
“But…”
“NOW!” I hollered at him.
I found Charlie trapped under a big branch that had fallen from the tree he ran into.
“Oh my goodness Charlie, are you ok.”
“Well, after hearing you yell at the guy I feel slightly better.”
“Charlie, this is no laughing matter. Can you move your leg?”
“Well, that’s the slight problem. You see, I might have heard some crushing sounds and I can’t move my leg and if I try I could quite possibly make you deaf and I would hate for you to not be able to hear my thanks for yelling at the man so….”
“Oh my goodness Charlie, are you ok.”
“Well, after hearing you yell at the guy I feel slightly better.”
“Charlie, this is no laughing matter. Can you move your leg?”
“Well, that’s the slight problem. You see, I might have heard some crushing sounds and I can’t move my leg and if I try I could quite possibly make you deaf and I would hate for you to not be able to hear my thanks for yelling at the man so….”
“Charlie,” I cried with a hint of a smile in my voice, “Can we talk about this when maybe you are like not trapped under 500000 pounds of wood!”
“You know, now that you mention it that might be a good idea.”
“Ok so what should I do? How am I going to move this?”
“Well, I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but, there is no way for you to lift this. Someone is going to have to do it with either five men or a tractor. You are or have access to neither so we are just going to have to wait for help.”
“There is a tractor in the shed. Maybe I can…”
“Now, Rorey, I hate to say this and I mean it with the utmost respect, my leg is under this board, and well, I remember you telling me not long ago that the only real tractor you had driven more than a couple of times was the swather. Now, I don’t think the swather would help my leg much, and I think putting the teeth of the head of the tractor might hurt slightly, so maybe we should just wait for someone to get here. “
“Charlie, I am so sorry,” I started crying.
“There is a tractor in the shed. Maybe I can…”
“Now, Rorey, I hate to say this and I mean it with the utmost respect, my leg is under this board, and well, I remember you telling me not long ago that the only real tractor you had driven more than a couple of times was the swather. Now, I don’t think the swather would help my leg much, and I think putting the teeth of the head of the tractor might hurt slightly, so maybe we should just wait for someone to get here. “
“Charlie, I am so sorry,” I started crying.
“That was supposed to make you laugh, not cry. It’s ok this isn’t your fault.”
“Yes it is and you and I both know that. I should have never turned you down, and I should have never gone to coffee with Jeff, in fact Jeff shouldn’t even be here. You should have pulled up and I would have come out and been surprised to see you and we would sit down and have a nice cup of black coffee and talk about the weather and the birds until we talked ourselves out of other things to talk about and eventually the subject of you and me would come about I would have finally told you that quite frankly I am so so so much in like with you and I was so sorry and…..”
“Yes it is and you and I both know that. I should have never turned you down, and I should have never gone to coffee with Jeff, in fact Jeff shouldn’t even be here. You should have pulled up and I would have come out and been surprised to see you and we would sit down and have a nice cup of black coffee and talk about the weather and the birds until we talked ourselves out of other things to talk about and eventually the subject of you and me would come about I would have finally told you that quite frankly I am so so so much in like with you and I was so sorry and…..”
Sirens blaring in the back ground cut my speech short. When they got there I told them what happened and the finally got the log off of Charlie’s leg. They said it appeared to be broken and they were going to have to take him to the hospital. I asked if I could ride along in the ambulance with them and they said since he didn’t have any family around to ride with him I could go. On our way I kept looking at him as they kept prodding. His face flinched every time his leg was moved or touched. One time he caught me looking and held the gaze. He must have noticed the sorrow in my eyes because he reached out and grabbed my hand. When he squeezed it I knew from that moment on things would be different between us. We finally got to the hospital and he was taken inside. His parents were there waiting for us and they had a lot of paper work they needed to fill out. The doctor that seen him told them that he was going to surgery STAT and he would come out when they were done. I went to get a cup of strong coffee to calm my nerves while I was waiting. When I sat down on the nearest bench drinking my coffee Mike showed up.
“You know that stuff is what makes you so short?”
“You know I don’t have to duck when I go under short tree branches?”
“You know you can’t reach things on the top shelf?”
“You know I don’t have to move the seat back in the car before I can get in?”
“You know you can never reach the cards in the middle of the table?”
“You know what... shut it!”
He laughed. “I knew you would run out of advantages at some point. I was hoping sooner rather than later because I was about to run out of advantages!”
“You know I don’t have to duck when I go under short tree branches?”
“You know you can’t reach things on the top shelf?”
“You know I don’t have to move the seat back in the car before I can get in?”
“You know you can never reach the cards in the middle of the table?”
“You know what... shut it!”
He laughed. “I knew you would run out of advantages at some point. I was hoping sooner rather than later because I was about to run out of advantages!”
We both laughed and it was quiet for a minute.
“So what happened?”
I told him every detail from start to finish.
I told him every detail from start to finish.
“So you guys are now officially together?” he asked.
“Well, I am not sure I would say officially, but I think that as soon as he wakes up from surgery we will be.”
“Waiting to make sure he doesn’t come out crazy before announcing it to the world huh?” He joked.
“Waiting to make sure he doesn’t come out crazy before announcing it to the world huh?” He joked.
“NO,” I laughed, giving him a slight push careful not to spill the precious contents in my cup, “Waiting to talk to him silly.”
“Oh right, talking yes, I forgot that’s something you do best.” He teased.
“Oh right, talking yes, I forgot that’s something you do best.” He teased.
“He now Mr. you are about to get yourself in big trouble,” I joked.
“What are you going to make me do, drink that nasty stuff?”
“You have some in that cup right there you nerd.”
“Ah, you are right, but this came from that pretty nurse over there, you see the one with red hair. Ya, she thought I was cute so she went to the back room and got me some real stuff.”
“Really, what’s real stuff?”
“Ah, you are right, but this came from that pretty nurse over there, you see the one with red hair. Ya, she thought I was cute so she went to the back room and got me some real stuff.”
“Really, what’s real stuff?”
“OH, you know, the kind with lots of sugar and heavy whipping cream.”
“Oh yes, I forgot, how could I ever forget how to make a cup of coffee “REAL”. “
“I don’t know how you forgot, but shall I refresh your memory?” He asked holding out his cup for me to try.
“Oh yes, I forgot, how could I ever forget how to make a cup of coffee “REAL”. “
“I don’t know how you forgot, but shall I refresh your memory?” He asked holding out his cup for me to try.
“Oh, you know I have already had one rush for the night, I don’t think I need a sugar high, but thanks for the offer.”
“Suite yourself. You’re missing out though!”
“I should go talk to Charlie’s parents. Have you seen them?”
“Yes, they are the ones that called me and told me to come. I asked them where you were when I got here, since I knew you would be off thinking somewhere and I knew that was never good.”
“Haha funny. But, thanks for the talk, I appreciate it.”
“I am happy for you, you know that right?”
“Ya?” I asked.
“Yes, they are the ones that called me and told me to come. I asked them where you were when I got here, since I knew you would be off thinking somewhere and I knew that was never good.”
“Haha funny. But, thanks for the talk, I appreciate it.”
“I am happy for you, you know that right?”
“Ya?” I asked.
“Ya, I am.”
“You didn’t seem super happy. You seemed kind of taken back and shocked. You seemed like maybe you thought it was a bad idea or something.”
“Not a bad idea, just not expecting it, that’s all.”
“You didn’t seem super happy. You seemed kind of taken back and shocked. You seemed like maybe you thought it was a bad idea or something.”
“Not a bad idea, just not expecting it, that’s all.”
“So it was just a surprise.”
“Ya, ya a surprise,” He answered quickly.
“Ya, ya a surprise,” He answered quickly.
We walked back to find Mark and Janet. My nerves were about as on edge as they looked in the chair.
“Have you heard anything?” I asked.
“Have you heard anything?” I asked.
“The doctor said it was broken in four different spots. They are in doing surgery right now. He is going to be fine, they think, just lots of time to heal and rest.” Janet answered.
“I am so sorry, I should have never….”
Mark cut me off. “Rorey, this isn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself. Charlie is going to be fine. Plus, I am sure you will get the joy of sitting through this healing process with us, which means that should be payback times ten for whatever you feel the need to make up!”
We all laughed.
“Thanks Mark, that means a lot to me.”
Mark cut me off. “Rorey, this isn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself. Charlie is going to be fine. Plus, I am sure you will get the joy of sitting through this healing process with us, which means that should be payback times ten for whatever you feel the need to make up!”
We all laughed.
“Thanks Mark, that means a lot to me.”
The doctor came out and said he was in recovery and one person could go back and talk to him at a time. Everyone kind of looked at each other not sure which one was going to go first. The doctor must have sensed the question at hand so he answered it for us.
“Um, Charlie said something about wanting to see Rorey?”
“Oh, well I mean is that ok, if I go back first?” I asked.
“Sure yes, if Charlie wants to see you then you should be the one he gets to see.” Janet answered.
As I was walking back to Charlie’s room I could feel myself getting tense. My stomach started to get woozy. I walked in the room and seen Charlie’s white face. Of course he was fine, it was the anesthesia, but still, seeing him like that did me in. I started to feel weaker and weaker. I look at him and that was the last thing I remember… The room started to go blurry and I fell weakly into someone’s arms… everything black.
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