I look up at her without saying anything.
Looking back, she says, “I’m being annoying, aren’t I?”
“No. It’s just your ADHD is showing.”
“Sorry. I’m not very good at sitting still.”
Clearly. I offered her first dibs on what movie we watched. She picked something but only sat and watched it for about ten minutes.
After that, she got up and started playing with anything she could get her hands on. I have a den in my house that is my sanctuary. It’s where my inner nerd comes out in full-force. It houses my gaming computer and other consoles, my LEGO’s, and all my collectibles. You’d think with all this stuff, Jo could keep amused, but no.
I don’t want her to feel bad about any of that, though.
“Come here, beautiful,” I say, pulling her onto my lap. “What doyouwant to do?”
She shrugs and exhales a heavy sigh. “I don’t know.”
“Do you want to go out and do something?”
“No. Do you have a phone charger? There’s a stupid little game on there I like to play that seems to calm me down, but my phone’s almost dead.”
“Sure.” I dig around in my desk drawer until I find one that fits her phone.
As she plugs it in, I ask, “What kind of game is it?”
“It’s a farming thing. You know, you plant crops, fish, and raise animals. It’s silly, but it helps keep me out of my head.”
“I think I’ve got something you may like.” Standing up, I walk over to the TV and turn on one of the gaming systems.
After a couple minutes of sitting through download screens and a handful of questions from Jo, I have everything all set up.
As the video game logo flashes across the screen, Jo asks, “What is this?”
“I know you like the game on your phone, but maybe you’ll like this one. It’s the same basic principle. You farm, fish, and mine, but this will be way more in-depth than a mobile game.”
“You didn’t have to do all this,” she says with a smile.
“I know, but I think you’ll like it. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Itisa big deal, and I love it.”
“Good,” I reply with a soft peck on her lips. “Now, you sit on the couch and get comfortable. I’ll fix you something to drink and a snack in a bit.”
The look on her face is one of sheer disbelief. It’s as if she thinks the bare minimum deserves high praise. It makes me wonder what kind of assholes she was dating when we were apart.
If they’re anything like the jerks she dated in high school, I can only imagine. From how she talks about the little things I do for her, I’d say she’s never had anyone else treat her right.
Well, that changes right now.
***
“Well, fuck me!” Jo shouts.
I look over at her on the couch. “What’s wrong?”
“Some fucking animals got into my crops and ate all the good ones!”
She’s so cute. When we were younger, we’d play video games, but most of the time, it was her just playing something that I liked. Watching her get into something she actually enjoys is fun.
