“You’ve always taken care of me,” Amelia murmured as she set her plastic knife and fork inside her food container and closed it. “I hate that it always seems to be that way, instead of the other way around.”
“Lucky for you, taking care of you is something I enjoy doing. Always have. Always will.”
Amelia stared at him, wondering if there was a possibility that he meant something more than just for the moment. She shifted on her seat, not sure how to respond.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” Ben asked, seemingly oblivious that his words had just shaken her to the core.
“A walk?”
“Do you think you have the energy to go for a short walk?”
Amelia looked out over the neighborhood, drawn to the suggestion even though she knew it might not be the best idea.
“We’ll go slow,” Ben said. “And we won’t go far because Luca would kill me.”
“Luca? He’s here?”
“Yep.” Ben pointed over the top of the railing. “He’s in the black SUV down there.”
“He’s just sitting in the car?”
“Yes. He’s got the sunroof open, so he’s getting plenty of fresh air. And he had food as well.”
“He could have come up here.”
“He said he was fine, and as long as he can see us as we walk, he won’t get out of the SUV.”
“Okay,” Amelia said, hoping that it would indeed be a slow and short walk.
They carried the remnants of their meal into the kitchen, then Amelia went to her room to get her shoes. When she returned, Ben was on his phone.
“Just letting Luca know the plan.”
Together they left her apartment and walked down the hallway to the stairs. Amelia gripped the railing as she walked, happy that she wasn’t feeling too bad, though her legs definitely didn’t feel the strongest they’d ever been.
Once they left the building, Ben pointed to the right. “Let’s head that way. We can go to the end of the block, then cross over and come back. Does that work for you?”
When Amelia nodded, Ben held his arm out to her. After a brief hesitation, she wrapped her fingers around his elbow.
In the year she’d lived there, she hadn’t spent much time walking around the neighborhood, so she looked curiously at the houses they passed.
“This is a nice little neighborhood,” Ben said. “The houses aren’t big, but they’re so well kept. Look at the garden on this one.”
They paused in front of a small white house with dark blue trim. It had a white picket fence around the front of the yard, and beyond it was a neatly manicured lawn and flower beds filled with colorful blooms. The front porch had a swing and more flower boxes along the railing.
A medium-sized black dog lay on the porch, but he’d lifted his head when they’d stopped. He watched them for a moment, then his tail thumped a couple of times before he laid his head back down.
“It’s beautiful.” Amelia felt a longing in her heart. “It’s clear whoever lives here loves to take care of their home.”
They began to walk again, and Amelia tried to sort through the emotions that the house had roused in her.
She’d always dreamed of having a home of her own someday. One in which she could create a cozy, calm environment. A refuge from the craziness of the life she’d led.
Since getting sick, she hadn’t spent as much time dreaming about that future. Her present had demanded so much of her attention.
Ben kept a running commentary on the houses they passed, and soon they reached the end of the block. After waiting for a car to pass, they crossed to the other side.
This side had a couple of houses with kids playing out in the front yard. There was even one with an elderly couple sitting in rockers on their front porch. They called out a greeting as they approached, and Ben, being the friendly person he was, stopped to have a brief chat.
