"What do you think of this one?" Savi asked as she modeled a sundress for the ninth time.
"It's fine Savi, just pick something already, I'm starving. You said this day would be exciting and we have yet to do anything but shop."
"Oh, hush up. We will do something exciting soon. It's all planned out, just hold your horses."
Savi quickly changed back into her clothes, and rushed out of the store, dragging Josalyn to a new little sushi bar in the mall for lunch. The girls took a seat in the middle of the bar and watched as the array of food moved passed them. This was Josalyn's first time at a place like this. Unsure of what to grab, she let Savi do it all.
"Oh, you have to try this one. It's so good." Savi said as she grabbed the first roll off the conveyor belt. "Oh, and this one too." Quickly grabbing a few more choices.
"Hold on, what is this stuff," Josalyn questioned as she sat looking at the pea pod like things in front of her.
"Edamame. You eat it like this." Savi put the pod into her mouth and scraped her teeth down the sides, popping the little beans into her mouth.
"Eddy what?"
"Edamame, you know, soy beans."
"And this is?"
"That my dear is a sushi roll. This particular one has crab and avocado in it."
"What's that on top?" Josalyn pointed to the little orange beads.
"Just eat it! Then I'll tell you." Savi knew her friend wasn't a big fan of seafood, and telling her what those 'beads' where would be the end of this meal. Savi continued to pull roll after roll off the bar, sharing each of them with Josalyn.
"Oh, I totally forgot," Savi mumbled after she popped another roll into her mouth. "I have something exciting for us to do." Looking down at her watch, Savi threw her napkin on the table and flagged down the waiter. "Crap, we are going to miss our reservation if we don't hurry." Savi quickly paid the bill and rushed Josalyn out the door.
*****
"Ugh! I can't believe I lost track of time! I am so infuriated with myself!"
"Dude, Savi, calm down. It's really not that big of a deal. Whatever it is isn't worth all this stress."
"Yes, it is, you have no idea the time and effort we have put into this."
"Who's we?" questioned Josalyn.
"Don't worry about it. We have ten minutes to get there before we lose our reservation time. I cannot ruin this!" Savi stepped on the gas, and took off. At a high rate of speed, she slid her care around the corner, taking it wide, causing Josalyn to lose her temper.
"Slow down!" Josalyn screamed. "Our lives aren't worth whatever you are trying to get to."
"Calm down little one, I'm not going that fast, we're fine. Just a few more miles and we will be there."
"No, we are not fine!" Josalyn hollered. "You are scaring me. Please just slow down!"
Before they knew it lights lit up Savi's rearview mirror, and red and blue flashes filled her car. "Crap! How can this be happening? We have places we need to be."
"How can this be happening? You're seriously asking that right now? What is wrong with you? Do you not realize that you really could have hurt someone, including us?"
Looking to Josalyn, she shook her head and turned her attention to the police officer who was approaching. "Don't worry your pretty little self, I got this." Fluffing her hair and fixing her makeup, Savi planned to flirt her way out of the ticket. She quickly rolled down her window and addressed the officer before he could even speak. The lights were so bright she couldn't even see who she was speaking with.
"What kin I do fer ya officer?" she said with the most country twang she could pull off. "Did I go an' do somethin' awful? I sure hope not. It's my friend's birthday. We'ah jus' trying to celebrate, sir."
The officer bent down and moved in closer, "That would be ma'am."
Savi gulped, looked to Josalyn and then back to the police officer.
"Miss, I need your license, insurance and registration."
Quickly pulling the information together, she shoved the information at the police officer, causing the paper to fall onto the roadway.
"Miss, I am going to have to ask you to get out of the vehicle."
"What? Why?"
"Get out of the car miss."
"I… I…"
"Now!" the officer commanded as she opened the car door. "When I ask you to step out of the vehicle, it's best that you oblige me. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Savi stammered.
"Place your hands on the roof of the car while I go run your information. Do not move. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am"
As the officer made her way back to the squad car, Josalyn grabbed Savi's cell. "I'm going to call Danny."
"No, Don't. Please don't." Savi cried. "It's not a big deal; we can handle this."
"Not a big deal? Savi she has you out there with your hands on the roof. I am calling Danny whether you like it or not."
Josalyn began to dial the number, and as soon as Savi realized what Josalyn was doing, she reached in through the window, grabbed the cell phone, and threw it onto the side of the road. "I told you not to call him."
Before she knew it, the officer was at her side. "Miss, didn't I tell you not to move?"
"Yes, sorry. It's just…"
"I don't want to hear it. How much have you had to drink today?"
"What?"
"I asked you, how much have you had to drink today?"
"Nothing, I have had nothing to drink, I swear." She answered, frightened.
"Then why is it so hard for you to listen? If you haven't been drinking, then what in the world was going on back there? I clocked you going seventy-five miles an hour, and this is a fifty-five zone."
"Nothing was going on officer, I swear. I was just…"
"You were just what? Trying to cause an accident?"
"No ma'am, not all. It's my friend here's birthday and I was…"
"To be honest, I don't want to hear it. You have a clean record and the last thing I want to do it tarnish that. You're lucky I'm just letting you off with a ticket. It could have been a lot worse."
The officer handed Savi back her license, registration, and insurance and sent her on her way.
"Wow Savi you're lucky all you got was a ticket."
"A warning would have been nice, like she said, I have a clean record."
"Seriously? You were twenty over. You're lucky she didn't attempt to charge you with something."
"Please, it's not a big deal," Savi said as she shrugged off the conversation. "Change of topic, now, on to our little adventure." Savi continued down the road, hoping she would make it to the airport on time to get Josalyn to her hot air balloon ride. Approaching the airfield, she noticed that the gates were locked and the balloons we all deflated.
"Dang!" Savi yelled, "Now what? They have to let us in there!" Savi began to bang on the gate and yell for someone. "Hello! Hello! Is there anyone in there? Please!"
"Savi, let's go this is embarrassing!"
"Not yet, I need to get in there."
"Whatever it is isn't that important. You are going to get us into trouble, let's just go." Josalyn yanked Savi's arm, pulling her away from the fence.
"Don't Jos," she said, pulling her arm away from Josalyn. "This is important, it's your birthday and this is why we are here, the only reason! I can't screw this up."
"Too late," Jos noted.
"All right, let's just go home."
"Sounds good to me."
The car ride from Charleston to McClellanville was silent. Savi could tell that Josalyn was not pleased with how their adventure had gone.
Chapter Eight
Ring. Ring. Ring. "Hello" Savi's mother said groggily.
"Sarah, it's Eric."
"Hello Eric, why are you calling so late?"
"Sorry to bother you, but have you heard from Savi today?" Eric questioned Sarah.
"No, why? What's wrong? You sound frantic."
"Savi and Josalyn went out for a day in Charleston. Bo
th Danny and I have tried calling her cell and there is no answer. They were supposed to be back hours ago, and we haven't heard a thing."
"I haven't talked to her all day. Have you tried Bobby or Steph?"
"I did. Do you have any idea where she is, like where in Charleston she'd go? They were supposed to do a hot air balloon ride, but they guy who runs the place said they never showed. That's when we started to get worried."
"I have no idea Eric. If you two are fighting again, she might be at the beach."
"I already checked the lighthouse, and we're not fighting. It's been good Sarah; it really has." As Eric stood in the kitchen talking to Sarah he heard the front door shut, "She's home. I've got to go." Eric quickly ended the phone call without giving his mother in law time to respond.
Eric watched her as she placed her shopping bags on the dining room table. "Savi, I am so glad you're okay. Where have you been? I've been worried sick. I called everyone looking for you. I even went searching for you!" He rambled as he made his way towards her.
"I'm sorry, we lost track of time. You know how it is."
"No Savi I don't know how it is. Why didn't you take your cell? I was worried sick."
"My cell, I had my cell. Oh." That's when Savi realized her cell was still on the side of the highway in Charleston. "Please don't be mad at me Eric, I've had a long day and I am not feeling well."
"I'm not intending to yell at you Savannah, but some common courtesy would be nice. I couldn't get ahold of you. I am not trying to attack you, but I was worried out of my mind. I didn't know if something had happened to you or what. Danny is worried too. Where is Josalyn?"
"I dropped her off already, she's fine. Can we please talk about this tomorrow? It's so late. I just need to sleep. Tomorrow? Okay?" Savi placed a kiss on Eric's cheek and moved instantly into their bedroom.
After helping Savi to bed, Eric went back into the dining room. He wanted to see what Savi thought was so important that she just had to have it today. As he dug around the bags, he came across her speeding ticket.
Seventy-five in a fifty-five! What was she thinking? How on earth did she think that it was okay to go that far over the speed limit? Her brother was a police officer for goodness sake. She should know better. Frustrated and confused, Eric went to bed too. This was something that would have to wait for morning.
*****
As the sun leaked through the blinds in their bedroom, Eric was suddenly awoken to Savi puking in the bathroom. He ran to her side and rubbed her back and pulled her hair from her face.
"Go away," Savi managed to say between events. "I don't want you to see me like this."
"Sorry honey, but I am not going anywhere."
"Please Eric, it's too embarrassing."
Wanting to help her yet respect his wife's wishes, Eric put her hair in a ponytail and let her be. Making his way to the kitchen, he filled a glass of water and brought her some Tylenol, hoping it could help somehow. When Eric returned to the bedroom Savi was already back in bed, with the blankets pulled up to her chin.
Positioning himself on the bed next to her, he offered her the pills and water. "Take these. They should help."
"I'm not sure they will, I don't have a fever. I think it's food poisoning. We had sushi yesterday, at this new place in Charleston. I'm sure it's that."
Her comment reminded him of her ticket. He couldn't let her go unpunished, but how was he supposed to discipline her in this condition? A spanking would be most definitely uncalled for. That's when it clicked, the binder. The binder would help him find a way around her food poisoning.
Eric left Savi to sleep. He searched the bookshelf in the office for the binder the church had handed out at the seminar he and Savi attended before they were married. Eric had received it about ten months ago, and hadn't looked at it since. Once he found the binder, he thumbed through the dividers until he came upon a tab labeled 'alternate reprimand'. This had to be the section he was looking for. There were so many ideas in there that he never would have thought of, like writing sentences, essays, or even an apology letter. There was even mention of studying scripture, restricting privileges, and washing someone's mouth out with soap. These ideas had made things clear for him. Now he knew just what to do in this situation.
When Eric entered the bedroom, he found Savi sitting up in bed watching TV. "Are you feeling better?"
"A little. I still feel nauseated and weak, but I don't necessarily think I will puke again."
"Well, that's good. We still need to talk about what happened last night."
"I know. I'm sorry I didn't let you know we were going to be late. It didn't even cross my mind."
"Well, since you aren't feeling well, I thought we would try something a little different. What you did last night was inexcusable. I was distraught. You have to remember that there are two of us in this relationship and that I matter too."
"I know Eric. I am so sorry. There were underlying circumstances that I couldn't control."
"I understand that you are sorry, but a simple I'm sorry is not going to cut it. I want you to write me an apology letter for your actions last night. It needs to include all of the mistakes that you made yesterday. Okay?"
"Okay"
"I need to talk to you about one more thing. Hear me out before you say anything. Last night I was so curious to see what you bought, that I rummaged through your bags. I noticed that you had a speeding ticket, until I can trust that you will follow the rules of the road, you have lost your driving privileges. I want you to write a 1,000 word essay on the dangers of speeding."
"You don't understand. I need to drive. I have responsibilities!"
"I will chauffer you. If I am not home, you can call Bobby or your dad for assistance."
"That's not fair Eric."
"Savi it is fair, you could have hurt yourself, Josalyn, or some unsuspecting person if you were to have gotten in an accident. I know that this sucks, but this is just the way it's going to have to be until I can trust that you have learned your lesson." Eric watched Savi nod her head in agreement.
"I have another question—why so many clothes? You have an entire wardrobe from last year sitting in that box." Eric pointed to the corner of the room that had the box that Savi brought to their bedroom the day before.
"Because none of it fits me, I'm too fat!" she cried. "I tried them all on, and they are either not appropriate or way too small."
"Geez, Savi. Seriously? You look as beautiful today as the day I married you."
"That's not true and you know it!" As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she ran to the bathroom, the nausea was back. A few moments later when Savi returned to the bedroom, Eric was in the same place he was when she left.
"Eric I can't do this right now, I need to sleep this off. I'll write the letter and essay when I'm not feeling so terrible."
Once again, Eric watched as Savi rolled to her side and closed her eyes. He could tell that this was unquestionably a conversation for another time.
*****
Days had passed and Savi's food poisoning had yet to cease. Eric was beginning to worry. How could someone who hadn't been eating still be getting so sick? Watching and waiting was not something Eric could easily do. He was an action taker. As a matter of fact, he was a caretaker and watching his wife lie there in their bed ill was not something he could do any longer.
Eric inched into bed next to his wife. "Savi, I think it's time we saw the doctor."
"I'll be fine. It just hasn't run its course yet. I'm sure in no time I'll be better than ever."
"I'm sorry Savi, but I am putting my foot down, you don't have a choice in this. You haven't eaten for days, yet you're still getting sick daily. Something's not right."
*****
Savi had yet to make the switch to a general practitioner, so she was going to be seen by her pediatrician. Sitting in the waiting room with clowns on the walls and the tables full of toys and coloring books flooded her mind with memories of her chi
ldhood. Getting suckers after shots, sitting on her father's lap as she waited to get called back by the nurse in character scrubs. This time was different, this time she was an adult sitting with her husband in a children's doctor's office.
This is so embarrassing! She thought to herself. No wonder Eric gets frustrated with me. I'm a married woman being seen by a pediatrician because I can't even switch my care over! Why do I do this to myself? Why can't I just be a real adult and do what needs to be done? This is absolutely ridiculous. Grow up Savannah Matthews, just grow up already! She screamed inside her head.
"Savannah Matthews," the nurse called from the doorway next to the front desk.
Startled, Savi stood as soon as her name was called, and the next thing she knew she was on the floor. The sudden movement had been too much for her and she became light-headed and crumpled to the floor. The nurse ran to her side, helping Eric to get her back into standing position.
"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what happened." Savi apologized profusely.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, babe," she said as she answered Eric's question.
"Are you sure?" the nurse questioned her. "That looked like a pretty nasty fall."
"I'm fine, please just take me back." Embarrassed, Savi wanted out of the waiting room as soon as possible. It was bad enough being an adult in that office, but now to collapse in front of all the other patients was embarrassment enough for one day.
After taking Savi's height, weight and vitals, the nurse left to retrieve the doctor. "He'll be in with you shortly dear."
Soon after there was a thump on the door, "Knock, knock," the doctor announced as he entered the room. "Savannah," he said with a smile ear to ear, "it has been a while since I've seen you last. I see you have a new last name and a new friend," he said, giving Eric a wink.
"It has Dr. King, and yes I do have a new last name and an amazing new friend," she replied playfully back.
Dr. King was an older man who had been Savannah's doctor her whole life. He knew every injury and scar she had ever sustained. He was just like a member of the family.
"So, according to your chart, you've been sick for about a week now. The nurse also just told me that you had a fall in the waiting room. Has that happened before?"
The Trouble With Savi Page 6