Tears swelled at the corners of my eyes. “I’m not sure this is the best time to talk. I am very emotional right now and probably not the best conversationalist.”
“Don’t worry about that. I just needed to hear your voice, to know you’re safe. Where are you?”
“I’m on my way back to Deland.” I couldn’t believe I let that piece of information slip.
I wanted to change the subject. “What are you doing today?”
“I am at the Convention Center for the Technology and Wireless Expo. I didn’t have anything to fill my Valentine’s, so I came out here and have been walking around bored, hoping you would call. Then I got a notification that I had an email. I read your message and called immediately.”
“I don’t need a pity call,” I said, vehemently.
He took a deep breath “While I feel for your situation and wish I could do something to help remedy things, I am calling because I have felt lost the past couple of days not being able to talk with you. I’ve missed your voice, terribly.
“By the way, you are breathtaking. You look exactly as I had pictured you in my dreams.”
I could feel the blush spread across my face. “You’re not so bad yourself,” I said, giggling. “I don’t know what the future holds but I do know I already consider you a close friend. One I would like to get to know better. And I meant it when I said if you need me, don’t hesitate to call. I will be there for you.”
I didn’t know quite how to respond with all this forthcoming honesty.
“Jordan? Are you still there?”
Tears began to flow freely and after a moment I finally found my voice. “Yes.”
“Oh, no, …please say I haven’t made you cry.” He sounded scared.
“Sorry, I am just so overwhelmed right now with my dad and your words. This is just not a good time to start anything, Gregory.” There, I said it, honest and to the point.
“Your family is priority. I get that and respect it. It is as it should be. Enjoy the time you have with your family. I just wanted you to know I care for you as a friend, maybe more, but we will take things at the pace you need.”
“Did anyone ever tell you that you are too…” Before I could complete the sentence, the phone died.
Great, now he is going to think I freaked and hung up on him. I grabbed the car charger and plugged it in, hoping I could get it to come back on in a few minutes.
As soon as the phone had enough power to turn back on, it registered five missed calls. Before I could even look who had called, it was ringing.
“Hello?”
Gregory’s voice was panicked. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, my phone died.”
“Did you charge the battery?”
“Yes, plus I just purchased a new battery; but it doesn’t want to hold a charge, anymore. I guess I need to find some time to get a new phone.”
“Jordan, can I ask you to please consider doing me a favor?” His voice was sincere.
“That depends on what you are asking.”
“Let me send you an extra phone I have. I’m not using it and it won’t cost anything. It’s an extra employee line of mine. Before you say, ‘no’, just hear me out. I really enjoy talking with you and understand that our timing isn’t the greatest, right now. I’m guessing your parents don’t like the idea of you commuting and neither do I, but I understand why. You need a phone that is safe and reliable while you’re on the road. Plus, you don’t need to worry with taking precious time away from your family to find one to your liking.
“I would loan the phone to any friend in need and I expect nothing in return. It will be a means of communication with your family, with me, and to keep you safe on the roadway. Ok?”
Gregory’s words made sense. “If I knew you better, I might say, ‘yes’, but I don’t know.”
“I could send the phone to the hospital, to your workplace, to your parent’s house or your current address. Just let me help you. I want to keep you safe and get the chance to know you better.
“Please listen to your heart, Jordan, and think about the safety and communication issues I’m talking about. As for me, you already know I work at Teleco Wireless in Lake Mary and my full name is Gregory Anthony Riley.
“You could use the phone for now and if, for some reason things don’t work out, then you could return it; end of story.”
“As long as I have your solemn promise that there are no strings attached and if you should get charged for anything on the phone, you will let me know; so I can pay for it. Then maybe.”
“Jordan, I promise it is an extra employee line. We are all given one to give a family member, spouse, or significant other. The phone just sits around not being used and it costs me nothing.” His voice was pleading and determined.
“I normally wouldn’t do this, but something in my heart is telling me to trust you, Mr. Riley.”
He let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you for accepting my offer. Where should I send it? I can either mail it out or send it by courier to the location of your choice.”
“I guess that is one way to get more information out of me, huh?” I laughed.
“You don’t even have to give me your last name, unless you want to. You can still have a bit of secrecy.
“Send it by whatever means you would like to Jordan Olivia Carlisle at my work address, Central Florida Multi-Specialty Medical”. Then I gave him the address.
“Thank you for agreeing to this and it is my extreme pleasure. Ms. Carlisle. Your name is so enchanting.” The way he said it made my heart melt.
“I will send the phone out to you, tomorrow. If you need anything—an ear to listen, someone to sit with you, bring you anything you need at the hospital or even a shoulder to lean on, I’m here for you,
“You are too kind, Gregory. I appreciate your offers, but let’s just stick to the phone for now; take it slow.” He sighed with disappointment.
“I hate to do this to you, but I just reached my parent’s house; so I need to go. I’ll try to call or write soon. Bye for now.”
“Take care. Bye for now, Love.”
Did he just say, “love”? Whoa.
When I finally made it back to the hospital and walked into my dad’s room, he was fast asleep. Mom walked toward me. “While he is sleeping, let’s go out and talk a bit.”
“Sure, Mom. Is anything wrong? Has something changed?”
She gestured for me to take a seat in the waiting area at the end of the hall.
“There is no need to worry. He has had a rough afternoon; his strength is wavering a bit and he was worried about your driving back and forth.
“Did you get everything taken care of?”
“Yes. I called all of the family and let them know what is going on. They all send their best wishes and love. They told me to call them if we need anything. Prayers are now being sent up for a miracle to happen.”
I could tell today had been hard on Mom, her eyes were starting to swell with tears.
I gave her a quick hug and whispered, “Hold it together. Remember, we are putting up a good front for Dad.”
“What did your boss say?”
“Caroline is willing to work with me on whatever schedule I need. She was open to having me come in early, work through lunch and head out ahead of the traffic. So, I can spend as much time with both of you as possible. When or if I need to take time off, I’ll let her know and we will deal with it, then.”
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate having a daughter like you. It means the world to me.”
“Mom, we’re family. That’s what families do.”
“So did you have any emails?” I knew she was digging for information on the new guy.
“Gregory wrote me three short emails since Friday and even sent a picture. He said he would put our family in special thoughts.”
“He sounds nice. Is he cute? Do you think you will talk to him again, soon?” She was definitely digging.
�
��He looks amazing, almost too handsome. I let him have my picture and gave him my number since I didn’t know when I will be home to email him. I hate to admit this, but I was feeling lonely on the drive back and before I knew it, he called me.”
“And?”
“He is just so charming. He offered to sit with us or bring us anything we needed here at the hospital. I told him it was a nice offer, but we would be fine.
“He suggested I use of one of his cell phones, no strings attached, since mine is quirky. I thanked him and tried to decline, but he persuaded me to have it delivered to work.
“Despite my being kind of depressed when he called, he was very hospitable on the phone. He said he would respect my desire to take things slowly, especially given the circumstances.”
“He sounds like a nice guy, Jordan.”
“He is almost too good to be true. But, time will tell.”
“What’s bothering you?”
I shook my head, not knowing how to put my concerns into words. “I don’t understand why Gregory was so insistent that I use his cell phone and why he’s so concerned about a person he’s never even met.”
“Maybe he’s just very caring?”
“Possibly.”
“So, you will be talking with him soon?”
“I think so. While I am a little uncomfortable with how fast things are moving and, of course, how complicated things are, for some reason I have a good feeling about him. Though, what’s strange is I heard his voice in my dreams prior to ever talking with him on the phone. I’ve even dreamt about him, before ever seeing his picture. How is that possible, Mom?”
“I don’t know, Jordan. I know we are sometimes given insights into our future without even realizing it, in the form of visions or dreams. Maybe he is your destined soul mate?”
“Who knows?” I desperately wanted to change the subject. “Is there anything new with Dad?”
“I talked with one of the nurses to see if we could take your father home. She said she would arrange for a hospice nurse to talk with us sometime over the next week and see what we could manage.” Mom’s voice cracked.
“Why don’t we go back to his room and see if he is awake.”
Dad was awake and asked about the drive. I spoke little about the drive and, instead, focused on Gregory, which thrilled him.
On Monday, it was clear that the commute between Deland and Orlando would be filled with challenges. Leaving early, it took an hour to get to work—even without the gridlock of rush hour. The evening commute proved equally frustrating with an hour and a half commute back. But, I was determined to make it work, so I could have more time with my father.
At work, my inbox was overloaded with one new assignment after another. Apparently, Linda felt the need to pass off as much of her work as possible, as some form of punishment for me missing Friday. I organized it in accordance to priority and dove in, headfirst; determined to get as much done as possible and show her I could handle anything she threw at me.
The phone rang, breaking my concentration. I had a delivery that required my signature, waiting at the front desk. Could the phone be here that quickly? I went upfront to check.
To my surprise a gift bag and a huge bouquet of two dozen yellow roses was waiting for me. I thought that there had been some kind of mistake, but the courier asked me to verify my name and sign.
I took them back to my desk and proceeded to read the card on the flowers.
I couldn’t help but smile. I opened the gift bag and discovered a small box containing the latest version of Smartphone that Teleco carried. There was also another bag containing small container of milk along with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
A handwritten note was enclosed:
I couldn’t believe he had the phone couriered over. Plus, the flowers and lunch. I spent the remainder of the day with a smile on my face and thankful for the divine guidance that caused our paths to cross.
On the drive home, I called Gregory and thanked him, profusely, for the special delivery. I also updated him on my day and how Dad was doing, which was the same.
The week continued with long commutes and Linda continually passing off a lot of her work. I didn’t complain, since it kept me from worrying about my parents.
A few days later, I was called into Caroline’s office for a conference with her and Linda. “Jordan, Linda has accepted a position with a new company and given us a month notice. I know the timing is terrible, but, I wanted to ask you if you would be interested in learning as much of Linda’s job as possible between now and when she leaves.”
“I would be the new Assistant Administrator?” Shock and hope welled up inside me.
“Actually, we would have to change the title. Currently, you lack management experience. So, we would remove that portion, making you the Office Manager Trainee, instead. The management duties will be added over time. For now, you would be in charge of creating reports that would scrutinize the success of the business in terms of financials, marketing, employees and patients. You would work directly with our IT department to help develop the reports and be their backup.
“Your background in spreadsheets, statistics and mathematics, plus your understanding of most of our computer programs, makes you the best in-house candidate and we wanted to offer you the position, first. Are you interested?” Caroline asked.
I was young and inexperienced in handling difficult business issues, but was determined to learn fast!
“The timing is bad, but you have my attention. When would the training start and will there be a change in my salary?”
“Training starts immediately. We will shift some of your duties over to a new assistant. You will train them half the day and during the other half, Linda will train you. As for salary, we will bump it up to entice you.” Caroline placed a hand on my shoulder, giving it a little squeeze and smiling warmly at me.
“I do want the job and I’ll work for as long and as hard as I need to. But, I do want to spend time with my family, especially my dad. If things should take a turn for the worse, I may need some time off. Is that acceptable?”
“Congratulations, Jordan!” You could tell Caroline was elated and relieved that she didn’t have to do a major search for Linda’s replacement. Thankfully, she had already taught me a little bit about her position and lately it seemed like I was already doing most of her work.
My head was spinning at the different directions my life was being pulled and all at the same time. I didn’t know how I was going to handle everything, but felt that if it was meant to be, things would fall into place.
I was instantly tasked with creating a list of my job duties for the new assistant and given a job description to read through and list any questions pertaining to Linda’s duties.
My parents were overjoyed with the news. I had always felt like I disappointed my father, not living up to his expectations. But, that night he held my hand and said, “I know I don’t say this enough and I feel bad about that, but I need to tell you how proud I am of you, Jordan! You are a wonderful daughter and I am happy to see that you have found your niche at a workplace and will be doing something you love.”
My eyes swelled with tears. He had never complimented me, directly. My mother always mentioned his delight at my successes and about his bragging to friends and family. But until today, I had only hoped that one day he would tell me how he felt.
I called Gregory that night to share my good news, not expecting his response. “I am happy for you; but concerned with all that you are dealing with, already.” He paused for a moment, “You have your family’s situation, you are driving an excessive distance in bad traffic every day, plus now you have your regular duties as well as learning a new position. I don’t want you to overdo it.”
I was a little put off by his concern. “It is a shame that we didn’t meet earlier. Otherwise, you would know that I am headstrong and can handle pretty much anything I put my mind to!”
“I’m sorry, Sweetie
, I didn’t mean to offend you. I just care about you and your safety, as I am sure your parents are.”
He was right. My parents had expressed the same concern at my being able to handle the exact same issues Gregory had brought up.
The next morning at work, I was called up to the front desk for a delivery of a balloon bouquet full of smiley faces with the words “Congratulations,” and “Thinking of You” printed all over them and tied to a soft teddy bear. I knew instantly who they were from and didn’t read the card until I reached my office:
Several weeks passed and I, somehow, managed to train my replacement, a wonderful girl named Terry, while learning to do my new job.
My days were completely consumed with work and my evenings focused on time with my parents. When Mom and I arrived home each night, I usually collapsed, unable to talk with Gregory.
My nightmare continued nightly, beginning with visions of my father and ending with warm arms surrounding me and Gregory whispering, “We will get through this, together.”
Because of my schedule, his emails became fewer and further between. I knew I was to blame, having promised to write or call when I could. I just hadn’t had time.
One night, during gridlock traffic, I gave him a call. I felt it was only fair to explain my limited communication.
He was a little despondent. “Is everything ok? Did I call at a bad time?”
“No, please don’t go. I’m fine, just in the middle of a project at work. Give me a second to save my work and I am all yours.”
“Okay. Give me a minute, too; I need to plug in the charger. I forgot to recharge last night and it is almost out of…” The phone went dead.
As soon as I found my charger and plugged in the phone, it was ringing.
“Jordan? Are you okay?” Gregory’s voice was full of panic.
“I’m fine; just dropped your call. I want to apologize for not keeping in touch like I should and to say that you were right. My life is chaotic right now and somehow it just keeps getting crazier. My training is almost done, which couldn’t happen at a better time, because my father is getting weaker.”
I Remember (Remembrance Series) Page 7