Too Early on a Saturday

Dearest Rachel –

I don’t know if it’s that I haven’t acclimatized myself to the time zone, or just that I fell asleep too early while Daniel and Logan were in the family room watching this or that. Maybe it’s just the wind, whipping around outside the bedroom; since there are windows on three sides of the room, I can hear the outside noises pretty well, and it’s letting its presence be known. I’m sure somebody from a hurricane prone area of the country would consider it to be absolutely nothing, but I know the difference between this and still air, and this is not the latter.

Maybe it’s that I still haven’t fully recovered. I can hear Daniel rattling about, with the occasional cough. Not sure if he stayed up this late, or if he’s been woken up by it, but in any event, he’s awake too. And like me, I don’t think he wants to be just yet.

But I did need to get up early today. I’m back home, after all, and that means I’m back into the routine I’ve had ever since you left. Which includes having to set my alarm (yes, on a Saturday – it’s the only day of the week that I do, when I’m not assigned to work in the booth) so that I’m up, washed, dressed and ready to head out the door for the men’s Bible study.

Just not this early.

And again, that wind doesn’t make me want to go out and face it. I’m hoping it will calm down in the next couple of hours, but you know what they say about hope in one hand.

At the same time, I find myself making the mistake of picking up my phone in order to find out what time it is. When I do that, I’m confronted with all the other things I need to address – none of them particularly urgent, mind you, but now that they’re in my hand, I find myself compelled to do so. So, whether I want to or not (at least, this early) I think I’m up. Maybe that will allow me to take the process a little slowly.

Speaking of things to address and taking them slowly, one of the things in my inbox turns out to be yet another letter from Ruby. Yes, one of those wall-of-text girls. Only, this one is a little shorter, and simply asks if I would like her to come over and spend the holidays with me. She even sends a picture of herself, where the phone in her hand is about a foot above her, looking down. I think you can gather what the shot is meant to emphasize. Perpugillian Brown, you may have met your match.

There’s a part of me that does not want to turn her down; however, it seems like and excessively bold request, considering that we have yet to meet for the first time. At least, I have a ready-made excuse, what with Daniel continuing to fight off whatever-it-is. I offer to meet her at some restaurant between our home and hers in Orland Hills. Hopefully, she’s both understanding and accepting of the counteroffer.

But she also asks about whether I am interested in any other females at the moment. What do I tell her, honey? There’s Naruko, for instance, but I’m rather suspicious of her, too. Do Erin or Ellen count? And I’ll be honest, I’m still curious about the girl in my dream last week. Did you (or the Boss Man) send that to me as a clue to pursue? Because if so, I’d be an idiot not to look into it. Her. Whatever.

It’s all just a little bit too much to think about this early on a Saturday morning. And yet, I feel the need to respond – and the need to tell you about it. For now, I mention Erin an hour and leave it at that, as she shouldn’t consider either of them a ‘threat.’ Of course, if she does, then I’ll know to drop her like a hot potato, and be grateful she doesn’t know where I live just yet. The last thing I need in my life is a yandere – heck, it’s the last thing anybody needs in their life.

Of course, if she turns out to be a yandere, she will be the last thing in my life, won’t she?

Wish me luck, honey. I’m going to need it.