The time for meeting was fast approaching and Sean found that his heart was beating faster and that he was breaking out into a cold sweat. He knew that he liked Serena but did she feel the same way?
What did she think of him being in a wheelchair? He wasn’t good with women, even when he could walk.
They were just having a chat out the back garden. He was way over thinking this. There was nothing untoward or erotic about two neighbours having a chat in their gardens no matter what the guidelines might say. This was what he was telling himself.
And anyway, this wasn’t just any woman he would be meeting, it was Serena. She was as kind and considerate as she was beautiful. There was nothing for him to fear. Gradually, he found himself becoming more relaxed till it was time to go outside to the great outdoors.
For a few minutes, he was left waiting, but then Serena’s face appeared over the green hedge with a wide smile.
“Fancy, seeing you here,” he said jokingly.
“Yes, I love my garden so much. I’m here all the time.”
Sean could tell that she had gone to the effort of putting on make-up. Her blonde hair was blowing gently in the wind.
” So, how was your day?” she asked inquisitively.
“Fine, just finished having something to eat.”
With that the conversation went back and forth, till Sean noticed something strange.
“Are you drinking?”
“Yes, vodka. Do you want some?”
Sean tried to insist that he would be okay but then she went out of view. For a brief moment, he had no idea where she had gotten to. Then he saw his hedge shaking at the bottom of his garden and she appeared with two glasses and a bottle of vodka.
“You have a secret passage-way through the hedge,” she laughed.
She was wearing a tracksuit bottoms and a jumper. As she approached, all thoughts of the virus went out of his head and he quickly accepted some of the vodka.
“Is it not Russians that like vodka, not the Poles?” Sean said mischievously.
“Yes, but we live close to them!”
Sean’s upper body was getting cold now and he knew that his paralyzed limbs would be even colder.
“Let’s go into my kitchen. It’s cold out here.”
“Yes, that is good. Let’s go inside.”
Mark's Writing Corner 