The day seemed to be perfect -- blue sky, white fluffy clouds, the dew glistening on the grass, the cool breeze of autumn making the leaves dance. It was the kind of weather that gave you a sense of peace but also filled your soul with energy. The trees were vibrant with colors and just seeing them gave your spirit a lift to know that God was providing beautiful scenery and all you had to do was look.
Inside the house was a soul so low that all she could do was sit in her big chair covered in her favorite blanket and stare out of the window. For everyone else, it was the kind of day that they had been looking for because the heat of summer had left and the cool of fall had replaced it.
Hannah had fallen too hard and too fast and now David had told her that he didn't want a long-term relationship because he wanted to date other women. From the way he had acted -- so romantic and caring and thoughtful, Hannah had had the idea that he was more serious than he was. He practically had swept her off her feet -- giving her more attention than any man she had ever known and, more or less, run after her so her feelings for him soared to a high that she had never felt before.
Hannah was 37 years old and divorced and had promised herself that she would never make the same mistake twice by trusting a man so easily. Well, here she was in the same predicament that she had been in for several years with her ex-husband - except that he was so possessive of her but cheated on her at the same time. Being 37, she had not expected to find anyone who would be interested but David had been different or so she had thought.
She had not eaten a full meal for several days so she just sat and stared out of the window. Something caught her eye and for the first time in weeks, she actually paid attention. A young man was delivering a pizza to the house next door and he was striking -- dark, shiny hair with a physique that his tight shirt showed off very nicely. Hannah watched as he handed the pizza to her neighbor and made sure that she found out where he worked by the logo on his car. Suddenly, she realized that she was hungry!
Hannah called her friend Robbie who had been her best friend through all her trials. He was the one man she could depend upon and whom she could trust. He was always 'on call' if she needed him. Robbie arrived at her door in minutes and Hannah hugged him tightly when he came in.
"What in the world is wrong?" Robbie asked.
"Nothing is wrong but I just had to tell someone that I am hungry. "
"You called me over here in a desperate tone of voice just to tell me that??"
"Well, no, but it is pretty important since I have not eaten in days. Anyway, I was sitting and looking out of the window when the pizza guy made a delivery next door. "
"So... "
"I watched him and had a little tug on my heart or more probably a little lower down that I thought was gone, then I realized that was hungry and I called you. "
"Well, I have been worried about you because you have lost some weight and you haven't seemed to be interested in anything. I guess showing an interest even in a young man is a flicker of life that's coming back. "
"Thanks, for always being there for me. It's you I should marry instead of anyone else. "
Robbie's eyes lit up, "Do you mean that? I've always been available to you. "
"You're just the best friend that I have ever had. "
"Oh, a friend... "
"I'm afraid that if it were anything else to it, we'd lose what we have now. "
"Oh, sure... "
Hannah spoke quickly, "We'd better change the subject. I'm starving -- would you like to order a pizza?"
"What you really mean is 'would you like to order the pizza delivery man' -- right?"
"But of course... "
"OK but not too spicy since you haven't eaten in a while. "
Hannah called and before long, the doorbell rang and she checked herself in the mirror before opening the door. 'Oh, my goodness, I look frightful' Hannah thought but opened the door to the handsomest young man she had ever met. When he looked into her eyes, she thought she saw a glimmer of hope that he might be attracted to her, too. He stammered when he gave her the price and tried to be businesslike but his hand shook when he took her money.
Even at her age -- 37 - Hannah was a beautiful woman but she never thought of herself as even pretty because she was heavier than most of the young women so her self esteem had not been the highest. She had always kept herself well dressed and neat but still felt somehow that she just didn't or couldn't measure up to the other women in the community - the ones with the 'perfect' figures. When David was attracted to her, she had hope that maybe she was pretty but then he dumped her and her hope fell into a well of despair again. At least, she had lost some weight because of it.
She found out that the delivery guy's name was Mark and he was a student at the local college using this job to help pay for his tuition. Hannah tried to find out more but she was embarrassed so she paid for the pizza and he left. Robbie had a sly smile on his face when she turned around.
"What?" Hannah asked, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "Yes, I know he's too young for me - but I had to see him up close. Now, get out the wine and let's eat. "
After Robbie left, Hannah took a long, hot relaxing bath and then snuggled into bed and slept better than she had in days. David's face had not invaded her thoughts since she had seen the face of the gorgeous delivery guy. She felt a sense of relief that she was not inundated with thoughts of David and of the last time she had seen him.
****
The next morning, Hannah showered and dressed and went back to work. She had taken vacation days to try to get her life back in order. She returned with a changed attitude and her co-workers could tell that she was different but didn't know why. When she got to her desk, there was a single red rose sitting in the middle of it. She found a card but it only said, "Thanks for making my day. "
