When Love Breaks by Kate Squires Page B

Before I can apologize, she exits the car to retrieve my chair. Setting it out in front of me, she opens it up, crosses her arms at her chest, and leans against the rear door, ignoring me completely. I hesitate, wondering what, if anything, I should say to her. I choose silence.
    We walk, well, she walks. I roll toward the entrance. Her strides are long, and I have to strain a bit to keep up with her. She grabs a shopping cart and begins putting produce into it. One thing after another gets dropped carefully inside. She’s said nothing since I snapped at her. I should say something.
    “Are you going to ask my opinion on what to get?”
    “Nope,” she says, then keeps on going. I catch up to her and try again.
    “What if I don’t like cantaloupes?”
    She looks down at me, melon in hand.
    “You don’t like them?” Her tone is chilled.
    “I like them just fine.”
    “Great,” she says with an overly sweet, exaggerated, smile, then looks away and continues on.
    Wow. She’s really pissed at me. I try another tactic. Moving around a table of bananas, I head her off, essentially blocking her from moving forward. She stops just short of running into me.
    “What the…” Her brow furrows, when she’s forced to stop abruptly.
    I grab onto the front of the cart to ensure I have a captive audience.
    “I’m sorry, okay?” I say, although it’s not my most sincere apology.
    “Are you?”
    “Yes, I am. I didn’t mean to snap at you back there.”
    She snorts then rolls her eyes.
    “Hey,” I say in a gentler tone. “I really am sorry. This is my first time outside of my house. You have to understand, there’s a certain mentality you have to adjust to when you’re eligible to park in a handicapped spot. Cut me a little slack, okay?”
    I see her face soften at the realization of my confession. She then exhales quietly.
    “I’m sorry too. I just wanted to make your first outing as easy as possible, but at the same time, I guess I don’t think of you as being different than anyone else. I forgot that this is a big adjustment for you. I’ll try to be more considerate.” She smiles, and I’m relieved.
    “Thank you. Next time, I’ll try to explain things instead of getting angry.”

ELORA
    W e get back from our outing with groceries in hand. After putting them away, I begin to make him lunch.
    “Not eating with me today?” he asks.
    “No, I can’t. I have an exam coming up, and I haven’t studied at all,” I say, as I place my books on the table.
    “What’s the test on?”
    “Pharmacology.”
    “Ah. I remember that. It’s nothing but tedious memorization of facts, as I recall.”
    I snort.
    “You’ve got that right. I don’t know how I’m going to remember it all.”
    He contemplates my predicament.
    “How about this. You eat lunch with me, and I’ll help you study afterward.”
    “Why would you want to torture yourself?” I say with another snort.
    “Let’s just say, I’m a glutton for punishment.”
    “Clearly.”
    I agree, then make another ham sandwich.

    “Are you ready?” he asks.
    “As I’ll ever be.”
    “Oh, come on now. It can’t be that bad.”
    “Yes, it really can, but go ahead. I’m ready.”
    “Okay. What’s a salicylate?”
    “Salicylate,” I repeat. “Better known as Aspirin, salicylates treat inflammation, reduce fevers, and help relieve pain. It’s also good for breaking up blood clots during a heart attack.”
    “Good, but that one was easy. How about this one. What are nitrates?”
    “Nitrates are drugs that treat heart pain, also spasms of the heart vasculature. It works by dilating the blood vessels; basically opening them up to let blood flow through better. It’s most commonly known as Nitroglycerin.”
    “See, you’re good at this stuff.”
    “No, I’m really not. You’re just going easy on me to make me feel better.”
    “What?” he laughs. “I wouldn’t do that. Besides, what purpose would that serve? If I went easy on you, you might