Eye Exam

"That's all I ever wanted," Mercedes said.

"What's that?" Dex asked.

"A little girl just like Addison. Or a boy. Or one of each maybe."

She forced a smile then said, "A child. That's all. But someone else always came first with my ex-husband."

"Himself?"

Mercedes nodded then said, "I've kept you both up so late, and I'm sorry. Please go to bed. I'll be fine. Really."

"Just let me put some fresh towels out for you in the bathroom."

"Okay. Thank you, Dex. So much."

"If you need anything. No matter what. You wake me up, okay?" he told her sincerely.

"Oh, I need to be at work by 8am. Is that okay?" she asked.

"Seriously? You're going to work tomorrow? You can't take one day off to recover?" he asked without sounding accusatory.

"I can't risk it," she told him. "And I can't afford to miss a day's pay, either."

Dex knelt back down then asked her if she'd let him take care of things at work, too.

"No offense, but I don't think you could do my job. Not that it's all that complicated."

"No. That's not what I mean," he told her with a smile.

"I'm really loopy from the medication and from being up this late. I'm usually in bed by ten, so if I'm not making any sense, at least you'll know why."

"It's okay. Just let me take care of this. And you. Okay? Will you let me do that?"

"Okay," she told him very quietly.

"So no alarms. No worries about waking up. Just rest. Whenever you do wake up, we'll get something to eat and then take a look at that ankle of yours."

Dex knew women cried, but Mercedes was tearing up again. He didn't ask why, though. He just waited to see if she wanted to talk.

"I wasn't completely honest a minute ago. When I said all I wanted was a child."

As tears ran down her cheeks again, she said, "I wanted this, too."

"This?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Yes. This. Someone to care about me this much. Someone who didn't just occasionally tell me he loves me in a birthday card, but one who took the time to show me he did. Someone I could love back just like that."

Dex knew how lucky he'd been. That had never been an issue where his marriage was concerned. There was never a time when he or his wife ever wondered whether or not they were loved. That Mercedes had never experienced that was something he couldn't imagine.

"Well, you're here where people do love you, okay?" he said as kindly as he could.

"I've noticed," Mercedes said as dried her eyes yet again as she tried to smile.

"All right. I'm gonna go check on Addison then go to bed myself. But I meant what I said. Call me if you need anything. I'm a light sleeper, and I'll hear you if you just call out my name, okay?"

"Thank you, Dex. Pleasant dreams."

"Goodnight, Mercedes. Same to you."

Mercedes fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, but Dex couldn't sleep. He set his alarm so he could get up and call Dr. Andrews's office, but he couldn't relax even though he was exhausted.

He lay there thinking about Mercedes having never felt what he'd essentially taken for granted, her warm, helpful ways during his eye exam, the way she laughed and smiled so easily, and yes, he couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful she was or that she could possibly be 50 years old. And that's when he made one of those decisions where his intuition told him he was right.

Dex was so groggy when his alarm went off at 8am, he had no idea where he was for a few seconds. His eyes were stuck shut with sleep, and he had to pee so bad he couldn't lay there and slowly come to life. As he stood in the bathroom getting rid of what needed to go, he remembered having set the coffee pot to start at eight, so at least it would be ready when he got to the kitchen.

He tiptoed past Mercedes's room then Addison's then got to the kitchen and poured a huge mugful of the hot, dark brew and took two quick sips before sitting down and trying to think.

He had the next couple of days to himself, and if necessary, he could hold off taking another project for as long as necessary. He made more than enough money to do that, and he knew he could take a lot more time off and still make a decent living.

In effect, work had become a kind of solace from the pain of his loss, and although he enjoyed his job immensely, he often wondered if he was being fair to Addison, who rarely complained about the amount of time he spent with her. Since it was summer, he knew she should be doing more of that, but work had become an ingrained habit, and unless he dealt with it, nothing would change.

He was on the phone the moment the eye doctor's office opened up, and Lisa answered when he called. He explained the situation then asked to speak to Dr. Andrews.

After telling Dex how busy he was to fend him off, Dex politely said, "We both know you don't have patients yet, and I really a minute of his time."

Reluctantly, she transferred him, and evidently explained why Mr. Hall was on the line.

"Dex. Hey. I understand you have one of my girls held captive."

Dex laughed politely then let him know what happened and why she was there.

"That's really putting me in a tough spot," the optometrist said.

Dex held the phone out and looked at it as though it might explain why Dr. Andrews had made this about himself.

"It's not like she planned this, you know. And with any luck, she'll back tomorrow. Worst case she misses two days, takes the weekend off, then comes back in on Monday ready to go."

"You said she's staying at your house, didn't you?" Dr. Andrews asked even though he knew the answer.

"Yes. That's right. Why?"

"Well, I thought you should know that uh, she and I kind of have what you might call...an understanding."

"An understanding?"

"Yes. An unspoken understanding that she and I are, well, more than just employer and employee."

"Ah, okay. I see," Dex replied knowing that was anything but true.

"I just wanted to make sure you know that. It's not like I'm concerned she might be interested in someone as young as you are, mind you. It's more just letting you know not to waste your time because, well, you know why."

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind," Dex told him as he shook his head.

"And if you can get her back here tomorrow, that would be much better than Monday," the eye doctor told him.

"Well, let's let her recovery dictate that, okay?" Dex said as cheerfully as he could.

"Right. Yes."

When Dr. Andrews didn't say anything else, Dex thanked him for his time and hung up.

"Who was that?" he heard Mercedes ask as she hobbled in on her crutches.

Dex stood up, smiled, then went over to her.

"Hey, good morning, and why didn't you call me to come help you?" he asked as he took her crutches and helped her sit down.

"Dex. I can walk, you know?" she told him with a sleepy smile.

"I know, but...you..."

He was looking at her rumpled blouse then said, "You slept in your clothes last night. I could have helped you with that, too."

"I'm fine. Really. But a cup of coffee would be very helpful," she told him, the smile a little brighter.

"Sure. Coming right up. How about your medication? Do you need a pill?"

"Yes, but I want to eat something with it. Those things make me kind of nauseous—and loopy."

Dex knew that was true for many people, so he just poured her a cup of coffee and asked what she'd like in it.

"Just black, please," she said very sweetly.

"My kind of girl," he said.

She smiled at the 'girl' comment and thanked him for the coffee.

"Oh, this is so good!" she told him.

"I was on the phone with Doctor Andrews," he let her know.

"How did that go?" Mercedes asked with a little wince.

"Okay. He knows you won't be in today and could miss tomorrow, too."

"He couldn't have been too happy about that," she mused.

"Not really, but he seems to think the two of you are, um...an item, maybe?"

Mercedes almost choked on the sip of coffee she was taking.

"What? That's insane! I've turned him down enough times he should know that's never going to happen even if it means my job."

"That's what I thought based on what you told me, but he was pretty adamant about it. He told me not to bother wasting my time."

"Wait. Wasting your time?" she asked.

"Yes. You know, trying to make a good impression on you so you might see me the way he assumes you see him."

"Oh, okay," she replied with a shake of the head.

Mercedes hesitated then smiled and said, "Like you'd even bother with that."

"Wait. Are you saying I couldn't make a favorable impression on you even if I tried?"

His deadpan delivery fooled her, and Mercedes thought he was being serious.

"No. I wasn't thinking that at all. Just the opposite. I was thinking there's no way a man as young and as handsome as you are would even think about something like that," she explained.

"Ahh, okay. But...that didn't answer my question," Dex said with a smile.

The feeling from the previous evening came back, and Mercedes looked down into her coffee cup.

"Oh, okay. I understand now," she said, feeling a little silly for having missed it.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't rule it out," she finally said after several seconds of silence.

Dex smiled but didn't laugh.

"I need more coffee. Are you okay?" he asked.

"I wouldn't mind a top off," she said, smiling back.

As he put the pot back, Dex brought up something Mercedes said late last night.

"I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. I kept thinking about how you said you wished you'd had someone to care about you or words to that effect."

Mercedes looked away before saying, "That wasn't my finest moment."

"But you did mean it, right?" Dex asked gently.

"I...I did," she admitted. "But I was exhausted and the medicine made me feel kind of giddy. And nauseous."

"That's quite a combination," Dex replied.

"I was only trying to explain," Mercedes said, as she once again had trouble following Dex's comments.

"Let me be more direct," he said very politely. "If you don't mind."

"No. I don't mind at all," she told him as she took another sip.

"Didn't you ever have that feeling? The one that makes you feel like you're the most important person in your spouse's life?"

He could tell she was thinking so he waited patiently.

"No. I don't think so. Early on, he just swept me off my feet, you know? He was very handsome and he told me how beautiful I was and made me feel so...special. He owed a business and had a lot of money, and he bought me things and wined and dined me, and I think I fell in love with that more than him."

"Did it ever get any better?" Dex asked.

"No. It actually got worse. After I said 'I do' even the romantic gestures stopped. At first, I chalked it up to him being busy with work. Then at some point I think I fell into a routine. Eventually, somewhere down the line, I mostly stopped feeling and caring because it was safer. I realized if I stopped having expectations, I could never be disappointed."

She waited for a few seconds then looked at Dex and asked, "Does that make any sense?"

"It does. It's hard to listen to, but it does make sense."

"I knew he liked to gamble when I met him, and maybe that was a part of the charm, you know? He was definitely a 'bad boy' and he seemed so exciting. So I accepted that as a part of who he was, and it never really affected us. He bought us the house I live in, we had nice cars, I had beautiful clothes, jewelry, spa days, and everything a girl could want."

"Except?"

"Right. Except. Except for...love and children," she said quietly. "The things most women really want."

She took a deep breath then said, "The really serious gambling began when he started in on sports betting several years back. He went to the dog track in Orange Park and the horse track in Jacksonville all the time, but he got in deep when he became obsessed with pro football which later spread to NBA basketball, and by the time I realized what was going on, the FBI was involved because he was embezzling money from his business to pay his debts, and..."

"What's bezeling?" they heard Addison ask.

"Hey, honey. Did you sleep?" Dex asked, unaware she'd walked in.

"Uh-huh," she said as she gave her dad a hug.

Without asking, she then went to Mercedes and hugged her, too.

"That's what I never had," she said as an end to the discussion.

Dex nodded then asked who was hungry.

"Me!" Addison said immediately.

Mercedes smiled then raised her hand, too, but only to about shoulder height.

"Three hungry people," Dex said. "What shall we have for breakfast?"

"Well, since we have a special guest, I think we should have French Toast," Addison said to her dad as she smiled at Mercedes.

"You are the sweetest girl ever!" Mercedes told her.

"I agree. French Toast coming right up!"

"Oh, let me help you, Dex," Mercedes said as she reached for her crutches.

"Addison? Can you take Mercedes's crutches away so she doesn't do anything foolish like stand up or try and help?"

His daughter laughed as she took the crutch out of the woman's hand.

"Sorry. You're not allowed," Addison informed her.

On the verge of tears again, Mercedes reached out and touched the girl's face then said, "Okay, honey. Whatever you say."

An hour later, they were done eating, the table was clear, and the dishwasher was running.

"I really need to brush my teeth," Mercedes said. "And take a shower."

She looked at Dex then asked, "Am I allowed to get up now?"

He loved the way she smiled at him, and it made him smile back.

"You are, but only with my help," he told her.

"Addison, can you give Mercedes her crutches back?" he said as he moved closer to her.

"Thank you, sweetie," she said as Dex helped her stand up.

She got the crutches in place then took one step and stopped.

"I wish they didn't hurt my arms so much."

"Hold on, then," Dex said. "Here, let me have those."

"I can't walk without them," she reminded him.

Mercedes was maybe 5' 6" and if she was 120 pounds she weighed a ton. Dex was 5' 10" and somewhere around 175 pounds, so picking her up wouldn't be an issue.

Addison took the crutches again just as her father reached down and put an arm under Mercedes's legs and scooped her up.

"Oooh!" she nearly yelped as he held her.

"This way you don't put any pressure on your ankle," he told her as her arms instinctively went around his neck.

"That's true, but what if you hurt your back? Who'll carry you around the house?"

"Don't look at me!" Addison said, smiling at them both.

"Well, it's not like you weigh a lot, so I think I can carry you without too much concern for throwing my back out."

Mercedes was smiling at him, and when he finished speaking, there was a moment of eye contact that caused a rush of very pleasant chemicals to be released in their brains. Neither of them mentioned it, but both of them definitely felt it.

"So if my daughter can bring your crutches, I'll carry you to your room," Dex told her.

Addison followed them in and leaned the crutches on the bed so Mercedes could reach them as her father gently laid her down.

"This is kind of embarrassing, but I can't get these Capri pants over my ankle by myself," she said rather apologetically.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure Addison could give you a hand with that, right, honey?" he said to his daughter.

"Sure!" she said immediately.

"Great. I'll be brushing my teeth and taking a shower myself. After that, I'm all yours."

"Don't you have work to do today?" Mercedes asked. "I don't want to keep you from doing what you normally do."

"No. I have a couple of rare day between projects. Besides, this isn't a normal day."

Mercedes assumed he somehow meant she was interfering and was about to apologize when Dex said, "Having a beautiful women in our home hasn't been normal around here for far too long."

Her concerns vanished as she smiled at Dex and told him that was very sweet of him.

"It's also true," he told her as he winked at Addison who smiled as her father walked out.

Dex closed the door behind him, and as he headed to his bedroom thought how nice it was to have a woman in the house again. Especially one as caring and polite as Mercedes. He also didn't mind that she was very attractive, something he couldn't get off his mind.

Addison helped her get the stretchy material over her ankle wrap, and Mercedes thanked her.

"You're welcome!" she replied. "Can I help with anything else?"

"Um...would you mind picking out something for me to wear from my suitcase?"

"Sure! Anything else?"

"Oh. Maybe carry my makeup bag to the sink?" Mercedes asked, feeling like she was starting to take advantage.

"Got it!" Addison said, as she grabbed it and took it in for her.

"You really are a wonderful young lady, Addison," Mercedes told her when she came back in.

"Thank you. So are you," she said sincerely. "And my dad thinks so, too."

"Oh. I had no idea," she said.

Addison was smiling and Mercedes asked why.

"Well, I probably shouldn't say," she told their guest.

"Oh. If it's a secret then no, please don't."

"Well...it's not really a secret."

Mercedes tilted her head and raised an eyebrow and waited.

"I can tell my dad really likes you," Addison said. "Not just likes you, but...likes likes you."

"Oh. How...how do you know that, sweetie?"

"Mostly because of the way he looks at you. I remember that's how he used to look at my mom. You know, all 'lovey' and stuff."

"I'm sure he's just being nice, honey. Your father is a very nice man."

"Yes he is, but he's also really lonely even though he never says it. But I can tell."

Addison got very serious then said, "It's my woman's intuition."

Mercedes somehow managed not to laugh as she reached out again to put her hand on Addison's cheek.

"You're going to be such a beautiful woman, sweetheart."

"Can I sit with you?" Addison asked.

Mercedes patted the bed next to her and the little girl jumped up and put her head on her shoulder. Mercedes put her arm around her shoulders and leaned her head on top of Addison's.

"I really like you," Addison said after a few seconds of silence.

"I really like you, too, honey."

The young girl looked up then said, "Do you know what I prayed for last night before I feel asleep?"

"No, sweetheart. Tell me."

"Well, I asked my mom, who's in heaven, to make my daddy fall in love with you."

"You...what?" Mercedes asked, as tears began welling up with tears again.

"I don't want you to leave," Addison told her. "So I asked my mom to ask God to let you stay. With us."

"Oh, honey! That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me!" Mercedes told her as she hugged this wonderful little girl.

"I don't know how long it takes God to do stuff, but he always hears our prayers, right?"

Mercedes hadn't been to church since she was maybe 17, but even so, she told Addison that was true.

"Just remember, though. God doesn't always answer our prayers exactly the way we want him to."

"Then why even ask him?" Addison said, her eyes wide open, hoping to hear a satisfactory answer.

"I...I'm not sure, sweetie. Just don't be too upset if that doesn't happen, okay?" she said as gently as she could.

"It will," Addison said, the smile coming back. "It will because my mom told me God always hears and answers our prayers."

Mercedes kissed her on the forehead then said she needed to take a shower.

"Oh, do you have a plastic bag and a rubber band?" she asked before explaining why.

Addison was back in a flash with both.

"See? I'm not even God, and I answered your prayer just like that," she told Mercedes.

"Yes. Yes, you did, huh?" the older woman said, now praying the little girl's feelings—and faith—wouldn't be hurt too badly when things didn't go the way she hoped they would.