Invisible String (Home Improvement/Randy Taylor Love Story)

Chapter 24

Today Randy and I were going to volunteer to hang out with a senior citizen at the hospice center. He eventually found the lady he was assigned to, and I ended up being put with a woman as well. She seemed very kind as her light blue eyes sparkled.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," she greeted warmly.

"It's nice to meet you too," I replied, us eventually shuffling to her room. She had a little bit of trouble walking because of a bad hip, but I didn't mind moving at a slow pace.

Once we got settled she took out a deck of cards. "So, do you play Go Fish," she wondered.

"I haven't since I was a kid, but I love that game," I honestly answered, us securing our cards before playing. I had such a lovely afternoon, learning that the person I was with was named Floretta. I instantly complimented her on how it sounded like a flower.

"I suppose it does," she chuckled quietly, just then winning our game.

"That was fun," I expressed. "Do you have any other card games?"

Soon we had gone through Old Maid and another round of Go Fish. I knew some people might find this boring, but it reminded me of the times I used to spend with my own grandmother, so it was special. We eventually got around to talking about our lives. She shared cute stories of her grandchildren, but I really started to blush when she asked if I had a boyfriend.

"His name's Randy. He's actually volunteering here today too."

"How long have you been together," she asked before sipping on her peppermint tea.

"Well, we've known each other a lot longer than we've been going out. We met when we were like 12, but now we're 16. It took us awhile to confess our feelings for each other."

"I can tell he means a lot to you," she observed with a nice smile.

"Yeah... We plan on getting married when we turn 18. We haven't told anyone yet, but I hope they'll be okay with it. That's still pretty young, but we just know that it's going to last. It's always been him, and for him, it's always been me."

"I'm sure they'll understand. It's obvious how much you love each other," she spoke, patting my hand reassuringly on top of our round table.

"Thanks. Do you want to meet him before I leave? I can go get him."

"I would love to."

"Great! I'll go get him now," I excitedly said, racing out of there to find Randy. When I found him, I breathlessly asked him, "Hey Randy, can you come meet Floretta?"

"Who?" He seemed a bit confused.

"The person I came to see. She wants to meet you." I grabbed his hand but he didn't respond, staying firmly planted where he stood. "What's wrong?" I stopped moving as I looked back at him.

"You know how I've been seeing Elaine for a few weeks now?"

I slowly nodded, not liking where this was going by the sad tone of his voice.

"She took a turn for the worst, and now she doesn't want to see visitors anymore."

My heart broke for him as I went to where he was, squeezing his hand before releasing it to give him a comforting hug. "I'm so sorry, Randy," I whispered.

"I signed up because I really wanted to make a difference."

"I know. Me too." I rested my nose against the front of his shoulder as he finally hugged me back. "Do you want to leave now?"

"No, you promised Floretta I would see her. We can do that first."

I rubbed his arm near his shoulder soothingly before silently leading him to the correct room, our palms pressed together as we interlocked our fingers.