Life Changes » Marcus Armstrong

Fourtysix.

"Yes, don't worry," she sniffed and disinfected her hands. "Luna forces me to eat, her mum comes every other day... Her older sibling brought soup this morning on their way to their work." She wrote down the addresses first on the envelopes. "I don't have any appetite at all. I have to force myself to drink tea, let alone eat."

"The flu really got you," Marcus sighed. "Why Luna's family?" His eyebrows raised.

Jane yawned. "They got here a few days ago and saw I was sick. Since then, they have checked on me since Luna makes long days. Jack's out of town. They're basically my family. Her older sibling works nearby. I'm not surprised if Luna asked them to do it, though."

"That's very sweet of them. I hope you get better soon, love."

She shrugged. "I just hope I'll be feeling better when I'm flying over to New Zealand." She sniffed. "Oh, my god, what if I'm not better when I have to fly?" Tears filled her eyes, this had not come up to her mind yet. "I can't stay here," Jane hopelessly said, and her voice became thick. She looked away, and the first tears rolled over her cheeks.

"Babe, no, don't cry. You will be better before you leave," he comforted her, and an emotional smile came on her face. For some reason, that was the uncomfortable smile you had when someone cried. "You will be better before you'll know it."

She shook her head. "You don't know that," she sobbed. "For months, I have been waiting for this, and right now, I have to get the flu." Her head felt heavy, and the tears didn't make it better.

"Don't say that," he whispered. "Look, we can't make it change. All we can hope for is you to get better as quick as possible."

"It just sucks. I'm looking forward to it. It's not a short trip, nor a cheap trip. I've worked for it. And I want to see you," she cried and gasped for air. "I miss you so much."

"I know, babe. I miss you too," he said and bit on his lip. "You will be better, okay? You will get here."

"I'm so tired and done with everything." This was the third breakdown this week, and it was only Wednesday. Jane dried her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked at Marcus, who was looking very sorry. New tears formed in her eyes, I fucked it up. "I... I'm sorry."

Marcus shook his head directly. "This is not your fault, babe. It's the flu. Everybody gets it. It's just unlucky you have it now..."

"I know," she breathed and coughed. It hurt her lungs and back. "Everything hurts."

"I know. Take a hot shower, it will loosen up your muscles and open your airways. Go back to bed and go back to sleep. Rest is key."

She nodded and dried her eyes. Jane leaned her head to the back, resting against the sofa. Her eyes closed, and she tried to calm down.

"Before you will know it, you will be better. Be patient, we can't change it. It's an unfortunate situation, but it's not your fault." It broke his heart to see her like this.

Jane sat back up and looked at Marcus. "I know," she whispered. "I wish I could see you in real life, even though I would send you away because I'm sick."

"Awh, babe."

She smiled through her tears and started to write some more cards. This was the only task she had to do today. And she promised Marcus to do it for him. She put the cards into the envelopes once she had written everything - including the cards she wanted to send her own friends and family, and put the stamps on it.

"How far is it to the postbox?" Marcus asked when Jane put on her warm winter coat.

"Around the corner," she mentioned and put on the hood. She wrapped a scarf around her neck and plugged in her earphones. "I really don't hope I will run into someone I know," she mentioned. "I look like I was raised from death. A zombie."

He shook his head and smirked. "Just walk and don't stop when anyone greets you. It's just insane how cold it looks like over there."

"It isn't that cold. Three degrees Celsius."

"Which is cold."

Jane left her apartment and walked down the stairs. "It's probably -15 in Iceland now, this is warm," she smirked and sniffed. "No, it's still cold."

"Oh, that's right. The ice woman," Marcus playfully smiled.

"Fuck off. How warm is it at yours then?"

"Twenty."

"Not that warm either."

"Glad you haven't lost your humour."

She looked at her phone and showed a sarcastic smile. Jane arrived at the postbox and checked every card for the last time. When it came to sending postcards... panic. "And they are gone," Jane mentioned.

Marcus smiled. "That's good. Thank you, babe."

"No problem." She walked back to her house and walked back upstairs to her apartment. "I..." She was creating heavily, her condition was gone. "Just give me a minute," she said.

"Take your time." Marcus looked at the ceiling and heard how Jane was coughing the lungs out of her body. He really couldn't do anything but say what she should do, or comfort her. He couldn't make her a cup of tea, some chicken soup or run a hot bath. It was hopeless.

"I'm going back to bed," Jane mentioned. She caught some breath. The three hundred metre walk was more exhausting than she would think. She took off her shoes and threw her coat on a stool once she took it off. "Bloody hell, I have no condition at all. It is gone." She sniffed and looked at Marcus. "I will talk to you tomorrow." She now noticed her voice was almost gone, her throat was hurting badly.

Marcus nodded. "Absolutely. Have you already eaten anything today?"

Her eyes fell on the coffee table. The tea she made an hour ago was cold now, and untouched.

The wait gave Marcus the answer to his question. "You have to eat something. You can go back to bed once you have eaten something. I will wait. Grab a bowl of yoghurt or a piece of fruit and drink a glass of water," he mentioned. "I may be in New Zealand, but I will make sure you eat something." He gave her a quick smile. "I have all the time to wait, but the quicker you eat something, the quicker you can get back to sleep."