Unhappily Married ✓

11. Help Me

I sigh, "All right."

He sits on the bed with his feet flat on the floor and I sit in a chair in front of him, twisting my legs under the chair. I've never done this for anyone and it feels weird. My hands rest in my lap because I have no idea where to start.

Todd clears his throat and gives me a few instructions.

I rinse the clean towel in the bowl of water and wring it out before dabbing it on his face. Then he asks me to dip the shaving brush in cold water and I do as I'm told. 

Slowly, I apply the shaving cream up and down his face and neck and put my hand on his shoulder for support.

As I pick up the razor, my hand gets clammy and I just hope I don't end up scratching his face.

Taking a deep breath, I apply the razor and begin shaving his face, but my hand wobbles and I have a hard time keeping it under my control.

Todd winces. "Stella, don't press it down my skin. You have to use only light strokes."

I roll my eyes. "Sorry if I'm not doing it right, but I don't help men shave every day."

After I'm done, I dip the washcloth in cold water and apply it to his face.

"And it's done," I murmur, patting his face dry.

To my surprise, things turn out all right. I don't give Todd any scratch on his face and he looks just fine.

"Thanks Stella, now you can open your own barbershop," he chuckles.

"You need to learn how to compliment, Todd."

He takes a deep breath. "Your skills are astoundingly great and trust me you'll make lots of money in this business...How does that sound?"

I shake my head slightly, fighting back a smile. "I feel like throwing up."

*****

I ring the doorbell as Todd and I stand outside his Mom's house. A brisk wind blows past me, making me shove my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket.

The door creaks open.

"Tyler, how're you?" Todd smiles, dimples appearing on his cheeks.

He steps forward to give us a big hug. "I'm great. How're you both?"

"Good," we reply in unison.

My eyes revert to Snippy as he starts jumping around, wagging his tail.

Laughing, I drop to my knees and pat his head.

"Good boy," I say, stroking his thick white fur.

He starts nuzzling up against me, his tongue making contact with my neck.

"No, no, don't do that," I giggle.

A little while later, he starts to hop wildly around Todd. 

"I missed you too, Snippy," Todd says, rubbing his back.

It's been a long time since I last met Tyler and Snippy and it'll be a lie if I say I didn't miss them. The way they greet me makes me feel quite nostalgic. My relationship with Todd has changed a lot during these past few months, but that doesn't change anything between Tyler and me. He's like a little brother I never had.

Tyler steps aside, letting us get inside.

Todd and I sit beside each other on a couch and Tyler starts cleaning the glass table in front of us. He arranges his books, files and papers in a stack on the table, making me laugh up my sleeve. He reminds me a lot of my college days.