22 Days

August 3 Adam woke up to the sound of his alarm clock buzzing. He hated that sound. He opened his eyes and hit the snooze button. It was already noon. He turned around to see Marie but she was gone. Adam turned on his back and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before he decided to get up. After taking a shower, he went into the kitchen to eat. He walked over to the refrigerator and found a note from Marie. It read: Adam, You haven’t been getting much rest lately so I let you sleep in. I’m out with Ann. She’s taking me to lunch then to shop for an early birthday gift, so I may be a while. See you later tonight. Love you. -Marie Adam was happy to know Marie would be gone for a while. He decided to try and find another place to have her party. As long as Ann didn’t let anything slip, everything would be fine. He pulled out the phone book and started calling every dining and banquet hall he came across, but in the end he hadn’t had any luck. The main problem was that most places weren’t big enough to house a band. Damn! he thought. At this rate I’ll have to throw it at the Y. He looked at the clock. It was almost four. “I guess I’ll go to the gym before I go see Eric,” he said to himself. Adam got dressed and started down the stairs. As he was pulling out of the complex he saw Marie driving up. They stopped and talked for a minute. “Hey!” said Adam. “I’m going to the gym. Did you want me to pick anything up on my way home?” “No. I think I’m fine,” said Marie. “Okay, then. I’ll be back in a couple hours to change.” “Okay, see you soon.” Adam waved and then pulled out into the street. He thought about what Marie had said the night before about him smelling different. I hope she’s not getting sick, he thought. Once he got to the gym he decided to keep his workout light. A three mile jog and some ab workouts. He didn’t want to take too long. He finished everything in about an hour. On his way home he stopped by the store to pick up some candy for Marie. She absolutely loved Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. When he got home he found Marie in the kitchen. She was making herself a Cobb salad. It was her new favorite thing. “Marie. I got your favorite!” he said smiling. “Thanks, sweetie,” she replied. He set the candy on the counter and went to give her a kiss. She stepped back. “Ewww…you’re all sweaty,” she said. Adam laughed. “I know, but you can’t resist it.” She smiled and giggled. “Eww…get away.” “I’m coming for you,” Adam playfully teased. “No!” she said holding her fork in front of her. “Here I come!” Adam said grabbing her waist. “Eww…” she said laughing. “Gross!” Adam held her close and stroked her hair a little. He kissed her softly. She looked into his eyes. He stared back at her. She seemed sad. He kept on smiling and kissed her again. When he stopped she smiled. “Adam,” she said. “You should tell Eric something came up.” He couldn’t help but smile. He knew what that meant, but he also knew that he actually did have some important things to go over with Eric. He kissed her again. This time she was holding him tight. Crap… he thought. This can only end badly. He gently removed her arms from around his waist and held her hands. She looked slightly annoyed. “I’m sorry, babe. Eric really needs my help,” he said. Marie’s face puckered up slightly. She turned away. “Hmph…fine,” she said. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t say anything. Marie always got quiet when she was angry. Adam turned around and went into their room to shower. When he came out Marie was on the phone. “I’m leaving,” Adam said forcing a smile. “Have fun,” she replied, waving him off.