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“Nancy,” Nancy looks up at the call of her name. TK is standing in front of her, both hands on his hips.
Nancy releases a thin sigh. “Oh no.” Nancy knows what that pose means. TK’s upset. After finishing off the last sip of her coffee, Nancy asks. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m upset.” TK announces as he takes space in the empty seat next to her.
“And I’m clairvoyant.” Nancy mutters to herself as she rises and walks over to the kitchen sink. “Why are you upset, TK?”
TK rises from his seat to join Nancy next to the kitchen sink as he begins to explain. “Carlos is hiding something from me.”
“What makes you think that?” Nancy squeezes the blue dish soap onto the sponge and begins cleaning the mug.
“He’s been staying out a little later than usual, and he’s been late to the last three game nights. You know that’s not like him.” TK turns the faucet, stopping the fall of water.
Nancy shrugs as she turns on the water and rinses the mug. “That’s true, if that man could control time, he would.” Nancy grabs a red dish towel and begins drying the mug.
TK turns off the faucet again. Nancy looks at him, begging for a reason as to why. “We’re in a climate crisis, Nancy.”
Nancy places the mug back in the cupboard while muttering to herself. “I don’t think that’s the only crisis we’re in.” She turns back to TK, arms crossed. “Alright, so he’s been a little late, maybe traffic keeps getting the best of him.”
TK points at Nancy as if highlighting her words. “See, that’s what I thought, but then I heard him on the phone the other night,” TK lowers his voice. “Whispering.”
“Not whispering.” Nancy acts scandalized, though it’s clearly done in a mocking manner.
TK doesn’t deter, and he continues speaking at a normal volume. “He’s been talking with someone named,” TK’s eyes narrow and his voice colors with a suspicious hue. “Margaret.” He says the name like it’s bitter.
Nancy comically frowns. “My aunt’s name is Margaret.”
“And what a lovely name it is.” TK smiles wide.
Nancy rolls her eyes. “Alright, well, clearly he’s not cheating, obviously.”
“Obviously.”
“Not only would the man stop time, but he’d also move the world for you if he could.” Nancy bites the inside of her cheek trying to piece together something with the little information she has. “Have you, I don’t know, tried asking him?”
“Of course not,” TK answers as if it’s obvious. “If he’s hiding it from me, that means he doesn’t want me to know. I don’t know, what if he’s embarrassed by it and thinks he can’t tell me? I just want him to know he can tell me anything.”
Nancy smiles at TK, sympathetically. TK’s coming from a good, maybe even loving, place; and she knows that.
“Which is why,” TK begins and Nancy’s smile drops. “Maybe you could ask him? You know, subtly so it doesn’t trigger any suspicion?”
“I am not getting in the middle of this TK.” Nancy says, defiantly. It leaves no room for argument.
“Fine,” TK concedes. “I guess I could just run my theories by you each and every day until I eventually get it right. You know, maybe he’s,”
“Fine.” Nancy interjects. “I’ll do it.” Nancy checks her watch. “Tommy needed to see me three minutes ago, but I’ll call him later, okay?”
“You’re amazing you know that? Just remember,” TK tells her as she walks away. “Subtle.”
—
“Nancy,” Carlos answers the call with a smile on his face. “Nice to hear from you. How’s your aunt Margaret? Her ankle feeling better?”
“TK thinks you’re hiding something from him.” Nancy tells him, not sparing a second of ambiguity. Carlos stifles his laughter as Nancy recalls the conversation she had with TK earlier in the day.
After she finishes, Carlos smiles because TK Strand is the man he loves and he wouldn’t change that for a second.
“Well,” Carlos begins. “It is nice to have a phone call coming from the 126 that’s about TK and doesn’t have anything to do with a coma.” Carlos rubs at his temple. “Thanks, Nance. I’ll talk to him.”
—
Carlos makes is a point to show up earlier than usual when he gets off work later that day. When he walks into the apartment, TK has already started dinner. “Hey, babe.” Carlos walks over to join TK in the kitchen, giving him a kiss.
“Hey baby, how was work?” TK asks, slicing another tomato.
“Had a really interesting phone call with Nancy during my lunch hour.” Carlos starts, grabbing a glass from the cupboard. “Something about me hiding something from you.”
TK halts the knife halfway through the tomato. “So much for subtle.”
“TK, why didn’t you just ask me?” Carlos asks before the empty glass with water. He quickly turns the faucet off. They are in a climate crisis after all.
TK turns, looking sheepish. “I didn’t know if you were embarrassed by what you were hiding, and I didn’t want you think you had to tell me.”
Carlos sighs as if love drunk when he hears TK’s explanation“If I was embarrassed why would I tell, Nancy?” Carlos questions and TK stops at that.
“Look, it was a plan, I didn’t say it was a good one.”
Carlos laughs. “Well, I wasn’t embarrassed, just sad the surprised is a little ruined.”
“Surprise?” TK asks as Carlos walks over to where he’s placed his keys and bag.
Carlos starts digging through his satchel. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”
TK closes his eyes and waits for the unknown. Not too long after, he feels something of light weight placed in his palms. He opens them, and sitting in his hands is a small, crocheted lizard. He’s a little unfinished but looks cute all the same. TK looks up at Carlos, wide-eyed and speechless.
“Surprise.” Carlos smiles warmly. “Figured that after we released Lou back to his natural habitat, you should still have a piece of him at home too.”
“You made this?” TK turns the lizard in his hands, looking at the red and green yarn. “Baby, I didn’t even know you knew how to crochet.”
“Got really into it when I was started at the academy.” Carlos explains. “I don’t know; it was just something that kept me grounded. My mom and sisters always did it growing up, so in a way, it reminded me of home. Helped a lot when I would get anxious; it was something to put all that untapped energy into.”
Carlos looks at the little lizard in TK’s hands, fondly. “Before we started dating, I was in a crocheting group. Mainly retired women who were just looking for some friends; and open to any others that just wanted the company.”
“During the stay at home order, it went virtual. While that was nice in theory, most of the meetings just turned into me trying to teach the ladies how to use Zoom, so it kind of took a pause. Eventually, they started going back and I finally caught up with them a few weeks ago. I wanted some company while I worked on this little guy.” Carlos cocks his head as he looks at the little lizard. “You like him?”
“Carlos, I love him.” TK smiles and Carlos would take ten more ruined surprises for a smile like that.
Carlos asks, “What do you think we should name him?”
TK looks at the lizard, looks at Carlos, then back at the lizard. “Lucky.”
“Lucky?” Carlos eyebrows furrow.
“Yeah, because he’ll always be here to remind me that I’m so lucky to have you.”