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“Come here!” Marvin ordered when I gave him his lunch in bed. “I want you to taste this pea soup.”
“Marvin, I made the soup, I have already tasted it.”
“Well, taste it again!”
Grudgingly, I walked over to the bed and bent down to taste the soup.
“Now wear it!” shouted Marvin, and he tipped the entire bowl over my head. I jolted up, and looked down at Marvin crossly, with soup dripping down my face and the back of my neck.
“Next time, make it the way I like it!” demanded Marvin. “Now get out of here, ya bum! You’re getting soup on my blanket.”
“Yes, Marvin,” I sighed. With the soup bowl still on my head, I quietly exited the room, closing the door behind me.
For the past three days Marvin had been bed-ridden due to a broken leg which he sustained falling off a ladder. He had found a sparrow chick under a tree and being the kind-hearted soul that he is, he was attempting to return it to its nest. I was supposed to be holding the ladder steady for Marvin, but when I bent down to tie my shoelace, I heard a yell and a crash and looked up to find Marvin laying awkwardly on the ground. The poor baby bird was underneath him, dead. Marvin had fallen so heavily that the bird’s beak became imbedded in his back and had to be removed with a pair of pliers. Racked by guilt, I had assigned myself to be Marvin’s nursemaid and take care of him while he recovered.
Noticing that he was a bit off colour, I racked my brains to find of a way of cheering him up. Aha! Betty Dreyfuss! Marvin had always fancied her, and I was fairly certain that the feeling was mutual. We hadn’t been in touch for a couple of years, but I was sure that she would be happy to visit Marvin when I told her he was laid up.
“I thought I told you to bug off!” Marvin shouted when I knocked on his door.
“He’s always a little cranky in the mornings,” I said to Betty. “Let’s go in.”
Upon seeing Betty, Marvin’s expression and demeanor suddenly changed. He smiled, his eyes even sparkled, and his body relaxed.
“Oh Marvin, what have you done to yourself?” asked Betty, sweetly. I went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
When I went to check on Marvin, I was pleased to see that he and Betty were chatting and laughing gaily.
“There,” said Betty, as she finished signing Marvin’s cast.
“What does it say?” asked Marvin.
“Er,” I said, searching for the words. Marvin’s eyes darkened as he read my expression.
“What. Does it say?” he repeated sternly.
Betty smiled and looked at me. I cleared my throat.
“Um, it says, ‘Best wishes, Marvin, for a speedy recovery. Regards, Mr. and Mrs. Stone.’”
“Mrs. Stone?” asked Marvin.
Betty smiled and nodded.
“Well, well, how nice for you,” Marvin said dryly. He looked at Betty, then he looked at me.
“Say, I would love some of your delicious pea soup for lunch,” he announced.
No, I mouthed and shook my head. Marvin glared back at me.
“The soup.” he repeated. “And could you bring it in a nice big bowl?”
