6. Jed

SIX

JED

“I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been,” I berated myself as I finally got myself into some sort of mental state in which I could actually process my thoughts and feelings and go about my day. I know that is down to my own inhibition of drinking too much alcohol last night and I should’ve known when to say stop but, in all honesty, haven’t we all been in that situation? “I need to get that message off before someone I know realizes who it could be from. It would then open a whole whirlwind of issues for me to have to deal with.” I scorned myself, frustrated with what I’ve done. “I'm not debating, though, that it is my own fault for putting myself in this predicament.”

Once I had some substance in my stomach, which helped dry up all that alcohol I had consumed, I started to feel like the real me again—apart from being stupid and idiotic with my thoughts and feelings. I decided it would be best in my interest to go and stalk the area around the charity Christmas Wishing Tree and make my plan for retrieving my bauble. The flashes of the evening before are still quite fuzzy and uncertain. I couldn’t picture where I’d left my bubble exactly, or even how to access the charity Christmas Wishing Tree. All I had was pictures and flashes of the moments leading up to that part.

In reality, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I just had to somehow find a way.

Ha! I needed to laugh at myself, or potentially I could burst into tears, but that would warrant someone probably to talk to me and ask if I was okay. I couldn’t exactly tell them the truth, could I? That would be a foolish thing to do on my behalf, wouldn’t it? I was correct in contemplating that I wouldn’t be able to get in and out within a moment. I didn’t expect, though, to see so many people surrounding the area and it being cordoned off from the public at the moment.

It was at that moment I noticed Maxwell walking across the green with a box full of Christmas Wishing Tree decorations.

“Hey!” I shouted trying to grab his attention, but with the crowd of people swarming the area, he didn’t hear me. I contemplated what I could do for a second before I placed my fingers in my mouth and wolf whistled him, instantly making him turn around and spot me as I indicated I was here and called him across. “Got a minute, man,” I asked him.

“Give me one minute to put these down and I’ll be right across,” Maxwell shouted out before indicating with his head to make my way over to the side where the barrier was created. “It’ll only take me a second.”

I manoeuvred my way through the crowding bodies that were gathering around the Christmas Wishing Tree and blockage signs, before noticing the news stations starting to set up with their cameras. I quickly put two and two together and realized that Eli and the council committee had used their contacts for the power of the local community. They were trying to do something that no one else had thought about doing yet and raise as much awareness as possible, not only just for the support of our small town, but also the charity that was at the heart of this mission—Hope Liberty Hospital.

It was important to all of us to raise funds for the local hospital nearby, especially as some of our closest friends had needed to use their facilities to get through some really tough times. Just recently, Riley, one of Eli’s daughters, had to be rushed into the emergency room and undergo surgery when her appendix was about to burst. That’s before even mentioning one of his closest friends, Lewis, who worked at one of his other businesses having to undergo a heart transplant. It was tough and whether he’d even make it whilst waiting on the transplant list until the last minute. Ironically, Lewis's boyfriend was a cardiologist there and his family, the St. James’, were behind organizing charity events to support the hospital—not to mention one of his brothers being on the hospital board.

Like I said, it was all about community, helping out the people that live within our small tight network. That’s why when we heard of the plans that the hospital had received building planning approval for a sensory garden to be built, we wanted to gain the funding to support it. I couldn’t compose the thoughts into words knowing the positive impact of having a sensory garden built for access by inpatients during those rough rides would have on their mental health.

“Sorry about that, my hands were so full and the guy needed these as soon as possible…” Maxwell replied once he made his way over to me. “Have you come to give a hand?”

I paused feeling the beads of sweat forming on the back of my neck. I reached around and cusped the back rubbing it slowly looking at Maxwell’s scrutinizing gaze. It was as if he could read my mind and see exactly what was going on in my head.

“I would have if I’d known earlier…” I began thinking about my next move. “I’ve got some things I have to do over the next few hours—collecting my parents' prescriptions for them and helping them with their groceries.” I lied to him through gritted teeth, before shutting my eyes too and composing myself. “But if you’re still here around six, I could help out for a while.”

“We should be done by then,” Maxwell confirmed as I nodded to myself in confirmation. “To be honest we haven’t much left to do now. It’s just the final push so we’re ready for the news crew.”

“The more publicity the better in the long run,” I agreed back as the chattering of people surrounding me began to get louder. I checked over my shoulder and noticed the increase in people who had arrived since I had, they were all wondering what was happening. “It seems it’s working, man. It was such a great idea by Eli and the council committee,” I continued. “Will some of the people gathering be able to access the tree and add their own wishes today…” I indicated, lifting my head and pointing to the secured area that enclosed around the tree. “Or will they have to come back another day?”

“They’ll be able to add to it tonight and of course the charity fund, too,” Maxwell confirmed as Eli shouted out his name, calling for him to come over with a flick of the wrist. “It’s only until we’ve finished the last few additions on the tree and the crew have taken a few minutes of footage,” he replied before turning on his heel and glancing at the guys waiting for him to return. “I’ve got to get back, but send us a message later and we’ll sort out catching up soon.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed with him as I bit down on the soft tender skin on my bottom lip and turned on my heel making my way out of the crowded line of people. “It’ll be perfect,” I whispered to myself as my mind began to whirl, and I started to construct a plan. I’ll return early in the evening just as the streetlights turn on. The area should be cleared and bare, with no traces of what had happened during the daytime, so I could access the area and remove everything that was linked to that night. I could then finally release a sigh of relief, knowing that no one would have any indication that I ever added a wish to the tree.

The agitation within my body was at an all-time high as I kept glancing at the clock ticking away in my apartment waiting for when I could hot foot it back down to the charity Christmas Wishing Tree. I’d nearly all but stretched my patience to the breaking point when I decided the best thing to do was to exude some of that energy if I possibly could. I marched into my bedroom and flung open the closet doors as my eyes skimmed over the hung clothes before me, reaching for the hangers I started to move each one across the hanging pole as I hoped I’d find what it was I was looking for.

It had been such a long time since I’d had a health kick and pushed myself to the extreme with it, but running off some of those endorphins coursing through my body could be the best thing I could possibly do at this moment. I continued sliding the coat hangers along until I finally halted on my running gear, thankful that when I recently did the huge decluttering of the apartment something in the back crevices of my mind told me to keep hold of it and not send it to the charity shops with the other items.

“Ah, ha!” I exclaimed as I pulled the fitted t-shirt and sweatpants combination off the hanger and threw them on the bed behind me. I bent down—not missing the crack in my knees as I did so and knelt on my knees as I began searching through my shoes until I found the show box I had been searching for at the back. I blew the layer of dust off the packaging and berated myself at the dirt that I needed to address. I hadn’t realized how long they must have been sitting there for. It made me think of other areas in the apartment that could do with an added bit of attention. “Time for that run I think,” I uttered as I glanced again at the clock. “Then once back a shower,” I confirmed it to myself. “I should have wasted enough time by then to deal with the issue at hand by that point.”

As I took in long deep breaths and wiped the sweat from my brow, I took a moment to think about the push I’d given myself. I didn’t realize how beneficial a run could be to both my mental and physical health allowing all those thoughts and emotions to be thrown to the back of my mind, clearing a total sense of euphoria and freedom. I soon realized that those thoughts hadn’t been long forgotten, just suppressed for a short period of time as the strain and tension reappeared in my shoulders.

I quickly cleansed my body by jumping in the shower, forgiving the time I wanted to spend dealing with my rock-hard length and not wasting precious moments. Once out of the hot steamy jet of water I quickly towel dried my hair and body before walking into the bedroom and reaching for the first set of clothes I could match together without being stopped for questionable fashion sense. I did a quick smell check and paused for a moment checking there was no lingering smell, before deciding it would be okay to wear my fragrance, before I made my way to the front door. I slipped my feet into my shoes and checked over my shoulder knowing the mess I’d left the place in. It can wait until later as I have more important things to deal with.

“Right, there’s no going back now.” I pressed the door handle down and steadied my thoughts. “Let’s go and sort this mess out.”