Gestern, 11:47 AM
1
Tom hadn't been having a good time. About four weeks ago, he had been hit by a car while crossing a zebra crossing. The car had simply driven on, leaving Tom to his fate. Passersby had called an ambulance, and he was taken to a hospital.
Tom's tibial head was hit, as well as three metatarsal bones. After a few days in the hospital, he was sent home with a large black fiberglass thigh cast. And here he is, sitting on the couch, the cast propped up on a cushion, bored to death. Then the news from his girlfriend Merle comes at just the right time.
“Hey, grab your crutches, let’s go get a drink.”
Merle and Tom had met during their training and immediately hit it off. It was purely platonic, since Tom only likes men.
"Oh Merle, I'm not going anywhere with this big cast. I feel so unattractive in it."
"Silly me, I'll be with you in 15 minutes, you know you can't escape me. You're not moving fast enough right now anyway."
“Haha, okay, you win,” replies Tom, lifting his cast from the pillow and going into his bathroom to get ready to go out.
After the announced 15 minutes, Merle is already there and rings the bell. She quickly reaches the first-floor apartment and hugs Tom tightly.
“Hey, take it easy, I’m not feeling so stable right now, but I’m glad to see you too.”
"See, it was definitely a good idea to pick you up. Can we go? I booked us a table at the bistro by the lake so you and your leg cast will be comfortable," Merle gushes, beaming with activity as always.
"You now have the honorable task of pulling the sock over my casted toes. I'm having a hard time getting to it. So let's go."
With a wink, he waves a black sock in front of her nose.
“I’ll do it for you.”
As if she had done it for Tom a thousand times before, Merle skillfully pulls the sock over his toes.
"Okay, now come on, I'm hungry and thirsty. Do you need anything else besides your crutches?"
"No, I'm ready," Tom replies, and they both step into the hallway. Tom locks the door and hands Merle a crutch. "Could you please use this on the stairs? It's much easier with one hand on the railing."
Merle parked right in front of the door, so Tom didn't have to walk far with his crutches. After a quick adjustment of the passenger seat, the leg in the cast was in the car and off we went.
“Don’t drive so fast again, I’m already damaged enough,” Tom warns jokingly.
Merle simply responds with a loud laugh and adds that she is just a sporty driver.
A short time later, the two arrive at the bistro on the shore of the reservoir, from whose terrace you can see half of the lake and all the way to the dam. Tom wasn't surprised that Merle had reserved a table with a lake view. He takes the first seat, and Merle pushes a chair under his cast leg. This position is most comfortable, and he immediately relaxes after the short walk on crutches.
"Perfectly positioned. Thank you."
The weather is glorious, and his shorts make his enormous leg cast immediately noticeable to all the other guests in the restaurant. He wiggles his toes in the cast a bit to make himself more comfortable in his cocoon.
After a quick glance at the menu, the choice is quickly made, and food and drinks are ordered. Both are quite hungry, and since Tom doesn't have to drive, he treats himself to a cocktail.
While sipping espresso after dinner, Tom's gaze falls on a young man a few tables away who piques his interest. He keeps looking until their eyes finally meet. A smile spreads across both faces. Of course, Merle doesn't miss it.
“Have you made a conquest?”
“Yes, exactly!” replies Tom, rolling his eyes.
Their eyes meet again and again until finally the stranger's companion looks in Merle's direction.
“You seem to be making a conquest too, my dear,” Tom counters with a grin.
When the attractive stranger finally stands up, Tom's heart stops. Had he flirted too much? Will he come over and talk to him? His mouth suddenly goes dry and his hands sweat. However, to his disappointment, the young man turns and goes to the bathroom.
On the way back, however, the stranger spots Tom's large cast on the chair and actually approaches. Apparently, he hadn't even seen the cast before, given his astonished expression.
“Well, that pretty much ruins my plan,” the stranger says to Tom while pointing at the leg in plaster.
Tom looks a little confused. "What plan did you have?"
"First, I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Chris. My friend Marco and I would like to invite you to our table, since we've been making eye contact for quite some time. But as I've noticed, you're not very good on your feet."
Merle looks a little irritated.
“Are you a couple?”
"Merle!!" Tom interrupts. "You're being so indiscreet again! I have to apologize for my girlfriend."
"There's nothing to apologize for. It's a legitimate question. And my companion is definitely not interested in me. If that helps?"
Although he was actually talking to Merle, Chris clearly winks at Tom, who in turn responds not entirely voluntarily with a shy smile and slightly flushed cheeks.
“See, Tom, don’t be so stuffy.”
"Chris, I'm actually not that mobile, but there's plenty of room at our table. Why don't you come over?"
"Thanks for the invitation, we'll gladly accept. I'll just go and see Marco. See you soon."
“Merle, don’t tell anyone again that I’m stuffy, that’s so embarrassing!”
"Ohhhh, someone's interested. You only react like that when you like a man."
“You always talk nonsense, Merle, honestly.”
Shortly afterwards, the two appear again.
“Here we are, I’ve already introduced ourselves, now live again, my friend Marco.”
“Marco, there’s a free chair for you,” Merle immediately clarifies the seating arrangement, as she, for her part, had her eye on the other stranger.
Chris looks at Tom. "Wait, I'll take the cast off, then there'll be room for you." With some effort, Tom lifts the cast off the chair and places it on the floor. "Now you can sit down."
"Is that really okay with your leg? Otherwise, I'll get another chair."
“Don’t talk nonsense, all the seats are taken, even your table is already taken.”
"You're right. Okay, then right next to you. What actually happened that you had to be wrapped up like that?"
"I was hit in a crosswalk four weeks ago. Hit and run. And now I have this. Shattered tibial plateau and three broken metatarsal bones."
Chris puts his hand over his mouth in horror. He can't believe something like this could happen.
"This really makes me angry, Tom. How can you drive away from that? And it's probably unrealistic that you wouldn't notice."
"Chris, please let's talk about something more pleasant. What do you do for a living?"
"You won't believe that anyway, Tom. I have a nursing service." Chris can't suppress a laugh.
“Haha, that fits perfectly.”
They both look dreamily into each other's eyes and there is a pause that doesn't seem embarrassing at all, but somehow quite familiar and natural.
"Don't think I'm here to canvass patients. For the record, I saw you before I discovered the cast."
With mock indignation, he places the backs of his hands on his hips.
“And how do you earn your money, Tom?”
“With money, I’m a banker.”
Tom briefly contorts his face in pain and grabs the cast, which of course doesn't go unnoticed by Chris.
"I'm telling you, it's not good for the cast to hang down like that. You're welcome to put it on my lap."
Tom rejects the offer. He's visibly uncomfortable with the idea of being a burden to the new person in his life. This man seems interesting, and he doesn't want to mess anything up at this first meeting, because he's already hoping for a little bit more.
"Chris, it's really heavy. I don't want to hurt you."
"Oh, nonsense, I can take a bit. Come on, put the cast up."
Reluctantly, he follows the instructions and places his cast leg on Chris's lap.
"Better that way Tom?"
"Oh yes. Definitely! Thank you."
Merle and Marco are completely oblivious, engrossed in their own conversation. Without really realizing it, Chris reaches for the toes sticking out of the cast and begins to massage them.
"You're doing really well. Thank you."
Only now does Chris realize what he's done. A blush shoots through his head and he immediately lets go of his toes.
"Oh, sorry. That was a reflex. I hope it doesn't hurt?"
"I would have said that. Feel free to keep going. It's really good."
“You’ve had this cast for four weeks now?”
Tom can't quite assess the question. Is it professional, because Chris has a caregiver? Or is it simply pity?
"Well, I wore a splint for the first few days. Then I got this when I was discharged from the hospital. Since then, I've been sitting here waiting for healing."
“Well, tonight you’re sitting in exactly the right place, I’d say.”
"Well, I could certainly get used to the massage. Is it standard practice at your nursing service to massage strange men's toes?"
With a broad grin he tries to coax him out of his shell.
"Only if they catch my eye in such a positive way and then take their foot cast off the chair to make room for me. So, it's very unlikely that will happen."
“Oh, I was pretty lucky.”
"Tell me, isn't it pretty warm in that cast? Especially in this weather?"
“My foot is definitely not cold, that much is clear.”
"But then I wonder why you're wearing that thick sock. Can I have a look?"
Chris doesn't even wait for an answer, but deftly pulls the sock off his casted toes, peering curiously into a half-irritated, half-smiling face. But Tom's smile quickly takes over, now that a cooling breeze caresses his toes.
"Well, it's definitely more comfortable this way, but I haven't shown my toes like that in public before."
"But you should. They're definitely worth seeing, if I may be so blunt."
"You may, but it's a bit strange. I'm sure you'd like to continue massaging me?"
Of course, Tom's question isn't without ulterior motives. On the one hand, he finds it quite pleasant, but on the other, he hasn't missed the bulge in Chris's pants.
"I would like to. But I don't think that will end well."
“When I see the bulge in your pants, I fear that too.”
"As if it were any more relaxed in your pants. So what do we do about this dilemma?"
"I don't live far away. I came with Merle, though. My driving skills are limited right now, as you can imagine."
"I picked up Marco. Then I'll give you a lift. And I think Marco has a ride too. The two of them won't notice anything anymore."
“Oh yes, two of them found each other.”
Speaking a little louder and directly to Merle, he tries to bring the other two out of their daydreams.
"Hey you two, we're leaving. I see you're busy."
Merle looks a little surprised.
"Uh, okay. That's quick for you. But have a nice evening, we'll talk on the phone."
Chris carefully lowers the cast to the floor and hands Tom his crutches. They leave the bistro together and head for Chris's car. Here, too, the passenger seat is pushed all the way back to make room for the long leg cast. Chris then climbs into the driver's seat. After Chris has also climbed in, they both look at each other silently. Tom feels a slight flutter in his stomach and carefully studies the sun reflected in his neighbor's green eyes. He doesn't know how much time has passed, but at some point he realizes that Chris hasn't even left the car yet.
“Why don’t you leave?” Tom is a little irritated and runs his hand through his hair in embarrassment.
"Well, because we don't know each other well enough yet for me to know where you live, Tom. I would need an address."
“Oh, of course you’re absolutely right.”
Chris opens the top of his convertible and they drive home along the shore road by the reservoir.
Tom hadn't been having a good time. About four weeks ago, he had been hit by a car while crossing a zebra crossing. The car had simply driven on, leaving Tom to his fate. Passersby had called an ambulance, and he was taken to a hospital.
Tom's tibial head was hit, as well as three metatarsal bones. After a few days in the hospital, he was sent home with a large black fiberglass thigh cast. And here he is, sitting on the couch, the cast propped up on a cushion, bored to death. Then the news from his girlfriend Merle comes at just the right time.
“Hey, grab your crutches, let’s go get a drink.”
Merle and Tom had met during their training and immediately hit it off. It was purely platonic, since Tom only likes men.
"Oh Merle, I'm not going anywhere with this big cast. I feel so unattractive in it."
"Silly me, I'll be with you in 15 minutes, you know you can't escape me. You're not moving fast enough right now anyway."
“Haha, okay, you win,” replies Tom, lifting his cast from the pillow and going into his bathroom to get ready to go out.
After the announced 15 minutes, Merle is already there and rings the bell. She quickly reaches the first-floor apartment and hugs Tom tightly.
“Hey, take it easy, I’m not feeling so stable right now, but I’m glad to see you too.”
"See, it was definitely a good idea to pick you up. Can we go? I booked us a table at the bistro by the lake so you and your leg cast will be comfortable," Merle gushes, beaming with activity as always.
"You now have the honorable task of pulling the sock over my casted toes. I'm having a hard time getting to it. So let's go."
With a wink, he waves a black sock in front of her nose.
“I’ll do it for you.”
As if she had done it for Tom a thousand times before, Merle skillfully pulls the sock over his toes.
"Okay, now come on, I'm hungry and thirsty. Do you need anything else besides your crutches?"
"No, I'm ready," Tom replies, and they both step into the hallway. Tom locks the door and hands Merle a crutch. "Could you please use this on the stairs? It's much easier with one hand on the railing."
Merle parked right in front of the door, so Tom didn't have to walk far with his crutches. After a quick adjustment of the passenger seat, the leg in the cast was in the car and off we went.
“Don’t drive so fast again, I’m already damaged enough,” Tom warns jokingly.
Merle simply responds with a loud laugh and adds that she is just a sporty driver.
A short time later, the two arrive at the bistro on the shore of the reservoir, from whose terrace you can see half of the lake and all the way to the dam. Tom wasn't surprised that Merle had reserved a table with a lake view. He takes the first seat, and Merle pushes a chair under his cast leg. This position is most comfortable, and he immediately relaxes after the short walk on crutches.
"Perfectly positioned. Thank you."
The weather is glorious, and his shorts make his enormous leg cast immediately noticeable to all the other guests in the restaurant. He wiggles his toes in the cast a bit to make himself more comfortable in his cocoon.
After a quick glance at the menu, the choice is quickly made, and food and drinks are ordered. Both are quite hungry, and since Tom doesn't have to drive, he treats himself to a cocktail.
While sipping espresso after dinner, Tom's gaze falls on a young man a few tables away who piques his interest. He keeps looking until their eyes finally meet. A smile spreads across both faces. Of course, Merle doesn't miss it.
“Have you made a conquest?”
“Yes, exactly!” replies Tom, rolling his eyes.
Their eyes meet again and again until finally the stranger's companion looks in Merle's direction.
“You seem to be making a conquest too, my dear,” Tom counters with a grin.
When the attractive stranger finally stands up, Tom's heart stops. Had he flirted too much? Will he come over and talk to him? His mouth suddenly goes dry and his hands sweat. However, to his disappointment, the young man turns and goes to the bathroom.
On the way back, however, the stranger spots Tom's large cast on the chair and actually approaches. Apparently, he hadn't even seen the cast before, given his astonished expression.
“Well, that pretty much ruins my plan,” the stranger says to Tom while pointing at the leg in plaster.
Tom looks a little confused. "What plan did you have?"
"First, I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Chris. My friend Marco and I would like to invite you to our table, since we've been making eye contact for quite some time. But as I've noticed, you're not very good on your feet."
Merle looks a little irritated.
“Are you a couple?”
"Merle!!" Tom interrupts. "You're being so indiscreet again! I have to apologize for my girlfriend."
"There's nothing to apologize for. It's a legitimate question. And my companion is definitely not interested in me. If that helps?"
Although he was actually talking to Merle, Chris clearly winks at Tom, who in turn responds not entirely voluntarily with a shy smile and slightly flushed cheeks.
“See, Tom, don’t be so stuffy.”
"Chris, I'm actually not that mobile, but there's plenty of room at our table. Why don't you come over?"
"Thanks for the invitation, we'll gladly accept. I'll just go and see Marco. See you soon."
“Merle, don’t tell anyone again that I’m stuffy, that’s so embarrassing!”
"Ohhhh, someone's interested. You only react like that when you like a man."
“You always talk nonsense, Merle, honestly.”
Shortly afterwards, the two appear again.
“Here we are, I’ve already introduced ourselves, now live again, my friend Marco.”
“Marco, there’s a free chair for you,” Merle immediately clarifies the seating arrangement, as she, for her part, had her eye on the other stranger.
Chris looks at Tom. "Wait, I'll take the cast off, then there'll be room for you." With some effort, Tom lifts the cast off the chair and places it on the floor. "Now you can sit down."
"Is that really okay with your leg? Otherwise, I'll get another chair."
“Don’t talk nonsense, all the seats are taken, even your table is already taken.”
"You're right. Okay, then right next to you. What actually happened that you had to be wrapped up like that?"
"I was hit in a crosswalk four weeks ago. Hit and run. And now I have this. Shattered tibial plateau and three broken metatarsal bones."
Chris puts his hand over his mouth in horror. He can't believe something like this could happen.
"This really makes me angry, Tom. How can you drive away from that? And it's probably unrealistic that you wouldn't notice."
"Chris, please let's talk about something more pleasant. What do you do for a living?"
"You won't believe that anyway, Tom. I have a nursing service." Chris can't suppress a laugh.
“Haha, that fits perfectly.”
They both look dreamily into each other's eyes and there is a pause that doesn't seem embarrassing at all, but somehow quite familiar and natural.
"Don't think I'm here to canvass patients. For the record, I saw you before I discovered the cast."
With mock indignation, he places the backs of his hands on his hips.
“And how do you earn your money, Tom?”
“With money, I’m a banker.”
Tom briefly contorts his face in pain and grabs the cast, which of course doesn't go unnoticed by Chris.
"I'm telling you, it's not good for the cast to hang down like that. You're welcome to put it on my lap."
Tom rejects the offer. He's visibly uncomfortable with the idea of being a burden to the new person in his life. This man seems interesting, and he doesn't want to mess anything up at this first meeting, because he's already hoping for a little bit more.
"Chris, it's really heavy. I don't want to hurt you."
"Oh, nonsense, I can take a bit. Come on, put the cast up."
Reluctantly, he follows the instructions and places his cast leg on Chris's lap.
"Better that way Tom?"
"Oh yes. Definitely! Thank you."
Merle and Marco are completely oblivious, engrossed in their own conversation. Without really realizing it, Chris reaches for the toes sticking out of the cast and begins to massage them.
"You're doing really well. Thank you."
Only now does Chris realize what he's done. A blush shoots through his head and he immediately lets go of his toes.
"Oh, sorry. That was a reflex. I hope it doesn't hurt?"
"I would have said that. Feel free to keep going. It's really good."
“You’ve had this cast for four weeks now?”
Tom can't quite assess the question. Is it professional, because Chris has a caregiver? Or is it simply pity?
"Well, I wore a splint for the first few days. Then I got this when I was discharged from the hospital. Since then, I've been sitting here waiting for healing."
“Well, tonight you’re sitting in exactly the right place, I’d say.”
"Well, I could certainly get used to the massage. Is it standard practice at your nursing service to massage strange men's toes?"
With a broad grin he tries to coax him out of his shell.
"Only if they catch my eye in such a positive way and then take their foot cast off the chair to make room for me. So, it's very unlikely that will happen."
“Oh, I was pretty lucky.”
"Tell me, isn't it pretty warm in that cast? Especially in this weather?"
“My foot is definitely not cold, that much is clear.”
"But then I wonder why you're wearing that thick sock. Can I have a look?"
Chris doesn't even wait for an answer, but deftly pulls the sock off his casted toes, peering curiously into a half-irritated, half-smiling face. But Tom's smile quickly takes over, now that a cooling breeze caresses his toes.
"Well, it's definitely more comfortable this way, but I haven't shown my toes like that in public before."
"But you should. They're definitely worth seeing, if I may be so blunt."
"You may, but it's a bit strange. I'm sure you'd like to continue massaging me?"
Of course, Tom's question isn't without ulterior motives. On the one hand, he finds it quite pleasant, but on the other, he hasn't missed the bulge in Chris's pants.
"I would like to. But I don't think that will end well."
“When I see the bulge in your pants, I fear that too.”
"As if it were any more relaxed in your pants. So what do we do about this dilemma?"
"I don't live far away. I came with Merle, though. My driving skills are limited right now, as you can imagine."
"I picked up Marco. Then I'll give you a lift. And I think Marco has a ride too. The two of them won't notice anything anymore."
“Oh yes, two of them found each other.”
Speaking a little louder and directly to Merle, he tries to bring the other two out of their daydreams.
"Hey you two, we're leaving. I see you're busy."
Merle looks a little surprised.
"Uh, okay. That's quick for you. But have a nice evening, we'll talk on the phone."
Chris carefully lowers the cast to the floor and hands Tom his crutches. They leave the bistro together and head for Chris's car. Here, too, the passenger seat is pushed all the way back to make room for the long leg cast. Chris then climbs into the driver's seat. After Chris has also climbed in, they both look at each other silently. Tom feels a slight flutter in his stomach and carefully studies the sun reflected in his neighbor's green eyes. He doesn't know how much time has passed, but at some point he realizes that Chris hasn't even left the car yet.
“Why don’t you leave?” Tom is a little irritated and runs his hand through his hair in embarrassment.
"Well, because we don't know each other well enough yet for me to know where you live, Tom. I would need an address."
“Oh, of course you’re absolutely right.”
Chris opens the top of his convertible and they drive home along the shore road by the reservoir.