Back Off

“You didn’t have to come down here today if your back hurts that badly,” Holly said with concern.

It was the Sunday before Memorial Day, and the best friends were seated on their favorite bench next to the river.  It was a gorgeous morning, but Aaron grimaced like he was being tortured.

“I wouldn’t want to miss our weekly get together,” he waved off her comment.  “The pain is much better than it was on Thursday, and getting up to walk does seem to help.  Although, I might need a ride home because it usually hurts like hell after an extended period of sitting.”

He chugged half of his Snapple as if he hoped the cure for his ailing back was contained somewhere inside the bottle.

“I’d be happy to drive you home,” she assured him.  “I was raised to be kind to my elders, especially when they are dealing with the tribulations of old age.”

She snickered and took a sip of her coffee.

“Old age?” Aaron asked with a raised eyebrow.  “I’m only a year and a half older than you.”

“And clearly, those eighteen months make all the difference she said as she got up and danced around in front of him to proved her point,” Holly teased before getting up and dancing around in front of him.

Aaron shook his head and refused to look at her until she finally sat down again.

“You are a pain in the ass,” he informed her.

“Is that better or worse than a pain in your back?” she quipped.

“Proving to be much worse, without a doubt,” he answered without hesitation.

“I say you embrace your old age,” she continued to taunt because she so rarely got the upper hand.  “You’ll be able to get discounts pretty much anyplace, maybe the bad back will get you a handicap parking pass so you can park really close if you ever decide to leave your house, and now when you yell at kids to get off your lawn, it will seem like you’re simply acting your age rather than being the neighborhood grouch.”

“I only yelled at one kid one time,” he argued in his defense.

“Yeah, and you then spayed him with your hose,” she reminded him.

“Hey, if he’s going to step on my lawn while I’m watering it, he has to understand that the Fates have clearly set up that scenario for a reason,” Aaron countered.

They both laughed.

“I’m sorry your back hurts,” she said sweetly.

“Thanks,” he replied.  “This was not at all how I planned to spend my five day weekend.”

“What did you plan to do?” she asked because he was notorious for never making plans.

“I was going to get out my hose and see how many neighborhood punks I could soak,” he answered.

They both laughed again.

“The crazy thing is, I have no idea if you’re joking or being deadly serious,” she admitted.

They laughed even harder.  And for a little while, Aaron didn’t think about the pain…