A Matter of Trust

Alice and I sat at my desk, she sat in front in a chair, and I sat at the computer. The sounds of the pages turning filled the room. I looked at her as she would rub her eyes while glaring at her phone. I closed the applications on my computer. "Alice, why don't you use the computer. I may go to town for a while."

She looked at me with a smile, "No, thank you, I'll use my phone."

"Why don't you want to use the computer. It won't bite." I stated with a grin.

She looked at the desk. "I'm not good with computers, plus I don't want to use your company computer for my studies. I can go to the library. It's no big deal."

I looked at her. Standing up, getting in a drawer in my desk, getting a pink floral gift, laying it on the desk beside her notebook. She looked at me. "What is this? You gave me my anniversary gift already?"

"This is an early birthday gift. I was going to give it to you next week, but I'm giving it to you now." She looked at the package, then at me.

"Leo, I can wait until Thursday. It's alright."

I kissed her cheek. "Well, it's getting late. I'm going to bed. Goodnight, I love you, angel."

"I love you too, sweetie. Goodnight. I'll turn everything off here when I go to bed."

"Alright."

I walked from the room, going into our bedroom, getting ready for bed. Soon falling asleep.

8:30 a.m.

The sounds of rain pattering and the roar of thunder woke me from my sleep. I looked at the clock on the wall with a sigh. I covered my head once more, closing my eyes. "Hey sleepyhead, it's uptime. You've slept long enough. It's eight-thirty." I heard Alice chirp with excitement as I sighed once more.

"I know it's eight-thirty." I uncovered my head and set up as the cover fell onto my lap. "How are you so cheerful at this hour?" I yawned, scratching the back of my head.

"Dude, I've been up since five o'clock. I've been reading in the living room. Why aren't you cheerful?"

"Because it's eight-thirty."

"Well, you're awake, right? Be thankful for that blessing. At least."

"True, did you open your present from last night?"

"Not yet. I was waiting for you to get up. I didn't want to open it without you being there. I've been reading my Bible and taking notes."

I sighed, "On your phone, I bet."

"Yeah, why do you hate phones?"

I yawned and stretched, getting from the bed, "I don't hate phones. I'm curious. Why do you use your phone when there is a Mac book in the office? It would seem less stressful on the eyes."

"You know I don't enjoy using your company computer. What if I delete something important? Or do something to it."

"That's what printers are for. I need to clear some things off that computer, anyway. You couldn't have deleted anything I couldn't replace. You deleting something would have done me a favor and gave me less to do." I moved the hair from her face, "Let's go into the office. Let you open your gift."

"Alright." She smiled. "I need to get the journal I left in there last night. We walked from the room, getting to my office. Alice picked up her journal. Looking at the present. "Leo, you spend too much money on me."

I looked at her. "Well, you keep me in check and in line. I have to reward you somehow."

She kissed my cheek, handing me her notebook, opening the gift on the desk. She looked at it, then at me. With a laugh, she shook her head. "A laptop. Dude, you want me to abandon my phone, don't you, Le'le." She poked my chest with her finger. "Alright, I'll stop using my phone if it will make you happy."

I smiled. "It will make me happy, plus if you want the software that I use, tell me I'll buy it for you. You can write your notes on it. You can write a novel using it. I'm not a writer, but I saw while we unpacked you had some notebooks with stories in them. You should work on them. They're both interesting. I'm curious to see how they end. I want first read before you publish them to the world."

"Publish? Wait, what? Who said anything about becoming published. No one would want to read anything I write." She interrupted me, rubbing the back of her head. "Plus. I'm horrible at literature."

"There are websites that can help you with that. You're being too hard on yourself and your writing. I took pictures and faxed them to my brother. He praised your work, and he doesn't give his book praises to anyone. He also spreads the word to editors that he knows from a friend of ours. He has sent me loads of letters."

"I still can't do it, Leo."

Why?" I sighed, looking at her, shaking my head.

"I don't have money to start it. I don't have beta readers."

"I got that covered. Stop making excuses, Alice. My brother and I have been working a lot to get you this far, along with several others. Nicolae wouldn't put forth his own money if he didn't believe in you. Neither would I. Rather we were dating or not. If I saw nothing in you, I wouldn't put forth any money either, and Charmaine she gave what she could. If you won't do it for Nicolae and me. Do it for her. Or at least try it. To say that you did it. The only failure is not trying. I know you, Alice. You aren't a quitter your a woman who knows what she wants and won't take second place to anyone or anything. You're driven, and that is what I love most about you. Think about it. Please." I kissed her cheek, sitting down at my desk.

"Did you mean everything you said? About your brother? And Charmaine? Why is it so important to her?"

I looked at her. "I meant every word, Alice. My brother though he loves to read he never gives comments on other books. He usually reads them then forgets about it. Charmaine didn't have the extra money. She's like yourself when we met. She doesn't have a lot of money. But she has a big heart, and she is a very caring young woman. She wants to see you succeed. We all do."

She looked at me. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"You can choose. I'd be happy with a pot of coffee. I have to meet someone today." I sat back down in my chair, turning on the computer.

"Who do you have to meet?"

"Christian, we're having a meeting about buying my old home." The room was silent for several moments. The leather giving way under my weight was the only noise in the room. "Alice? Is something bothering you?"

Alice looked at me. "I'll be fine. I'm going to go cook." She turned away from me, walking out of the room, her head down. I leaned further into my chair. Opening the top drawer of the desk, looking at a list.

"I'm trusting You with this." I collected the paper, looking at it with a sigh, closing my eyes, leaning against my desk. I opened my eyes, looking at the list, placing it back into the drawer, standing to my feet before walking from the room.