The Romantic.com

Care Packages

HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE NO MORE

submitted by: Christine Parkis

 

When my boyfriend had to move away for a few months for work related reasons, we were both devastated. We had been so used to being together all the time that being apart seemed unimaginable. He left and I got sick with the flu and bad kidney infections about 3 weeks later.

One day while I was home sick, there was a knock at the door. Looking ever so lovely in my red pajamas which matched my nose, I opened the door to find the FedEx man, with a large box in hand. I signed for the package and ventured back into the house. I looked at the return address and it said it was from Massachusetts.  I opened the box to find things such as cough syrup, cold medicine, soft Kleenex, calling cards and four, individually wrapped, numbered gifts and a card.

The card read, “Open Me First!” I opened it up to find a card that I had mentioned earlier in our relationship that I liked in the card store. He had written me a nice note saying how much he missed me and wished he could be there to take care of me while I was sick. He had also written cheesy one-liner jokes and knock-knock jokes because he knows how much I get a kick out of things like that.

He also gave me the order as to which I was to open my presents. I opened number one to find a CD of happy, upbeat music and our favorite songs to “lift my spirits”. Number two was a copy of my favorite children’s book Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good Very Bad Day.  I had mentioned to him while we were babysitting his nephew how much I loved that book. There was a note inside the book that read, “I hope this makes your horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day a little better”.

Number three was a package of instant chicken and alphabet soup. When I looked at it (and cooked it later on), I realized he had bought a few packages of alphabet soup, and pulled out letters from each package and put them in one container.  When you spelled out the letters they  read, “Get Well Soon.  I love you”.  He had even pulled out all the onion pieces out of the soup because I hate onions!!

Number four was the clincher. I opened it up and it was a gift certificate from my favorite local spa to get a back massage. With my kidney infections, my back aches constantly and he always would massage my back for after treatments or a long day of work. He had called the spa and placed an order to his credit card over the phone.

The best part about my care package was all the thought my boyfriend had put into everything in the box. He used conversations I didn’t even remember to add personal touches to everything in it.  That means so much to me to know he spent that much time and put in that much effort into my package.  He had even gone to the trouble of mailing the package to his friend in Massachusetts and then having him mail it to me so it would be even more of a surprise because I wouldn’t recognize the return address.  Needless to say, I began a speedy recovery soon after that and now he’s back and we couldn’t be happier!