Play Day

Paul squinted at the light boring through the blinds, and hastily pulled the covers over his face.

"Damn sun," he muttered as the haze started to lift from his mind.

He turned over and looked at the alarm clock. Only five hours had passed since he collapsed into bed, exhausted from a long night at the office.

He thought briefly about trying to go back to sleep but decided it was hopeless. Besides, today was Valentines Day, and he still had some things to do before meeting Maureen.

"At least it's a Saturday," he told himself as he headed to the bathroom. This was one day he refused to think about work.

He looked in the mirror and swore. The dark circles were still there, along with the sagging belly. The seventy hour weeks with no exercise had finally caught up to him; he was only thirty-two, but he appeared to be in his fifties.

After a long, hot shower and a hefty cup of coffee, he started to feel normal again. The phone rang as he was pouring his usual morning cereal.

"Hi, Paul!" Maureen's cheerful voice greeted him. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

He shook his head, stupidly realizing that he wasn't as awake as he thought. "No, I'm up," he said more bluntly than he intended.

"I was wondering," Maureen said and paused, apparently considering the tone of his voice. "Can we meet for lunch a little earlier?"

"How much earlier?" He began calculating how long it would take to run his errands and buy a card and flowers.

"Is eleven okay?" Maureen asked tentatively. It was already nearly eight o'clock.

"Sure." It would be close, but this was one appointment he didn't want to miss.

Over the month they had known each other, Paul had been lucky to spend even a few hours a week with Maureen. They were still in what he called the friendship phase of their dating. Though they were strongly attracted to each other, he had yet to see her in anything less than a low-cut dress.

Like Paul, Maureen was a professional. But unlike him, she seemed to be able to squeeze in several hours a week at the gym. He marveled at people like her, who were able to put their health on an equal footing with work.

He surprised himself by arriving five minutes early. Maureen was waiting for him outside the door to the restaurant.

"Beautiful day isn't it?" she exclaimed, looking up at the cloudless sky for emphasis.

He followed her gaze. "Yes, it is," he said, trying to match her cheerfulness. He felt instant shame for not having noticed until now.

She walked up and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Shall we go in?"

He felt every muscle in his body tingle as he followed her to their table. They had agreed to dress casually, but the kiss made her look as pretty as if she had worn a ballroom dress to their date.

"You're unusually quiet," Maureen observed after they had ordered their food and she had filled him in on the events of her week.

"I had another late night at work," he explained lamely, uneasy about admitting what he was feeling.

"I know you hate me saying this, but you work way too hard."

His heart jumped. "I don't hate you for saying that," he said, looking into her eyes to prove he wasn't lying. She held his gaze while he took a deep breath. "I do work hard. I know I do, but..."

He was nearly overwhelmed by her warm blue eyes, the shoulder length brown hair that framed her concerned face and the fact that such a person actually cared about how he might be wasting his life.

"I don't know what else to do," he said truthfully.

"How about just playing?" Maureen asked.

The question caught him by surprise. "Playing?"

"I know this is Valentines Day," she answered, "but why don't we make it Play Day instead?"

His jaw dropped and Maureen smiled without judgment. "You heard me. No expectations. Let's just have fun."

"But," he started, remembering their plans which included an outdoor art show, a movie, and dinner.

"No buts," Maureen said, and reached for his hand.

There was a park nearby with a large lake and several biking trails. After lunch, they found a place to leave their cars and found a trail with trees to shield them from the afternoon sun.

"Look at the seagulls!" Maureen pointed excitedly at several dozen of the birds, who were resting under a bridge near the trail.

"What a life," Paul said, suddenly envious. "Catch your food, sleep, and socialize. Don't think about the future beyond the next meal."

"Yes it is," Maureen agreed, smiling.

After several minutes of quiet walking, he started to feel lighter. He stole a glance at Maureen, whose hand hadn't left his the whole time.

"This was a good idea," he said and slowed her to a stop. "Maureen..."

Something caught his eye. "Duck!"

He pulled Maureen to the ground just as a Frisbee flew past their heads. In the distance, he spotted a teenage boy running toward them.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked breathlessly when he arrived.

Paul looked over at Maureen. She was lying with her back to him, shaking.

"Maureen!" He got to his knees in a panic and turned her over. She almost squealed with laughter.

"My hero!" she exploded.

"I think we're fine," he told the boy as Maureen resumed laughing.

"It's not

that funny," he said, deadpan. Then he had a thought.

"Hey, kid," he called out to the boy, who was retrieving the Frisbee from behind a tree. "Mind if we join you?"

They spent the next hour chasing the Frisbee around the park. "You're not bad for a couple of old folks," the boy, Jack, observed at one point.

"Old folks?" Paul answered, trying to avoid coughing. "How old do you think we are?"

"No offense, mister, but you've got to be at least my dad's age."

Paul looked over at Maureen, who was patiently waiting for him to throw the disk, and chuckled. "Have you ever heard of anyone getting younger?"

Paul sat with his arm around Maureen as they rested on secluded bench before returning to the parking lot. The exercise had taken down his defenses, and he felt like he was in the company of a long lost friend.

"You probably noticed that I've been a little preoccupied," he began.

She looked up at him and smiled. "A little."

"That isn't too serious for Play Day, is it?" he asked.

"We'll call this an intermission," she said and put her head on his shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sweating," he apologized, suddenly aware of what he must smell like.

"It's okay," Maureen assured him. "So am I. Go ahead."

"Work," he continued. "I worry about the future a lot these days, and work is the only way I know how to deal with it. The more worried I get, the harder I work." He looked down at her. "Does that make sense?"

"Yes." Her eyes said much more.

"When I stop, I can't help wondering if there's something I should be doing, or if something's going to catch up to me if I don't keep going."

"I know the feeling," Maureen said.

"You do?" He hadn't sensed that at all. He could always detect fear.

"I used to have it, a long time ago. But then I learned to let it go."

He stared at her, unbelieving.

"It's true." Maureen sat up and looked deeply into his eyes. "You know, just because they're out there, doesn't mean they're out to get you."

"How..." he started.

"How do I know?" she completed his thought. "I know because I'm not that important."

"You're very important!" he insisted.

Her eyes brightened and she smiled. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"We're important to each other," Maureen said softly. "That's what counts."

He almost forgot what they had been talking about as the voice in his head screamed, I'm important to her!

"But we're not that important to the world," Maureen finished.

He blinked as his mind caught up. "We're important enough, if we don't do our part. But I think I see what you mean. Like those birds."

He remembered what he had read on a sign near the lake. "They're part of a system. Without them the system isn't the same. It becomes something different, but not that much different."

"But still," Maureen said, "without one, its mate will be devastated."

As they held hands walking back to the cars, Paul allowed himself to look only minutes ahead.

"What next?" Maureen asked cheerfully.

He hadn't looked that far ahead. "I could use a shower," he said without thinking.

"Me too," Maureen said. "Your place or mine?"

He grinned as he made the decision. Play Day had only just started.