Frankincense & Lavender

“Alexa, call Luke.” Cedric winced from his bed. He was awkwardly propped up against the wall and became stuck when he tried to swing his leg out from under his weighted blanket. He described the pain to his friend that “it felt as if someone took a hot hunting knife and tried to pop my kneecap off with it.”

Luke felt bad for chuckling at his friend, “So what you’re sayin is, thank you for convincing me to purchase the…what did you call it C?”

Cedric’s face twisted up into a crooked little smirk and he was able to answer him before the next bolt of pain shot through his knee.

“Spy in the box…” He answered flatly knowing full on the other end of the call Luke was shakin his head with a big old grin peeking through his meticulously groomed white beard. “Now quit pokin fun at me and bring yo narrow ass over here and help me out before Sandy catch me lookin like a dusty prune up in this piece!” Cedric asked with a little more urgency.

Luke could do nothin but grin as he reached into the pocket of his sweater and took out his Bluetooth earpiece. After pressing a button he popped the earpiece into his ear and walked into the kitchen where his wife Betty was sitting looking over that week’s pile of circulars for coupons she could use later. Luke put his hand on Betty’s shoulder and softly kissed her on the cheek.

“Be safe, baby, call me if ya need me now,” Betty said to her husband as Luke went out the back door onto the porch. Luke locked the back door and headed down the steps to the gate.

“Tell me you didn’t tell Betty,” Cedric said through yet another wince.

“I told her you found yourself a little minx at the juke joint on the corner snd she done handcuffed you to the bed …” Luke’s good natured ribbing of his friend was cut off by Cedric’s howling laughter.

“Boy, you done lost yo mind,” Cedric said in between the wincing.

“You just now figurin that out C? And is the key still in the same spot or did you move it?” Luke asked as he was nearing the walkway that led to Cedric’s back porch.

“Now why would I move the key?” Cedric asked losing his patience slightly. “At our ages and with the medicinal choices we made, I ain’t fittin to move nothin, so I can just forget where I done moved it to. That don’t make a lick of sense.”

Reaching the porch, Luke lifted up an outdoor spotted mushroom statue and slid the key into his palm.

“You do know, that stuff they said about weed and forgetfulness was just to scare us when we were kids cuz our brains weren’t fully developed yet?”

“Well it worked, cuz I swear I lose my water bottle at least three times a day.”

Luke was able to open the porch door, and he began looking around. He saw a water bottle on the coffee table, an end table, and at least two half empty bottles on his coffee bar.

“You in the house?!” Cedric asked with surprise.

“Yeah, I’m looking at your water bottle collection, now.” Luke chided.

“Man why didn’t you announce yo self when you did?”

“Cuz I’m on the phone witchu through the Alexa thingy.”

I did not understand your command, Alex announced.

“Alexa hang up!” Cedric commanded as he was now looking at Luke who was waiting for instructions on how to help his buddy move his leg without screaming.