by A. J. Harmon
“Oh, I should go then,” Chad says disappointedly.
“No! I just won’t go. I’d much prefer to stay here with you.”
“Kate. You can’t not show up.”
“Well, if I have to go, you’re coming with me.”
That shut him up.
“Come on. It’s not like you haven’t met them,” I beg.
“Fine. For you, I’ll go.”
Grace is going to shit her pants!
ELEVEN
Chad drives. He offers because he knows how much I love his heavy-duty package. It’s our new joke, just between us. Our very own inside joke.
We stop briefly at his house. Yes, I said house. Chad owns a house, and a nice one. There isn’t one thing about this man that I don’t like. He didn’t even say anything this morning when I ate my fifth donut. Yes, I said fifth, but he had the other seven so I don’t feel bad. Besides, we worked off the calories. Anyway, he wants to change his clothes before we go to my parent’s house. I’m wearing a maxi dress with a little short-sleeved cardigan and flip flops.
I wait in the back yard while Chad runs inside to change. Apparently, Chad likes to do landscaping. There is a pretty little waterfall in the back corner that immediately captures my attention and I sit on the wrought iron bench beside the fish pond. Several colorful koi fish swim in circles, navigating their way through the lily roots. The sound is calming and serene and I sit back, basking in the afternoon sun.
“You found my little piece of paradise,” Chad says.
I open my eyes and shade them with my hand so I can look up at him. He’s in navy blue khakis and a white polo shirt and looks as handsome as I’ve ever seen him. My heart flutters at the sight of him.
He sits down beside me and takes my hand in his.
“When my father died a couple of years ago, I was inconsolable. He was my best friend and my biggest and loudest supporter. No matter what I did he was always there cheering me on.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. There is so much that I don’t know about Chad.
“He loved to putter in the garden, mowing the lawn, trimming bushes, or planting flowers. He said that he needed to have lots of flowers so he could pick them and give them to my Mom.”
“That’s incredibly sweet,” I gush with sincerity.
“Yep, that was Dad. And then one day he had a massive heart attack and was gone.”
I squeeze Chad’s hand.
“This back yard is my way of staying close to him… kind of a memorial, I guess. I mow the lawn and trim the bushes, and plant flowers so that every time I am out here, he’s here with me.”
A tear escapes and rolls down my cheek. “I’m sure you miss him terribly.”
“I do,” he sighs. “Mom remarried a few months ago and I’m really happy for her, but it’s not the same, you know? She deserves to be happy and be with someone that loves her, but it’s weird.”
I nod, but I can’t really understand what he’s going through, but I can certainly listen while he talks about his dad. It’s too bad I will never get to meet the father who raised such a wonderful man.
We sit, not speaking, listening to the water run over the stacked slate rocks and into the shallow pool below. I rest my head on Chad’s shoulder and we just sit.
“I don’t talk about him much,” Chad comments a few minutes later.
“Why?” I ask. “It seems like he was a pretty great guy.”
“He was,” Chad agrees. “I guess that I don’t want people around me to feel sad, and death always seems to be a downer,” he quietly chuckles.
I can’t help but smile. Even though it’s his father that’s gone, Chad is still concerned about the feelings of those around him.
“You can talk to me about your dad,” I offer. “Anytime.”
“I know.” He kisses me on the top of my head, pausing to smell my hair. “I like the smell of your shampoo.”
“I’m glad, seeing as though I washed your hair with it this morning,” I laugh.
“We should probably get going. Your family will be wondering where you are.”
“They’ll just have extra time to hide the candy,” I shrug as I stand up.
“Huh?” Chad says.
“Come on.” I grab his hand and we walk across the beautifully manicured lawn to the truck.
*****
To see the look on my little sister’s face when I walked into my parent’s house holding Chad’s hand was abso-fucking-lutely priceless! Her jaw dropped open wide enough to drive a dump truck right inside. And, to make it even better, if that was even possible, once she regained her composure, she was speechless! Two wins in the same day.
“Hello, Chad,” my mom gushes. “Kate didn’t tell me you were joining us.” She turns and scowls at me.
“It was a last-minute thing,” Chad replies. “I hope it’s not any trouble.”
“Oh, no trouble at all. You are always welcome here.”
I think my Mom has a crush on Chad.
“Did you have a session at the gym today?” my Dad asks casually, not looking up from the Sunday paper sports section.
“Nope.”
Everyone looks at me for additional information, but I don’t add anything more.
“Can I get you a beer or something?” Will asks Chad.
“A beer’d be great, thanks.”
“Kate? Come and help me mash the potatoes, please?” Mom asks with an eyebrow raised.
Before Chad releases my hand, still linked in his, he lifts it to his lips and kisses it. I can’t help but grin as Grace’s jaw drops… again.
“Sure, Mom,” and I follow her into the kitchen, Grace hot on my heels.
“So… Chad?” Mom looks at me with keen interest in my response.
“What about him?” I coyly reply.
“Spill it!” Grace hisses.
I laugh out loud. “I don’t know what you guys are talking about?”
“Come on, Kate! There’s obviously something going on between you two. You’re holding hands. I saw him kiss you when he helped you out of his truck,” Grace blurts out.
“You were watching us through the window?” I feign surprise.
“Kate,” my Mom sighs as she drains a pot of boiling potatoes in the sink, “is he is your boyfriend?”
Nothing like heading right back to the sixties. “Yes, he gave me his letterman’s jacket this morning and I gave him my virginity.”
My mother gasps and almost drops the steaming pot. “Is that true?”
“No,” I chortle. “I haven’t been a virgin in a long time.” I don’t think that was what my mother was hoping to hear.
“You had sex with… with him?” Grace is shocked.
“Why do you sound so astonished that Chad would have sex with me?” Now I’m getting pissed.
“I’m not astonished,” she attempts to explain. “Just a bit… surprised, that’s all.”
“Because you can’t believe that he’d want to have sex with a girl like me? Is that it?”
“Kate, there’s no need to shout,” Mom chides.
“Why? So Chad can’t hear that you’re talking about him?” I shout.
His arms encircle my waist and pull me back a step so I am leaning on his chest for support, both physically and emotionally. Then, in a whisper so only I can hear, Chad says, “Don’t let them get to you. It’s not important what they think about us.”
I cover my face with my hands and take a deep breath. He’s right, but my family, Grace especially, have always found it difficult to accept when something in my life is going well. I don’t think she wants me to fail, it’s more like she just assumes I will, so when I don’t, it’s startling to her. And Chad? Well, I’m kind of with her on this one. Who would have ever thought that of all the women he could pick to be with, he’d choose me?
I rub my forehead, giving me an extra second or two to regain my composure before I speak, but I don’t get the chance.
“Mrs. Evans, your daughter and I have known each other
for several months now and during that time we have become best friends. By spending so much time together, mainly in the gym at first, we’ve discovered that, not only are we very much attracted to one another, but that we are also polar opposites,” chuckles Chad. “Kate is very cerebral and left-brained, and I am not,” he grins. “But it doesn’t matter. I think we are well-suited and I plan on spending as much time with her as possible. You have an amazing daughter and I am honored to call her my girlfriend.”
Swoon. Well, damn!
“So, to answer your question, Mom, yes, Chad is my boyfriend.” I bite my lower lip to stop from grinning like a fool.
“I’m happy for you, Kate,” my Dad says as he walks past Chad and me and saunters into the kitchen. “And so are the neighbors, as I assume they heard everything, too. Now, is the food ready, or not? I’m hungry.”
Gotta love my Dad. You really do.
*****
Once the initial shock wears off, dinner goes smoothly. Conversation and laughter fill the dining room as we eat beef brisket and all the sides worthy of a Sunday dinner at the Evans’ house. When it’s time to leave, I’m almost sad. Almost.
My mom gives Chad a kiss on the cheek as they say goodbye – she’s already accepted him as her new son-in-law – and Dad walks us out to the truck parked in the driveway. He gives me a hug and tells me he loves me… and to be happy. I love my Dad.
On the way back to my apartment, traffic is light for a Sunday early evening. Chad finds a parking space a block and a half from my building and he holds my hand as we walk along the sidewalk.
“I’d be happy to sleep over tonight,” he offers with a smirk and a wink.
“I’d be happy for you to sleep over,” I reply happily. “But I have to be in the office no later than eight.”
“I have to be at the gym before six.”
“Well, then, as long as our schedules are in line and you won’t make me want to be late for work, you officially have a home away from home.”
TWELVE
I’m going to just jump ahead to the end of August. Why? Because while the last three months or so have been the best of my life, our life is pretty mundane. I work. Chad works. In the evenings when we are able to be together, we eat dinner and then fuck like rabbits. It is amazing sex, the likes of which would make people horribly jealous. And Chad, being the extraordinary gentleman that he is, will never come before me. Nope. He works hard to make sure my body is practically ripped apart by a mind-blowing orgasm every time we have sex. Every single time!
We spend most weekends at his house because on Sundays he likes to take care of his yard and garden. I make brunch while he is mowing the grass and then I sip on lemonade, or a glass of ice water in the afternoon while he trims shrubs, and dead-heads flowers. Sometimes I help him by pulling weeds or raking new bark chips in between the bushes. I’m not much of a gardener, but as long as Chad tells me what to do and how, I can follow his directions.
The only downer to having the amazing Chad as my official boyfriend is that he is actually harder on me during my workout sessions with him at the gym. I get NO special treatment at all. And the harder I work out, the more weight I lift, the longer I run, I haven’t lost one fucking pound. Not one! Chad says it doesn’t matter, that it’s just a number on the scale and doesn’t define me, but you’d think that with all of this work I’m putting in, I’d lose a pound! Life can be horribly cruel at times.
So, that’s the past three months in a nutshell. Oh wait, I forgot the big news. Grace had her baby. Yep, a beautiful baby boy and he really is beautiful. I love to hold him and cuddle him. He smells divine and I’ve even been allowed to babysit… once. His name is Jackson Henry and he’s called Jack, and I am in love. One day I think that I would like to have a child. Not yet, of course, but one day.
September is a really crazy month for me. It’s the end of the fiscal year for our company and so I am inundated with end-of-year reports and spreadsheets. Basically, it’s living in a numbers hell for four weeks.
I’ve hardly seen Chad. I’ve even had to cancel a couple of my sessions at the gym because I go in to work so fucking early and end up staying way past sunset. I should probably just bring a sleeping bag and a pillow. I’d get more sleep that way, surely. In July, I was given a promotion. Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that. I did, and got a nice little pay raise too. That college degree is coming in handy. But with it comes more responsibility and it affects the amount of time I get to spend with Chad. The weekends are still mine, or at least Sundays. Most Saturdays Chad is at the gym all day and that’s the one day I can guarantee getting in a good workout with him.
You know what’s crazy? When I miss a session at the gym, I miss it, meaning I feel it. My body functions so much better when it’s able to get enough exercise. And my brain is clearer and I’m not nearly as tired. In nine months, I have changed my lifestyle and more importantly, changed the way I feel about changing my lifestyle. Now, don’t get me wrong; I still eat donuts and drink my cans of coke on occasion, but on a more reasonable scale. You’d never have heard me say that a year ago!
But today being Saturday, and finally the last day of the month, I get to spend some quality time with my boyfriend.
“You and I both know you can run faster than that,” Chad scolds as I’m jogging on the treadmill.
“But I don’t want to go faster. I’m too tired,” I whine.
With a chuckle, he replies as he increases the speed of the belt, “Well then, all the more reason to get your heart pumping.”
“I know a great way you can get my heart pumping faster,” I grin wickedly.
“And I will,” he promises, “after you finish your workout.”
“Tyrant!” I mutter, but I run faster and longer, and true to his word, I do feel better.
While I’m working on some wall sits – I hate these, by the way – I see a new face walk into the weight room. She looks scared to death. I assume it’s her first time at this gym and I instantly relate to what she must be feeling. You see, she’s a big girl, much bigger than I was when I started here in January, and she looks completely lost.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell Chad over my shoulder as I walk away from the wall… and from him.
“Hey, I’m Kate. I haven’t seen you in here before.” I hold out my hand.
“My first time here,” she says, wide-eyed and nervous. “I’m Carrie. Nice to meet you.” She shakes my hand.
“I don’t mean to be nosey,” I laugh. I’m always nosey. Who am I kidding? “But do you need some help? Someone to show you around?”
“My sister-in-law got me a three-month membership for my birthday.”
Oh, I know that tone! “Did she? That was nice of her,” I smile. “She isn’t here with you?” I look around the room.
“No. She is… she doesn’t need to go to a gym. She’s pretty… little,” Carrie sighs.
Definitely know her situation. “Been there. Done that. Even got the t-shirt,” I smile. “So, why don’t you give me thirty seconds and then I’ll show you around and get you acclimated.”
She nods and I hustle back over to Chad who’s been watching me the whole time.
“Carrie’s a newbie and feeling pretty lost. Mind if I cut out on you and help her for a bit?”
With one quick arm, Chad scoops me into his chest and kisses me like it was our last moment on earth.
“I wish you knew how much I love you,” he whispers between kisses.
Holy shit!
“You love me?” I squeak, my eyes filling with joyous tears.
“More than I can express,” he breathes against my cheek as he leaves feather-like kisses up and down my cheek bone.
“I love you, too. I’ve just been too chicken to tell you,” I admit as the tears fall freely.
He softly chuckles and holds me closer. “Go on and help your new friend. I have to do some paperwork for a few minutes anyway.” I’m his last client for the day. We scheduled it that way on purp
ose.
Carrie is younger than me by a couple of years and has been a big girl all her life. As soon as she started talking, it was like a dam broke and all these feelings and thoughts came tumbling out of her. I don’t mind – I’m a good listener.
“Tell me what your goals here would be?” I ask, trying to remember all the questions Chad asked me on the very first day I walked into the gym looking very much like Carries does right now. Although, I did have the support of my Mom and sister, Carries doesn’t appear to have anyone.
“I have no idea,” she shrugs. “Not really, anyway. I guess I’d like to be able to go up a flight of stairs without breathing really hard by the time I get to the top. And if I could lose a few pounds that’d be awesome.”
“Have you been to a doctor recently?”
“No,” she frowns. “Not in a long time.”
“I would really suggest that you do that as soon as possible. Who knows? There might be a metabolic reason for your weight.”
I wish I’d had one. But, no. The doctor said I was just fine. There was always a possibility that being on the pill could cause a couple of pounds of added weight, but other than that, my fat was my own.
“Why don’t we just start on a treadmill today?” I suggest brightly. “I’ll walk with you.”
So, we do. For thirty minutes Carrie and I each walk on a treadmill and talk about her life. By the time a half hour has passed, she is sweating like a pig and I can tell that it was a huge deal for her to do that.
“You should be very proud of yourself, Carrie,” I beam with enthusiasm. “I remember my first day here and I know how difficult it is to do something that is completely out of your comfort zone, so, good for you.”
Carrie’s smile is so genuine I’m almost brought to tears again, and typically, I am not a crier.
“When will you be here again?” she asks.
“Um, hmmm. That’s a good question. Probably Tuesday after work.”
“Would it be okay, I mean, would you mind if, maybe…”
“Why don’t you meet me here? If you’re available on Tuesday, that is,” I add with a smile.
“Oh, that’d be great,” Carrie exclaims. “Thank you.”