“It’s Dave. Hey you want to come to my house tonight for some homemade chili and say goodbye to Cary? He and Becky will be here to eat before she takes him to the airport.”
“I don’t know. I talked to Sue earlier and she asked me to bring the kids over and have supper with her.”
I didn’t tell him I had just seen his best friend.
“Come on, it’s my famous chili. You know you’d rather come to my house.”
“Okay, you’re right, I will swing by and pick up the kids from Mom and head over after work.”
There was a soft, warm breeze blowing on that serene Colorado evening in the middle of August, as I walked swiftly up the steps to my brother’s house later that night. After we ate we looked through some old photographs, laughed, and made small talk until it was time for Cary to go to the airport. I was leaning against the counter in the kitchen when Cary walked over to me and embraced me tenderly.
“It was so good seeing you after all these years.” Again his eyes never left mine. He hugged each one of the kids and turned around and hugged me for a second time.
Standing on the porch, waving goodbye to him, I could still feel his arms around me. For some unexplained reason I felt warm and treasured.
Three days later, Dave drove me home from work because my car was in the shop. As I was putting the key in the lock, I heard the phone ringing. Running into the kitchen, I picked it up.
“Hello,” I said, cradling the receiver.
“This is Cary. How are you?”
“Who is it?” Dave yelled as he turned to leave.
“It’s your friend Cary,” I mouthed to him.
“Why is he calling you? Call me later and let me know.”
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I left.”
The rest of the conversation was a blur as I found myself thinking about the way Cary had looked at me and embraced me the last time we were together.
Although I had only been single for a few weeks the last thing on my mind was another man. I was content to enjoy the peace that came with the end of my last dysfunctional marriage.
After the phone call ended I found myself thinking about the way Cary had looked at me and the words he had spoken to me and I walked around the rest of the day with a big smile on my face.
The next day after I got the kids to bed I received another call from Cary, this went on for a few more days. He was so easy to talk to. It felt as if we had been friends for years. I found myself looking forward to our late-night chats. Finally, Cary said, “I like you a lot and I need to tell Dave how I feel about you.”
Later he called and shared the conversation with me. “I told your brother I have been talking to you every day since we got reacquainted at his house. Then Dave said you like my sister? Are you crazy? Do you know what you’re getting yourself into? She’s been divorced twice and has four kids. Then he laughed you know your brother he’s a big joker. Finally, he asked about Becky.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him there was never anything serious between Becky and me and she feels the same way. I told him I like your sister and I have enjoyed getting to know her. I think about her all the time. I can’t help myself. I tell you its destiny, it’s destiny, man.”
Later I called Rob. “Guess what? Cary’s been calling me since he left your place, and he even gave me his business card. I’ve never known anyone with their own business card.”
“What! Doesn’t he know you’ve been divorced twice and have four kids? Is he crazy?”
“Ha, ha, that’s exactly what Dave said to him. Maybe he is a little crazy.”
Rob laughed. “He’s such a nice guy. Did you know Cary is a Yuppie?”
I giggled. “What is a Yuppie?”
“A Young Urban Professional. And he sends his clothes out to get dry cleaned!”
“Have we ever known anyone who goes to the dry cleaner?” I joked.
Rob and I laughed a lot during our conversation. Later that night Cary chuckled as I repeated Rob’s phone call to him.
Walking into work the next day, I checked my schedule for the week. It was the Monday before Labor Day and for some strange reason I would have the holiday weekend off. Later as my shift was getting ready to end the phone rang in my department.
“Thank you for shopping at our friendly Safeway store, this is the Seafood department. Can I help you?”
“Hi, Darlin’, I know I told you I don’t believe in calling while you are at work, but I just had to call this time. Will you go out on a date with me?”
Did I hear him right; my head started spinning while my heart did flip-flops. Nobody had ever called me ‘Darlin’ before, and we had only known each other for a couple of weeks. “I’ll just hop on a plane and be there tomorrow night,” I laughed.
“No, I will come to you. I already have a plane ticket for Saturday morning.”
My knees went weak. “What, what? Are you serious, you’re coming here?” All the feelings of the last couple weeks came flooding back. His smile, his outstretched hands, his embrace, even the way he had gazed at me intently made my heart pound. I was sure he could hear it over the phone.
“Yes. Can you pick me up from the airport in Denver?”
“Of course,” I replied, “as luck would have it I have the whole weekend off. And that rarely happens. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you and my boss planned the whole thing.”
“I’ll never tell,” Cary laughed. “Now get back to work. I will see you Saturday. Expect a call tonight.”
I walked around for the rest of the morning dazed, with a big grin on my face. What was going on with me? Even though we still didn’t know each other very well I found myself increasingly thinking about Cary. We had talked every day for the last two weeks. After getting home, I’d feed the kids, when they were tucked into bed the phone started ringing. I talked about my children’s daily escapades, my work day and my emotional state. I mentioned how hard it was to leave my little girl with Lee and how much I missed her when he had her. Cary was always upbeat and he never told me what to do or gave me unasked-for-advice. He listened attentively to my every word. He encouraged me to talk about the rough time I was having with my ex-husband and how cruel and controlling he still acted towards me. I was astonished. I had never met anyone like him before who seemed more interested in the kids and me than himself. But his responses to me made sharing my day easy with him. I always looked forward to our evening chats.
My oldest son had been home from his summer trip from Hawaii for a couple weeks. He was the first one I told about Cary’s planned visit. “Cary wants to come out and visit this weekend. How do you feel about it?”
“First of all, it was great to come home from my trip knowing Lee will never live in our house again. I really liked Cary from the moment I met him at Uncle Rob’s house. I think it’s great. Although it might be a little weird, first I saw him with Becky and now he’s with my mother,” Jeremy chuckled. “But seriously, I am looking forward to seeing him again.”
Early Saturday morning I cashed my paycheck and bought some snacks for a picnic lunch. Later, I curled my hair, put on make-up and chose a black and purple summer dress to wear on our first date. My hazel eyes, the feature Cary liked most about me, sparkled.
During the seventy-minute drive to the airport I had plenty of time to think. Even though I had been looking at the pictures Cary had sent me, I wondered if I would recognize him after he stepped off the plane. What was I feeling for him? It had been a little over two weeks and I did not have a very good track record for judging peoples’ character. I thought Cary and I had gotten to know each other pretty well since the barbecue at Dave’s house. He didn’t have a problem opening up to me and I trusted him enough to tell him about my mistakes, my childhood, my fears, and some of my insecurities.
At the airport,
I stood at the gate, waiting for him, in 1990 you still could. One at a time I inspected each person coming off the plane. Suddenly, he was rushing in my direction, with a huge smile on his face. Dressed in a navy-blue business suit, he was even more handsome and distinguished looking then I remembered. My heart was beating so hard I thought it would jump out of my chest.
When Cary hugged me, I knew I would never forget the feel of his touch. Something about his embrace melted my heart and healed it at the same time and somehow, I knew I would never be the same again. I had never felt so loved and protected. Cary held me close and gazed into my eyes. He once again repeated those familiar words, “Debbie, there is something about those eyes!” He lingered over his words, watching me intently. Interrupting his thoughts, he said, “Sorry, I didn’t have time to change. I had a meeting this morning before my flight and I didn’t bring any shorts. Can we stop at Kmart?”
“Of course,” I said as my heart fluttered. He was so good-looking in his suit all I wanted was to stare at him as I held his hand.
Changing in the bathroom at Kmart, Cary was ready for our first date. “What’s the plan, Darlin’?”
“I brought some food and I thought we’d find a place to have a picnic somewhere here in Denver. Would you mind driving?”
“No, I don’t mind driving. Surely there will be a park nearby,” he said.
I scooted over as he got in the driver’s seat of my burgundy Subaru wagon.
“My name’s not Shirley. Wasn’t Shirley last week’s date?” I giggled.
Cary threw his back his head and guffawed. It was such a stupid joke, but I liked the way he laughed at my quirky sense of humor.
“Autumn is my favorite time of year it’s absolutely gorgeous.” I pointed to the leaves on the aspen trees that were just beginning to change to shades of gold.”
Cary reached out and touched my shoulder. “I’m so glad to be sharing this time of year with you.”
Blue spruce fir trees lined the freeway. There were lush green meadows and secluded alcoves hidden along the roadside. As Cary and I drove up the mountain highway we found a hidden spot. The barb wired gate was open, inviting us in. We drove the car in several yards and the noise of the traffic faded away. The road turned to the left a few hundred feet away from the main road. To our surprise, on the other side of a four-foot wooden fence, there were several horses grazing. Without thinking, I climbed over the fence in my knee-length summer dress and hopped on the back of one of the mares. Grabbing onto the mane I playfully smiled at Cary.
He took a minute to just watch me. “You look beautiful with your long, brown hair blowing in the wind. I could stare at you all day. Your big, sparkling hazel eyes are bewitching me.”
Blushing shyly, I turned away. “Thank you. I just love horses. This is perfect. Can you help me get down now?”
We spread out a blanket, brought out the food, and he popped open a beverage. Taking a sip, he said, “I can’t believe you remembered my favorite drink.”
“How could I forget? It was one of the first remarks you made to me when I met you at my brother’s house?”
“Oh yeah, when I saw you standing there after twenty years, I was so tongue-tied and nervous and that was the first thing that popped in my head.”
Looking intently at me he took my hands in his. “All these years my priority has been my job. It’s as if I was married to it. But now I find myself wanting to go in a different direction. And that direction is you.”
Now I was the one who felt shy and tongue-tied. My head started to spin. Cary drew me close. Laying my head against his chest felt like the most natural thing in the world. A sense of peace enveloped me and I never wanted to move from that spot. Moments passed and we didn’t say anything while the silence of the countryside surrounded us. There was no need for conversation.
I don’t know who broke the quiet first, but soon we took out the lunch. I dropped a few luscious, green grapes in Cary’s opened mouth; he dropped and missed my mouth a couple times. We laughed together and found plenty to talk about. We stole a few kisses as we gazed into one another’s eyes. The scene would have made a great first chapter of a romance novel.
As the late summer sun was beginning to set we gathered up the leftover food and loaded it in the trunk. “Look, the horses are gone,” I said as we drove around the corner towards the gate.
Slamming on the brakes Cary stared straight ahead. Just then a hearty laugh exploded from his mouth. There was a sign on the closed barb wired fence and it read, PRIVATE PROPERTY. “How could we have missed the sign?” he asked.
“Oh no, somebody shut and locked the gate! How are we going to get out of here now?” I was beginning to feel like I was going to panic. I waited for him to start screaming at me for getting us into the predicament. After all, I was the one who had suggested the secluded spot. And my ex-husbands surely would’ve blamed me. Silently, with my head tipped down, my eyes to the ground, I waited for the onslaught.
Instead, Cary calmly turned to me, lifted my chin and said, “Don’t worry Darlin’, we’ll figure this out,” and he chuckled again!
His laugher was one of his most enduring characteristics not just to me but as I would come to find out later, to all who knew and loved him. I felt myself starting to relax.
“I wish we had some wire cutters. They would come in real handy right about now,” Cary said calmly.
“I’m sure they would, but unfortunately I don’t carry wire cutters around.”
He started glancing down the highway “There is a sign down the street and it has the same kind of gate as this one. Maybe there is a number written on it that I can call. Darlin, everything’s going to work out.”
Looking down the divided highway, I did not see any phone booths and I was wondering how he was planning on calling somebody. Back in 1990 most people didn’t own cell phones, neither one of us did. His plan seemed as good as any. I watched him cautiously step over the fence and cross the road.
I did what I always did whenever I found myself in a situation that was beyond my control. I began to pray. “Jesus, please help us out of this mess we got ourselves into.” Opening my eyes, I started rummaging through the glove compartment, and the pockets behind the seats. Looking down on the floor, trying to find anything that might work, I pushed the driver’s seat all the way back. There, staring up at me was pair of rusty pliers.
Cary returned and was standing on the other side of the fence, holding a piece of paper with a phone number written on it.
“Look what I found in my car.” Excitedly, I handed him the rusty pliers through the fence. “Do you think this will help?”
“All right!” Cary shouted exuberantly. He began to carefully unravel each piece of wire from the post. It wasn’t difficult, just time consuming.
Watching him apprehensively, I still waited for any sign of a temper to flare up. Thankfully, he remained calm. The more I observed him the more I liked how he handled himself in this mini crisis. Afterwards he laid the blanket across the fallen wire and drove the car out, put it in park and reconnected each piece of wire to the post.
“Wow, I am impressed. Not only did you figure out a way to get us out but you straightened everything up and made it look like no one had even been here.” Immediately, I was amazed at his thoughtfulness. I had never met a man with such integrity.
If I had been keeping score, Cary had passed the first test in our relationship. Number one: He didn’t blame me for the predicament we had gotten ourselves into and that was big in my book. Number two: He cleverly figured out a way to solve our problem. Number three: He had a great sense of humor about it. Number four: He was positive and encouraging to me and number five he put things back the way they were.
As we drove away Cary asked, “Do you always carry pliers in your car?”
“That’s the crazy part, I don’t even know how they got there. On
e of the kids must have used them for something and I’m glad they forgot to put the pliers away, who knows how long they’ve been in my car.”
“Now that that’s over, where would you like to go?”
“I love nature and honestly, right before the sun goes down is my favorite part of the day. I would rather be outside than inside, even if it’s just riding in the car.” As the sun began to descend, Cary and I decided to take the scenic road back to Colorado Springs.
There was never a lull in the conversation between us as we drove, and the landscape was breathtaking too. On either side of the road there were forests of Aspen, Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and Blue spruce trees. The sprawling Platte River zigzagged on either side of us. The greens, gold’s and orange colors danced before us. We could not have asked for a more perfect day. I didn’t want our car ride to end.
It was late when we pulled up in front of my house. Obviously, all the kids were awake and looking forward to spending time with Cary. Jeremy would now see a different side of the man he had spent time with in Hawaii. Cary walked in the house and gave all the kids a big bear hug. He spent time talking to each of them then later helped me tuck them in. Jeremy stayed up late and conversation came easily between the two of them.
As each hour passed, I continued to feel as if I had known Cary forever. He was different than anyone I’d ever met. I was still thinking about his sense of humor, optimism, uprightness and integrity when he interrupted my thoughts.
“You know Darlin’, my boss, Michael paid for this trip. He encouraged me to come and spend time with you. After Dave’s barbecue, I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep and couldn’t work. Michael took one look at me and said go back and look that woman in her eyes and figure it out. Then get back here and start working.”
He reached over and held me close. “I’m here to look you in the eyes and figure it out and I’m not going to leave until I have.”
Sunday came too quickly. Cary, the kids and I spent the day visiting my mom and all my siblings.
Something About Those Eyes Page 27