by Aj Harmon
His apartment was tastefully decorated. Three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms seemed ideal when he bought it, although truthfully, he’d hoped to fill it with more people, but as time went on the idea of marriage and family was getting pushed further and further from his mind. It’s not that he was old, not at all. He knew several men that had married for the first time in their forties, but then, they also dated and had a social life.
Starting to go bald, still slightly overweight and painfully shy around women, William’s prospects were certainly limited. Actually, they were non-existent due to his rule of not dating anyone in the workplace, and seeing as though that’s the only place he met women, he was destined to remain single. He was alone…at home in New York and returning to San Diego. Not even his brother wanted to spend time with him.
William rode the elevator to the twenty-sixth floor and paced down the hall looking for his room. Once inside, he removed his jacket and tie and ordered room service. Once again, he would spend the evening alone.
*****
Jill slid into the empty seat on the shuttle bus behind Esther and Rose. The driver hoisted their bags onto the luggage rack and they sat idle at the terminal curb for a few minutes before heading off to the Holiday Inn. Sky Airlines had a contract with the giant hotel chain and Jill had spent many nights under one of their roofs. They rolled out of the airport and around the bay and within just a few minutes pulled into the hotel parking lot and strolled into the lobby, ready to dump their belongings in their rooms and enjoy a relaxing night out - just the girls. Usually one or all of them had to be up early the following morning and at the airport. This was the first night in months that Jill had had the time and the desire to spend the evening out. Some yummy seafood, a nice bottle of wine and the view of the bay was the prescription she needed to start her two-day reprieve in style.
All three women were on the ninth floor.
“I need a shower,” Rose sighed. “Can you give me forty-five minutes?”
“Me, too,” agreed Jill.
“You need a shower?!” Esther exclaimed. “I’m the one that got thrown up on!”
Rose laughed as she pushed the elevator ‘up’ button. “You wanted to hold the baby!”
“Yeah…well,” Esther said as she tried to hide a grin. “She was adorable.”
Jill suddenly had the distinct impression that she was being watched. Turning her head slowly, nonchalantly, she glanced around the large area. There were business men on laptops and a few people at the coffee cart, but nothing noticeable jumped out at her. The ding of the elevator had her swinging back and tugging on her luggage as she stepped inside.
“You okay?” Rose asked, seeing the look on Jill’s face.
“Yeah, just…never mind. So, meet you back down here at ten minutes to seven?” she asked.
“That’s perfect. Do you want me to pick the restaurant?” Esther offered.
They agreed, although Jill knew it would be more of a bar than a restaurant, but she didn’t mind. A night out was just what she needed.
They parted in the hallway, each heading to their rooms. Jill’s was the closest to the elevator and was inside in just a few steps. Collapsing on the bed felt good. Calculating in her head how long she needed to be showered and back downstairs to meet her girlfriends, she figured she could close her eyes for exactly seven minutes. With a deep breath her eyelids lowered and then opened wide when there was a knock at the door. Frowning, Jill dragged herself from the bed over to the door, to which she all but jumped at the sight of the huge floral bouquet in front of her.
“These were just delivered, ma’am.”
“Oh, wow! Ah, thank you,” she smiled as she tried to take them from the hotel bellman.
“I can bring them in,” he offered.
“Oh, right. On the table is fine,” Jill mumbled as she dove for her bag and her wallet. Pulling a couple of one dollar bills out, she handed them to the young man standing at attention by the door.
“Thank you,” he nodded and quickly left.
Jill flicked off her shoes and padded across the carpet to the table that now held the magnificent array of red roses.
“Greg,” she smiled as she read the card. Happy anniversary sweetheart. All my love xx
Inhaling the glorious aroma, she buried her face in the soft petals. He remembered!
It was the little things like this that had her falling in love with him harder and harder. He was kind and considerate and sent her flowers. He remembered important dates and now anniversaries. Who wouldn’t love this man? For the past year she’d been trying to keep it casual, but there wasn’t really any point in pretending anymore. She’d fallen for him and that meant it would hurt that much more when they broke up. Not that she wanted to break up with him…it was just inevitable.
With a sad smile, Jill backed away from the flowers and grabbed her phone. The flowers just arrived. They’re beautiful. Thank you xx She hit send and the text was sent. She’d call him when she got downstairs and was waiting for Esther and Rose. She was always the first one ready. Jill rummaged through her bag ‘til she found her toiletries then stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.
4.
THE FUNERAL SERVICE WAS scheduled for one o’clock. As usual, William was showered and ready for the day by seven…habit. Already decidedly uncomfortable, he took the feeling one step further and headed down to the restaurant for breakfast. He could easily have just ordered room service, but seeing as though it was already a lovely day, he’d take a risk for a change.
Settled in the sparsely seated dining room, he perused the menu and gave his order of an omelet and wheat toast to the waiter, who filled his cup with steaming coffee as William spoke. With a nod, the waiter was gone, leaving William once again on his own.
Not one to often delve into his emotions, William took the opportunity to question this feeling of loneliness he was experiencing. He didn’t feel this way at home, but then, he rarely had time. He was a busy doctor with an overflowing case load…he had no use, or time for that matter, for feelings. Yet here he found himself looking around the room at the couples having breakfast and wondering what he was missing out on.
He certainly wasn’t past his prime. He imagined there would be lots of women who’d be willing to share his life…and money. Was it worth it to give up on the idea of love for companionship? Was he willing to just buy a marriage? There was some appeal in that. With Erica he could have had love. With Erica he could have had it all. But Erica chose his brother and that still stung over twenty years later.
William sipped his steaming black coffee. Erica. He tried not to think about her because when he did it caused a pain in his chest…a real physical pain. Being in San Diego however, he now found it difficult not to think about her.
The waiter arrived with his food and asked if there was anything else he needed. William smiled and dismissed him to eat his breakfast…alone, as usual.
*****
Annie paced in front of the window. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and it was going to be a glorious day, but she didn’t see any of that. Evan stood at the sink in the bathroom, a towel wrapped low on his hips, his face covered in white shaving cream. As Annie paced, Evan shaved.
Splashing warm water over his whisker-free chin, Annie came and stood in the doorway. “So how do you think this is gonna go?”
Evan wiped away the water with his towel and emptied a few drops of aftershave into his hand, then rubbed his hands together and patted his cheeks, neck and chin. “I think it’s gonna go just like the email said it would. We’ll meet with the case worker and make sure all the paperwork is in order and then we’ll wait for her to tell us when we get to meet them. It might be this afternoon but don’t get your hopes up, okay?”
“Why would the mother want to meet us? And why would she want to wait to give us the baby? I don’t think it’s a good idea for her to bond with the baby. What if she changes her mind and…” Annie frowned.
Standing in front of his wife, Evan lifted up Annie’s chin with his finger. “Look at me,” he interrupted.
She did.
“These agencies do this every day. The attorneys have everything worked out and I’m sure that they aren’t going to do anything to jeopardize this all going smoothly. They’ve asked to meet us this morning and we will do just that and then we’ll do whatever they tell us next.”
Annie nodded and accepted the embrace Evan offered. Nestled against his warm, slightly moist skin had her closing her eyes and inhaling his scent…Evan mixed with Calvin Klein…a perfect combination. I can do this. I can do this, she told herself over and over.
“Let me get dressed and then we’ll go down to breakfast. K?”
Annie released herself from his arms and returned to pacing in front of the windows as Evan quickly pulled on a pair of dress slacks and a button up shirt, which he rolled up at the wrists exposing his tanned, lightly haired forearms. He slipped on his watch, wedding ring and shoved his wallet into his back pocket. He pulled on socks and then slipped into leather loafers. As he buckled his belt he came and stood next to Annie, who was nervously chewing on her bottom lip.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Not really, but let’s go down anyway. It’ll be a good way to pass the time. And then maybe we can decide where we’re going to buy the car seat.”
“I thought we did that last night?”
“Well, maybe we can look again.”
“Why don’t we take a walk along the marina and enjoy this California sun?”
“Whatever.”
“Okay,” Evan chuckled. “Let’s go eat.”
*****
Jill’s eyes fluttered open to the bright sunshine coming in through the sliding glass door. She’d slept in. It was after nine.
They’d had a great time last night. They’d found this awesome Italian restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter and had laughed and eaten and drank some fantastic wine. They’d been hit on at the bar they’d stopped in for a nightcap on the way home and they’d done a little dancing to work off the calories from the yummy pasta. They’d jumped into one of the pedi-cabs and laughed the whole way back to the hotel where they’d said goodnight and goodbye and Jill had fallen into bed.
Both Esther and Rose were on their own today, as they both had to work, although on different flights. Jill, however, had two days to herself in the beautiful city of San Diego and looked forward to the needed relaxation. She stretched under the cool linen sheets and debated whether to get up or stay in bed a little longer. The decision was made for her when there was a loud knock on the door that startled her.
“Who is it?” she asked cautiously. She wasn’t expecting anyone.
“Room Service.”
“I didn’t order room service.”
“Compliments of another guest,” came the reply from the other side of the door.
Jill looked through the peep hole. Sure enough a hotel employee stood in the hallway with a room service cart. “Just a minute,” she said and hunted for her robe. Once covered, she opened the door. “What do you mean from another guest?”
“Would you like me to bring it in for you, ma’am?”
“I guess,” Jill frowned. The hairs on her neck suddenly pricked and she found herself extremely nervous. “Thank you,” she stammered and pushed a tip into his hand, ushering him from her room.
“You’re welcome. Thank you.”
She quickly shut the door behind him and used the chain to secure it. Something wasn’t right and she didn’t like the feeling she had in her gut. Lifting the silver plate cover, Jill looked at the breakfast that had been ordered for her.
“How…?” she began. “I don’t understand.”
Before her lay Eggs Benedict, only the Hollandaise Sauce was on the side and grilled tomatoes were added to her hash browns – exactly the way she liked it. There was a glass of orange juice along with a carafe of coffee with a small jug of cream. It was perfect and it scared the hell out of her.
The knock at the door had her jumping in surprise and she hurried to the door, only she couldn’t see who was on the other side because a giant bouquet of flowers covered the face of the holder. “Who is it?” she asked for the second time.
The response was muffled, but she could make the words…hotel staff. Slowly, she released the chain and then cracked the door. Every hair on her body was standing straight out and her heart was thumping so loudly in her ears it was distracting. But all that melted away as the roses fell away and revealed his face.
“Greg!”
*****
William had signed for his breakfast and returned to his room. There he brushed his teeth again, printed off the address of the funeral home and checked his phone for any communication from Lewis. Nothing. Not that he was really expecting anything, but he acknowledged to himself that he’d hoped, and by so doing, left him feeling saddened. Maybe Lewis felt he’d already reached out to his brother by sending the email. Maybe he thought it was William’s turn to initiate contact. So he would.
He rode the elevator down to the lobby and out to the bellman’s desk where he requested a cab. Within a few seconds, a yellow taxi pulled up and William was ushered inside.
“Where to?”
William gave the driver his brother’s address. May as well get this over with, he thought, as the cab pulled away from the hotel.
5.
“I DON’T UNDERSTAND. WHY…how…you’re here!”
Greg grinned. “I am. Is that okay?”
“Of course it’s okay!” Jill stepped back into her room and motioned for Greg to come in. “I’m just totally surprised, that’s all.”
“Well, that was the idea,” he chuckled and set the flowers next to the other bouquet from the day before. “Did you have fun last night?”
“I did. Were you here last night?” she asked suspiciously.
Greg just smiled.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jill exclaimed. “I would have stayed here and not gone out and…”
“No! You needed some time to blow off steam with your friends. I got a room and had a good night’s sleep, something I wouldn’t have done if I’d been here with you,” he winked.
Jill threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. “This is a wonderful surprise.”
“That’s good. So what are your plans for the day?”
“Well I was going to eat breakfast. Well, I was considering eating this breakfast, but I wasn’t really sure what to think about it.” She motioned to the breakfast tray. “You and my mom are the only ones who know how I like my Eggs Benedict so I was pretty confused...more like creeped out actually.”
Greg grinned again. “Eat. It’s getting cold.”
“I don’t want to eat in front of you. Why don’t we share?”
“I’ve already had breakfast. I was up early.”
“Well okay then. Have a seat and watch me eat.”
He did just that and as Jill took delicious bite after delicious bite her thoughts were focused on the man sitting in the armchair chatting away about his flight in the previous day. He was any woman’s dream man; confident, handsome, sexy, great sense of humor, smart, kind and considerate, rich, and apparently smitten with her enough to fly across the country to bring her flowers on their one year anniversary. Yet Jill still waited for the bottom to fall out…for it all to end. She couldn’t bring herself to imagine it lasting.
She wiped the last of the egg yolk onto the final piece of English muffin and savored every chew. Downing the last of her orange juice, she pushed back from the desk and smiled. “Delicious. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, what were your plans today?”
“I was thinking about spending some time on the beach just soaking up the sun.”
“May I join you?”
“Of course! I thought it was going to be a perfect day before but now that you’re here, it really will be perfect!”
*****
&nb
sp; Natalie sat in the hospital room…waiting. She’s scrubbed her hands and put on the hospital gown just like she’d been instructed. Quietly she sat and waited for the nurse to bring her the baby.
Natalie was almost sixteen. She came from a good home where she was loved and cared for by parents who took their responsibility seriously. Pressured by her ex-boyfriend to have sex, she’d obliged, not really enjoying the experience and was devastated to discover a few weeks later that she was pregnant. Terrified, she told her mother one afternoon on the way home from school. The few block drive home was suddenly silent as Mrs. Peters digested the news. Once inside their house, she pulled Natalie into her arms and cried, grateful that they had a relationship strong enough for Natalie to trust her enough to share this with her.
There was no pressure to either keep the baby or put it up for adoption from her parents. They told her they would support her in whatever she decided to do. The father quickly signed away all parental rights, relieved the burden of fatherhood had been taken from him, realizing that he was not prepared in any way to take on a child...or a wife. He’d pretty much cut off contact with her when she’d broken down crying and told him after school one day that she was pregnant. She was actually relieved. Natalie did everything she could to ensure a healthy baby and it wasn’t until two weeks before she was born that she decided to give her up for adoption, although even from the beginning, she had never really thought of the baby as hers. Through a friend of a friend she was connected with an attorney who worked with an adoption agency and within two days Natalie had files of hopeful parents looking to adopt a baby. It was swiftly narrowed down to two families and then once she decided she wanted to meet the prospective parents it was narrowed to one, the other couple wanting a closed adoption and the idea of meeting the mother was not welcomed. That meant the Wilders would be her baby’s new family, a decision she was at peace with. That is, until she gave birth and held the child for the first time.