With no prodding from me she volunteered to tell me of her marriages.
“I have been married four times,” she said matter of factly, and she told me about each one of them. I had dated her after the first one, so that was no surprise. I knew that she’d left him quickly, and that the marriage had been a disaster. Her second marriage had lasted fourteen years, but then her old boyfriend from high school had showed up and stole her away. Then, shortly thereafter, he kicked her to the curb and broke her heart. Those were her words, and she learned from that she said.
“So you were a bit at fault there,” I said. She nodded and gazed at me blankly. I shrugged and raised my hands in the air. I didn’t care.
“Number three was eight years younger than me,” she said. “He had an affair seven years in, and that’s where it ended. He just stopped coming home at night.”
“It sounds like he might have caught you on the rebound,” I said, watching closely for a reaction.
“Maybe…” she answered. She sounded unconvinced.
“And then you found your love,” I said softly.
“Yes, I did,” she answered. “Kevin was a good man. He took care of my boys as if they were his own. We were only together eight years before he passed. He was so good….” She gazed off into space. I could tell that she loved him.
“That’s a lot of adventure,” I muttered.
“No, it really wasn’t,” she said. “Life just kept happening. It was one thing after another.”
“Oh, I’ve forgotten,” she said suddenly. “You wanted food. I’ll order pizza.”
“No, please,” I said, “unless you want to. I’m good—really.” She smiled and nodded and nestled back onto the couch.
I glanced at the clock. I’d already been here an hour, but it seemed like only ten minutes, and I wasn’t at all hungry, which was unusual for me, but this meeting with Callii had totally overwhelmed me—food was the last thing on my mind.
Callii was warm and genuine, and she was fun to talk to. I felt no pressure at all, and that was a surprise.
“You’ve told me you don’t cook much?” I said.
“Not much,” she said. “What’s the point? I eat fast food a lot. Oh, not because I like it, but just because it’s easy. It’s a wonder I’m not three ax handles wide!”
“May I check?” I asked, then immediately wishing to retract the question.
She gave me a sour look, but it quickly melted into a smile.
“I hardly know you,” she said coyly.
“Forty years isn’t enough?” I replied.
She moved towards me and snuggled under my arm. She smelled of lotion and hairspray, and I felt a little dizzy, but it was a good kind of dizzy. I tightened my grip on her shoulder. She didn’t seem to mind.
Chapter 23
“And the Night Wore On”
I opened the door and there he stood, and he looked just as good as or better than he had the first time we’d met. He had a bag full of books in his hand so we immediately made the exchange—his books for my dolls. He tried to pay me for the dolls, but I would have none of it.
“But it’s how you make your living and it’s just an expensive hobby for me,” he said. I shoved the twenties back into his hand with determination. Selling dolls really wasn’t how I made my living, and I made that very clear to him. So once we had that settled we migrated into the living room and settled in on the couch.
Levi was easy to talk to. He made me feel comfortable right from the first, and he was really nice. Yes, nice would be exactly the word that I’d use to describe him. He was not cocky or full of himself, not crazy funny, and not overpowering, but just simply nice—and I really liked that about him.
We made small talk for the first little while, but then the conversation opened up very quickly. I’d promised him that I’d tell him of my marriages sometime, and this seemed like the right time to do it—so I did. He seemed genuinely interested and asked enough questions to express as much, but at the same time he didn’t push too hard, and he seemed very accepting of the fact that my marital history was simply what it was. Not everyone felt that way, but Levi seemed totally nonjudgmental.
A cat meowed from outside the window. It was the big yellow cat that had begun hanging around my place. It was strutting back and forth on the window ledge.
“Yours?” Levi asked.
“It seems to think so,” I answered. “It’s been hanging around for about a week.”
“Have you fed it?” he asked.
“Once or twice,” I said, a little guardedly.
“That’s a good thing,” Levi said. “It’s a measure of your heart.” He chuckled quietly.
“I like cats,” I said softly.
“Like I said…” he answered.
“They say if you know how to make friends with strange cats you will always be lucky.” He smiled again.
“I don’t believe that!” I answered, but I glanced at the cat. Its green eyes seemed to glow.
We talked and talked and then talked some more, until he finally reached out to hold my hand. He reached out and I slid my hand into his. It seemed such a natural progression that I hardly even knew that it happened, but I had no inclination to pull it away. It seemed appropriate, and it seemed to fit—but then I sat up straight.
“I have to tell you something, Levi. I really shouldn’t hide this from you. I have a roommate and I want you to meet her. She’s downstairs right this very minute.”
“A roommate?” he said. He seemed a bit off balance.
“Yes, let me introduce you, she lives in an apartment downstairs.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him up off the couch.
“C’mon, c’mon,” I said suggestively, as I tugged him along. He seemed uncertain. We made our way to the basement. I flicked on a light, but only one, I wanted to keep the lighting low for effect. We rounded a corner.
“Levi, meet Mary Lou,” I said. Levi laughed outright, because there stood my roommate, Mary Lou. Made out of plastic, she was a perky little waitress from the fifties, and she was all decked out in pink and blue. A permanent smile was painted on her synthetic face, and an eternal order of burgers and fries rested atop her raised left hand.
“Nice roller skates, Mary Lou,” Levi muttered. Then he turned and looked at me. “Her personality seems a little stiff, but I really like her push-up bra.”
“I’m sure that you do,” I answered as I folded my arms across my chest. This subject made me just a bit uncomfortable. He seemed to sense it and lowered his eyes. I was both grateful and impressed. He seemed to be a gentleman through and through. I showed him through the rest of the basement, including the theatre room, and then we went back upstairs.
We sat back down on the couch and conversed again. I studied him as we talked. His skin was ruddy and it accentuated his pure white hair. I don’t know how he would look to a younger woman, but he looked great to me. It had been several years since Kevin had died and I had to admit that living alone had worn on me. I had an overpowering urge to reach out and touch his arm, and so I did. He grasped my hand and held it once again. I moved a little closer.
“Your hair is beautiful,” I said softly.
“What’s left of it,” he answered. “Did you know that you get one white hair for every pure thought that you think? So what’s your problem?” He pointed at me and smiled.
“Oh, I’ve had my share of pure thoughts,” I said with a giggle. “It’s just that I hide it well.”
He laughed and glanced at his watch. “It’s nine o’clock,” he said as he looked me in the eyes, “but I don’t want to go.”
I smiled and nodded. I didn’t want him to go either.
“I really liked Mary Lou,” he said. “She seems like a sweet little girl. She’s very pretty, and she’s just the right height. He smiled.
“Yes, and you also like her bra,” I muttered.
“Yes, I’m sorry but I can’t hide it,” he answered. He smiled again and his eyes twinkled.
/> We talked a bit about his writing. He wrote adventure books for younger boys and I found it interesting.
“I was writing a romance chapter last summer,” he said. “You know, ninth grade romance kind of stuff. Holding hands and eating Twinkies—that kind of thing. Anyway, I was telling this little girlfriend goodbye on her grandmother’s porch. I was trying to be descriptive of how deeply we felt about each other and how we wanted to melt together. It was a tender moment and I wanted to share the emotion, but I didn’t want to write anything sexual, and I could not for the life of me think of the right word to use. It was either too graphic or too tame: melt, meld, come together, join…. I’m still not sure which word I ended up using, but I know I wasn’t satisfied.”
“It must be hard to write a book,” I said.
“If you can write an e-mail you can write a book,” he answered, and he seemed to mean it.
“I don’t want to go home, yet,” he said. “Do you want to go for a drive?”
“I…guess,” I said, though I wasn’t so sure. He pulled me up off the couch and we headed for the door. I knew, somehow, where we were going. Sugar City was just ten minutes away.
Chapter 24
“Sugar City”
I loved Sugar City; most of my books were centered there, reflecting back on the times of my youth. But our drive seemed uneventful right here smack dab in the middle of December. The trees were not green, the temperatures were not warm, and the world itself was dreary and stark. The best part, though, was that the company was good. I found Callii to be perfect. She was easy to talk to and comfortable to be around. Nothing at all was forced. She enjoyed my humor and I enjoyed hers. I found her to be simply delightful.
“I have to tell you something,” she said.
We drove a ways in silence.
“I will never marry again,” she said quietly.
“Oh?” I answered. And that was all that I said. I didn’t want to push anything.
“It’s not what you think,” she said. “Yes, I’ve been married four times, but they didn’t wear me out.” She giggled but I didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure if I should.
“It’s my inheritance,” she said. “You see, it’s written in the will. If I marry again, one half of my inheritance goes to Kevin’s kids.”
“Wow, that’s crappy!” I said, responding without even thinking.
“It is crappy,” she said
“Why would he do something like that?” I asked.
“He didn’t want me to marry again,” she whispered. He was very jealous. You see, he really loved me, and…I loved him.”
“That’s still a terrible thing to do to you,” I whispered.
“You needed to know,” she said. A train sounded in the distance. Snow crunched beneath the tires. The motor purred.
“Let me show you my building lot,” she said, suddenly.
“I’d love to see it,” I answered, and I really meant it.
“It’s down by the new junior high school,” she said, “on the north side.”
I knew where that was and I turned the truck back in that direction. We drove for awhile in silence, and even that didn’t seem uncomfortable. The evening, for me, had been perfect so far.
“It’s right there, behind that house,” she said. I pulled over.
“I’m going to build here, after I sell my house next spring,” she said. “I need something a little smaller. The house I have is just too big.”
“Of course,” I said knowingly. She had a pool and an entertainment center at her house. She hosted weddings and parties and kept herself busy there. She seemed to be heading towards retirement and I could relate to that.
We climbed out of the truck and began to make our way onto her lot. She hesitated and I extended a hand. She took it and we rambled through the crust of snow, sinking in step by step as we went. I felt a little foolish. Walking through the snow was just normal for an old country boy like me, but Callii seemed a little more refined.
We stood and talked. She told me of the neighbors and her plans for the future. The stars twinkled from the sky but the world was frozen. We got back into the truck and headed back for her place.
We talked a bit as we drove, but of exactly what I don’t remember. The night was cold, but my heart was warm. Callii slid in a little closer.
Chapter 25
“Winding Down”
The drive to Sugar City had been pretty good, I guess, but nothing to write home about. I had told Levi of the conditions of my inheritance. He needed to know and I was glad to get it behind me. Now we were back at my house and settled in on the couch. It was probably ten o’clock by now and I was getting tired, but I wasn’t about to let Levi know it. He seemed like the energizer bunny, revved up and ready to go—on and on and on….
But in spite of my sleepiness, I didn’t want him to go home. I hadn’t been treated like this for a very long time, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying it.
He asked about my neighbors so I got up and drew the blinds. I suspected that he wanted me to.
Our words were a little softer now and the mood was quite reflective, if not downright romantic. Our hands were clasped and he pulled me in. I slid under his arm and I fit there better than I would have hoped. His grip on my shoulder was secure. I shut my eyes while we talked. I could hear his heart beating faintly in his chest. I hoped it might be beating a little faster than it normally would. He smelled like a guy. It was not a smell of cologne or shaving cream necessarily, but just the pure and remotely recognizable smell of a man. It was an old and familiar scent that I hadn’t realized that I’d missed so much until now.
He turned his face into my hair. I don’t know if he was kissing me, but I may have imagined that he was. His breathing was soft in my ear.
He began to speak.
“I want to….”
“Melt together?” I answered softly.
“Exactly,” he whispered.
He pulled my hand towards his face and gently kissed my fingers. Then his hand stroked my cheek. His touch was light. He caressed my neck and then let his hand drop a little lower. He stroked me gently, and it was clear that he did it with affection. He was a gentleman through and through, but I felt myself reeling, so I bent forward a little and released myself from his grasp. He placed a hand on my back and massaged it while we talked.
“Do you like massages?” he asked.
“Who doesn’t,” I mumbled. He smiled.
“I’m not that good at it,” he said.
“Yes you are,” I answered.
“This is just my left hand,” he said, teasing me a bit and smiling again.
He pulled me back again and stroked my cheek. His face was up against my ear.
“This is how it sometimes starts,” he whispered.
“It wouldn’t take much,” I answered softly.
My body was warming, almost tingling, and I was afraid of losing control. It almost seemed we were beginning to melt together, so I pulled myself away and rose from the couch. I looked back down at him and he looked back up at me.
“It’s time for me to go,” he said. He rose slowly and reached for my hand. We made our way towards the doorway.
He hugged me once, twice, even three times before he slipped out the door. I followed him out and then reached out and grabbed him, pulling him back towards me.
“Just one more,” I said as I drew him toward me. I wrapped my arms around him. He responded with an embrace that left no doubt he felt the same way that I did. Finally we broke apart and he backed down the steps.
“I want to say I love you,” he said quietly.
“Please,” I answered. “Not yet.”
He nodded in embarrassment and then walked away. We waved goodbye and I went inside, closing the door behind me. I was so sleepy, but I sat down on the couch and reflected a bit. It had been such a good night, but then I remembered again—Levi was a married man. I felt confused, but I was glad I’d forgotten it during our tim
e together. The night had been so comfortable and Levi had been so nice. I laid down on the couch where we’d just been. I almost thought I could smell him.
I walked back to the front door and peered out the window. His truck was gone and the night was cold. I wrapped my arms around myself and headed off for bed. Somewhere outside came the wail of a cat. I smiled knowingly, because right at the moment, I certainly felt lucky.
Chapter 26
“The Midnight after the Evening Before”
Infatuated, was that how I felt? Satisfied, cloud nine, twitterpated, wow, bewitched, smitten…? Whatever it was that I was feeling, I hadn’t felt this way for quite some time—and I liked it.
I drove home slowly. I wanted to ensure that my wife would be asleep, otherwise she would have questions, and I wasn’t all that good at covering things up. It wasn’t like she cared all that much anyway. Things had been pretty cold lately, but still, and then again….
After thirty-five years I was more confused than ever.
I stopped at a taco place and went inside. It was warm there and not all that busy, because after all, it was almost midnight. I ordered on the cheap and sat down and ate. I wasn’t all that hungry, really. I just wanted to waste a little time.
As if in a dream, I reflected back on the evening. I hadn’t really known if I would stay five minutes or five hours, but I was glad it had been the latter. I had never done anything like this in my life before, not even anything close, but for some reason I didn’t feel guilty about my actions, not bad in the least, and it didn’t make any sense. I had always held true to my values, and tonight it seemed I had strayed. But I felt happy and guiltless, and my conscience didn’t bother me at all. And Callii, oh Callii, she was so warm and so sweet. I couldn’t get her out of my mind.
Some kids wandered in, a boy and a girl. They seemed to be in love. They both ignored me, as if I was just some lonely old man, all by himself in the taco shop at midnight. I guess they were right. I went back to the car and headed for home. If I was lucky, Mary would be asleep.
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