by Hart, Randi
And now life would be very different. Alison didn’t know exactly what the future would hold. She just had to wait and quell her anxiety. Knowing they would be together again soon was enough.
CHAPTER THREE
Over the next several weeks, Alison and Rick settled into a routine more like that of a newlywed couple than two singles who only recently joined forces. Rick’s trial was coming along smoothly, so he didn’t have to put in much time once court was finished for the day. He connected with Alison by seven or so most weeknights. Alison realized trial lawyers often feel a need to spend each evening reviewing what they did that day and assessing their plan for tomorrow while eating delivery food. But Rick’s legal team didn’t seem to work that way. They had carefully prepared their case and things were going well, so they didn’t feel they had to keep reviewing and reassessing their strategy. Alison noticed none of the attorneys with the partnering firm ever invited Rick anywhere, which seemed odd to her. She didn’t know if this bothered Rick or not.
Alison and Rick also had lunch together occasionally. He would call and then come by her office to get her for a quick lunch date, sometimes from the hot dog vendor on the corner and other times Japanese fast food over on the next block.
He even invited her to court a couple of times so she could see some of the trial. Alison enjoyed that. He was masterful in the courtroom, an orator of the first order, with a calming presence that was appreciated by the jurors. Alison was excited to watch them watch him.
Some nights they stayed in his hotel room, mostly because he had materials to review and didn’t want to drag it all to her house. That was fine with Alison. She knew the room service menu by heart after a few nights, but began asking for special salads and other off-menu items. The kitchen went out of its way to prepare whatever she wanted, which she shamefully acknowledged getting used to, although she was a little concerned about her specialty orders appearing on Rick’s tab.
But most of the time they spent the night at her house. Rick got a chance to see just what a good catch she was as she prepared his favorite foods in grandiose fashion. He loved salmon in any way, shape, or form. Alison experimented with new salmon dishes for him here and there. They were both fond of fusion foods, especially those that blended hoisin sauce with lighter meats and southwest vegetables. One night she even made cheese blintzes, which Rick said he’s always loved but rarely had the opportunity to have. Rick was not much of a dessert eater.
Alison was struck by how virile he was. No matter how busy he’d been or how tired he was from court that day, it didn’t keep him from wanting to make love with her—sometimes the moment he came through the door.
The wonderful month of December moved by faster than either of them could control. Christmas approached. Rick began to talk about the trial coming to an end. One day he casually mentioned he was taking his children to visit his parents in Vermont for the Christmas week. There was no invitation extended to her, but Alison really didn’t expect one. She figured the time away would actually work as a positive thing for them, giving him a chance to miss her, and then they could talk about how to move forward.
On December 20th they went out for a night of Beach Blanket Babylon, held at Club Fugazi in North Beach. It was a show designed in the late sixties and eventually became one of the most popular stage programs to ever appear in San Francisco. Sets were designed as San Francisco landscapes and the performers took part in unique, trendy skits and musical pieces while wearing outrageous costumes. They impersonated newsworthy celebrities and made fun of everything in pop culture including bestselling books. The show was nothing short of mind boggling. Some of the performers had been with the show since its inception.
Rick had never seen anything like it and Alison wanted him to have at least one fun social function to recall. They went with his friend, Steve, and Steve’s wife, Marcia. Marcia, ironically, was from Boston. Alison found herself a little left out, and just a tiny bit jealous, when the two of them spent a bit too much time talking about it. But the evening ended well, as did they all.
Suddenly it was December 23rd and Rick was checking out of the hotel. The trial was over, his victory sweet on many levels—financially, emotionally, and certainly for his career. The San Francisco papers were reporting the trial and weren’t shy about touting the plaintiff’s legal team. One Boston paper even did a small write-up on it.
He spent the last night at Alison’s place with his luggage ominously posed in the front room. She wanted to make a knockout final dinner and enjoy a peaceful evening, knowing he had to leave early the next morning. Alison was, of course, dreading his departure, but was somewhat emotionally prepared having known it was inevitable from the beginning. She bought him a gift and hoped he would not feel as though she expected anything of him, although deep down she knew she did.
But he surprised her with beautiful diamond earrings, a small artistic shaped “a” that was very unusual. She could see he had put a lot of effort into that gift. Good thing she bought him something, too. It was a pen set in cobalt blue with his initials engraved in gold, lovelier than anything she’d ever seen. He was deeply touched and surprised.
They enjoyed the spectacular Italian dinner Alison prepared, and then made love by the fireplace. And again in bed in the middle of the night. And again very early in the morning. Then it was time for him to go.
“I love you,” Rick said. “I will miss you terribly. As soon as the holiday week is over, we’ll discuss doing something about these 3,000 miles between us, okay?”
Alison smiled warmly as she leaned against the door jam, staring into his eyes.
“Yes, okay. Enjoy your time with your family. They are important. I love you too, and will miss you terribly, too.” She reached out for one last hug and breathed deep, fully taking in his scent again, wishing she could bottle it.
He waved goodbye from the taxi and then he was gone.
Alison fought back the self-pity, thought about how she could enjoy the holidays—alone, as usual—and looked forward to what she and Rick would plan after the New Year. She even allowed herself to entertain the idea of moving to Boston, a city she could probably learn to love almost as much as San Francisco.
The first thing Alison needed to do after getting her house in order again, both literally and figuratively, was to reconnect with friends, all of whom she’d neglected badly for almost a month—especially Brenda. Alison had refused all holiday invitations, saying she had out of town guests.
Shortly after Alison arrived in her office the next morning, as Christmas Eve fell on a workday this year, a package was delivered from Saks Fifth Avenue. Alison knew it was from Rick and decided to open it at home rather than in the office. This was time to be with her staff, as everyone would be dispersing for more than a week to spend holiday time with friends and families.
Human Resources came by and passed out year-end bonus checks. Some people exchanged gifts and Alison received her fair share of little boxes and envelopes. A few liqueur-spiked coffees together and then it was time to leave with lots of hugs and holiday wishes.
Alison straightened up her office, studied her calendar, made some notes, and wrapped things up. She wasn’t in the mood to spend any more time here than necessary. Her gifts from her coworkers filled one large tote bag, but the box from Saks was heavy. She phoned for a taxi as there was no way she could carry it all on the streetcar.
Back in the comfort of home, Alison began opening her presents, saving Rick’s for last. Soon the floor in front of her miniature Christmas tree was strewn with gift cards, a scarf, a lapel pin, several CDs, a foot warmer, humorous stationery, and a great puzzle of old San Francisco.
And then the wrapping came off the box from Saks. She was looking at the largest bottle of Angel perfume she’d ever seen. Huge. She had no idea they even made one that size. It would probably last long beyond her lifetime. As busy as Rick was during the trial, he had found time to be sure the gift had been ordered for delivery. At
that moment she knew she was going to miss him more than she anticipated, and would do whatever was necessary for them to be together. The bottle was so big it took a whole corner next to her bedroom dresser. She opened it for the smell to waft through the room. There was no getting enough of it.
Knowing he was still in flight, she called his cell phone to leave a message.
“The perfume is over the top and I hope I live long enough to use every ounce in that bottle. The clerk must have loved you … as do I. Thank you so much. Wonderful surprise. I miss you too much already. Please let me know you are home safe, okay? I love you. Bye.”
The Weather Channel reported that the weather in Boston was horrible, already several inches of snow, with sleet conditions in the immediate forecast. There were flights already backing up leaving Boston and New York, but those heading into Boston seemed to be okay. Rick was a veteran flyer, so Alison wasn’t too concerned. Alison had been in Logan Airport in bad weather herself on occasion. Bostonians would take it all in stride.
Several hours later, her cell phone buzzed with a new text message. It was from Rick.
Hi, swthrt, home, sno lik crzy, cold, miss you, I luv you vry mch, by 4 now. R.
Now she could sleep. It was Christmas Eve and Alison didn’t mind being alone and watching television, but it suddenly dawned on her how tired she was and she crawled into bed. His smell was still there. She would just have to live on memories for a while, since she really didn’t expect to hear from him for at least a few days.
It rained all Christmas Day and Alison snuggled up to watch a couple of old movies, ate leftovers, finished an open bottle of wine, took a nap, and thoroughly enjoyed some alone time. Maybe the hectic pace of the past few weeks had taken more of a toll on her than she realized. But, as John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens on the way to making plans.” When you’re not looking, there it is: romance. Thinking about it was unproductive and emotionally unsettling, but how could she help it? She found herself aching to feel his body next to hers.
After a couple of days at home, Alison donned rain gear and ventured downtown—not just for the after-Christmas sales, but to enjoy the festivities near Union Square. She watched some holiday-themed street performers braving the inclement weather, and then stopped into a coffee shop for a latte. The people out in public all seemed to be in a festive mood despite the rain. Everyone was loaded down with shopping bags and excitedly planning their next stop after getting warm at Starbucks. Alison ran into a friend or two along the way, wished them happy holidays, and then headed for Macy’s and the gourmet food department.
There were samples galore, everything from fruit cake to puff crèmes and assorted tiny cups filled with various foods to taste. Alison always purchased a few items for her pantry here during the Christmas holiday week.
Something reminded Alison she had not yet opened the envelope holding her Christmas bonus. How could she forget that? She looked in her her purse and there it was. She decided to postpone the event, however, not wanting to be disappointed while standing right here in the middle of the Macy’s.
The cab ride home took longer than usual, with the wet streets and having to circumvent several flooded intersections. There were no messages from Rick when she got in—or anyone else, for that matter. That made Alison sad, a feeling she wasn’t used to, and didn’t like. It was an unauthorized feeling and she asked it to leave. After all, Rick told her she wouldn’t hear from him for a few days. And she was not going to intrude in his family life, not now. It was too soon. But she was back to not caring about the amount of her Christmas bonus again.
Alison could no longer avoid Brenda. They had brunch together the next morning to exchange gifts and satisfy Brenda’s burning need to know all that happened between her and Rick.
The gift exchange came first. Alison opened hers. Inside the big box was an old-fashioned popcorn popper, the kind everybody could watch as it popped. Alison was genuinely thrilled with it. Then it was Brenda’s turn. Her gift came in an envelope. It was three pairs of tickets for next season’s Giants games.Good seats.
“Oh, Ali, I can’t believe it. Wow. What a gift! I can’t thank you enough. You have no idea how much this means to me. Wow. I can’t get over it. Thank you, sweetie. Thank you so much.” Big hug. Then Brenda continued.
“Ali, you look so in love I could scream. Have you seen yourself in the mirror? You are radiant, just gorgeous. Not that you weren’t before, but now—have you heard from him? When will you see him again?”
“Okay, Bren, one question at a time. I don’t know when I’ll see him. He took his children to Vermont to visit with his parents and his sister and her family, and is staying through New Year’s. He sent a text message when he arrived safely back in Boston. And Saks delivered his gift—this.” She showed Brenda the mini-brochure for the bottle of Angel perfume Rick had sent her. Both of them swooned over it.
“It’s been a very intense month for both of us,” Alison said. “We got hot and heavy fast. He had the trial, and even though it went smoothly and he didn’t have to burn the midnight oil, it was still stressful and demanding. And in the middle of that we fell in love. The man is a perpetual motion machine in bed, sexual like you wouldn’t believe, and neither of us were getting enough sleep. We stayed in his hotel room or at my place every night, had dinner out or ordered in, spent weekends in bed and only occasionally went out to have fun in the city. We had a glorious month, something out of a fantasy really, and then—poof, he’s gone. I think we must have crammed six months of fiery relationship into three and a half weeks.” Alison took a deep breath before going on.
“We haven’t talked details on what happens next because of the holidays and trial and everything. But I already know that for us to have a real future together, I will have to go to him. Rick isn’t going to leave his practice or family to move to the opposite coast, as much as he may like the idea. So, I’m already thinking about that, and have pretty much made up my mind that I will move to Boston if asked. I don’t need to work for a while, and I can take a lesser job if need be.”
Brenda appeared thoughtful and just sat there for a minute before responding. “Good,” she finally said. “At least you aren’t closed to the idea. I’m glad to hear that. I was afraid you wouldn’t even consider it, what with the job and the home and all.”
“I suppose everything is negotiable when the right emotions are aroused,” Alison said. “I mean, normally you’d be right. It takes something pretty special to get me to leave the City by the Bay. You know that.”
Brenda nodded.
They finished talking and said their goodbyes, but not without Brenda extracting a commitment from Alison to attend her New Year’s Eve party. She promised it would be casual and friendly, with an espresso barrister making coffee drinks. That made Alison feel a little better about going.
The remainder of the week went by faster than Alison thought it would, maybe because she was actually enjoying her time off, and had every expectation of beginning a new life in the coming new year. Rick still hadn’t contacted her, but Alison had convinced herself by now that she wouldn’t hear back from him until after the holidays were over and his family obligations out of the way. When she finally opened the envelope that sat in her purse for over a week, she did a double take. Her bonus for the year, based on performance only, was $10,000. It was the largest year-end bonus she ever even heard of for a non-attorney staff member at a local law firm. Additionally, she also received a check that was a bonus given merely in appreciation and not related to performance, that one for $1,000. She immediately banked the money. It might come in handy very soon. Moving across the country figured to incur unexpected expenses.
New Year’s Eve at Brenda’s turned out to be fun. People she hadn’t seen in years were there. Alison took part in lots of lively conversations fueled by a mixture of alcohol and caffeine—mostly caffeine for Alison. But she still felt like she was missing one arm. Every time she turned her head Alison tho
ught she saw Rick for a fleeting moment, remembering that day a little more than a month ago when she first came come into his presence in this house. If only she could step through a time portal back to that day and start it all over again.
The guests finally starting leaving at around 2:00 am. Some mostly-sober friends offered to drive Alison home. No one mentioned Rick the entire night, nor did she, and Alison was happy Brenda didn’t bring him up either. Only a few at this party would have met him or even known about him.
Alison slept late New Year’s Day and then spent the day changing the television from one football game to another. She soon became restless. It was surprising not having gotten even one text message from Rick to wish her Happy New Year. She tried to not dwell on it too much, realizing that time with his kids was probably preoccupying him.
Since New Year’s Day fell on a Friday, it was another long weekend in the city. Alison decided to use the time to try and ground herself again, as she was now feeling off-balance, something she couldn’t explain. She stayed occupied by organizing her personal finances and rearranging her kitchen shelves.
Funny thing, when Monday morning finally came, she actually felt like going back to work.
Rick never called.
Rick never texted.
It was after New Year’s.
CHAPTER FOUR
Typical post-holiday doldrums dominated the mood in the office. Alison wished the pace would pick up, as it was not good for her demeanor. Monday and Tuesday went by with no word from Rick. She became concerned enough by Wednesday morning to call his cell phone. He answered, but sounded as though he was being interrupted.