CHAPTER – 35: Good Dreams

I must have slept well because when I woke up I wasn’t drowsy. A quick trip to the bathroom to wash my face, and I was awake. Back in the living room, I was feeling very upbeat, until my thoughts went to Dana, and tonight. I didn’t want to have an episode with her like the one I had last night. Going over Kathy’s CD collection, I looked for something that would help improve my mood. Bruce Springsteen did the trick.

Kathy arrived shortly, and as I expected, gave me a critical look, like doctors do to see if their patient has been good! She tried to be inconspicuous about it, but she wasn’t very successful. When I raised an eyebrow prompting her, she responded with a shrug, and said, “You know me. This morning you didn’t look good, and I had my doubts if you’d be careful with your work out.”

“So, what’s the verdict?”

“You must have been good,” she retorted.

“Thanks, Ma.”

Ignoring my response, she asked, “Did you really go to the gym?”

“Yeah. Light work out and an hour under the sunlamp.”

She scrutinized me for a few seconds. “It looks good. I hate you. You always tan so easily. One or two more sessions, and nobody will notice it,” she said, tracing her fingers along my cheek.

“What can I say. Like father, like son,” I teased.

It was something from our childhood, and still continued to this day. Like Dad, I tanned easily and quickly. Three days by the beach, and we had a good tan, and the rest of the vacation, we would continue deepening our tan, as if putting new coats of paint on a wall. Kathy and Mom had fairer skin, and they had to be careful not to get sunburned the first few days. But after a week, they would have almost as good a tan as Dad and I. However, we got to keep our tan for several months, whereas Mom and Kathy lost it after a month or two, depending on the length of the vacation and their exposure. The last several years, I was almost permanently tanned, because I was exposed to the sun while I worked and during my off time. Even in wintertime I didn’t loose my tan too much; I managed to benefit from the little bit of sun offered by the moderately warm Mediterranean climate in the southern coastline or complemented by visits to the gym and the sunlamp.

Grasping my chin between her fingers, she squeezed hard, and said, “Be nice to your sister.”

“I’m always nice to you, Kathy. The dinner is more than half ready.”

“You did not!”

I nodded.

“I thought we would do it together,” she pouted.

“Well, there were a few things that needed to be prepared, and then there’s the actual cooking. I wanted you to take it easy.”

Her eyes softened, and she gave me a kiss.

“Umm... I need to change the sheets on the bed,” I said, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

“Getting ready for Dana?” she teased.

“Be nice. And, try to be quieter tonight,” I returned fire.

She blushed beautifully, not expecting my quip, and before she could respond, I added, “Just kidding. I’m glad I’m not cramping your life.”

“Sarah and you were pretty noisy, too,” she responded, but I shrugged it off.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know how noisy she can get,” I replied. “Now, go get me the sheets and take a shower. Then we get to cooking.”

After her shower, she joined me in the kitchen, and I went over the menu, explaining what I was planning. She was curious about the salmon dish. Even though we were familiar with different cuisines, including Chinese, this was going to be a first for Kathy. I had had sushi with my sensei a few times, and I liked it very much, but still, eating raw fish wasn’t something I was used to, and I knew Kathy never had any Japanese food. Well, this wasn’t going to be exactly Japanese, being slightly modified for our taste buds, but it was something different. We were busy for a while preparing the starters, salads and setting up the table. She told me Mark would be arriving around eight, and Sarah had called her to tell her she was staying at home to study and finish her reports.

It was getting close to seven when I drove to the airport to meet Dana. I was a bit early, and checked the information board for any delays, but her flight was on schedule. I went to the cafe/bar she mentioned in her message, to wait for her, while having a cup of coffee. I heard the announcement that her flight had landed and about twenty minutes later, she was walking into the cafe/bar, looking for me. When I stood up, she smiled, and walked to the table. As she took her seat, she gave a quizzical look.

“I got tired of looking old and tired,” I offered, then told her about Kathy’s reaction when I overdid my work out yesterday. “I’m still a bit sore and stiff from that work out.”

As we were driving to Kathy’s I told her Sarah was studying and would not be joining us for the dinner, and Dana asked me to drive by her place to say ‘hello,’ and see if we could change her mind. When we knocked on her door, Sarah was surprised to see us, but very pleased as well. We stayed for a few minutes. There was a stack of papers, files, and a big box of pizza on the low table in her living room, and from the looks of things, she was getting ready for a long night. Thus, we didn’t insist on the dinner invitation, and left her.

Back at Kathy’s, Dana dropped her overnight bag in my room and went for a quick shower, while I sat with Kathy and Mark. Dana joined us, and we enjoyed the starters and white wine, chatting, to let Mark and Dana unwind from a busy day. A half hour later, I went to the kitchen and started on the salmon, and they sat at the table, talking and enjoying the starters. Ten minutes later, I was serving, and we had a pleasant dinner. I was gratified to see everybody enjoying my experiment, and Dana asked how and why I learned cooking, which gave the opening for Kathy to talk about our childhood. After dessert and coffee, Dana offered to help her with washing the dishes. Of course, Kathy refused, reminding her that she was a guest, but Dana was very insistent.

“Nonsense. We can gossip, and you can tell me embarrassing stories about Mitch’s childhood,” she retorted shooting a teasing look at me. Then, she added, “They will find something to keep busy.”

“Oh, I’d better tell them when we’re all together. You wouldn’t want to miss his expression, would you?” Kathy responded, joining in the teasing.

While the girls were busy at the kitchen, Mark and I retired to the living room. I asked about his day, wondering how it was going, and he told me he had spent most of the day visiting people, checking out offices, and discussing prices. He had decided on one particular place, which had the office space, as well as extra space that could be used for storage and to set up a workshop to do repairs and maintenance. The only problem was price, and he was trying to negotiate a better deal; he had already talked with his boss about the high costs. Strangely enough he had not gotten any flack or resistance from him, except to try his best, and look for possible alternatives. He told me he had found a cheap alternative spot, but in the outskirts of the town. The traffic was horrendous, and the location would not offer a high visibility to their clients because it was located at a very out-of-the-way spot.

Finishing the clean up the girls joined us, and we talked about inconsequential things, until Kathy asked how we met. I wasn’t expecting the question, and it took me by surprise. I should have expected it, since Dana was here, and I couldn’t figure out whether Kathy was just being curious or was probing. Dana was smooth, and she replied I was having a bit of difficulty at the airport, and she had offered help, which gave me time to collect myself, and come up with an explanation.

“I was pretty beat up from the last few days at the rig, and she must have noticed it in the plane,” I said, getting a nod from Dana. “So, at the airport, when she saw me looking confused and lost, she helped me. I didn’t want to show my face looking like that and worry you and Mom, so I decided to spend the night in a hotel. At the hotel we had dinner and had a great time talking and well... one thing led to another.”

Kathy was still wondering why I would be lost or confused. Then, there was the issue about my past, and why I would talk about something like that with a complete stranger. I knew she didn’t buy my story, and probably she guessed there was more to it then what I was telling her, but she couldn’t probe further without being impolite. To ease her suspicions, I told her that Dana had studied nursing before she became a flight attendant, at which point Dana picked up the conversation, and told Kathy about how she remembered me from the flight, and offered help at the airport, because her nursing instincts had kicked in. Kathy seemed to be satisfied, but I wasn’t sure.

“You saw how I was the next day. If I had showed up looking the way I did at the airport, I think Mom would have had a stroke. I hadn’t slept for more than 30 hours before I boarded the plane,” I added, for good measure, trying to ease her suspicions.

Kathy chuckled, and said, “I must say you’re right. You didn’t look bad, but I remember how Mom reacted. And Dana wouldn’t be here if things had turned out differently.”

The conversation moved to other subjects, and we talked about our respective families. Kathy mentioned a few childhood memories, selected strictly by the degree of embarrassment they would cause me, and got quite a few chuckles and laughs from Dana. The rest of the night was uneventful, but my mind was busy with my nightmare, and I was thinking about how to broach the subject with Dana when we were alone. Before long it was bedtime, and Dana and I retired to my room, while Mark helped Kathy tidy up the place before they went to their bedroom.

 

* * * * *

 

We were in the bed, sitting, with Dana snuggled to me, running her hands over my chest. She sensed I was preoccupied with something, and was waiting for me to talk about it. I was reluctant, because I didn’t want to worry or scare her, and I really didn’t want to tell her about my dream. It had been very violent, unlike other dreams or nightmares I had had. But, when she gave me an imploring look, I knew I couldn’t avoid it.

With a resigned sigh, I said, “Last night I had a bad dream. Sort of a nightmare. First one in a long time, and... I’m worried about scaring you with another episode like that tonight.”

“Do you remember what it was?” she asked, when I didn’t continue.

“I remember it was bad, and scary,” I said, not wanting to go into details.

Running her hand on my arm to sooth me, she prompted, “Mitch, you’re forgetting I have a bit of experience with trauma and similar problems. Can you tell me more about it?”

“I remember parts of it, but... I really don’t want to get into it,” I replied. “It must have been very unpleasant because my blanket and sheets were on the floor when I woke up. I must have been thrashing.”

“Do you have any idea why it might have happened?”

“I’m not sure why it happened. Perhaps because I was too tired. I don’t know. Sometimes, I had had nightmares on the rig when I was too tired. I don’t usually remember them.”

After giving me an appraising look, she asked, “There’s more to it than that, isn’t it?”

“Kind of. It’s usually some kind of a strange dream, a memory or similar that gets jumbled up, triggered by something that relates to the past. Yesterday, my mind had been busy with the past, and I was expecting something like that. This was different, and violent. I remember that much.”

“Is that why Sarah wasn’t with you?”

“No, she went back home after dinner to study.”

She raised an eyebrow, making me smile.

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re telepathic. No, she really had to study, but I was relieved. I wanted to be alone if something happened.”

“Don’t you think it would have been better if you weren’t alone? She’s your friend, she’s a doctor, and she cares about you.”

“I... I don’t want her scared, didn’t want her to witness something like that. I don’t want you to witness something like that.”

“Why?”

It all came back to the same thing: being a burden. I didn’t want to be a burden, even though I knew I should share my problems, as well as my happiness. We had talked about it a few nights ago, but...

When I didn’t answer, she said, “Mitch, I know it’s a big change. I understand that. You’ve been independent, self reliant, and now you find yourself in a difficult situation. One part of you tells you to keep it inside, and another tells you to share it. You’re not...” She paused as if she was searching for the right word, before she continued. “You’re not a burden or a trouble, when you talk about your problems. We’ve talked about that.”

“I know... it’s just that things happen so fast. After so long time, you’re in my life, and then Sarah. I’m happy. You can’t know how happy I am, but I’m also concerned how I seem to grab onto that happiness with such hunger at times. It makes me feel guilty. I don’t jump in like I did, you know?”

“I know. But I want to be there for you,” she said, with a small smile, and held my eyes for a long moment. “Sarah wants to be there. Kathy also.”

I remembered something, and was thinking about it, while she waited for me to speak up my mind.

“I don’t remember if I read it in a book or heard it in a movie, however it’s a phrase that has a ring of truth: ‘Don’t get involved with somebody who has more problems than you have.’ When I think about us, it looks like there seems to be no end to my problems or issues, and I end up dropping them into your lap. That makes me uneasy, and I feel guilty. I can’t help but think you might be better off with somebody else.”

She sat up and moved to face me, before she held my chin. Looking in my eyes, she asked, “Because I don’t need that kind of complications in my life, is that it?”

I nodded, hesitantly, not trusting myself to speak up. She was quiet for a few seconds.

“Do you know what I see when I look at you?” she asked softly. She looked up. When she had my attention completely, she continued. “I see a very good man, who’s lost in a deep tunnel under the ground, struggling to walk under the sun again. I want to be there when he’s finally out of that dark tunnel, and to see him walk under the sun. He’s already shown me, and continues to show me how to walk in the sun. But, that’s only part of it. He’s passionate, strong willed, and he can do so much better. Because he has so much to give. He’s somebody I would like to know, and have as a friend. He has good people around him, people I want to get to know more, because I believe they can make my life rich.”

As I stared at her, stunned, she added, “It’s not as one sided as you think, Mitch. You enrich my life, as much as you think I enrich your life.”

Before I could say another word, which was impossible because I was still tongue tied at her words, she kissed me, making my head spin. After the kiss, I tried to talk, but she put a finger on my lips, shushing me, then wrapped her arms around me, resting her cheek against my chest. When I got over my shock, I managed to collect myself enough to wrap my arms around her and held her, my nose buried in her hair, smelling her fragrance. We sat like that for long minutes, until we heard faint sounds drifting from the other bedroom, the soft moans of a woman in the throes of passion. I felt Dana shaking, and then I heard her giggles.

“She must be having a very good dream,” she quipped, making me chuckle.

As we caught the faint sounds of their lovemaking, I felt her getting aroused. Her nipples were swelling and in a very short while they were hard, digging into my side. I was getting hard as well. Our hands got busy exploring each other. Eventually we heard what sounded like a short scream, and Dana quipped, “I think I’d like to have what she’s having.”

She arranged us in the middle of the bed. I was sitting with my legs stretched, and after making sure she was wet, she straddled me, sitting on my lap with my cock buried deep inside her, and locked her feet behind my back. We made love slowly, entwined with each other, caressing, sharing kisses. She made little moves, rubbing her clitoris on my pubes, but mostly stayed motionless and used her inner muscles. It was dreamy, and we found ourselves connected more than physically, sharing something deeper. It felt like we were riding above the clouds, with the sun shining on us, warming us, melting us, making us meld to each other.

I was so lost in that dreamy feeling that I didn’t even realize I had come, or that we had changed position—she later told me. I became aware of my surroundings when we were having our second round. I found myself on top of her, her ankles on my shoulders, and her body bent in half. I was thrusting into her at a very slow pace, while she clutched my neck and kissed me, moaning into my mouth. She broke the kiss to catch her breath, and gave a short scream, quickly pressing her head to my neck to stifle it. Thrusting into her depths, I joined her in her orgasm, shaking with the intensity of it. When she came down from her orgasm, I let her move her ankles, and she urged me to roll us to our side. A few minutes later, we fell asleep, still connected to each other.

I woke to her movement, feeling chilled. I realized she was covering us with the sheet and the blanket. When she noticed I was awake, she kissed me, then moved down under the sheets. I felt her lips around my cock, and she got me hard with her ministrations. Assuming a spoon position, she guided me inside her, then pulled my hand to her tit, holding my hand in place with her hand. With a sigh, she let her body sag against me, and whispered, “Let’s sleep.”

 

* * * * *

 

I woke up to the faint sound of the alarm. I tried to reach to the nightstand to turn it off, but it turned off by itself. Happy that the noisemaker was quiet, I rolled onto my back, ready to fall asleep again, until a few second later...

Huh! Alarm clocks don’t go off by themselves! What the...

Suddenly I was wide-awake. I realized I had been awakened by the ringing of the telephone. Faint laughter drifted from the other bedroom, and I guessed it was Sarah with the morning routine. Dana was stirring also, awakened by me. She twisted to look back over her shoulder. Seeing me listening to something, she stopped moving, and tried to hear what I was listening to.

“Probably Sarah, with her morning routine,” I said, by way of explanation.

When we caught parts of more laughter and a bit of shouting, we knew it was Sarah.

“There are worse ways to wake up,” she quipped.

Kissing her, I ran my hand on her shoulder down to her tit, and replied, “And much better ways as well.”

“Uh-huh. Are you going to show me?” she asked, with a husky voice.

“Do you want me to?” I asked teasingly.

Instead of an answer, she extricated herself from my embrace, and moved over me. “If you think you can tease me, you’re sadly mistaken.” Then she locked her lips, and kissed me passionately, making my blood boil.

After the kiss, I tickled her, and as she was squirming, I rolled us over, with her under me. “You were saying?” I asked, while grabbing her hands and pinning them above her head. Instead of trying to free herself, she began rubbing her tits against my chest, and tried to hump my hard-on.

“Do I have to draw a picture?” she retorted.

“I don’t know. You’re a flight attendant. Maybe you can point to the emergency entrance?” I quipped.

As she was laughing, the head of my cock was already sliding along her slit, being washed by her oils. When she collected herself, she said, “Put the key in the slot, and push, and the door will open.”

My dick was poised at her entrance, and I slowly nudged her folds, entering her a bit, but she took the initiative from me by humping her hips, and taking me inside her several inches. She was very hot and wet, and as I was trying to get over the surprise, she put her feet on my buttocks, and tried to pull me in. Giving in to her wishes, I lowered my hips, entering her all the way. Kissing her deeply, I released my hold on her hands, but she broke the kiss, and said, “No. Hold my hands, and kiss me. Then fuck me hard!”

Her request came as a surprise, but when she insisted, I locked my fingers into hers, and kissed her, while moving inside her slowly. Her feet were insistent, urging me to move faster, and she started to use her inner muscles. I was thrusting faster and faster, and my chest was rubbing against her tits, the nipples hard like pebbles, and she was moaning her pleasure, interrupted by frequent kisses. Before long we came, hard and fast, and as my throbbing inside her channel got weaker and weaker, we were panting, but it didn’t stop us from sharing a very long kiss. I released her hands, and slipped my hands under her shoulders, holding her tight against my body, almost crushing her, and she wrapped her arms around me, squeezing my body tight.

“Oh, Mitch. That was good,” she moaned. “Hold me like that.”

We stayed like that for a long while, and she kept sighing and kissing, until I softened inside her, and slipped out. Carefully I rolled on my back, pulling her with me. We enjoyed the feel of each other, until the silence was broken by the rhythmic thud-thud-thud coming from the other bedroom, mingled with faint moans. A few minutes later it was quiet again.

“Sarah seems to have succeeded again,” Dana quipped.

“I’m afraid they will corrupt you.”

“I think it’s great.”

“Oh, God! They already have.”

“No complaints, Mitch. It’s good fun, and you’ll be benefiting from it.”

Giving me a mischievous grin, she added, “Talking about benefiting... Ready for another round?”

“Again?”

“Just joking. I’d like a cup of coffee first, and maybe after that. My flight is later this morning, and we have time.”

Just then we heard a soft knock on the door.

“Yeah!”

“Mitch, are you guys awake?” Kathy asked softly.

“Yeah.”

“Umm. May I come in?”

I checked with Dana, and she shrugged. She moved to my side, and snuggled, pulling the sheet to cover us.

“Yes, Kathy,” I replied, and she opened the door slightly and peered in. When Dana said, “Come on in,” she opened the door wider and stepped inside.

“Good morning,” she said.

She had towels and a peignoir on her arm, and put them on the low stool in front of the small vanity table.

“The shower will be available in a short while. The coffee is on. I thought Dana could use the peignoir, if you guys want to get comfortable and have coffee or something.”

“Thank you, Kathy. We’re not in a hurry. My flight is quite late, so take your time,” Dana answered.

After Kathy left, Dana got out of the bed, and put on her panties. Opening her overnight bag, she pulled out pajamas, and put them on, then the peignoir. When I raised an eyebrow, she said, “Shower can wait. I’d like to have a cup of coffee, and to enjoy feeling you dripping in my panties.”

With a chuckle, I got out of the bed, and put on jeans and a t-shirt, and we went to the kitchen looking for coffee. We heard Kathy and Mark leave the bathroom, and I prepared some toast.

“You want to have breakfast with them, or later?” I asked Dana.

“Later.”

Kathy and Mark walked in, and I told them the toast was ready.

“Sorry. We’re in a rush,” Kathy said, while buttering up a slice, but we waved her off.

“I forgot to talk about plans for Friday. I think we can all go out for dinner,” she added, with Mark nodding his agreement.

When Dana gave a questioning look, I told her we were planning to repeat the Sunday dinner to take advantage of the weekend, and enjoy the opportunity to the full. She replied she’d come prepared. When I asked if I could interest her in another shopping adventure, she laughed.

“Oh, I’d love to, but I want to take my time,” she said.

“Take your time? Trying the clothes or teasing me?”

“Both.”

“We can do that on Monday.”

With a mischievous look in her eyes, she retorted, “You’re getting audacious my dear. You sure you can handle both Sarah and me?”

“I can always try, can’t I?”

We were so much into our little exchange that we had forgotten about Kathy, that is until we heard her chuckle. “I think I would like to be a fly on the wall just to see it,” she quipped.

“That’s not a bad idea. We should try to arrange a shopping trip some time. Does Mark enjoy shopping?” Dana asked.

“We rarely have had the time. Our schedules. We can try one of these days.” Turning to Mark, she asked, “Can we?”

“It’s really hectic at this moment. Maybe on a weekend in a few weeks time,” he replied. Checking his watch, he said, “I’m running late.”

After a quick kiss to Kathy, he bid us goodbye and left. Kathy followed suit a few minutes later. We finished our coffee, and I asked about breakfast, but she took my hand and steered us to my bedroom. She was in a hurry and aggressive, almost ripping my clothes off, as well as hers. If I said we made love, I would be lying. The best description would be that she went and fucked me. When it was over, she wrapped her arms around me, and kept massaging my cock with her pussy.

“What came over you?” I asked, unable to help myself.

With a soft laugh, she said, “I missed you. And I wanted you to have something good to dream about tonight.”

“You didn’t ha—”

“Yes, I did. For myself too. I want to have a good sleep. It’s been too long since I let go like that. I love making love with you, but I also enjoy a good fuck.”

There was something else in her voice I couldn’t pinpoint, and she caught my perplexed expression. “Seeing Kathy this morning with the well fucked look, I was hungry for more. It’s something instinctive. Not that you didn’t fuck me good,” she offered.

We dallied in the bed for a while, then took a long shower, before heading to the kitchen for breakfast. After the great sex, and the shower, the domestic atmosphere of preparing breakfast felt great. I was humming a tune without realizing what I was doing, and received an amused smile and a quizzical look for it. I was looking forward to spending time with her at her place. When I brought her plates, serving, she brushed her fingers over my cheek, and then pulled me in for a kiss.

“You look handsome and very relaxed, Mitch.”

“I feel great. You take my breath away.”

Over breakfast, we talked about the coming days, and she moved the conversation to my nightmare, probing, but sensing I was reluctant, she switched the topic to Sarah. She didn’t say anything, but she was urging me to talk about it with Sarah. I steered the talk to her boyfriend, and this time she tried to evade the subject. I realized something had happened. In the end, with a resigned tone she told me that he didn’t take the news very well.

“I think what hurt him was that we were at the beginning of something and moving very slowly, and then I hopped into bed with you.”

“Did you break up, or this is just a time out?”

“He was cold, understandably, and suggested we break it off, mentioning we haven’t gotten too involved with each other. I talked about my confusion, and tried to tell him I wanted to sort out my feelings, but he cut me off. I don’t know if it was his pride and hurt that made him react like that, or if he really wanted to break it off. I think he’s still interested in me, but... it’s a tough situation. I didn’t make it easy.”

“I’m sorry, Dana.”

“Well, it was bound to happen. I’m not feeling sorry for myself as much as for him. He’s a good man, and I hate to hurt him, but I did. I just hope he gets over it.”

“I have the feeling you really like him.”

“I do. I don’t know how to explain it. He’s not you, and I love you very much, more than him, but he has... something. I was hoping we would figure out what it was.”

Hearing the sad and wistful tone, I asked, “Are you going to try to talk to him again?”

“Perhaps. Maybe when he’s over the initial shock and more receptive, and when I figure out my own feelings.”

“Is he another project, like me?” I asked, with a joking tone trying to lighten the atmosphere.

With a wry grin, she said, “You’re not a project, Mitch.”

When I nodded, she continued, “I know what you mean. I don’t know. He’s a loner, but he’s a good man. I like him a lot, and he was kind to me. I would like to stay friends with him, if nothing else.”

“I do hope things work out, Dana. He couldn’t be so blind that he doesn’t see what he’s missing. I’m not just talking to you as a lover, but as a friend. You know I’m not jealous of you, and I wouldn’t think of standing in your way if you want to pursue him, for whatever reason.”

“I know, Mitch. It’s not because I opened our relationship, is it?”

“No, it’s not. And it’s not just that I don’t have a claim on you. I think you’d be happy making somebody else happy. When we were talking after the shopping, you asked me if I would hold it against you if you didn’t want to be alone one night, and wanted some company. I told you I wouldn’t, and this is beyond that. I think you’re a very giving person, and that makes you very special.”

“Thank you, but it’s really too early. We all need time, to make the best of it. I don’t have any regrets for what happened. I told you last night.”

Oh, God! I remember. How I remember!

I felt my face heating up as my thoughts went to what she had said, but she patted my hand to placate me. “I think you’re special too, Mitch. No need to be embarrassed. And Sarah, Kathy, Mark are special, too. I can see that.”

I think my face was completely red. Seeing the effect her words were having on me, she grinned, and said, “OK! You’re a lousy lay. Happy?”

I burst into laughter at her quip, and she joined in. When I caught my breath, I sputtered, “I-I... I can’t believe you said that!”

“Well, hearing you laugh is better than seeing you imitate a tomato.”

We sat on one of the couches and talked, until it was time for her to leave. On the way to the airport, she reminded me she’d be home very late tonight, way past midnight, so I couldn’t call her. At the airport, she didn’t have much time, and after a hasty kiss, she went to the crew lounge.

 

* * * * *

 

Driving back to town, I decided to drop by at the hospital and visit Sarah. At the front desk I asked for directions to Orthopedics, and took one of the elevators. On the way up, when the elevator stopped, Lizzie stepped in. She was surprised to see me, and a bit nervous, but she seemed to get over it quickly and we made small talk. She even guided me to the Orthopedics department, through a maze of corridors, and delivered me at my destination, before she left for hers. I asked one of the nurses about Sarah, and she told me Sarah was busy with a patient, but would be available shortly. I mentioned I’d be in the waiting room. About half an hour later, Sarah showed up, and took us to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee. I told her about what Lizzie had done, and she told me she had spent a little bit of time with her during her coffee breaks.

“She has some issues. I know that she acts as if she’s better than most anybody, but it’s a front. I’m not sure if she has low self-esteem, but she’s insecure, and hides behind that front. It might be something from her home life. I always thought she was snobbish, and a busy body, underneath a facade of immaculate breeding, but...” she said.

“But?”

“Well... I see her in a different light, now. She’s not an irritating snob anymore. I think that incident with you affected her more than I thought. She’s really making an effort to be nicer.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She used to treat the orderlies, and nurses really bad. Even had a few clashes with her colleagues.” With a smile, she added, “And you know she has a sharp tongue. Many of them had a taste of it, and they try to avoid her. Yesterday, though, one of the new nurses made a mistake, and she didn’t come down on her.”

“I’m surprised.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“And, how is it between you?” I asked, curious after the big incident.

“I think she’s still very embarrassed, and trying to cope with it. You have to understand this. She doesn’t like to be gossip material, but if she could get away with it, she would be brazen. She couldn’t hide what she said and did on Tuesday, not after I heard her. It was her worst kind of nightmare come true, and I think she expected serious repercussions. When that didn’t happen...”

“Yeah. I can imagine. What about you? How do you feel about what happened?”

She mulled it over for a minute, before she said, “I was really angry with her. I think I would have confronted her, later, if I hadn’t stayed until the very end, and heard the rest of it. Until Tuesday, she was just a friend, well, more like a colleague, an acquaintance, not a friend! She almost became an enemy. I mean... I would have given her a piece of my mind, and then written her off.”

“I see... And now? What do you think will happen between you two?”

“I don’t know. It all depends on her. I know she wants to avoid me, because she’s terribly embarrassed. On the other hand, if she avoids me it would be another insult. I understand she’s in a difficult situation. So, I’m trying not to be in her face. I just want to let her know that I’m not going to hold it against her, and put it behind us. I think she got that, but you know how it is...”

“Yeah. I understand what you mean. It’s probably going to take some time.”

She nodded. “So, what brings you here?” she asked, changing the subject.

“I was passing by, after dropping Dana at the airport. She sends her best,” I said.

“Thank you. I’m sorry for last night. I wanted to be there for the dinner, but I was tired and had a lot to do.”

“Yeah. I know. We saw that. Are you busy tonight?”

“Yes. I still have some reports to write and a few things to study. I want to clear up my workload for the weekend trip.”

“Will you be able to join us tomorrow night? We were thinking of repeating the Sunday dinner, taking advantage of the weekend.”

“I think so. If I can finish everything tonight,” she said. With an apologetic look, she added, “I’d like to have you at my place, but I’m going to be busy.”

Patting her hand, I said, “I understand, Sarah. I tell you what. I’ll cook dinner and you study while I catch something on TV or read. Unless, you’d rather be by yourself? I’m just asking what you’d like.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Come on, Sarah. Why should I mind?”

“OK. Forget about cooking dinner. I’ll be home around six. How about Chinese take-out?”

“Sure. I’ll pick it up on the way. Red or white wine?”

“Red.”

“OK. See you ‘round six.”

Finishing our coffee, we stood up, and stole a quick kiss when it looked like nobody was paying any attention, and I left the hospital. The rest of the day passed in a blur. I dropped by at my parents for lunch. Dad was there, so Mom kept the conversation light. Then, I went to the gym and spent a few hours, doing a light workout, having a massage and an hour under the sunlamp. I called Kathy at the hospital to inform her I’d be having dinner with Sarah, and asked her if she knew a good Chinese place nearby Sarah’s.

 

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