by R. B. Conroy
“Oh, that’s alright, Joe, I can manage,” she smiled warmly at the doctor, making an effort to sit very erect in her seat with her ample chest protruding.
Slightly embarrassed, Joe continued to explain, “Well…uh you know its been awhile and when you are married, you kind of get out of the habit, if you know what I mean.”
“I know exactly what you mean, Joe. Don’t think a thing about it.”
“You look very nice this evening and thank you very much for accepting my invitation for dinner. I thought it might be nice if we could get to know each other a little better outside the office.”
“I agree, Joe. I was very happy that you asked me to dinner, thank you.” Susan winked at the diminutive doctor causing his round face to turn pink.
The embarrassed doctor replied so quietly Susan had to lean forward to hear him. “You’re welcome.”
Susan glanced down at the table. “I see the waiter brought each of us a glass of wine while I was gone.”
“Yes, you said you weren’t much of a wine drinker, so I thought you might like White Zin. It’s very sweet wine, I hope you like it.”
“How thoughtful of you.” She lifted her glass and took a sip. “I like it, it doesn’t taste like wine.”
“I thought you would enjoy it.” Once again Joe was captivated by the loveliness of this creature sitting across from him. Ever since that kiss at the door of the office, he had been smitten by Susan and she looked particularly lovely tonight. Her pale blue eyes were framed by perfectly manicured eyebrows, and her lovely and narrow nose seemed to lead one’s eyes down to her sensuous mouth that seemed to break so easily into a wonderful smile exposing her very white teeth. Her blond hair was pulled back on the sides with a few curls dangling delicately over her temples. She was indeed a lovely sight, and her attractiveness only added to the doctor’s reservations about the appropriateness of this relationship. Am I out with Susan because she is so pretty? Is that all Adele meant to me?
* * *
For her part, Susan was thrilled to be out with the doctor for the evening. After several weeks of dressing to the nines, and using every opportunity possible to flirt with the reserved doctor at the Lake Sumter Real Estate Office, she had finally enticed him into asking her out. Just before his quiet invitation, she had been strongly considering inviting him to dinner--a rather aggressive move for a lady of her generation. But after about a month of her precocious efforts, he finally came around. Susan was rather proud of herself. She had successfully completed step one in her quest for a better life.
Deep inside, Susan knew that she was using the good doctor. Oh, she kind of liked him and she thought he was nice, but he wasn’t her type at all. If it weren’t for his wealth and the fact that he lived in a big house in The Villages, she wouldn’t have given him a second look. Not a beacon of virtue during her aberrant life, she, none-the-less, always liked to think of herself as a nice person. Taking advantage of a fairly fragile person at a very vulnerable time in his life was not something that Susan exactly reveled in, but the bottom line was that she was at one of the finest restaurants in The Villages having dinner with a wealthy widowed man who could give her all the things of which she had dreamed. She found her misgivings about her intentions to be minimal and fleeting. He’s having a good time! she thought.
* * *
“I know so little about you, Susan. I mean, we work together and all, but I guess we have never really talked to one another about personal matters. He smiled at her as if to say, but that’s normal. “I’m anxious to learn more about you. Where are you from, your family, your interests, and so forth?
Susan fidgeted nervously with her napkin. She didn’t like talking about herself. Her life had been so totally unimpressive that she would be embarrassed to tell Joe about her fractured existence, but the good doctor was waiting and she had to tell him something. She would try to spin her life to try and make it sound as normal as possible--no easy trick for a woman with her background. She flashed a wisp of a smile and answered. “I live in Pine Lakes, a little town about fifteen minutes east of here.”
Joe shook his head, “I’m sorry, Susan, I’m afraid I’m not familiar with Pine Lakes.”
“It’s not too far from Tavares, if you know where that is.”
Joe tipped his head back, his eyes twinkled, “Oh yes, I know where that is. I have a friend who lives in Tavares.”
Susan smiled sheepishly.
“Go on, my dear. Tell me more.”
Susan continued to play with her napkin, avoiding eye contact with the inquisitive doctor. “I was an only child and I grew up in North Webster, Indiana, a little town in the northern part of the state. My ex-husband and I were pretty young when we got married and had a son together. Unfortunately, my husband turned out to be a less than dependable sort and our marriage didn’t last even a year. I went to work at a restaurant near my hometown, but wanting a fresh start, I moved to Ocala where my grandfather lived. My first experience soured me on marriage and I haven’t married again since. It’s been a struggle for my son and me, but we’ve managed to get by.”
The doctor listened intently to every word and then in a measured tone he replied, “It doesn’t sound like it’s been an easy road for you.”
Feeling vampy and not wanting to appear as a victim and dampen the mood of the evening, Susan reached over and gently patted the doctor’s hand. “We all have our challenges in life, but I’ve been blessed in many ways and things have turned out okay for me. I’m not complaining.” She gave his hand a quick squeeze and then let go. “How about you, Joe? Tell me a little about yourself.”
Joe quickly sat up in his chair. He was also uncomfortable talking about himself. “Oh well, I’ve not had that much of a life. My life’s been a little boring, I think. Not much to tell here.”
Susan, thrilled that the attention had shifted to the doctor, went on the offensive. She leaned forward in her chair, her bright eyes locked on the befuddled doctor. “Oh my, that can’t be the case. Being a doctor and all, you must have had a very interesting life. Please tell me about it!”
“Well, if you insist.” The doctor slumped against his chair wanting to put as much distance as possible between himself and the now aggressive Susan. He pursed his lips and then spoke. “Well, let’s see. I grew up in Pittsburgh. I had an older brother, Dave, who could be a real bugger at times, and a younger sister Ellen. I went to college at Pitt and I went to med school at Pitt also. I had a small practice in Pittsburgh for over forty years and then my wife and I retired here to The Villages about three years ago. My wife, Adele, was diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly after we arrived in Florida and passed shortly thereafter. Her condition deteriorated so quickly that we really didn’t get very long to enjoy our retirement.
The mention of his wife’s passing took Susan aback. She hesitated thoughtfully and then replied, “I’m so sorry, that must have been very difficult for you.”
Joe looked directly at Susan, his mouth turned down at the corners. “We had a wonderful marriage, but she was in so much pain at the end that I prayed that the Lord would take her before she suffered any more and He did. You would have liked my wife, she was a very special person.”
“I’m sure I would have. Did you and Adele have any children?”
“Well, we didn’t have much luck at first. We wanted children very much and we kept trying, but to no avail. We finally went in for some testing and discovered that she was not creating any eggs. We tried several procedures over the years to inject eggs into her system, but we were not successful. Then finally after several frustrating years of failed attempts, Adele got pregnant and our wonderful daughter, Heather, was born. She and my grandchild live in Leesburg now. They just moved here a few months ago and I’m so happy to have them near. It’s been wonderful. Well, I’ve bored you long enough with my story. Tell my about your son. Is he married and do you have any grandchildren?”
Susan’s arms slid slowly off the table. She was really
hesitant about telling Joe about her drug addicted son, but she felt that he might find out anyway and if she told him now, at least she could put it in the best light possible. “My son has never been married. He’s had his share of girlfriends, but I guess the right one hasn’t come along yet.”
“That’s not unusual. More and more young people are deciding to go it alone, and with all the divorces in our society, I’m not sure that it isn’t the best idea for many people. Please tell me more.”
Susan suddenly felt hugely inadequate in the face of this well-educated and professional man. Her face flushed pink and she stared past Joe into space. Her life and experiences had been so much different than his. He had lived a life of luxury and privilege while her life had always been paycheck to paycheck, boyfriend to boyfriend, town to town. She had never finished high school. How could she possibly expect to relate to a man like Joe? She felt silly for even trying. She was thinking about faking an illness and calling it a night; but she somehow found the strength, hesitated, took a deep breath and continued. “My son has had a few problems along the way with drugs. He’s been in and out of rehab. And I’m sorry Joe, but I was never married, I got pregnant at a young age and didn’t finished high school. Life has been such a struggle for Willie and me. I wish it could have been better for both of us.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Joe, I shouldn’t be out with a man like you. I best be…..” She started to get up.
Joe shot up in his seat; he reached over the table and grabbed both of her hands with his. With his eyes glazed over, he spoke softly and directly to Susan, “I’m a lot of things, Susan, but I’m no fool. I certainly know that we are from different backgrounds, but I don’t care about your difficult past or your lack of education or your son’s drug problems or whatever. You’re a charming lady, very kind and very engaging.” He smiled warmly and scooted his chair a little closer to hers as she sat back down. “I’ve met a lot of ladies in my days and most of them had a lot of money and believe me when I say, except for my Adele, they couldn’t hold a candle to you. You are indeed a beautiful and special lady and its an honor for an average man like me to be out to dinner with a stunning creature like you.” He smiled broadly. “Please forgive me for pressing the issue, it was poor of me.”
Susan was frozen in her seat--she didn’t know what to say. A tear rolled down her cheek.
The good doctor leaned back and lifted the menu, “I’m starved. Are you ready to order, Susan?”
Feeling much better, Susan took a deep breath, exhaled, and lifted her chin confidently, “What do you recommend, Doctor?”
“They’ve got a great filet here. I would highly recommend it.”
“Well, I usually have the surf and turf, but I guess just a little ole filet will do for tonight.” There was a twinkle in her eye and a mischievous grin on her face.
The doctor’s body shook with laughter at the sudden playfulness of his companion. “You are indeed a special lady.”
“Let’s have dinner and retire to that big mansion of yours for a nightcap. What do you say, Joe?”
“I can’t think of anything I would rather do,” Joe dropped the menu on the table and raised his wine glass, “To you Susan, and our future together.”
Beaming, Susan raised her wine glass and touched his, “To us.”
“To us,” he replied.
Chapter 10
“You missed a spot up by the garage door, Tito. Better go get it or the boss will be pissed off and kick your ass,” Pedro barked in his native Spanish.
Tito’s dark eyes shot toward the top of the short driveway. It was obvious there weren’t any grass clippings or other debris on the drive. He shouted back in Spanish at his cousin, “Your full of it, Pedro, it looks good up there.” Tito jabbed his index finger at his protruding hip. “For you, asshole!” The men almost always spoke to each other in their native Spanish, not wanting the gringos to know what they were saying. That was fine with Tito whose English wasn’t very good. His cousins had been in the United States for a few years and spoke English pretty well.
Pedro laughed out loud and tossed his gas edger in the back of the pick-up truck. “Let’s get going, Tito, we got the rich guy next and his yard is big and its just about time to quit.”
Tito hurried over to the trailer and tossed the blower inside. He hopped in the passenger side of the truck and slammed the door. Tito had been in Florida for about three months. His cousin, Jesus, had put Tito to work right away. Low man on the totem pole, his job was to trim around the landscaping and the edges of the lawn and then blow the sidewalks and driveway clean with a gas blower after the mowing was over. His cousin, Pedro, drove the mower and the pick-up truck, since Tito had no driving privileges. Tito worked on a team with Pedro while his boss, Jesus, worked on another team with a friend of theirs from Mexico named Juan. The two teams seldom worked together.
They all shared a house together in Oxford with most of their customers located in the nearby Villages. Their days were long and hard, but the work was plentiful and steady. Tito had a bunk in a small room at the back of the modest three bedroom house. He paid Jesus a $150 a month for his room. It wasn’t the greatest, but it was a lot better than the adobe hut he had lived in with his family in Mexico and he was making more money than he had ever dreamed possible. He was able to afford his own iPhone and he had lots of different shirts and jeans to wear. He even had an electric toothbrush for brushing his teeth. On the whole, life was pretty good for Tito in America.
The little pick-up with the mower trailer behind drove steadily along the well-manicured boulevard toward the Village of Sunset Ridge, their last stop of the day. Sunset Ridge was an exclusive enclave with sprawling homes that ranged in value from around five hundred thousand to over a million dollars.
Pedro made a passing glance to his left at Tito, “You really kicked that guy’s ass last night in Ocala. I’m glad we got out of there before the cops came.” Pedro chuckled uneasily. “What did he say to you?”
Slightly embarrassed by Pedro’s question about an incident at a club the night before, the nervous Tito picked at a callous on the palm of his left hand and spoke very quietly, “I don’t remember what he say. Maybe he didn’t say anything, maybe he just looked at me funny.”
Pedro grinned. “You must really hate those gringos if you want to beat them up for just looking at you funny. Why do you hate them so much?”
“Gringos look down on us. They think we’re stupid. They don’t give us any respect.”
“Maybe you’re right, Cousin, but they give us lots of money. You have a very nice cell phone in your pocket right now.”
“Ah…you’re just after their money. I want them to treat me like a man.”
Pedro’s grin faded, “Have you talked to Jesus today?”
Tito’s eyes widened, he turned toward Pedro. “No. Why did you ask if I talked to Jesus?”
Pedro slowed down and blended into the busy roundabout at the Bailey Trail exit that led to Sunset Ridge. “I dunno, just wondering. He told me that he wanted to talk to you sometime.”
Tito shook his head disgustedly, “He’s probably mad about the fight.”
“Dunno.”
Pedro slowed at the electronic gate on Bailey Trail and pulled into the left lane. The smiling attendant raised a small stop sign, Pedro rolled to a stop and waited for the attendant to lower the sign and let the gate rise up.
“How do you get through a gate where there is no gringo to let you through?” Tito asked.
“There is a red button next to a little speaker that you push and then the gate will go up.”
“Is the button just in the left lane.”
“No, there is a button in both lanes, but we always use the left lane.”
The old truck groaned and continued on down Bailey Trail to Dr. Stone’s residence which was just a short distance away. Minutes later, he took a left into Sunset Ridge and headed for the doctor’s house.
Suddenly, Tito began to laugh
, “Look, the old goat is out working in the yard. He better be careful or he’ll hurt himself.”
Pedro looked ahead at Dr. Stone’s residence and saw the retired doctor out in the driveway doing something to the fancy light pole next to the driveway. The few strands of hair on Dr. Stone’s balding head flew haphazardly in the stiff breeze, his pot belly stuck out from under his too short shirt and his blue jeans sagged dramatically in the rear. He was a sight to see alright, but Pedro didn’t join his cousin in laughter. He liked the doctor and found him to be a decent and honest man. “He’s a good man. He’s always nice to me,” he tossed a quick stare at Tito.
Tito bounced off Pedro’s glare and looked in Dr. Stone’s direction. He sneered and growled under his breath, “He’s a fat old gringo, he looks stupid.”
Dr. Joe heard the truck approaching. He stood and hiked up his jeans and walked toward the truck as it rolled to a stop on the street in front of the very large home. Pedro and Tito opened the doors and hopped out. “Why, hello fellas, how are you today?”
“I fine, thank you. Look like you been working,” Pedro smiled warmly. Tito ignored the good doctor and quickly moved to rear of the truck and climbed into the bed.
“The bulbs burnt out in my nameplate the other night, so I thought I better change them while I had the chance. How is your business, Pedro, are you keeping busy?”
“Oh yes, we are very busy.” He nodded toward the preoccupied Tito. “My cousin and I have been working some long days lately.”
Joe smiled, “Wonderful, I’m glad to hear that. Would you please tell Jesus hello when you see him?”
“Sure will, Dr. Stone, I will tell him.”
“Well, I’d better get back to work, I have lots to do. You boys help yourself to a bottle of water or can of pop in my garage refrigerator, okay?”
“Okay, sounds good, thank you.”
“You’re very welcome, Pedro, and have a nice day.” The doctor and Pedro exchanged a quick handshake while Tito busied himself in the bed of the truck making no effort to make eye contact with the doctor. The doctor looked Tito’s way, but seeing that he was busy, he smiled at Pedro and went back to work. Slightly perturbed, Pedro looked at his surly cousin foraging round in the bed of the truck and shook his head.
