1 Sunshine Hunter

by Maddie Cochere

  “Susan,” Mick finally said. “You didn’t have to leave. Please let me explain.”

  “Mick!” I turned and walked toward him. “How could you not tell me you were married? How long were you going to let us go on? When were you going to tell me? Were you ever going to tell me?” I was practically screeching.

  This suddenly felt like Louie all over again. A betrayal, a lie, only this time, we hadn’t done anything – yet. I could feel the tears starting to well up in my eyes. I clenched my fists and punched his chest while pushing him back. He grabbed my arms.

  “Susan, please. Let me explain. I know you’re mad. You have a right to be mad. Sit down and listen for a minute, and then I’ll go.”

  I didn’t want to sit down. I wanted to throw something at him. I stepped back and stood there, fighting back tears. A wave of sadness came over me, and I knew this was going to be over.

  “Susan, just listen,” he pleaded. He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts and said, “My wife’s name is Jenny, and we’ve been separated for six months. We’re getting a divorce, and our attorneys are finalizing everything right now. The divorce was started before I ever met you, and it would have been over by now, but Jenny owns family property in New York, and there were some issues to be worked out.”

  I sat down hard on the sofa. I wanted to continue to yell, but didn’t have any steam left. I had questions, but my head was pounding, so I sat silent.

  Mick went on, “I wanted to tell you, but I knew it would be over soon enough, and I thought it would be easier to tell you afterward. I had no idea Jenny would ever find out about us. I have no idea how she got your phone number. She didn’t want anything more today than to let me know she knew where I was.”

  I had to ask one question. I looked directly at him and asked, “Mick, do you have any children?”

  He hung his head for a moment and then looked at me with pain in those beautiful eyes that were no longer smiling. He knew this lie of omission was going to hurt me as well. “Yes. I have a fourteen-year-old son.”

  I moved to the door and opened it. I couldn’t look at him. With my head down, I whispered, “Get out.”

  Chapter Three

  A phone was ringing, but from where? I struggled to wake up and clear the fog from my brain. My temples were still pounding. After crying until I couldn’t cry any more, I had climbed into bed and hoped a nap would help to ease my headache. I must have slept for several hours because it was now dusk outside. My phone. Where was it? I dragged myself into the living room and saw it on the coffee table where Mick had left it several hours earlier. Mick. I tried not to think about him. I didn’t want to figure it all out right now.

  “Hello?” my voice was groggy.

  “Susan, it’s Darby. Are you ok?” he asked. “I tried to call several times, but you didn’t answer.” I could tell he was genuinely concerned.

  “Darby, I’m ok,” I told him. “I have a terrible headache, I’ve been crying, and I finally slept for a while. What time is it?”

  “It’s 8:30.”

  “Oh, crap!” I was awake now. “I’m supposed to work at the club for a couple of hours. I have to be there at 9:00. Come over and talk to me while I get ready.”

  “Unlock the door. I’ll be right there,” he said.

  The club was only five minutes away, but I didn’t want to be late. I hurriedly changed my blouse to a club shirt and unlocked the door for Darby. He was already outside in the hallway and walked right in. He gave me a quick hug, “Honey, I’m so sorry about this. Are you going to be ok? Tell me everything.”

  “Darby, he doesn’t just have a wife, he has a son. A fourteen-year-old son.” I let out a big sigh. “Help yourself to something to drink while I patch up my face and brush my hair,” I said as I moved around the corner and into the bathroom.

  “Is that it? Is it over?” he called from the kitchen. “Did he tell you why he didn’t tell you he was married?”

  “He’s getting a divorce,” I called back. I heard Darby snort from the kitchen. “Really, he is,” I insisted. “The divorce was started before we met, and he thought it would be easier to tell me about it after it was over.”

  With raspberry iced tea in hand, Darby stood in the bathroom doorway watching me brush my hair, “Well, that kind of makes sense,” he said. “Are you going to talk to him about it some more?”

  “I don’t know. I’m so confused. I don’t want to date a married man. And what if his son hates me?” I thought for a moment before saying, “I don’t want to see him right now. I need time to process all of this.” I put my brush down, and moved toward the doorway, “Darby, I have to run. I don’t want to be late for work.”

  “Listen, Susan,” he said stopping me. “I’m on vacation next week. I’m leaving Monday morning for Florida. Come with me. It’ll do you good to get away from here, and you can clear your head and decide what to do while taking a breather on the beach.”

  “I don’t know,” I told him. “That’s a tempting offer. Let me think about it, and I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  I slipped behind the counter at the club right on time. I tossed my gym bag against the back wall. I wasn’t playing tonight, but the bag had several freshly washed outfits I wanted to put in my locker if I had time.

  It was Saturday night, so I could only hope Mick wouldn’t make an appearance. Samantha and Larry were on court number three playing doubles with another couple. From the looks of Samantha’s hair and the lack of dry spots on Larry’s clothing, I assumed they had been playing for quite some time.

  The local cable company had booked a private party for some of their employees which gave them exclusive use to five of the ten courts and the pub upstairs. By the sounds coming from the pub, the party was in full swing. I looked over the court reservations for the day and saw Husky had been in earlier in the afternoon, so I wouldn’t be seeing him this evening.

  For the next two hours, I didn’t have time to think about the events of the day. Party-goers always had more demands than the regular club members, and I spent extra time off-and-on in the storage room to get clean towels for the front desk and sodas for restocking the coolers. It would have been helpful to have another set of hands.

  Samantha came out of the locker room at 10:30 and perched on a stool at the counter. “What’s up, Susan? What’d you and Mick do today? Do we have court time for tomorrow? Can I get an apple juice?” Samantha and I both had a bad habit of peppering people with questions. It seemed easier to get them all out at one time and then wait for the answers. I ignored half of her questions.

  “Oh, Sam, you’re not going to believe what happened today,” I told her. I had to fight back tears as I poured an apple juice over ice for each of us. “Mick isn’t the person we thought he was, and I don’t think I’m going to see him anymore.”

  Between handing out towels and locker keys, and selling extra beer to party-goers, I filled Samantha in on most of the details. I could tell she was heartbroken for me.

  “Would you mind running back to the storage room and grabbing another stack of clean towels for me?” I asked her. “I need to stay here since so many people from Cable Connect are getting ready to hit the showers.”

  I passed out the rest of the towels on hand and started a quick close-out of the register. Jerry would be here in a few minutes to relieve me.

  Samantha put the clean towels in the bin and launched into her next set of questions. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Susan? And why didn’t Husky say anything to any of us? Have you talked to him? For cryin’ out loud, he works with Mick, and he should have known this. Larry’s going to be so upset when I tell him. Do you want to stay with us for a few days?”

  “No thanks, Sam,” I said giving her an appreciative hug. “Husky was here this afternoon, so I haven’t had a chance to talk with him. And Darby asked me to go to Florida with him next week. I don’t even know where he’s going, but I’m thinking I’d like to go. I
can get the time off from work, and I could really use a break.”

  “Susan, I think that’s a great idea,” she said. “He’ll be good company, and Larry and I will both feel better knowing you’re with him and not alone.” It was her turn to give me a hug, “Try to have a good time if you go. Run on the beach, and don’t eat too much junk. You still have to keep training for tournament” she advised me.

  “I will. I promise,” I said. I couldn’t help but to smile at her. She was so serious about our training.

  Jerry tapped me on the shoulder. I noticed his face was more bloated than usual. I could only imagine what mine looked like after crying all afternoon. Make-up could only hide so much.

  “Hi, Jerry,” I greeted him. “I’m sorry about the mess. This party has run me ragged. Sam brought up clean towels, I’ve restocked the coolers, and the register is ready to go.” I looked around to see if I had forgotten anything. “I poured myself an apple juice and never drank it, so if you don’t mind it watered down, you can have it, or throw it out. And, Jerry,” I looked at him a bit hesitantly before asking, “would you fill in for me next week? I’d like some time off, and I’m only scheduled here a couple of nights.” I gave him a pleading look. He stared back with a blank look.

  “Please?” I asked using the best puppy-dog look I could muster.

  “Ok. But you’ll owe me more than an apple juice,” he said.

  I had no idea what he meant by that, but this was not the time to find out. “Thank you, Jerry,” I said as I gave him a quick hug. “I really appreciate it. I’ll mark it on the schedule so Stan and Louise will know I won’t be in.”

  Stan and Louise were the owners of the club, but we rarely saw them. All of the employees enjoyed working here, and they did their jobs well, so Stan and Louise only stopped in on Sunday afternoons to set schedules, order supplies, and go over accounting.

  The lobby was getting more crowded and the party-goers were getting rowdy. I was glad I was leaving for the night. It had been a long day.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Before allowing myself to drift off to sleep, I relived the confrontation with Mick. My heart was heavy, and I didn’t know if I could forgive him, or if we could go forward from this. But about one thing I was certain. It hurt so much, I knew I had fallen in love with him.

  As the tears started to come again, I forced myself to choke them back. I didn’t want to have another crying binge and end up with swollen eyes in the morning. What I wanted to do was go over a mental checklist of everything I needed to do tomorrow before leaving with Darby on Monday morning. I compelled myself to think it through.

  Angela wouldn’t mind taking over the weight-loss center for a week. She had been asking for more responsibility, and this would give her an opportunity to show she could be the interim manager while still taking care of members. I hadn’t scheduled a vacation in over a year, and even though it would be short notice, as long as the center was properly attended, Slimmers management allowed managers free rein to schedule employees and vacations as desired.

  Airline and hotel reservations would have to be made to coincide with Darby’s. Where were we going? Where would we be staying? I was partial to the gulf side of the state. When I was younger, my parents had taken me to Naples on several occasions to visit my aunt. Oh my gosh! My mother! How much of what happened today did I want to tell her? I had told her about Mick, and both she and my dad were happy for me I was finally moving on and into a relationship. This was going to upset them, too.

  My parents had traded cold Ohio winters for hot Texas summers, and they loved living in Dallas. We didn’t talk often, but mom and I tried to keep in touch several times each month by email. I would be going to stay with them over Christmas and was looking forward to catching up with their lives. Maybe I would call Mom later in the week … or maybe I wouldn’t. She didn’t always agree with my choices in life, and running off to Florida with Darby was one more impulsive move that might bring on a lecture from her.

  Florida was going to be hot. I would need more clothes. Shopping. Tomorrow I would need to do a lot of shopping.

  I couldn’t stay awake any longer. My eyes were heavy, and I was exhausted. I barely heard the blare of sirens go past my apartment as I drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Four

  “Darby, I feel like I can’t breathe!” I said with surprise. Stepping out of the airplane into the hot Florida sun took my breath away. I knew it would be hot, but I had forgotten how oppressive the heat could be. Above the terminal door was a sign welcoming us to Saint Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. Beneath was a time and temperature reading. The temperature was 96°.

  “I know, isn’t it wonderful!” Darby exclaimed. “I love Florida during the hot summer months. I should have lived on the equator.” He was grinning from ear to ear, and I half expected him to break into a jig.

  We were both carrying one small bag, but we had each checked a larger suitcase, so we headed toward the baggage claim.

  Our flight from Ohio to Florida was nonstop and took less than three hours. We spent most of the time talking about what happened with Mick. An elderly woman seated in front of us stood to walk back the aisle to the restroom. She stopped beside us, looked into both of our faces, and creaked, “You know, they never leave their wives.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked. I was astonished she had spoken to us. Darby and I were both looking at her with our mouths gaping open. I clapped mine shut.

  “It’s my experience that they always say they’re going to leave their wives for you, but they never do.” She leaned in toward me and creaked more softly, “But honey, your situation sounds quite a bit different. Forgive him and give him another chance.” She reached across Darby to give my hand a little pat, and then moved on down the aisle to the restroom.

  Darby’s mouth was still hanging open. I burst out laughing and told him, “We have got to keep our voices down.”

  Darby was now pulling my Louis Vuitton suitcase off the conveyor. I had put an “X” with pink tape in one corner of the bag to make it easier to spot. Darby was still watching for his bag.

  I looked around and breathed a sigh of satisfaction. This was a good idea. Darby always cheered me, and I was already feeling better. I would probably call Mick later in the week. Maybe I had overreacted. It would be easier to talk with him over the phone anyway. I wanted to hear what he had to say, but I wasn’t yet ready to see him.

  Where was my phone? I started digging through my purse. I turned it off on Sunday morning after I called Darby with my decision, called Samantha to confirm I was leaving, called an ecstatic Angela when I asked her to take over the center, and after I had made reservations with the airline and hotel. I didn’t want any distractions, and I definitely didn’t want anyone trying to talk me out of going, so I had turned my phone off. I fished it out of the bottom of my purse, turned it on, and saw two missed calls from Samantha, both of them from yesterday. I could only surmise she wanted to say good-bye and wish me well on my trip. I would give her a call this evening to let her know we had arrived safely. There were three missed calls from Mick, one from yesterday and two already today. I would call him when I was ready, but that wouldn’t be today. I turned my phone off again and tossed it back into my purse.

  Darby finally had his suitcase in hand, “Come on, Susan. Car rental is next. I’ve rented a Fusion for us.”

  After picking up the car, we headed south on I-276. Darby turned the air conditioning off and all four windows were down. My hair was blowing up and around and into my face. I started digging in my purse again, this time looking for an elastic band to pull my hair back into a ponytail. Darby glanced over at me with a big smile on his face and said, “It feels really good, doesn’t it?”

  I had to admit the warm air rushing into the car did feel good. It was hot in Ohio this time of year, but not this hot, and this was a different kind of heat that warmed you all the way through.

  We exited onto the Pinellas Bayway and heade
d west toward the beach. The Don CeSar resort was ahead in the distance, and I was amazed at how lovely a pink hotel could be. I had read about “the pink castle” but had never seen it. It was originally a hotel, then a military center, and for a time a convalescent home. Now it was once again an elegant hotel. I craned my neck to see as much of it as possible as we turned north onto Gulf Blvd.

  “Darby, why didn’t we book at the Don CeSar?” I asked. “Look how lovely it is, and it’s huge!”

  “Well, don’t forget,” he laughed, “I was originally planning to come down here by myself, and I didn’t need opulent accommodations for just me. How about if we book there on our next trip?” he asked as he winked at me.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “I’m not complaining,” I said. “I know the Hilton is nice, and I’m glad to be along for the ride.” I settled back into my seat.

  A few minutes later, we pulled into the lot at the hotel, grabbed our luggage, and checked in. We had adjoining rooms and immediately opened the door between them so we could talk back and forth while we unpacked.

  “What should we do first? Late lunch or the beach?” I called over to him.

  “Yes to both, in that order,” he called back.

  “Ok,” I laughed. “Give me fifteen minutes to change out of travel clothes and freshen up.”

  After washing my face, a quick application of fresh mascara, and a swipe of lip gloss, I pulled the elastic band from my hair. Even after pulling it back, my hair was still tangled from the wind in the car. A few extra minutes with my brush and it was finally smooth, my bangs under control. I changed into a pair of tan linen shorts, a pink pullover tee, and flat sandals.

  I popped over to Darby’s room. He had changed into plaid shorts, a white Nike v-neck tee, and sandals. I stood for a moment admiring him. Darby was actually a very hunky guy. We were about the same age and height, he wore his sandy-colored hair in a permanently tousled state, and he was lean – not skinny - but there was definitely no extra meat on him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed surfing the television. He smiled and said, “I’m looking for the cooking channels.”