What About Charlie?

by Haley Michelle Howard

  What did he mean? Why had he looked at her that way? What had come over him?

  Charlie had told herself a hundred times during the night that she had been imagining things, that she was reading way too much into totally innocent gestures. Evan was acting strangely simply because he’d broken up with Liza and that’s all there was to it. But a little voice kept reminding her it wasn’t her imagination at all. He definitely had wanted to kiss her. And to her surprise, she had very badly wanted him to. Evan was so very good looking. Hot as her friend Amy would say. What woman would not want a man who looked like him to kiss her?

  Suddenly, Charlie’s excitement regarding her upcoming date with Adam all but disappeared.

  Why did this have to happen now?

  ****

  Adam Nelson was by far the handsomest man Charlie had ever dated. His hair was dark and thick, his features perfect in every way. He was articulate and funny and very smart. During their meal of hamburgers and French fries, Charlie learned that he was a photographer and traveled constantly, often out of the country. He’d never been married and had no children, his nomadic lifestyle precluding him from doing so.

  After eating, they sat talking, sipping on coffee.

  “What type of photography do you do most? People, current events, scenic?”

  “I’m mainly a fashion photographer,” he said leaning back in his seat. “I cover fashion shows in New York, London, Paris, Milan. I do photo shoots for magazines like Vanity Fair and Cosmopolitan. And when I’m traveling from one job to the next, I take pictures of the countryside and the people that live there.”

  “Have you ever been to a war zone?”

  Adam shook his head. “No, and I have no plans to either. That would be too horrific for me. Too much gore, too much reality.”

  “I couldn’t handle that either.”

  “I had a friend who covered the first Gulf War in 1990. He was severely traumatized from the experience – charred bodies, pieces of shredded bodies on the desert sand, dead women and children. It was horrible. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder for a long time after that. He couldn’t sleep, could barely eat. He quit covering those types of events and is now doing fashion photography as I am.”

  “We are so fortunate to live in a stable country.”

  “We are. No matter how much I travel I’m always glad to get back home.”

  “Is there one place you’ve never been but would like to go to?”

  He thought for a moment. “The Australian Outback. I would love to go there and see Ayers Rock, maybe even climb it if I could.”

  “It would be fun to go see Ayers Rock, but I’d pass on climbing it.”

  “Not too adventuresome?”

  Charlie smiled. “Nope. I’m scared of heights. Do you climb much?”

  “I like to go to Utah to climb when I can. It’s beautiful out there and so quiet. It’s great.” He stared at her thoughtfully for a moment. “Have you traveled much, Charlie?”

  “Nope. I’ve traveled all around Iowa, Missouri and through the States in between.” She sighed. “When I was growing up, we didn’t have the means to travel, and now I have the means to take a trip now and again but not the time.”

  “You’ve got to make time and go for it. You’d have lots of fun.”

  “I think I would be terribly nervous traveling by myself.”

  “Nonsense.”

  A yawn escaped from Charlie.

  Adam smiled. “That’s definitely a man’s cue that his company is becoming tiresome.”

  “No, Adam. I woke really early this morning,” Charlie explained, “and never did get back to sleep. I’ve really enjoyed your company tonight.”

  He pinned her eyes with his. “I’ve enjoyed yours too, Charlie. We need to get together again.”

  “Yes. Yes we do.”

  ****

  When Charlie spoke with Evan the following afternoon, her voice bubbled with excitement.

  “I had such a great time last night.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes. We went out for hamburgers and after we finished, we sat and talked for hours. Adam is a fashion photographer and travels around the world. He has never been married and has no kids,” she explained. “And he is not weird.”

  Evan felt like he wanted to throw up. He felt like a first-class jerk too – jealous that Charlie had met someone she liked. Jealous, in fact, that it was Adam instead of himself.

  The thought made him pause for a moment. Why was he suddenly so interested in Charlie?

  “I’m glad,” he answered in an upbeat voice. “Maybe he’s the one,” he joked though he felt very empty.

  Charlie felt a pang of disappointment slice through her. She’d thought if Evan had any feelings for her beyond friendship, he’d be disappointed that she liked Adam. Perhaps she had been imagining things the other night.

  To tell the truth, she liked Adam very much, but she couldn’t see herself in a relationship with him. They were too different, their lives too different.

  Though she had been enjoying herself immensely last evening, her thoughts had drifted on occasion to Evan, to when he’d almost kissed her. She’d tried to stop her thoughts from going there, but couldn’t. She’d always thought Evan to be handsome and attractive, incredibly sexy and had secretly hoped deep down that perhaps he would eventually come to like her as more than a friend. When he’d almost kissed her, she’d thought perhaps this was the beginning. But she was mistaken. It had been her imagination all along.

  “Don’t have me walking down the aisle yet! He’s really nice and very good company but that’s about it.” Charlie exclaimed.

  “Are you going to see him again?”

  “Yes. He said he’d call me to make plans. Evan, hold on a second. My call waiting is beeping.”

  After a few seconds, Charlie came back on the line. “Evan I’ve got to go. It’s Adam on the line.”

  For several seconds after Charlie hung up, Evan stood staring at his phone. Charlie had hung up on him. She’d never done that before. For whatever reason, he felt at a loss and very much alone, like he was loosing something of great importance to him.

  ****

  “So, tell me about Adam,” Amy demanded over the phone later in the afternoon.

  “He’s Ken’s brother. A fashion photographer. He travels the world. He likes to go rock climbing. He is incredibly handsome, very smart, and terribly witty.”

  “But?”

  “But what?”

  “You’re trying to sound excited about him, but there’s no sparkle in your eye.”

  “Evan almost kissed me Friday night,” Charlie slipped. She hadn’t meant to tell anyone.

  “Almost kissed you?” Amy gasped.

  “Yes. He’d taken me home from the hockey game and we were standing outside my front door under the stars talking. It was a beautiful night, the stars and moon bright. He bent his head and his lips came within a hair’s width of mine but then, all of a sudden, he pulled back.”

  “Maybe it was an accident - he stumbled or got off balance and he was trying to right himself instead of kiss you.”

  “No. It was deliberate. No doubt. What do you think it means?”

  “I have no idea. He’s such a hoity-toity cold-fish so there’s no telling.”

  “Amy!”

  “He is, Charlie. He may have money, and he may be great to look at, but he’s a drag to be around. It’s like he’s made of ice. If you ask me, you’d be much better off worrying about Adam instead of Evan. Adam sounds like he’s much more fun.”

  “Amy you don’t know Evan.”

  “I don’t like him.”

  “That’s because you don’t know him. Well, I happen to know him very well and like him very much.”

  “As in a romantic nature?”

  “Yes,” she blurted, surprising herself that she finally admitted it out loud.

  “Oh, Charlie. Evan?”

  “Amy, you don’t know Evan like I know Eva
n. He’s kind and considerate, funny, and very down to earth. I know you may have never seen that side of him. He’s very reserved. But I see it all the time. He’s true and genuine. A gentleman.”

  Amy shook her head. “What are you going to do about Adam?”

  “I don’t know what to do. Evan didn’t sound the least bit fazed when I told him how much I liked Adam. I can’t wait around forever for Evan. If he doesn’t find me attractive, there’s nothing I can do. But would it be fair to Adam to keep on seeing him?”

  “Charlie, it’s a date not an engagement. You might find that he could be the one to steal your heart.”

  Perhaps, Charlie thought. But she was afraid that Evan had already stolen her heart a long time ago.

  Chapter 3

  Excitement tinged with apprehension. That’s what Charlie felt when she turned off the paved county road onto the long winding dirt road that led to her father’s Iowa farm. Freshly planted corn and soybean fields bordered the road on both sides. Soon they would be covered with tiny green sprouts.

  Charlie loved growing up on the farm. She loved the peace and quiet. When she was a young girl, on quiet summer nights, she would sit on the front porch and gaze up at the starlit sky, the peace and quiet wrapping around her like a blanket, enjoying the chirps of the crickets and croaks of frogs. More often than not a light breeze would kick up, rustling the leaves on the corn stalks in the fields that surrounded the house. She would often wonder what was out there, what her future would bring. Would she grow up to be rich and famous? Would she meet and marry the man of her dreams? She still wondered about those questions at times. What would her future bring? Would she finally find the happiness she craved? Would she have a family of her own someday?

  As an only child, she’d helped her father farm the land that had been in the family for a hundred years. At an early age she had to learn responsibility and take on tasks that a seven year old wouldn’t have normally done. With her father working the farm, it was up to her to do the laundry and cooking, to keep the house clean.

  A tinge of sadness settled in Charlie’s heart as she thought about her mother. Breast cancer had taken her mother when Charlie was only seven. She had only a few vivid memories of her, but they were ones she’d prefer to block from her mind. She wanted to remember her mother happy and healthy, but all she had were memories of her mother during her illness, lying in a hospital bed sick and weak.

  Oh, how she wished she had other memories! She wanted to remember her mother laughing and smiling, remember her wearing her favorite pink terry cloth bathrobe and matching slippers peeking out from beneath while she fixed them all breakfast. She knew her mother had done those things because her father had often spoken of it. But try as she might she couldn’t remember any of it.

  But no matter how hard she tried, all she could remember was her mother being so weak that she couldn’t stand or even raise her arm. One memory that was particularly vivid was when her mother had just gotten home from the hospital for the last time. She’d come home to die, the doctors saying nothing more could be done. Charlie had hugged her mother so close, wanting badly to feel her mother’s warm embrace in return. But mama had been too weak to even put her arms around her daughter.

  When mama died, all Charlie had was her father and all he had was she. There were no close relatives they could lean on. She and her father had helped each other through the hard times, and she was proud to say that they made it through - with a few bumps along the way.

  Charlie went around the last curve in the road before coming upon the house she grew up in, a white two-bedroom house with dark green trim. Several large oak trees with budding green leaves surrounded the small square house. Just beyond was the machine shed and grain bin.

  As soon as she parked her car adjacent to the front door, Henry Johnson came out and stood on the front porch, a big smile on his face. Charlie smiled in return. He was close to seventy now, a tall imposing man despite being slightly stooped from old age. She loved him deeply and it gave her a great sense of security to know he loved her just as much in return.

  Jumping out of the car, she met him halfway. Henry grabbed her and hugged her close. “It’s good to see you girl.”

  A cold northerly wind whipped around them, but neither seemed to care.

  Smiling up at him, she replied, “It’s good to see you, too, Daddy.” Looking up at his face, she frowned. “Daddy, you’re as pale as a ghost. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” His voice had a raspy quality to it that Charlie had never recalled hearing before. “I’ve been out working on one of the tractors and got a little winded. That’s all.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked not quite believing him. Her father was never one to complain if he felt ill. “Have you been taking your medicine?”

  Giving her a reassuring smile, he said, “I’m sure girl. And I’ve been taking my medicine. Now, don’t you worry about me.” He squeezed her hard. “It’s good to have you back home. I’ve missed you so.”

  “I’ve missed you, too,” she said, her eyes searching his face, relieved to see some color finally coming back into his cheeks.

  Henry took a step backwards, taking a good look at her.

  “What did you do to your hair, Charlie girl?”

  Charlie smiled up at her father. It was so good to see him and hear him call her his pet name, Charlie girl. She’d missed him so much.

  “I got it cut and had a perm put in it. How do you like it?” she asked, running her fingers through her hair, loving the way the soft curls felt on her fingers.

  He scowled at her disapprovingly. “I liked it better long and straight. You don’t look like my Charlie anymore with your hair like that.”

  She put her arm around her father, resigned that no matter what she did her dad would always view her as a little girl. “I’m grown up, daddy. You can’t possibly expect me to stay the same. Can you?”

  “Humph. You’ll always be my Charlie girl no matter how old you are.”

  Charlie gazed up at him. His dark hair was now white. His face was filled with deep lines and creases, evidence of his age and his life working out in the sun. He’s getting old, Charlie thought with sadness and a touch of alarm. Day by day he’s getting older.

  “Charlie girl, you remember William McGee don’t you? He has a farm machine repair business now.”

  Charlie followed Henry’s gaze to a tall, brown haired man with even nondescript facial features walking towards them from the machine shed. When he reached them, Henry slapped his back and said, “William she’s as pretty as I said, isn’t she?”

  Charlie’s face flushed with embarrassment and she quickly filled with apprehension. Her father was matchmaking again. Of that she had no doubt. She glanced at William. His cheeks were as red as two shiny apples. Was he a willing participant in this setup or was he an innocent victim just like her?

  “Charlie’s back for a visit, William. Still unmarried…” as if it were something terrible.

  Cutting Henry off before he could say anything more embarrassing, Charlie forced a smile and said in a falsely light voice. “Hi, William. It’s good to see you again.”

  William smiled, appreciation filling his eyes. “It’s good to see you too, Charlie. Your dad is always talking about you.”

  She glanced up at her father in time to see a self-satisfied grin on his face. Anger quickly filled her. She was not a horse up for auction, and she was tired of his continuous matchmaking. Would it be so difficult to come home just one time without a man being paraded in front of her?

  “If you’ll excuse me, William. I need to get my bags out of the car and get in out of this cold wind. It seems to go right through you.”

  “Son, why don’t you help Charlie with her bags while I look at the tractor?”

  Son? Charlie bit her tongue, refraining from telling them that she’d put her bags in the car and she could very well take them out! But she wasn’t a mean person and didn’t want to hurt William�
��s feelings. There was no telling what her father had told him or what he’d been led to leave.

  Charlie followed William into the house.

  Just inside the door William stopped. “Where do you want me to set your bags?”

  “My bedroom is down the hall on the right.”

  Coming in behind him, she said, “Just set them on the floor inside the door.”

  Setting them down, he turned to look at her.

  She didn’t know what to say and it seemed that neither did he. He just stood there studying her.

  She stood there, shifting from one foot to the other, feeling intensely uncomfortable. She tried to smile but she had the feeling it fell dismally short. “Thanks for carrying in my bags, William. I appreciate it.”

  With appreciation in his eyes, he said, “You’re welcome, Charlie. You sure do look a lot different than the last time I saw you.”

  She nodded. “It has been five or six years.”

  “At least.”

  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Daddy says you have your own business…”

  “Yep. A farm machine repair business. Actually I repair anything mechanical. It’s been doing really good.”