Dating For Decades

by Tracy Krimmer

  I wait at the bench while he rents skates for us. They aren’t the most attractive things, certainly not as stylish as my Stuart Weitzman over the knee boots, but I can pull them off. Once I’m all laced up, I stand and nearly fall right back over. Keith catches me, and we’re practically in a hug.

  “Be careful!”

  “Thank you,” I say as I catch my breath.

  “Why don’t I hold onto you until we get on the ice?”

  “I’d like that.”

  His hand is tight around my waist, and I’m glad I wore a jacket that covers any excess muffin top I may have. There’s nothing worse than a man holding onto your fat.

  Once we’re on the ice, he lets go of my waist but grabs a hold of my hand again. Despite my fear of ice skating after such a hiatus, I pick it right back up as though riding a bike. We glide across the ice, our skates leaving imprints. After a while, I don’t even notice the cold air hitting my face. I’m warm inside. I’m warm everywhere. After probably about a half an hour of skating, he leads me to a bench to sit down and take a rest. “You’re actually pretty good.”

  “I’m really glad I didn’t fall. I worried about that the entire time.”

  “Don’t worry. If you started to fall, I’d catch you.”

  I don’t doubt that he would.

  We lean back against the bench and he puts his arm around me. I’m watching all the couples and families and children on the rink. They’re all having so much fun without a care in the world. “Wait a minute. Is that…” I squint my eyes until the face becomes recognizable. “Lucille! Lucille!” I wave my hand, and as soon as she sees me, she and her skating partner glide towards us and off the ice.

  “Cassie, dear! How nice to see you!” She intertwines her arm with the man beside her. “This is Billy. My husband.”

  “You two got married? Congratulations! Nice to meet you, Billy.” The class hasn’t even been over more than a month and Lucille already is married?

  “Pleased to meet you. Lucille has said quite a lot about you.” I kiddingly glare at her. “Good things. All good things. I should thank you for putting us together after all these years. We can attribute our marriage to you.”

  Billy is sweet. He is a lot shorter than I imagined, standing at least a couple of inches shorter than Lucille. His hair, what I can see underneath his hat, is all gray. He also wears circle glasses. He almost reminds me of an elderly Harry Potter. All that’s missing is his magic wand.

  “I’m glad I was able to help. This is Keith.” Everyone exchanges their hellos. “Lucille was in my class at the library,” I explain to Keith, confused as to why this woman and I have a connection.

  “Was Cassie a difficult teacher?”

  “Be careful, Lucille. It’s not too late for me to change your grade.”

  Lucille smiles and turns her body so Billy is now hugging her. They remind me of a young couple who just found love. I suppose they kind of are. “She was great.” She begins to pull Billy back to the rink. “We should get back on the ice.” As she offers a wave to me, she says, “It was so nice seeing you, Cassie. And it was absolutely wonderful to meet you, Keith.” She winks at him. We say goodbye and even though Keith is beside me, I’m a little envious of Lucille. It took me months to even admit I had feelings for Keith, and here she is, twice as old as me and she married the man of her dreams in a few short weeks.

  “She was an interesting lady. They met in your class?”

  “No. She searched for him on Facebook. They went to grade school together.” The story still amazes me, even more so saying it out loud. “She was my favorite in the class. Teacher’s pet, I guess.”

  He pulls me close and whispers in my ear, sending shivers through my body, ”What does one have to do to become the teacher’s pet?”

  “Mmm,” I groan as he kisses right behind my ear. I squeeze his arms tighter. ”Buy me a cup of hot chocolate.”

  “You bet.”

  The Starbucks across the street is the perfect spot for our hot chocolate. I’ve come here before for business meetings. On a typical day, it’s filled with either business people or college students. Tonight, it’s hopping with couples, loners, and families. Everyone has come in to warm up from the cold.

  I wait at the table, watching Keith as he places our order. Every so often he looks behind and steals a smile from me. This evening couldn’t be better than it already is. If I went home right now, I think I could fall asleep, content and filled with love inside me. This is the perfect end to a few not so perfect days.

  He arrives back at the table with our order. “Hot chocolate for my lady.” He slides the cup to me, a large hot chocolate complete with whipped cream on top. As I bring the cup to my mouth, the cinnamon surprises me, but I love the extra sweetness.

  I pull off my gloves and set them next to my cup. “Thanks so much for this.”

  “Of course. Hot chocolate was always one of my favorites in the winter. My brother and I used to go ice skating and then get a cup.”

  “Did you get to spend a lot of time with him while you were there?”

  “Some. I hung out with my nieces a bit.”

  I picture him playing Barbies and putting pigtails in their hair, and them taking turns covering his face in make-up. The image makes me giggle.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. You’re just nothing short of amazing.” He reaches across the table and takes my hands. Now I’m picturing us strolling through Paris, hand-in-hand, taking in all the scenery and everything the culture has to offer. “I’ve never been out of the country. Hawaii, once, on business, if I can count that since I flew over open water.”

  “Nope. Doesn’t count since it’s still the US.”

  “I’m grasping at straws here. I’m not well traveled.”

  Keith rubs his finger on mine where a wedding band would go. “I’ll keep that in mind. I would love to take you to London. Or Italy. Anywhere, really.”

  I want to take him straight to my bed, but I don’t say that. I hold my breath, keeping myself from saying exactly what’s on my mind. Darting my tongue out and licking my lips, I release my breath. “This is nice.”

  “Yes,” he pushes our fingers closer together, “it is.”

  Even though I’m warm from the hot chocolate, goosebumps take over my body, and I’m sure my skin is flushed. “I kind of don’t want the night to end.”

  A smile slowly builds on Keith’s face, and he leans forward, closer to me. “It doesn’t have to.” My eyes are locked on his, and I’m speechless that he’s reading my mind.

  This is the next step, the one I’ve been waiting for, the one I promised myself when he left for London. I think of Lucille and Billy, and Cheyenne and the gas pump guy, and even my mother and David. They didn’t deny themselves love. Why should I?

  I don’t say anything. I only close the gap between us, telling him yes with my lips.

  •••••••

  This is the first time I’ve been to Keith’s place. I assumed he lived downtown for some reason, but he doesn’t. He lives about fifteen minutes away, nestled in a small neighborhood on the south side of Milwaukee. While it’s urban, it definitely has a suburban feel with the wide street and trees lining the sidewalks. They’re all bare now, but I’m sure in the summer the greenery is magnificent. However, I don’t envy him when fall comes and he has to rake all the leaves.

  The outside of his ranch is decorated for the holidays, strings of lights hanging from the garage and the outlining the windows. When we exit the car he flips a switch in the garage which turns on the lights.

  The garage is small, fitting only one car. It’s neat — too neat for a garage! Storage units outline the entire thing and the floor is spotless.

  We enter the house through the attached garage, directly into the kitchen. I gasp and cover my mouth when an orange tabby cat jumps past me and hops onto the kitchen table.

  “Now, Einstein, you know you’re not supposed to be up there.” Keith picks up the cat
gently and holds him, stroking his fur. “This is Cassie. Cassie, meet Einstein, my partner in crime.”

  “Hi, Einstein.” I reach out to pet him expecting him to run away, but he doesn’t. He lets me run my hand down from his head, over his back, and to his tail. “You’re sweet.”

  “He is.” He gives him a quick smooch on the head and sets him on the ground. Once his paws hit the floor, he takes off. “I won’t see him for another few days, probably. He has a mind of his own.”

  I didn’t picture Keith as a cat person. Dog, maybe, but not cat. All those times I joked about becoming a cat lady and here’s Keith with the necessary piece. I laugh inside, and my heart smiles at how gentle he is.

  I make my way into his living room, which is filled with homemade bookcases, a coffee table, and I believe his mantel on his fireplace as well. The pieces are definitely handmade, the craftsmanship unbelievable. “Wow. These are incredible.” I run my hand over the coffee table. “You have quite the hobby. Why aren’t you doing this instead?

  “Instead?” His eyes open wide and he grins. “Why choose when I can do both?”

  He makes a point. “I don’t have any hobbies, really.”

  “None? None at all?”

  Taking care of myself as a kid never lent me much time to discover any talents I may have. I loved reading. Escaping into someone else’s world was the perfect way to forget about my life. I can’t do much with that. I never was that great of a writer, though I tried. “I guess I can sew.” I had to fix any of my clothes with holes in them, hem clothes for my mom, and when I needed a costume or something for school, I was always on my own.

  “Well, there you go! That’s something.”

  “I haven’t done it in ages, though. I used to scribble designs in a notepad I carried around.” Wow. I haven’t thought about that notepad in years. I shoved it between my textbooks at school. I didn’t think there was much I could do with sewing, so I pursued a more promising career in technology. It’s paid off, though now that I imagine my thread and needle, I kind of miss it.

  “Maybe some time you can show me your designs. You’ve seen a lot of mine.”

  I want to see a lot more of him, too. “So this is what you do to relieve stress? Woodworking?”

  “Yep. I blast Blake Shelton and create.”

  “Blake Shelton?”

  “Yes, Blake Shelton. Do you have a problem with Blake?” He shifts his head to the right and winks as he approaches me. I allow him to unzip my jacket and help me out of it.

  “Blake? You two are on a first-name basis?”

  “We’re like brothers,” he teases as he brushes my hair aside and kisses my neck. I shiver at the touch of his lips. His tongue touches my neck, and I want nothing more than to be with him.

  “Enough talk about brothers.” I wrap my arms around his neck and we’re entangled in each other. A tide of euphoria rushes over me, and I’m afraid I may flood his living room with tears of joy. We’re breathing heavily through our noses as neither one of us wants to stop where this is going. “You still have to show me your bedroom.” I keep pecking at his neck while he begins to step back, pulling me with him.

  “I’m not sure I can make it there.” He shifts his movement from backward toward his bedroom instead to the right and guides me to the couch. “Is this okay?”

  I grip his jacket collar and yank the coat off him, tossing it to the ground. “I really don’t care where it happens, as long as it does.” I shove him onto the couch and straddle him, cupping his face in my hands. “Welcome home, Keith.”

  •••••••

  I wake up to the sound of Keith’s voice. He’s wrapped me in a blanket and the fireplace is burning. I pull the covers to my chin and stretch my legs. The only thing that could make this better would be if he were next to me.

  “I know, Mom. But you have to understand —”

  He’s pacing in the kitchen, his phone stuck to his ear. He hasn’t seen I’m awake yet. His parents are still in London with his brother. I squint to see the time on his microwave. The bright green light reads 8:14. Wow, I don’t ever sleep this late. My body must have needed it. I’m shocked he isn’t still sleeping after his long flight yesterday.

  “You’ve never met her so it’s not fair for you to talk about her like that.”

  I snap my eyes shut when he glances my way. Is his mom talking about me? What is going on? I swallow hard and concentrate as I try to hear what he’s saying.

  “You’ll meet her eventually.” He pauses. “I had to come back. She needed me.” He’s silent for a few moments so I assume she’s saying something to him. “Well, have it your way then. We can talk when you return to the States.” I listen as he says goodbye and hangs up.

  I don’t want to cause a fight between him and his parents. What would have brought up him discussing me? I wonder if he called her or she called him. I suppose it doesn’t make any difference, but I really want to know what this is about.

  I take my time opening my eyes so he doesn’t realize I was listening. When I finally have them open, he’s sitting at the kitchen table, his head in his hands. He’s in a t-shirt and boxers and his hair a tangled mess. That’s my fault. He senses me watching him and lifts his head. “Hey you.” He stands from the chair and makes his way to the living room.

  I hold the blanket over myself as I sit up. “Hey. Did you sleep okay?”

  “Yeah.” He plops down next to me, grabs me and pulls me onto his lap. “You sleep like an angel.”

  I kiss him, never mind my morning breath or his. I don’t know what an angel looks like when sleeping, but he obviously thinks it’s sweet. I hope I didn’t snore. I’ve been known to do that.

  “Did you want some coffee and breakfast? I can make a hell of a bagel.”

  “Isn’t that taking it out of the package and putting it into the toaster?”

  “Sure is, but I’m bad ass at it.”

  I imagine how he can make it look tough, maybe flexing his biceps as he pushes the handle down. Sigh. I can’t stay. I shouldn’t. That phone call didn’t sound good. I should have known opening myself up to a real relations go would only result in failure.

  “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll run through a drive thru and head home.”

  “A drive-thru? You would rather have fast food than a home cooked meal from me?” He playfully pushes me off his lap.

  “How do I put this lightly?” I tap my finger on my chin. “A frozen bagel and a K-cup is hardly a home cooked meal.”

  “You’ve got me there.” He steals another kiss from me. “Besides, my mom, now she can cook. You’ll have to try her chicken and waffles sometime.”

  I’m not sure why he’s anticipating me ever meeting his mother after the conversation I overheard. He mistakes my lack of response as offense.

  “I’m sorry. I keep mentioning my family.”

  “So?”

  I tense as he places his hand on the blanket covering my knee. “With what just happened, it’s insensitive of me.”

  “You don’t have to walk on eggshells around me, Keith.” I stand and allow the blanket to fall off me, paying no mind to my naked body that I’m sure he’s checking out. I find my underwear and bra and put them both on as I continue. “If you don’t remember, my mom was dead to me years ago. Now it’s only the truth.”

  Out of the corner of my eye I see his mouth fall open. Once my shirt and pants are on, I slide my boots on and grab my keys. “This was too soon. We moved too fast.”

  “Cassie, take a deep breath and let’s talk about this.”

  “My whole life is a series of deep breaths. I inhale pain and exhale poison. It’s probably best you stay away from me before I infect you, too.”

  He bolts from the couch and slaps my hand away from the door. “That is not true and you know it. You’re a beautiful person full of kindness and love, and the shit you dealt with as a kid formed a protective glass around you.”

  “Please. Let me leave. I need tim
e. Christmas is coming up. Spend time with your family. I’ll see Shannon. Let’s end this before it’s too late.”

  “You’re talking crazy, Cassie. Let me break that glass around you.”

  I wrap my hand around the door knob and allow tears to fall. “That’s the problem with glass, Keith. When you break it, it cuts you.” I swing the door open. “And pieces are left shattered everywhere that you can never put back together. “

  Chapter

  Thirty-Three

  The wind is whipping outside, and the snow is coming down hard. The meteorologists say that the worst of it will be over by one o’clock, which allows the plows four hours to get the job done so I don’t have to spend three hours getting home. I don’t mind the cold, and the snow doesn’t bother me that much, except when it makes for such a long drive home. I’m glad to be back at work, though, and this first day has been busy.

  Keith mostly honored my request to give me some time. He texted me on Christmas, and I replied with a smiley face and wishing him well. He misses me, he said, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss him. Shannon kept my mind off of him, though, and even Sasha. We have a Dating for Decades meeting tomorrow, and I fully plan on attending. This is the first after the holidays, and I think I need the group right now.

  A meeting request pops up on my computer. Terrence has called a meeting of the entire help desk, me, and Lucas. I glance at the time. Crap. He wants to meet us now. Good thing I’m at my computer.

  I shut my laptop, grab my phone and meet everybody in the conference room, taking a seat next to Lucas. We haven’t spoken too much since the awards ceremony, but in the few times we have, we’ve been friendly. I think he’s finally accepted I’m not interested. Well, and since he began dating Kimmy, I think it’s safe to say he’s over it.

  “I wonder what this could be about. He never calls meetings on such short notice.” I set my phone down on top of the small notepad I brought with me.