Mister Romantic

by Alice Cooper

  It wasn’t just the letters, but it was also her articles back in the day that had her wondering what would have happened had she been able to satisfy her yearning for adventure. She knew that she wouldn’t give up Timothy for the world, but that didn’t make her any less anxious to change things for the better. Five years had gone by in the blink of an eye. She wanted to believe that she could keep him that same small baby that would cry out for her in the middle of the night. She didn’t want to think about him in his teenage years and the way that his dimples would have women waiting for their chance to get their hooks into him. She could only teach him respect for women.

  Lynn looked over towards the light of her life. She had to place her hand up to her heart to realize how much he meant to her. The articles and that dream of taking the world by storm was only a pipe dream. She knew that many people changed professions later in life, but she felt like she was stuck and there was no way out. Holden had given her that lifeline when she was drowning in debt and thinking that there was no way out from underneath it.

  Over the years she had gotten these very infuriating phone calls from a man breathing on the other end. The last time was a month ago and she screamed bloody murder into the receiver to try to get a necessary reaction. She had no way of knowing that those phone calls were coming not only on the anniversary of her first date with Bailey, but also on other dates that had become important to them. All she knew at the time was this disembodied breathless sound on the other end of the line was causing her sleepless nights. She didn’t want to think that she had a stalker, but it was the only thing that made any sense. She kind of founded it strangely endearing that somebody would take the time an effort to try to tell her their intentions without coming out and saying it.

  “I know that you’re having a good time, Timothy, but we really do need to get inside for supper. We’re having your favorite, spaghetti and meatballs with some my special seasoning on top. I know how you like it spicy and you are exactly like your father.” Lynn saw the look in Timothy’s eyes and knew that there were questions that she was not ready to answer. “Please god…don’t let him ask me that one question. I know that he’s curious, but I don’t want him to think that his father will come riding in on his white steed to rescue us both from this mundane existence. He’s out of the picture. It was a fleeting moment that I used to regret. The only thing I don’t regret is what came of it. I can’t imagine being this damn happy and not having a father figure to show him how to shave and to catch a ball. He has never been the least bit curious, but I know that eventually he’s going to ask. I’m not going to be the one to bring it up, but I won’t begrudge him the chance to know where he came from. I thought I put it to rest.”

  “Mom, I know that I’ve been hard on those couple of men that you’ve dated, but I never did believe they were good enough for you. The way they looked at you had me wanting to punch the both of them square in the nose. I do want you to find someone and I would never try to take away your happiness. I just think that we’ve done amazing on our own. We don’t need anybody and the only thing that we need is each other.” Timothy wanted to say something about his father, but being abandoned and left to be raised by his mother made him feel that there was nothing to talk about. He never did know his father before his passing. He never needed a father figure.

  “I appreciate your concern for my love life, Timmy. Those that I date in the future will have to know that we are a combined package.” “I want to find the love that will keep me smiling into my twilight years. Those two men that my son talks about were looking not to get tied down. One mention I had a son and it was like I was screaming fire in the middle of the theater. They raced out with their pants ablaze and that cardboard cutout metaphorically making a shape of their bodies running through the door. If I really wanted to see if anybody was serious enough to make a commitment, all I had to do was announce my dirty little secret. Not one stuck around long enough. They were always polite, but made the necessary excuse to end the night abruptly.”

  “I just never want to see you lose your smile.” Timothy took his mother’s hand and they walked into the house with Lynn holding the box of memories underneath her arm.

  Lynn looked down at this little joy in her life and she knew that she had done one good thing. It had cost her dearly and the sacrifice was something that she thought she would never have to do. She had promised her mother on her dying breath that she would never find herself lost in the dark. Her mother told her to be her own light and not allow any man to hold her down from her dream. Lynn had never thought for a moment that any man could make her lose that part of herself, but it did happen. The father of Timothy had taken her breath away and made her think that anything was possible. She looked back on the way that he made her feel and it caused her to swallow hard at the realization that she had given up too soon. “Timothy’s father will always be special to me. He gave me something. I don’t think that I could be any grateful. I only wish that he was here right now. He could make things all right with just a smile. I want him to know how he grew up, but there’s no way that he can be here for him. I told him that his father cared for him deeply and that his death was quite sudden. I carry his memory in my heart and in the small locket that I wear on a necklace around my neck.”

  “I feel like I’m superman and I can do anything. I feel better than I have in days, mom. I don’t know why I didn’t tell you about the bully sooner. You made good sense and even though I was scared, I still did exactly what you said I should. I did get this letter that I have to give you from the principal. They have what is called a zero tolerance on fighting.” Timothy was all smiles. Skinning his knuckle fighting someone twice his size gave him a sense of confidence that he didn’t have before. He was walking a little straighter and the frown that he used to have going to school had turned into a huge smile. He projected a kid that could take care of himself.

  “The one thing that you need to know about your father is that he would be here if he could. It wasn’t his idea to leave you alone like this. I just hope that I have filled his shoes and believe me those shoes are considerably bigger than my own.” I have small feet. Taking on the role of father and mother has been quite daunting. This kid is a chip off the old block. I look down at him and I know that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be. Tomorrow, I meet up with Mandy, but I know that she has a hard time taking no for an answer. I just hope that I am strong enough to tell her in no uncertain terms that there’s no way that I can be her maid of honor. I’m a little surprised that she even asked and it’s not like we’ve been close the last five years. We’ve gone our separate ways and the only real connection we’ve had is the obligatory Christmas cards and birthday cards.

  Lynn went ahead and made supper and was quite pleased to see that her son had learned his lessons well. He did not try to shirk his duties and was setting the table. She did all the cooking, but he was an avid pupil that stood by her side to learn every thing that there was to know about pleasing a woman. He didn’t know it, but learning to cook was an aphrodisiac that would have most women looking at him like he was the second coming. He even washed the dishes and took out the trash. She had taught him from an early age that responsibility was not something to be taken lightly.

  They finished for the evening and he was allowed 1 hour of television before going to bed. There were very strict rules, but ones that were supposed to give him some structure. She saw her little boy growing up right in front of her eyes. It was hard not to look at him and see his father looking back.

  Chapter 5

  “It’s been so long and I don’t know where the time has gone. I have been wondering about what you’ve been up to. It’s so easy to lose sight of what really is important. I admit that I struggled to find my way, but my new husband to be has been nothing, but supportive of my career. He gave me the courage to keep fighting the good fight. I actually landed a commercial for a cosmetic company. I start filming next week and if all goes
well, they will use me for every campaign from this moment on.” Mandy was beside herself and she wasn’t allowing Lynn to get a word in edgewise. “The rehearsal dinner is in two days and I do hope that you have something special you can wear. I don’t want a bachelorette party and the only excitement that I need is what my husband is going to give me on my wedding night.”

  “I haven’t even given you my answer and you are assuming that I’m going to say yes. I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t know if I can be there for you on your big day. There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. I’m sure you know the reason…the reason.” She lost her train of thought. She looked up from your cup of coffee to see a familiar sight crossing the threshold. “This is exactly what I’ve been trying to avoid. I can’t see him and not feel a need to tell him how much I’ve missed him and what it did to me when he left me all alone.”

  Bailey walked over to the table and was quite surprised to see Lynn had been requested for this meeting. He thought that he was having an early breakfast with his sister. He had come across the street from the hotel that he was staying at. He had gotten in a little late and going to knock on his parents’ door would have woken them from a dead sleep. “I see that we are catching up with old friends. From the look on your face, Mandy I’m guessing that she didn’t exactly jump at the opportunity to be your maid of honor. Maybe there’s something that I can do to convince her otherwise.” Bailey sat down and his hand landed on Lynn’s by accident.

  Lynn felt that same electrical jolt. It was as if those five years were not even an issue. “I have a lot going on and I’m not sure that I can get away. I’m sure that there is no shortage of friends in your life that can step in where I can’t.” “I feel this need to kiss him and to pull him in closer. Instead, I casually pull away and I hope that I’m not sending mixed messages. I let his hand linger there a little bit too long. I couldn’t help it and those old feelings were coming to life. I want him to say that he will never leave me again, but I’m only asking that my heart be broken all over again.” “I don’t mean to disappoint, but you have to admit that this was a little short notice. I have responsibilities. I could show up for the wedding, but the responsibility of being maid of honor should go to somebody that has the time to devote to it.”

  “Lynn, I know seeing each other is hard and that we left things pretty much in the air. I would never ask you for anything, but this is my sister’s big day. You can’t look into her eyes and tell her straight to her face that this is not going to happen. I think it goes without saying that a woman’s marriage is the best time of their life. Whatever they want, they should have without question.” Bailey couldn’t get over how beautiful his past love was. She didn’t look like she had changed in the last five years, except there was a little bit more experience in her eyes. The naiveté that he had seen on their last night together was gone and replaced with something of a burden weighing heavily on her heart. “Let me try to convince you over dinner. I’m sure that I can wrangle a reservation at one of the finest restaurants in this town. I know the owner of the bistro down the street and he owes me a favor for introducing him to his wife.” Bailey had no idea that this was her favorite spot and he was pretty much singing her tune.

  “Brother, I don’t want her to do anything that she’s not comfortable with. I do think that you both need time to talk without the interference of a little sister. To be honest, I never understood why the both of you couldn’t make it work. The love in your eyes for one another was pretty damn clear to anybody that was looking. I don’t see a ring on either one of your fingers and maybe this is destiny bringing you back together again.” Mandy wasn’t going to beat a dead horse and decided to leave. She had pretty much gotten her answer, but she knew how persistent her brother could be.

  Lynn tried to grab Mandy’s arm to tell her without saying anything that leaving them alone was not a good idea. She was practically feeling like something crawling over her skin and this yearning to jump across this table and straddle his waist was almost too hard to resist. “I don’t know what I’m going to do if I’m left with him. I have to remain cool and detached and the only way to do that is to stop thinking of him without his clothes on. I lick my lips with anticipation and I know that I could probably drag him back to his hotel room and give him something to smile about.” Lynn was unsure of how to proceed, but he did make a proposal and maybe taking him up on it would prevent any further and lingering doubts about her own libido driving her out of her mind.

  “I think that my sister is a little transparent. It’s been a long time, Lynn and believe me I have thought about you fondly. You think that you can find the time from your busy schedule to have dinner with an old friend.” Bailey wasn’t assuming anything and the very fact that she was here was more than enough. He just wanted to extend the intimacy. “I thought by now that you would be married and have children.” Bailey saw her shift noticeably and this was a nervous habit that he had seen several times when they were dating back in the day. “I’m sorry if I have made any assumptions. I’m sure by now you have somebody special in your life and I would never want to cause you any problems. I’m sure that he would understand about old friends catching up. If it helps, I would be more than happy to come by and introduce myself, so that he doesn’t see me as a threat.”

  Lynn grabbed his arm with her nails digging into his wrist. She didn’t mean to be that forceful, but having him come to the house was out of the question. “I don’t think that it’s necessary to come to my house. We can meet at the restaurant and avoid any kind of trouble.” I haven’t told him that I have a child and I really don’t want to make him feel the same way that others have when they learn the truth. I want this moment to go back in time, but can I really do that and not expect something to happen between us. I’m looking forward to dining with him, but can I really keep my hands off of him? That’s a question that I’m going to have to answer and the only way to do that is to put myself into a position where I’m going to have to see him and to smell him again. It’s amazing, but he still has that scent of sex in the air.”

  “I would be my honor to accompany you to dinner. It’s been too long and I meant to stay in touch, but it just didn’t happen. I have no excuses. I’m sure that you thought of me as some playboy getting all that he can on the side. I’m not going to say that I’ve been a monk all these five years, but they’ve meant nothing to me. Nobody has gotten close enough to really touch my heart the way that you did. I’m sorry that I’m making it sound like I still carry a torch, but I think I do. I’ll see you at dinner and don’t even think about picking up the check. I know how independent you are, but this is on me.” Bailey got up reluctantly. He really didn’t want to leave, but he felt it was necessary to save face.

  “I don’t want you to go.” She had blurted it out so quickly that she didn’t even realize that she had done such a thing. “Oh god… Please say that he didn’t hear that. I’m going to be so embarrassed. Keep walking and don’t turn around for god’s sake. I can’t stand to see your blue eyes and not do something about it. You turn and you look at me one more time and all bets are off. I have to do something to make him think that what he heard wasn’t exactly what I said.” “I know that you have to, but I kind of miss seeing you.” Lynn waited and she saw him turn and give her this smirk that had her melting.

  “Did you just ask me not to go? What am I supposed to take from that, Lynn? What kind of game are you playing with me? You’d think that the man that you are involved with would have something to say about this? I didn’t come here to live out a fantasy that can never come true. Don’t tease me like this, unless you really want me to do something about it.” Bailey had lost his composure and now slammed his hand down on to the table making her jump. “I’ve never been able to get you out of my thoughts. You may have moved on, but I never did. I was always stuck in the past. I’ve tried to wrestle my way out of it by going to therapy, but nothing seems to work. Tell me what you want and stop beating
around the bush. I don’t want to play these games anymore. Just be honest with me and I will try to do the same thing for you.” He really couldn’t believe that he was actually saying these words. He thought that he would be able to hold it together, but seeing her after all this time had broken down his resolve.

  “The man in my life is the most important person, but you are the one that got away. You’re the one that I allowed to walk out of my life and not look back. Perhaps what I need is something to remind me of what we used to have. This way we can find some closure and close this chapter on our life.” “I look into his eyes and I see a man that has never loved another quite like he has with me. I can only hope that he’s not telling me what I want to hear. Is it possible that he wants one last fling with an old flame while he’s in town? Can I really deny him anything when he looks so damn delicious that I want to eat him with a spoon? He makes one more overture and I won’t be responsible for what I do next.”

  “I have a suite across the street. It seems pretty damn lonely without anybody there with me. I only have it for a few more hours. I’m planning to spend my time with my family, but that doesn’t mean that precludes you. I didn’t think that I would feel this way upon seeing you again, Lynn. Why do things have to be so damn confusing? You’ve always had a piece of me and I was never able to get that back. Come with me and don’t even think about it. Just throw caution to the wind and do something totally spontaneous for the first time in your life. Tell me that you’re not at least considering the possibilities. Remember what it was like the last time and how much better it can be this time around.” Bailey was laying it on thick, but he thought the best way to deal with something like this was face on.