“Oh. What happened to her?”
“She passed away a few months back. Breast cancer”
“I’m so sorry, Henry.”
“Me, too. She really was the strongest person I know, and not just because she’s my mom. After high school, she packed up her belongings and moved from Pennsylvania to New York in hopes of making it big on Broadway. She had a really pretty singing voice,” Henry adds with a faraway look in his eyes, as if he is remembering a sweet song she once sang to him.
“Anyway, my mom met my dad in a club in Manhattan when she was only twenty. She was naïve, and he fed her a bunch of lies about being some big deal Wall Street stockbroker, which she believed since he drove a fancy car and took her out to expensive restaurants. In the end, though, after he got her in bed, his calls became less and less, and then, when she dropped the pregnancy bomb, poof, he was gone.
“My mom was a fighter and never gave up. She had me all on her own, and it was just the two of us. She worked during the day as a receptionist and then at night from home as a medical transcriber. It was hard, but we made ends meet.
“My grandparents helped when they could and sent money. They tried to convince Mom to move back home constantly, but she was determined to make it work, and for the most part, she did. They passed away when I was in high school, but I know they were proud of her and all of her accomplishments.”
“Wow,” I say, taking a breath that I didn’t realize I was holding while listening to him talk. “She sounds like she was an amazing woman.”
“She really was. She would have really liked you, Kate. You both have similar personalities: fun loving and kind.” At that, my hearts breaks a little for Henry.
How did I go six months working side-by-side with this man and not know anything about his personal life? Part of me feels kind of crappy for not making the effort to get to know him better. Regardless of my own failing relationship, it would have only taken minutes to ask about his day. I am here now, though, and the more I get to know Henry, the more I see that his beauty goes much deeper than just his blue eyes.
As he continues talking about his mother, I have the sudden desire to show him some comfort. Reaching out, I take hold of his left hand with my right. He stops briefly, looks down where we are joined, smiles, and then, without a missing a beat, continues to walk and talk.
“She was worried about me toward the end, knowing her passing was going to be hard on me. She didn’t want me to be alone,” he says with a squeeze of my hand. “She kept trying to convince me to go out and find someone, but it wasn’t the right time, and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, anyway.
“I don’t want to sound too much like a momma’s boy, but I liked that it was just the two of us at the end, just as it always had been growing up. I used that time to not only say my goodbyes, but to also thank her for everything she had ever done for me. She gave up her youth to raise me, and I don’t think I can ever repay her for that,” Henry ends; his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
“I can’t even imagine how tough it was for you. I come from a big, Irish-Italian family on Long Island where family gatherings are more like a three ring circus than a quiet evening in. It’s loud and exhausting and loud.”
“You said loud twice,” Henry replies as he gives me a shoulder bump.
“Yeah, well, it’s really loud, so it needs to be said twice for effect,” I respond and Henry laughs.
“Sounds like a lot of fun to me.”
“For the most part, it is. Believe me, I wouldn’t trade any of them, but being the youngest of five sisters, I would have loved the undivided attention of my parents, even if it was just for a day. I was treated like a baby for most of life. Even now that I am living on my own, my older sisters still feel the need to give me unsolicited advice on everything from who I should date to how I should dress,” I finish right as a new thought pops into my head and out of my mouth without hesitation.
“Oh, hey, you should come with me to my parents’ house. They host a monthly family dinner with everyone: all my sisters, their husbands, and my twelve nieces and nephews. It’s mass chaos, but it comes with cake and coffee at the end of the evening, so it’s totally worth it.” I chuckle. “The next dinner is in two weeks, and my mother cooks enough food to feed a small army. They would love having you, and I would love having some backup when dealing with my sisters.”
Henry now has the hugest smile on his face. “That sounds really great, Kate. I would love to come.”
Stopping at the next corner, our official ‘tour’ completely forgotten in place of getting to know each other, Henry turns to face me. His deep blue eyes feel as if they are penetrating my soul. I am suddenly very nervous, and I hate to admit it at such an inopportune moment, but I am also a tiny bit turned on. He looks so serious and so very sexy right now with the bright sunshine illuminating him from behind.
I bring my coffee cup to my lips since I honestly have no clue what to do as Henry begins to speak.
“I just wanted to say thank you for listening. I haven’t really spoken about my mother since she died, and this was really nice, so thanks.”
Swallowing my mouthful of coffee along with my lust, I respond with a barely audible whisper, “Anytime.”
Chapter Five
After our very serious moment on the street corner in Brooklyn, things between Henry and I lightened up, and I finally got my official tour of the neighborhood. Henry took me past all the important locations, like the corner market, dry cleaners, pharmacy, as well as pointed out his favorite pizzeria.
“Is the crust thin and crispy?” I ask. “I am very picky about my pizza. I have very specific cheese to sauce ratio requirements,” I say in all seriousness.
Henry only rolls his eyes and laughs.
“Don’t laugh at me. Great pizza is an art form and the right amount of cheese to sauce is what differentiates it between a Van Gough and something my 2-year-old niece would draw. ” I say with a huff. “You can’t call yourself a New Yorker and not understand this.”
Henry simply keeps smiling like he isn’t buying anything I’m saying.
“That’s it!” I toss my coffee cup in the nearest garbage can. “Pizza is practically a religion in New York, and I don’t think I can be friends with someone who doesn’t get that.”
Henry stares at me like I have two heads. “Did you just say that pizza is a religion?”
“Yes, I did. Do you have a problem with that?” I respond as a stubborn child would, with arms across my chest.
“Nope, not at all. Amen to pizza.” Henry raises his hand in a sign of prayer up to the sky.
We both break out into fits of laughter then continue our walk.
“I had this friend my freshman year of college who was originally from Chicago. He was a die-hard deep-dish lover.” I say, a shiver of disgust rolling through my belly as I continue to postulate about pizza. “He tried really hard to convince me of its superiority until I dragged him onto the train and headed over to Ave. J.”
“Di Fara’s?” Henry asks with a knowing look.
“Yep. He had tears in his eyes after the first bite. He said that one slice of pizza was right up there with the best sex he’d ever had,” I say with an amused smile.
“Seriously?” Henry asks. “I don’t think the guy is having the right kind of sex then.”
“Why would you say that? Just thinking about all that hot delicious pizza really gets my naughty parts tingling.” I say jokingly, drawing out each syllable and using my most breathy sex voice. “The combination of crispy crust, the sweet tang of tomato bursting with hints of oregano all covered in lush melted cheese. The way it slides down your throat warming your belly.”
“I can hurry and order a pie if you want to test it out.” Henry says with a sly gleam in his eyes.
“That’s actually not a bad idea. It’s been a while since I’ve had both, good pizza and good sex.”
“I’m right there with you. Well, maybe not the pizz
a part. I just had Di Fara’s last week but, definitely the sex part.” Henry responds and I can tell he is trying to make light of his lack of recent intimacy but I can hear the sadness in his tone. He sounds forlorn at having missed out on so much while caring for his mother.
“We sound so pathetic right now”.” I say with a chuckle while giving a supportive nudge to Henry’s shoulder.
“Wow, we really do, don’t we? This pizza talk is getting depressing all of a sudden.” Henry replies facetiously. He quickly follows that up with a more serious turn. “We deserve great sex, both of us. It’s not right that two good, hardworking people like us are suffering through a drought. We deserve the kind of sex that comes from having a real connection, not pizza. It’s all about looking into your partner’s eyes as you sink into them, feeling every breath, every push and pull, the heated whispers of passion, the gentle caresses and the declarations of love. We need the whole experience.”
Henry says all of this while looking directly into my eyes. I can only imagine what he sees in return - eyes glazed over, face flushed, nipples peaked and pressing against my too tight tank top. I’m standing on the sidewalk nervous all of a sudden and very much turned on, wishing I still had my coffee cup to distract myself from his penetrating gaze. Perspiration is starting to trickle down my back and it’s not just from the sweltering July sun. I desperately want everything that Henry has just described and what’s more, I want it all with him.
Trying to distract myself from wayward thoughts of Henry, pizza and naked bodies I turn my gaze away from his and hastily change the subject all together. I don’t want him to see how much his words affected me so I begin mindlessly chatting about work and my family. When I tell Henry about signing the lease for Love Lane he is genuinely happy for me. We then continue to walk and talk in more detail about my upcoming move, all thoughts of pizza and sex now forgotten.
As the morning sun moves higher across the sky, we begin the loop back around to where we first started and pass a quaint little bakery on the way with the most deliciously indulgent chocolate brownies I have ever had. With each bite I try to keep my moans of delight to a minimum, but it is seriously hard. These are some damn good brownies. After I lick my fingers clean of all the leftover gooey bits and snag a few more to take home Henry walks with me the next few blocks to the subway entrance. Standing at the top of the stairs, I turn to thank him for spending the day with me, for the fabulous tour and for the great conversation. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun and felt this carefree. I’m as giddy as a teenager at the end of their first date and I think Henry feels the same way. He returns a grateful smile and before I even have time to think about what I am doing I step closer, inch up on my toes and plant a chaste kiss to Henry’s cheek. And wouldn’t you know it, Henry blushes and my heart does this curious little jump in my chest.
As I lay in bed later that night, thoughts of Henry once again invade my mind. His strength and selflessness while caring for his mother is unbelievably honorable. I have a whole new respect and understanding for him now. I am so grateful that I took a chance and went for coffee. Those damn tingles in my belly are back with force, and I am really starting to like having them there.
***
“Good morning, sunshine,” Mindy calls out as I make my way past her office.
She got the full rundown of my tour ‘date’ with Henry while on the phone Sunday afternoon. After each sentence, I got the same response, “I told you he was perfect, didn’t I?”
“Yes, Mindy, Henry was great, and we had a fabulous time. Now stop repeating yourself; it’s getting old.”
“Fine, but I always knew the two of you would be perfect for each other. Just don’t overthink it too much like you sometimes do, and go with the flow. ”
“Goodbye, Mindy. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
“Okay, bye, babe.” With that, we hung up, and I found myself actually contemplating a future with Henry, and man, did it feel good.
“Hey, Mindy, how’s it going?” I respond as I stop at her office door.
“Well, it’s Monday, and I have a meeting in about five minutes with the client from hell, but other than that, I’m great. Did you see lover boy yet this morning? Did he say anything about your date? Did he ask you out again?”
“Wow, take a breath and relax. No, I haven’t seen Henry yet today. I just got in, and please stop because now you’re making me nervous to see him.”
“Okay, sorry. I’m just super excited for you. I haven’t seen you looking this happy for a long time.”
“I am happy. It was a great weekend, and I’m glad that I went out with Henry, but I don’t want to force anything. I am just going to take this slow and see how it progresses. Henry has had it rough over the past year and I want to let him set the pace.”
“Well, I personally think you should just jump him and get it over with already, but I’ll be good,” Mindy says nonchalantly with a shrug of her shoulders.
“You are impossible. I am not even going to dignify that with a response. You better get to your meeting before you’re late.” I walk away, shaking my head, which is now filled with images of Henry and I in bed.
This is going to be a long day.
***
Henry
“Hey, Mom. I brought your favorite today—pink roses.”
Sitting down on the fluffy patch of green grass, I place the roses in the fluted plastic vase that sits at the base of her tombstone. Mom always loved flowers; it was the one thing she would splurge on for herself. When she got sick and started chemo, fresh flowers weren’t allowed due to risk of infection, so instead, I covered her walls with photographs of every variety of flowers I could find. Now I always make a point to pick up a bouquet before I visit.
I know it’s silly, but I find so much comfort in coming to the cemetery to talk with her. I can feel her presence here and know she is listening.
“Remember that girl at work I told you about, Kate? She broke up with her boyfriend, and I feel so guilty about how happy that makes me feel. She’s leaving the apartment they shared and will be moving to Love Lane. I gave her the grand tour yesterday, and she loved DeVito’s pizza.” I chuckle, thinking back to how adorably goofy Kate was while preaching about her love of pizza.
“I’ve wanted her for so long, and after spending the day with her, I want her even more.” I go on to tell Mom all about the conversation I overheard between Mindy and Kate, the one where Kate said I wasn’t her type, leaving out the part about my ‘package’ of course.
“I could sense from her yesterday—from the way she smiled to the way she held my hand—that she feels it, too. I am her type. We fit together perfectly, but I’m also scared. She was with her boyfriend for a long time, and I don’t want to be just a rebound. I want to be her forever.”
Chapter Six
The week has continued to fly by in a whirlwind of work, followed by packing box after box and taking each spare moment I can get on the phone, talking with Henry. We found that we have a great deal in common, which helps our conversations flow easy. Hours pass with ease as we talk about everything from the most mundane, like what we ate for dinner that night, to our mutual obsession with The Walking Dead. The more serious topic of Henry’s mother—her cancer, the continuous care, and the anger and despair it caused Henry—is also spoken about frequently.
I think finally talking about her again after months of mourning has been therapeutic for him. Conversations that once left Henry withdrawn are now often accompanied with laughs from fond childhood memories which are then quickly followed by a few of my own that almost always revolve around one of my sisters doing something that thoroughly embarrassed me.
Henry has also made it very clear during more than one conversation that he will be helping me move this weekend. “That’s what friends do for each other, Kate, so don’t even think about saying no. You know I’m good for all that heavy lifting.”
“What makes you think I would say
no? I have the heaviest boxes already marked with your name,” I joke while contemplating that word: friends. It causes such a mix of emotions inside me. I am genuinely happy that Henry and I have become friends, but a part of me—a part that seems to be growing each day—wants more than friendship.
I want to wrap my arms around him in support when he talks about his mother. I want to press my lips against his whenever he smiles with that damn sexy smirk. More than anything, late at night, when we would normally be on the phone talking or texting, I want instead to be lying right beside him, our bodies flush together, expressing words of passion.
“It’s settled, then. I’ll meet you in front of your new building Saturday at eight a.m. how does that sound?”
“That sounds perfect, Henry. I really do appreciate the help.”
“Anything for you, Kate.”
Chapter Seven
I was beyond restless last night, flipping the covers on and off, rolling from side to side and looking over at my clock more times I could count. I even attempted to read a few chapters in my book, but was too distracted with my own thoughts to concentrate on anything. My excitement over the move is practically infectious. Hell, even Braydon woke up with a smile on his face, something I haven’t seen in my presence in weeks, maybe even months. Then again, it may just be that he is finally going to be rid of me today.
Getting a head start yesterday, my parents and a few of my sisters and their spouses came over to help load my belongings into the moving van. They offered to help today, as well, and get me settled into the new apartment, but to be honest, I want this to be something that is just Henry and I. I crave time alone with him, anything to have him to myself for a few hours, even if it involves moving boxes.
Hopping into the van, I give the key a twist and listen as the engine turns over. The voice of Billie Joe Armstrong from Greenday starts quietly coming from the radio, singing ironically about turning points and forks stuck in the road.
Lucky: A Love Lane Short Page 3
