Fortunate Sum

by M. Ullrich

  “I wanted to apologize,” Catherine said. “I made a lot of mistakes over the past two weeks, each one worse than the last. And please, don’t be mad at Sophia. I begged her to do this for me.”

  “Too late.”

  “Okay then.” Catherine looked down, seemingly regrouping her thoughts. “I had no idea Linda was going to be a client. When I got to work that Saturday, I was caught completely off guard. I didn’t ask her to come into my office that morning and I sure as hell didn’t invite her over on Friday night. At first I was confused about how I felt toward Linda being a part of my life again, so I disappeared.”

  “You were too confused to manage a text or phone call?”

  “I cannot apologize enough for my behavior.”

  “You got that right.” Imogene checked her watch. “Three minutes.” Time couldn’t pass quickly enough. Imogene was angry about being lied to and agitated because she wanted to forgive Catherine. Catherine was hitting all the right notes and Imogene wanted nothing more than to get lost in that melody, but she couldn’t ignore the small voice in the back of her mind.

  “What happened between you and Linda?” Imogene’s stomach twisted when she recalled the scenes from Catherine’s office and apartment. She thought she had the answer, but she needed to know the truth.

  “Imogene, I didn’t just ask you here to apologize.” Warning bells went off in Imogene’s head because Catherine was avoiding her question and her eyes.

  “You didn’t ask me here, you tricked me into showing up.” An eyebrow quirked in challenge. “Answer the question.”

  “We spent some time together. We talked about our past, and she wanted to have a future. I told her no, again and again. She stopped by my place that night and drunkenly forced herself on me, I swear.”

  “What about in your office, you seemed pretty cozy then, too.” Imogene checked her watch again.

  “She was there to apologize for the night before—”

  “What happened the night before?” Imogene wasn’t sure why she asked because she wasn’t entirely sure that she even wanted to know.

  “Imogene, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “What happened?” Imogene repeated her question through a clenched jaw. Catherine didn’t answer immediately, so she asked exactly what she needed to know, small facts that would tell her whether to stay or whether Catherine was just like every other woman from her past. “Did you kiss her?” She didn’t wait for a response before asking, “Did she touch you?” The silence that engulfed their table told Imogene everything she needed to know. “Go fuck yourself.” Imogene stood and tugged her jacket from the back of her chair so forcefully that its legs clattered against the floor.

  “Imogene, please, wait!” Catherine called out. She looked around nervously before chasing Imogene to the door and putting a hand on her shoulder. “I stopped her because it didn’t mean anything! I couldn’t stop thinking about you!”

  “I’m so sorry you couldn’t get your rocks off with your professor because of me.” Imogene pulled away and opened the large wooden door. “You’re unbelievable, you know that? You treat someone like this and expect an I’m sorry and a bouquet of flowers to fix it? At first I thought you were sad and a little lonely, but now I see you for what you really are, Catherine: a user and a liar. Stay away from me.” The door thudded closed in Catherine’s face.

  Catherine took her seat at the table and sat still while staring aimlessly at the small bouquet of flowers, impossible to get during the winter in New Jersey. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream and throw things. But she couldn’t muster up the necessary energy. Her shoulders slumped forward, and her head hung low. All the good things she had grown accustomed to in the past month had just drained from her life.

  “Red wine for you, and our house special.” The young waiter put the drinks in the center of the table. Her mouth puckered and her stomach turned at the thought of consuming anything, but she did a double take at the sight of Imogene’s cocktail. The martini glass was filled dangerously high with an electric blue liquid and garnished with a red cherry. She threw forty dollars on the table and rushed past the young man in an effort to catch up to the best thing that had ever happened to her.

  Out on the busy streets, Catherine strained to see over the heads of the pedestrians before her. She was moving quickly, weaving between bodies and even pushing a few out of her way while muttering short apologies. She looked from car to car, face to face, and when she reached a busy corner, she spotted Imogene hurrying across the street.

  “I’m in love with you!” Catherine felt possessed as the confession tore from her throat. Imogene froze. Catherine took the opportunity to catch up and run across the busy intersection, saying a silent thank you to the yellow light that slowed the cars. When she finally came face-to-face with Imogene, she grabbed her freezing hand.

  “I’ve known you for just over a month, and you’re all I can think about. I wonder what you’re doing, if you’re happy, if the shop is busy, or if you’re thinking about me. I haven’t been able to concentrate at work because every time I try to focus, I catch myself daydreaming about your smile, and then I remember how good it feels to make you laugh, and the way your nose scrunches when you do.” Her breathing was rapid from running and the cold air burned her chest and cheeks, but that wasn’t going to stop Catherine from pouring her heart out on the city street in a crowd of strangers. “I was sad and lonely, and, yes, I did make several really bad choices lately, but I never used you, and I didn’t lie. I can promise you everything I’ve told you until now has been the truth. I can have Alice vouch for me, hell I’ll even let Sophia read me!

  “I have a little more than two months until my birthday. I thought I’d have everything I’ve ever wanted by then, but I realize now if I don’t have you then I have absolutely nothing. You’ve changed me, Imogene Harris. You’ve brought back a piece of my life I thought was gone forever.” Her deep brown eyes widened in realization. “I feel born again.” Catherine was spurred on by the way Imogene tightened her grip. “Linda was nothing more than a mistake fueled by my own stupidity, and I’ll regret that for the rest of my life. I’ll apologize every day if you just tell me I have a chance. Please,” Catherine’s voice started to shake and her vision was distorted by tears. “Please tell me I have a chance.”

  A simple yes would’ve been a wonderful answer, but the kiss Imogene planted on Catherine’s chilly lips was the best response she could have ever hoped for. Imogene wrapped her arms around Catherine’s neck and pressed the length of her soft body against her. Their kiss accepted every apology and washed away any hurt suffered. Catherine’s past had finally faded to black.

  “You have a chance,” Imogene whispered against Catherine’s moist mouth. “Only one more.”

  “That’s all I’ll need.”

  They held on to one another long after their lips had parted, just breathing one another in and reaffirming the solidity of each other’s presence.

  “And I hope you’re still falling in love with me, too,” Catherine whispered into Imogene’s ear.

  “I couldn’t have stopped myself even if I tried.” Imogene stepped back. “One small request, though.”

  “Anything.” Catherine looked down into Imogene’s shining eyes.

  “Can we please go someplace warm? I’m freezing!” Imogene giggled through a violent shiver.

  “My place is right up the street.” Catherine had already started to lead the way.

  “That’s why you picked that bar?”

  “I had my reasons.” A sinister smile spread across Catherine’s face. “I was prepared for any and all outcomes. I’d be able to drink copious amounts of alcohol if you denied me, and if not, it’s just a short distance home.”

  “Very sly, Catherine, and well planned.”

  Catherine spun Imogene around and held her tightly. “Please don’t call me Catherine, ever again.”

  “Okay, Cat, I won’t.” Imogene’s bright smile could’ve
lit up the night sky. “Unless you’re in trouble, then I’ll use your middle name, too.”

  “You don’t know my middle name.”

  “I’ll get it from your mother.” Imogene looped her arm through Catherine’s bent elbow as they continued to walk.

  “She’ll never tell you.”

  “Sweetie, I’m so charming she’ll be ready to show me nude baby shots after our first conversation.”

  Catherine looked at her and knew she spoke the truth.

  They walked together arm in arm, laughing freely and dreaming of what the next day would bring. Imogene teased and Catherine laughed as she wondered what it was she had done so right in her life to be able to have everything that mattered just in the nick of time.

  Epilogue

  “Happy birthday.” Alice leaned in and gave Catherine a kiss on the cheek before turning back to the large front door. “I love you and don’t forget dinner on Friday. Mackenzie has been asking for Imogene, you know.”

  “The woman is stealing the kids from me already? I’ll have to have a talk with her.” Catherine chuckled.

  “Good-bye, Cat.” They shared another quick hug before Alice departed, speaking on her way out the door. “Bye, Mr. Carter.”

  “Always a pleasure, Alice.” The door shut with a heavy thud, leaving father and daughter in an odd silence.

  “You’ve done very well for yourself,” Terrence Carter said. “I’m very proud of you, Catherine.” He towered over his youngest child and gave her a firm pat on her back.

  The candles had been blown out hours prior, and Catherine had been counting the minutes until she and Imogene could leave.

  “Thanks, Dad. That means a lot coming from you.” She wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him. At times like this, she felt like a small child again. Their relationship had come a long way and she was grateful.

  “You should bring Imogene around more, she’s a delight.”

  “We’ll try to make it out here more often. I’m sure Mom would be happy about that as well.” She laughed as she thought of how her mother had scolded her multiple times that day for not meeting Imogene sooner. “Where are those two anyway?”

  “They’re still in the kitchen.” Catherine tried to ignore the panic she felt at the thought of her mother having Imogene all to herself for more than two uninterrupted minutes. She stood with her hands in her pockets, bouncing on her heels, impatiently waiting for Imogene to join her by the front door.

  “Hey, Dad?”

  “Yes?”

  “I need to ask you something.” She turned and looked up to her father. “Ms. Henderson.”

  “Who?”

  “Patrick’s junior year English teacher.”

  “Right.” His tan face relaxed. “What about her?”

  “You were so disgusted when you found out she married her girlfriend.” She didn’t need to continue, the unasked question was in the air between them. The odd memory from her childhood had bothered her for some time, and that moment seemed as good as any to bring it up.

  “My feelings toward Ms. Henderson had nothing to do with her sexual orientation, but they had everything to do with the fact that the woman was a drunk.” He snorted.

  “What?”

  “A few of my friends from the club had seen her stumbling from bars at all hours, several days a week, even if it was a school night. Your mother and I approached the board of education about it, but her father was some sort of a bigwig within the district. No amount of legal know-how on my part could help.”

  “Oh.”

  “You didn’t think I had a problem with her being a lesbian, did you?”

  “No, Dad. You were Max’s best man when he married John. That’s why I was so confused, actually.” Catherine’s smile was reassuring as she bumped her shoulder into Terrance’s arm. “It certainly does explain a lot, though.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Patrick still thinks ‘irregardless’ is a word.” Their shared laughter resounded loudly in the open entryway.

  ❖

  Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Imogene squirmed in an embrace that had been going on for far too long. She heard laughter coming from the other room and wanted nothing more than to make an escape.

  “It was really nice to meet you, Mrs. Carter.” Imogene gave the older woman a pat on the back in hopes of being released from an oddly firm grip.

  “I told you to call me Martha.” Her arms tightened around Imogene. “I’m just so happy! I never thought this day would come.” She finally released her, but Imogene’s relief was short-lived when Martha gripped her face between her hands. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to Catherine.” Imogene was startled by the similarities between mother and daughter. She knew exactly what an older Catherine would look like, and she felt all the more lucky for it.

  “Don’t you dare hurt my little girl.”

  “I would never.”

  “Good! Now get going! I know how impatient that one can get.”

  The women emerged from the kitchen and laughed at the sight that greeted them. Catherine was pacing back and forth in front of the door, worrying at her thumb’s rough cuticle. Her eyes lit up when Imogene entered the room.

  “Ready to go, Catherine Elizabeth?” Imogene smiled warmly at Catherine’s endearing impatience.

  Catherine looked at her mother. “What did she do to get that information from you?”

  Imogene laced her fingers between Catherine’s and gripped her hand.

  “All she did was ask.” Martha winked at Imogene.

  “Okay, we’re leaving before she can ask about anything else!”

  Together, Catherine and Imogene said their good-byes and made promises of another get-together soon. They walked into the springtime breeze holding hands and smiling.

  They spent the drive home in comfortable silence. Imogene kept the conversation she had with Martha to herself, and Catherine hummed softly to the song on the radio. She gripped the steering wheel with one hand while she laid the other on Imogene’s thigh. They didn’t speak until they arrived at Catherine’s condo, a space that had become a home to Imogene over the two months in which they were inseparable.

  “That went well,” Imogene said, both women stumbling through the door laughing quietly.

  “I told you that there was no reason to worry.” Catherine spun Imogene around and pinned against her front door. Winter had died and May had come quickly, bringing along with it unusually warm days. The trees outside Catherine’s condominium building bloomed fully and stood proudly in the spotlight of the late evening sunset. The wide array of pinks and purples made the view from her large windows look more like a million-dollar pastel than real life.

  “I wasn’t worried, just nervous. The Carters seemed like an intimidating group.” As Imogene spoke, she fingered the collar of Catherine’s sky blue polo shirt. She stared back into Catherine’s sparkling chocolate eyes and tried to focus on the playful emotion within them instead of the playful fingers that were sliding beneath the hem of her skirt.

  “And what do you think of them now?” Catherine moved in closer, pressing her body along Imogene’s full length. Their noses were an inch apart, and Imogene was finding it hard to focus on the question. She was sure she’d never tire of the effect Catherine had on her.

  “They’re a little stiff, but incredibly kind people. Just like you were when I first met you, before you made fun of my best friend.” They both laughed and as Catherine tried to step back, Imogene pulled on her brown leather belt to keep her in place. “Your father was quite the gentleman. Your brothers, however—”

  “Were incredibly jealous.” Catherine finished Imogene’s sentence in a husky voice. “Their eyes almost fell out when they saw you, and Rachel didn’t speak to me once the entire time.” Imogene sighed as Catherine nipped at her lower lip. “Best birthday ever.”

  “After you blew out your candles,” Imogene paused to untuck Catherine’s shirt from her pants, “Patrick
turned to me and said, ‘I can’t believe my baby sister has the hottest chick in the room!’” Imogene did her best impression of Patrick’s deep voice. “You’re clearly the well-spoken one of the group.”

  “Well, he was only speaking the truth.” Catherine slid her palms along the surface of the door until they were stretched above Imogene’s head, bringing their bodies impossibly closer. Catherine leaned in and continued, “You were the most jaw-dropping, gorgeous woman in the room, and I’m grateful that you’re mine.” Catherine dropped her hands and caressed Imogene’s shoulders. “It feels good to have something they don’t.” Imogene grew worried when Catherine’s expression turned serious.

  “What’s that?” Imogene’s brain wasn’t working quickly enough to solve the riddle, not when Catherine was so close and touching her with such promise.

  “They don’t know what it’s like to truly be in love.” Imogene smiled and Catherine turned her attention to the tiny, torturous buttons on Imogene’s blouse. She unbuttoned them one by one.

  “I still have to give you my gift.” Imogene’s voice cracked as Catherine’s hot, moist lips made their way to her throat and all the sensitive spots that caused her knees to grow weak.

  “I’m unwrapping my gift now.” Catherine took off Imogene’s delicate blouse and gripped her breasts in her reverent palms. She teased Imogene’s hard nipples through a barrier of indigo lace. Imogene grasped at the small of Catherine’s back, fingernails digging in just as her sensitive peaks were being circled for the second time. She squeezed her thighs together to alleviate some of the pressure that had turned into a persistent throb.

  “It’s tickets to an art show in Boston and a weekend at a fancy hotel.” Their lips met in a fierce, long, wet kiss before separating with a loud pop. “Now take me to bed.” Catherine threw Imogene over her left shoulder.

  An hour later, as they lay naked in one another’s arms, Catherine drew lazy shapes along the bare plane of Imogene’s freckled back. The violet comforter and lavender sheets were tangled at their feet and discarded long ago. Imogene lay languidly across Catherine’s prone body, her head atop her lover’s chest, and she let her thoughts dance along to the rhythmic beat of a steady heart. “Was it everything you hoped it would be? Your birthday, I mean,” Imogene said, her voice husky from lovemaking.