A Modern Love

by M. Glenn Aldridge

  Chapter 30

  All the good things going on in David's life left him constantly thinking good thoughts, and good thoughts led to great feelings.

  As David was strolling through the courtyard one day he found himself looking over towards Frank's apartment; actually staring right at his front door. He stopped for a long moment and thought about how good things were going for him and how lonely Frank must truly be. Frank would never lead on that he was lonely, thought David, but he must be none the less. I mean even people that like their privacy, or their "alone time", have to have some human contact. I'm not sure Frank's patrols of The Villa, along with his diatribes about parking spaces to anyone who will listen, really counts as human contact. No, pondered David, Frank needs someone. Someone like ? well like Miss Donna; maybe she'd straighten him out a bit. David laughed at this thought.

  David found himself staring at the ground now toeing a pebble as he does. With a feeling of shame (for some reason he felt that too much good luck might be coming his way, he needs to spread some of that luck on to Frank) David slowly made his way back to his apartment with his shoulders hunkered down and his hands in his pockets.

  When David reached his front door an idea struck him. I'll just go by and see Frank, you know talk "Mano a Mano" to him; tell him what I think. He probably won't appreciate me butting into his private business, but ? well I think it's the right thing to do so I'll just throw caution to the wind. Maybe in the end he'll appreciate my boldness, or more likely it will at least get him thinking; after all Frank is a thinking man.

  David felt he was on a positive mission, so he didn't even bother going into his apartment. He just spun around on his door step and headed right for Franks.

  David didn't doubt what he was doing until right after he gave a firm knock to Frank's front door. Waiting for Frank to answer the door David felt his palms get moist and his throat go dry. Maybe he was too hasty in his decision to take this project on?

  "Can I help you," said Frank in a condescending tone as he whipped the door open quickly, almost violently, David thought.

  "Hi Frank! How's your day?" David tried to put on a confident polite face. He thought about how Jennifer would handle such a situation, and then tried to mirror her social graces.

  "Oh I'm just peachy David, and how the hell are you?" Again Frank stuck with his over the top tone.

  "I'm real good ? real good Frank," David began toeing the ground, failing to provide eye contact to Frank, which only angered him.

  "Well damn son, I can tell you've got something on that little mind of yours and I'm not gonna get you off my doorstep until you spill it, so get yourself in here and make it snappy," Frank stepped to the side, opening the doorway for David, while doing one of those little bowing sarcastic arm gestures that says: "come on in your Highness". It was quite a funny gesture to see from a full grown man.

  David moved quickly through Frank's doorway, thinking that if he didn't he might get a slap on the back of the head with an admonishment for lollygagging. Then again, thought David, that old Frank's more bark than bite, I can tell.

  Once inside, and beyond arm reach of Frank, David stopped and waited for Frank to close the front door and provide instructions of where this little conversation would occur. David wondered if these instructions would include a syllabus and dates for the mid-terms and final exams. He kind of smiled with this thought, but wiped his face clean before Frank turned around to face him. No need in antagonizing the guy, thought David.

  "Well don't just stand there with that dopey look on your face son, get on into the kitchen table and have a seat," Frank's tone of voice hand changed a bit, he sounded more like he was cracking a joke now. David turned quickly and made his way into the kitchen. Frank smiled but David didn't see him.

  David took a seat in the spot that looked least likely to be Frank's normal sitting place, the chair with its back to the kitchen window. He didn't figure Frank normally sat at the table eating his meals while staring at the refrigerator. David was correct; he sat directly across from Frank's normal seat. This saved him from a tongue lashing for invading Frank's precious space.

  David produced a nervous little cough as he settled himself in his chair. Frank didn't sit down immediately, deciding instead to make his way to the coffee pot.

  "Would you like something to drink David?" David was taken off guard by how polite Frank sounded. He didn't expect to be offered a beverage, let alone to be offered a drink in such a nice, polite way.

  "Ur uh," David stammered.

  "Well boy do ya or don't ya?" Frank isn't one to give folks a lot of time to think; guess he's so smart he doesn't need much time to make up his mind. That's a bit of a quirk in his personality, along with a lot of others; he thinks everyone should be as quick as him.

  "Uh ya ? yes I'd take some ice water."

  "Ice water ? ice water ?coffee not good enough for ya?" Frank was obviously joking, but David didn't catch on.

  "Well, I just ? umm ?" David felt his throat tighten up.

  "I'm just yanking your chain David ? ice water it is ? comin' right up." Frank laughed, and shook his head, as he pulled the glass out of the cupboard. David just smiled as his faced turned just slightly red then faded quickly. He was glad Frank was showing a sense of humor, but he was struggling with what was supposed to be funny and what was not. Frank's sure got a "dry" sense of humor, David thought.

  "Here you go," Frank said as he handed David his glass of ice water. David immediately took a sip to loosen up his tense throat.

  Frank sat down slowly into his chair and placed his coffee mug in front of him while providing David with steady eye contact that reminded him of his second grade teacher, Mrs. Greenwood. She was a scary lady to a child. Standing six feet tall in heels and always wearing the same types of dresses, most of which were, oddly, one shade of green or another. You could say she was overbearing both in appearance and demeanor.

  "So David, what do I owe this visit to ? what's on your mind that made you march right on over and knock on my door without calling ahead first?" David found this funny, thinking: wow I bet he's soooo busy. Does he really think I don't know he has nothing much going on?

  "Well I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doin', maybe chat with you a while." David wondered if Frank could see through this fa?ade; that he really came over to push him in a direction, possibly toward Mrs. Donna.

  "Is that right David ? that's why you came on over huh ? to, as you say, chat a while. 'Cause you know how I love talking small. You don't quite know what a rhetorical question is but can you sense sarcasm David?" Frank was smiling and David could tell, this time, that he was only joking.

  "Yes, somehow I sense it," David laughed a little and Frank followed, easing the mood.

  "So what's really on your mind David, let's cut through the bullshit. We're just too guys drinking our coffee, and ? ice water, chattin' it up. So what's the scoop?" Frank wasn't being pushy really; he just didn't want to waste time beating around the bush. David appreciated that as he's better at coming right to the point anyway.

  "Well Frank," David's voice took on a more relaxed tone now. "I suppose I just felt like talking about how things are going; I mean in regards to Jennifer Holmes and I. Are you aware we've been seeing each other?"

  "Yes I'm aware, there's really nothing that goes on in The Villa that everyone doesn't know about. With all these busybodies 'round here ya know, news travels fast. I probably knew you were seeing Jennifer before you did." Frank laughed loudly.

  David wondered if Frank included himself on that list of busybodies he'd made.

  "Well anyways, it's been a pretty happy time for me and I just felt like spreading the joy." David wondered if Frank would make light of what could have been seen as a fairly corny comment. He didn't.

  "Good for you David," Frank said with a smile and a sip of coffee. I mean hell son, when you were going about with that Amy Helme
r I thought maybe your brains had fallen below your belt line. She's just trouble. But ? I hear Jennifer Holmes is a lady." Frank's tone of voice was one of providing necessary approval.

  "She is a lady ? that's a good way to describe her. She makes me pretty happy, and I think I do the same for her. I hope so."

  "Well good luck figuring out women David," said Frank as he reached across the table and slapped David on the shoulder. David thought wow! What male bonding we have here.

  "That's for sure," replied David. He realized he was feeding in a bit to a little female negativity, but he had to wholeheartedly agree that women were complex and tough to figure out.

  With belly laughs, sips from coffee and ice water, along with a long silent moment David began to relax. He resituated himself in his chair and looked around Frank's kitchen. It was a little sparse, thought David; needs a women's touch.

  "You know Frank, I think we're gonna be gettin' married." David said this while still glancing about the kitchen.

  "Is that right?"

  "Yup."

  "What makes you think that ? have you popped the question yet?" Frank didn't sound pessimistic really. He sounded quite interested.

  "Well not in so many words ? we've talked about it."

  "I see, you've ? 'talked about it' huh?" Frank had some sarcasm in his voice now.

  "Yah we've talked about it ? and while, I suppose, that takes away some of the romance of a surprise proposal, I still think she'll be happy when I do. I mean our discussions have been pretty darn positive and she's started all that wedding planning stuff. I'm saving for a ring ya know." David sounded excited.

  "Well David, sounds like you've got something good on your horizon. All you can hope for is to be happy ? and you sure seem it." Frank smiled and sipped from his mug.

  "I sure am Frank ? I sure am". David watched Frank as he looked over his shoulder out the window and began to speak.

  "I was happy once." Frank paused for a long moment.

  "Don't get me wrong, I'm OK enough with my life, not depressed or anything like that, but there was a time when I was genuinely happy. Wendy. When Wendy, my late wife ya know, was with me ? well it was the best time of my life. She was a true lady, just everything a man could want."

  David listened closely and watched as Frank continued to stare out the kitchen window and his eyes sparkled just a bit.

  "Wendy helped make this topsy-turvy world make sense. No matter how many bad people or things in the world you knew about; knowing that the Lord made someone like Wendy proved there was good in the world." Frank took a deep breath and looked back at David, then down at his coffee mug with a faint smile.

  After what David thought was an appropriate pause, he said: "You know Frank; I know you could never replace your wife, but wouldn't she ? wouldn't Wendy want you to find another companion? I know you're "OK" with your current life, but wouldn't Wendy like to see you not be alone so much?"

  "Well David, I think you're a great guy ? like you and all, but I'm not really interested in that type of relationship with you."

  "I didn't mean me Frank!" David yelped out with a high pitched voice, nearly shouting.

  "Duh kid, I was only joking." David was a bit embarrassed realizing he should have figured Frank would go from teary eyed talk about Wendy back to his dry sense of humor.

  "Oh phew, you had me worried there for a minute Frank," David said with a large gulp from his glass." Inside he was still kicking himself for being so gullible.

  "So something tells me ? David ? that you just happen to have someone in mind as my new; how did you put it; companion?" Frank had his best sarcastic tone in play.

  "Well I do ? I do. I was just thinking that you and ?"

  "Miss Donna," Frank interrupted.

  "Ah, you either read my mind Frank or you already know there's some obvious connection. Hmm?"

  "Well she did "hit on me" a little while back. At least I think she did." Frank was pretty sure he was right.

  "Is that right?" David meant this as a positive reinforcement of what Frank had said, but Frank took it as: prove she really "hit on you".

  So Frank explained the last banana bread visit he had from Miss Donna and how, to him anyway, she was obviously "hitting on him" or "coming on to him" or what ever it is you kids call it these days.

  "Yep, sure does sound like she was "hitting on ya" Frank. So what're ya gonna do about that?" David was almost goading Frank into action. He figured if he sort of challenged Frank to make a move on Miss Donna he probably would, even if it was just to win the challenge.

  "You trying to manipulate me boy?" Frank was smiling as he got up from the table to freshen up his coffee. David should have known Frank was too much of a thinker to be tricked into such things.

  "Caught red handed, wasn't I?" David smiled as Frank poured his coffee.

  "You want some more ice water there David?"

  "Sure, thanks."

  As Frank sat back down and they both commenced to sipping there drinks and such, David felt he began to see a side of Frank few get to see. He seemed more open to his opinion, his thoughts. Frank made him feel ? well smart ? like his opinion had merit. David supposed Professors have this ability; ya know, to either tear down your hypothesis or lift it up and let it soar with the eagles. What ever ? thought David, all I know is Frank is comin' round.

  After numerous more minutes of discussion, Frank had come to his stance on the situation.

  "I'll tell you what David, it's real nice of you to care enough to come over and talk to me about this; real polite of ya. And ? I'd have to say you've got a good point. Also, I don't think you're in left field about Miss Donna, she does seem to be a fine lady." Frank sounded a bit professional in his tone; like he was teaching a large class of graduate students or something. Still David had his hopes up about where Frank was headed.

  "Soooo ?." David wasn't trying to be pushy, but was ready to cut to the chase.

  "Soooo," Frank did his best monkey see monkey do impression. "I'll consider it. I'll really think on what you've said." Frank smiled and again looked over David's shoulder out the window.

  David knew Frank well enough now to know he had already made up his mind. Frank is just too smart and quick witted to need to think long on such a subject, thought David. No ? he's already made up his mind, and he's going to go for it. I can tell ? I can just tell. David was ecstatic.

  Not wanting to spoil what was a very good conversation, even with a lot of talking small (which David knows Frank doesn't like, or at least Frank says he doesn't), David decided to make a quick exit, leaving Frank to make his move. David said his pleasant goodbyes and made his way back to his apartment feeling as if he had done some good work. As he closed his apartment door and walked over to the kitchen, he looked at himself in the mirror over the sink and thought: hmm I hope Miss Donna doesn't shoot him down. But, just as with Jennifer, something told him everything would turn out just fine.