by DW Cee
“I did and I have. It’s one of mine and my dad’s favorites. Dad and I watched all of them together.”
“You’re a fan as well?”
A sly grin came over my face.
“You gave me a hard time about this movie even though you wanted to see it yourself?”
“No, I gave you a hard time because I wasn’t your first choice. No girl likes to hear a guy tell her he asked her out because someone else turned him down earlier.”
He shook his head like it was some incredulous act I had done against him. “Your dad sounds cool. Did you do a lot of things together?”
“Yeah.” I stopped talking. I didn’t want to cry in front of Ian but I couldn’t help myself. “Dad and I loved all the same things. Baseball, old cars, Star Wars and even video games. We used to stay up all night playing on the Sony Playstation.”
“You miss him very much, huh?” He handed me some tissues and gave me a hug. “I wish I could have met him.”
“He was the best. I miss him terribly.” My tears came down faster and harder than I thought they would. I hadn’t cried like this since the doctor told us that dad had died in the car crash.
Ian canceled our meal and drove us to a nearby park where we sat on a bench and talked for a while.
“Tell me more about your father. How did he die?”
“We were on our way to a doctor’s appointment when a car hit us. It hit my dad’s side and they say he died on impact.”
Ian held my hand as I explained more about Dad. “My dad was the one who taught me how to play softball. We’d practice in the backyard daily. I was always good at fielding but I sucked at hitting so we’d have batting practices for hours. He never grew tired of playing with me. He was also a serious Star Wars fan. He’d dress up every Halloween in a Star Wars costume. He’d been just about every character in the movie, except maybe a wookie.” That made both of us laugh.
“I did too. What did you dress up as?”
“I always played his opposite. If he was a clone trooper, I was a storm trooper. When he was Darth, I was Anakin.”
“What about your mom?”
“She was always Princess Leah. Only when the prequels came out did she change to Padme.”
“Your mom’s a crack-up. She’s so young and beautiful. When did she get married?”
“Mom met Dad when she was twenty-two and they got married after one date. She then had a honeymoon baby, which was me of course, and they lived in honeymoon bliss till Dad died.”
“One date? How can that be?”
While I was describing the fairy tale, I realized Ian and I were holding hands. Quietly I pulled my hand away but he wouldn’t let go. I didn’t try too hard. In all honesty, it felt good.
“Your parents are fascinating people.”
“Yeah. They are.”
“Could I come see you play softball one day?” It was unlike Ian to sound so shy and tentative.
“I’d like that, Ian. Now, can we go eat? I’m hungry.”
OLIVIA 2005
“Meghan! You brought the twins.” After the loss of my own baby, I felt an even stronger kinship towards Meghan and George’s babies, especially their son named Paul.
“Hello Paul.” I cradled him in my arms. “Did you miss Auntie Olivia?” Not to be too partial, I gave his sister, Nellie, a kiss on the nose as well. “Nellie, I love you too.”
“Where’s Dani? Is she on the field yet?” George started down the bleachers. “Let me take Nellie over there so we can say hello together.” He hobbled a little with the baby and Meghan and I almost had a heart attack.
“Be careful!” Meghan gave him a stern warning.
“Baby Paul,” I rocked him back and forth, “Are you finally over your cold? You’ve grown since Tuesday. How can that be? It’s only been four days.” I kissed his forehead some more. "I wish I had my own little one like you.” I felt my eyes glisten.
“Hey.” I felt a warm and familiar presence sit right next to me. “How are you?” Jamie hugged and surprisingly kissed me a little close to the lips, hello.
“Hi,” I half whispered. I soon felt an uncomfortable glare. I looked up and introduced myself. “Hi. I’m Olivia.”
“Oh.” Jamie came out of his daze. “This is Melinda.”
“Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard many wonderful things about you.”
Only when I said this did her tightened visage smooth over.
“Thank you for coming to see Dani play.”
“Happy to be here. I’ve heard nothing but stories about you, your late husband and your daughter. I’ve been curious about you too.” Something in the tone of her voice made me think she wasn’t truly happy to meet me. Maybe she wasn’t the friendly type.
“Hi Melinda.” Meghan called over.
“Hey Meghan. The babies have gotten so big.” Melinda announced, but didn’t really care to interact with them.
“They have gotten big.” Jamie tried to take baby Paul from me.
“No, he’s mine. Go get your own.”
“Come on, Olivia. Share.”
“I’m not good at sharing.” I giggled. “There’s Nellie. Take her. I’m partial towards this one because he’s named after Paul.”
Before the game started Jamie and I oohed and aahed over the twins and compared every visible body part.
“Hi Mrs. Kingston.”
“Hi Ian. I’m so glad to see you. Will you sit with us?”
“I’d love to.” He started up the bleachers. I oscillated between moving away from Meghan or Jamie so Ian could sit next to me. Out of nowhere, Meghan scooted away. I quickly glanced at her and she had an indecipherable smile on her face.
Dani enjoyed having her own cheerleading squad up in the bleachers and after the game was over we decided to go have a late lunch.
“Mrs. Kingston, would it be okay if I drove with Dani to the restaurant?”
“Of course. Don’t let her push you around, Ian. You need to stand your ground with her.”
“Yeah, like I’ve seen any man be able to do that to you Kingston ladies,” George retorted. “You should be the one to talk.”
We all parted to our cars and I saw Jamie head over my way while Melinda stared in our direction.
“You going to be okay driving by yourself?”
His question was a sweet gesture but I had to laugh.
“Do I look that pathetic to you?”
Jamie laughed with me and walked back to his car.
At lunch the twins fell asleep in their strollers so Meghan and I sat next to each other and enjoyed our meal.
“What’s going on between you and Jamie?” Her eyebrows arched.
“Meghan. What kind of question is that?”
“There’s this I want to rip off your clothes and hop into bed with you tension.”
“You did not just say that,” I whispered emphatically but also laughing.
“I did just say that. You have great chemistry with him.”
“You know that I’m still in love with my dead husband. Plus, Jamie is seven years younger and he has a girlfriend.”
“Um, for your information, you will always be in love with Paul and you’re only forty. Are you never going to be with another man again?”
“Meghan. It’s way too soon. Paul just left me. I can’t think about dating already. Plus, Jamie and I are just friends.”
Jamie looked my way as he heard me say his name more loudly than I hoped. He walked over to the two of us who were huddled at the opposite end of the table. Meghan pushed herself away from me again and pulled up a chair for him.
“Did I hear you call for me?”
“No. I didn’t call for you,” I denied.
“I’m pretty sure I heard my name.”
I could feel Melinda’s stare again.
“I was just suggesting that maybe you could keep Olivia company while Dani is away next week.” My mouth dropped. I couldn’t believe what she was suggesting. Initially I thought it was a joke. No
w I was feeling uncomfortable. There was no way I had any feelings for this guy. I still loved Paul and would stay that way forever. Improper thoughts with another man - how could I ever face Dani if this were the case?
“Oh? Where’s she going?”
“She’s going back east to visit her cousin in college. She’s spending the whole week with her in Boston and Olivia will be alone. Would you be kind enough to drop in on Olivia from time to time?”
“Meghan,” I warned. “It’s not necessary, Jamie. I’ll be fine. In fact, there are two baseball games this week that I won’t attend since Dani’s not going to be here. Why don’t you and Melinda take them?” Feeling Melinda’s glare, I spoke across the table. “Melinda, do you like baseball? Would you and Jamie like to take our season tickets this week?” My chest tightened and my sweat glands worked overtime.
“Oh, um, thank you but I’m out of town for ten days. I’m going to a convention then visiting my parents.”
“Here’s your chance.” I heard Meghan whisper under her breath. Glancing over at Jamie he looked oblivious to her comment.
“Ian, would you like to take the tickets since Dani won’t be here?”
“Where are you going?” Ian asked Dani.
“Boston, to see my cousin. She’s going to show me around campus and help me get acclimated to the school.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving? How long are you gone for?”
“I leave tomorrow and come back next Sunday.”
“You’ll be gone the entire week?” Poor Ian. He sounded disappointed.
“Well, I guess it’s you and me.” Jamie said casually while I dodged his eyes attempting to read my eyes.
“Huh?” I pretended not to understand him.
“That’s perfect.” Meghan sounded way too happy. “George and I will get my mom to babysit and we’ll meet you for Thursday’s game.”
“Jamie, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I can be Meghan and George’s third wheel.”
“Do you not want me to come?” The conversation turned private as he spoke softly. The insecurity in his voice awoke my senses. Was there something more than friendship between us? In awkward silence, I didn’t know how to answer him.
“You don’t need to answer now. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” He whispered his promise and walked away. My heart felt burdened but I had no idea why. Saved by baby Paul’s cries, I was able to avert my attention to someone other than Jamie.
I headed early to work after dropping Dani off at the airport for the week. This trial week of independence would prepare me for the fall when Dani was off to college. Lunch with my co-workers, whom I only see once a month, was always a welcome and I stayed out running errands as late as possible to avoid an empty home. Happily, I heard the phone ring as I walked in the door. It was probably one of my moms checking up on me.
“Hello?”
“Hi Olivia. Have you had dinner yet?”
“Jamie.” My heart went around in circles then dropped to my feet. What mixed up emotions I felt.
“You want to have dinner tonight?”
“Um, I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? Have you had dinner or not?”
“No. I just walked in.”
“Good. I’m almost at your house. Come outside.”
Why was I feeling so nervous? I shook off the nerves and snapped myself back to normal. There was no reason to feel funny about Jamie. We were just friends.
“Hi.” We gave each other a quick hug. “You like Italian?” he asked.
I smiled. “I love Italian. It’s my favorite but I don’t get to eat it too often.”
“Why not?”
“Both Paul and Dani don’t like it very much. Tomatoes… too acidic for their stomachs.”
“Well, Italian's my favorite too. There’s a great place not too far from here.”
“Okay. I guess you’re back to a normal schedule at work now?”
“Not really. It’s still a bit hectic but I left early. I didn’t want you to eat dinner alone so I drove straight to your house.”
“That was really nice of you but you don’t have to feel the need to take care of me. Does my face have a neon I’m needy, please help me, sign on it? Why does everyone think I’m so helpless?”
Jamie went into a fit of guffaw.
“Why are you laughing?”
“People don’t think you’re helpless. There’s something about you… you draw people in. You’re warm and sincere and also a fun person to be with.”
I must have looked doubtful. “I promise. You don’t have any help-me signs. I’m not here because I think you can’t take care of yourself. I’m here because I want to be here.” Now I was quiet. I didn’t know what to say.
“What do you want to order?”
“I think I’m going to order the gnocchi in a tomato vodka cream sauce.” I replied.
“That’s my favorite dish here. I was going to get the same thing. Let’s get a salad with that and share.”
“Okay.” I answered and let Jamie do the ordering.
“I have a question for you.” Jamie asked mid-bite.
I looked up at him.
“How come every time you hold baby Paul you have tears in your eyes? Does he remind you of your late husband?”
“Um…” I sighed.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
I tried to blink back the tears. Jamie noticed and felt terrible.
“I’m sorry, Olivia. You don’t have to talk about it.”
“Can I tell you after dinner? I’ll tell you when we’re alone. I don’t know whether or not I’ll hold up talking about babies.”
“Okay. Let’s talk about Thursday instead. Am I or am I not invited to the baseball game?”
He made me laugh. I’d forgotten I’d withheld my invitation.
“Why don’t you take all three tickets and invite your buddies. It’s a 7:00pm game. You can have hot dogs and beer and make it a guys’ night out. I’ll stay home.”
“I’ll pick you up at 6:30. Meghan will be disappointed if you’re not there. George told me earlier she got a sitter and was looking forward to going out without the twins. But, if it’s okay, I’d like to invite my buddy Seth. He’s been my best friend since elementary school. We work in the same office.”
“Alright but if you have another friend you want to take, I’m happy to sit this one out.”
We spoke as though we’d been friends for years. There were no barriers to break through and formalities to abide by. Though Jamie and Paul were very different, they both had a way of making me feel comfortable no matter what the situation.
“What do you want for dessert?”
“Can we skip dessert? I want to give Dani a call before it gets too late and I left the number at home. I baked whoopie pies last night if you need something sweet.”
“Alright let’s go.”
During the short ride home Jamie talked a lot about his work and I wondered what we were doing right now. Were we on a date? Were we just two friends having dinner? How in the course of three weeks had we become so comfortable with one another? Why did I enjoy his company so much?
“Olivia.” I felt a nudge.
“Yes?”
“We’re here.”
“Oh… okay… Thank you for dinner, Jamie. I’ll see you Thursday night at the game?”
“Aren’t you inviting me in?”
“Huh?” I had to think for a second.
“You said you baked whoopie pies last night. Don’t I get any?”
I started cracking up and got out of the car without answering him.
“Wait.” He parked the car inside my driveway, ran up to the front door and followed me in.
“Hi Leslie. This is your favorite aunt calling. You and Dani having a good time?”
“Hi Aunt Livvy. I miss you. I haven’t seen you in such a long time.”
“I miss you too. We’ll see
each other when summer begins.”
“Thanks for the pies. Your care package was awesome. You want to talk to Dani?”
“Thank you Leslie for taking care of Dani this week. She so looked forward to this week.”
“She’s moping around a bit right now. I think she has a crush on some boy back home.” Leslie giggled and Dani’s voice got closer to the phone as she stubbornly yelled, “No I’m not!”
“Whatever,” Leslie yelled back.
“Hi Mom.”
“Hi sweetheart. Are you having fun?”
“College life is so cool. I can’t wait till I’m a freshman.”
“I have to say those four years were some of the best years of my life too. What did you do today?”
While I was listening to Dani talk about her day, I saw Jamie circle the kitchen a few times then ask if he could talk to her. Before I could answer, he grabbed the phone from my hand.
“Hey Dani. How’s college life?”
I could tell Dani was asking why he was here tonight.
“No, your mom’s fine. I just came by to take her out to dinner. Tell me about your day.”
While they talked, I got coffee going and brought out the pies I’d made last night.
“Okay, have a good week. Bye.”
“What are you doing?” I asked as he hung up the phone.
“She and Leslie were going to a party. Their ride was outside.”
“But I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“Oh, she told me to tell you she said, 'Bye'.”
“Great,” I answered annoyed. “You need to hurry and eat these.”
“Why do I need to hurry?”
“I have a couple of movies I borrowed. I want to watch one or maybe both tonight.”
“Don’t you want me to watch it with you?”
That same laugh belted its tune.
“What’s with this laugh? Explain.” He went into an all out assault tickling me.
“Stop!” I begged. “I can’t talk if you’re tickling me.”
“Okay. Explain.” He stopped immediately.
“When you asked me in the car if I was inviting you in, my first thought was to say 'no'.”
“What?” He asked incredulously while enjoying cream cheese filling from the bowl of left-overs. “Then, just now, when you asked if I wanted you to watch this movie with me, I was going to say, ‘no’ again.”
