Authors: Al Sloane
I had one envelope to mail, so I drove over to the post office and then swung by the mailbox. There were a couple of checks. By the time I took them to the bank and put some money in my personal account it was time to get ready. I showered and shaved and changed into a pair of slacks and a golf shirt.
I called Wendy. She was feeling hungry so I agreed to get to her place by 5:30. I left at 4:15.
Traffic was good going south on the 57. Northbound was a fucking parking lot. I felt sorry for Beth, having to drive home in that shit.
I stopped off at Flowers By June. I swear, every time I go in that store June is leaning over into the flower cooler. I walked up behind her and patted her on the butt.
My reflexes started to go about the same time as my eyesight. Probably around 42 or 43. June's 37 and hers are still pretty good. She stood up and swung at my head as she spun around. Fortunately I'd taken care to raise my arm after I swatted her and was able to grab her arm before she did any damage to me.
"You bastard. One of these days you're going to go too far. What if a customer or one of my employees had seen you?"
'I love you too, dear. I took care that nobody could see us before I did anything. Have you grown tired of me already?"
"I can't afford to grow tired of you."
"What does that mean?"
"I'm not going to tell you here. Let's just say I'm beholden to you."
"Damn. You make it sound like your father and your brothers are all going to come after me with squirrel guns."
"Not quite. Even though you are a nut. Can we get together after I close the shop and talk?"
"I'm sorry, my social calendar is full tonight. Unless you want to join Wendy and me for Chinese. And I'd have to clear it with her because she has something she wants to talk to me about."
"Gee, it sounds like you're getting popular."
"I don't know. I still squirm when I hear a woman say 'Pete, we need to talk.' Every time my ex wife said that I would get a two hour lecture about what I was doing wrong. If I had any comment other than agreement with what was being said, all my sins for the past 10 years would be thrown in my face."
"Well, mine's not quite that bad."
"It couldn't be. We haven't known each other for ten years. Besides, these days I'm a pretty wonderful person."
"You are at that. So, what brings you into my store other than the chance to cop a feel?"
"I thought I'd be thoughtful and take something for Wendy. Nothing fancy, just something to say I care. Any ideas?"
"Oh, I have lots of ideas."
"I mean for Wendy."
"Oh. Let's see what I can come up with."
She went over to her cooler, put her hand on the door and looked at me.
"You stay over there and keep your hands to yourself."
"Yes, Ma'am."
She reached in and grabbed three flowers. After closing the door she walked back to the counter and laid out a mum, a carnation and a very small rose. The rose was still closed up. She added a little baby's breath and twirled something around the stems to hold it all together, then wrapped the whole thing in some floral paper so that just the blooms were sticking out.
"Tell her the carnation and the mum are you and Wendy. The rose is the little girl you're going to have."
"That's pretty good. Where did you learn that?"
"I didn't learn it anywhere. I just threw it together."
"How much do I owe you?"
"You don't owe me anything. I'm happy to do it for you two."
"I appreciate that, but I want to pay for it. Those flowers must have cost you something. And I don't like feeling like a kid whose father buys a present for his mother and says it's from the kid. "
"OK. How about a buck fifty a flower?"
"Fine. Here's five bucks. Keep the change because I like you."
"Golly, gee. Much more like this and I'll be able to retire."
"How would you like your employees and customers to see you get spanked?"
"You wouldn't dare."
"Just try me."
I reached for her but those reflexes were too quick. She took off laughing, headed for the back room. I followed and caught up with her when she ran out of room. She tried to run around me and I caught her in a corner. There was no way for her to get around me. I started closing in.
"Don't you dare!"
"Don't I dare what?" I was getting closer.
"Don't you dare spank me."
"Oh, you're way beyond spanking." Closer still.
"What do you mean?"
"This."
I moved in the last foot and put one hand on each bicep, pinning her arms to her side. She opened her mouth to say something just as I kissed her. She relaxed and kissed me back. I moved my hands to the middle of her back and pulled her close. My right hand made it's way down to her butt. One of her hands ended up on my back, the other was at the back of my head, ensuring I wouldn't move away. Not that I had any intention of moving away.
I heard what sounded like applause. June moved her hands to my chest and tried to push me away. I finally eased up on her and backed off from the kiss. She looked over my shoulder, her face turning red.
"Now look what you've done."
I turned around and saw two girls standing between us and the door we'd come through to enter the room, clapping. They looked to be juniors or seniors in high school. They had the same kind of smock as June always wore and big smiles on their faces. As soon as they noticed me looking at them they stopped the clapping.
"Hi. I'm Pete."
"I'm Susie." "I'm Debby."
"I guess you know June."
Susie said, "Oh, yeah, we know June."
Debby followed up with "Maybe we don't know her as well as we thought."
June's face was almost back to normal. "OK, girls, you've had your fun. Is there something you need back here?"
Susie said "Maybe a little of what you've got," then changed it to "No, Ma'am," when she saw the look on June's face.
As soon as they were out of the room, June yelled at me in an angry whisper that could probably have been heard on the street.
"Now look what you did. I'm going to end up with a discipline problem if you keep this stuff up."
"Oh, lighten up, June. You're not going to have any discipline problem. Who told you the boss has to walk around with a stick in her butt?"
"Nobody told me... I DO NOT have a stick in my butt. How dare you?"
"You're taking this way too seriously. Look. SUSIE? DEBBY? Could you come back her for a moment?"
They must have been right outside the door. They were back before I finished.
"Yes, Sir?" A chorus.
"I want you to know that I would be very disappointed in you if what you saw back here had any affect on your work. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Sir." Again. As one.
"OK. Back to work, then."
They broke into smiles and ran back into the store. Susie actually skipped.
I turned back to June.
"See? All fixed."
She looked like she was pouting. "I DO NOT have a stick up my butt."
I kissed her on the forehead and patted her butt.
"Yes, Dear. Whatever you say, Dear."
We started to walk out to the store. I stopped and held June still.
"Are you going to be there Sunday?"
"Be where?"
"Beth's parents took off for the weekend to go to their cabin. She invited Wendy and me over to swim in her pool and barbecue some steaks for Father's Day. I figured Wendy might have asked you and Kathi, too."
"Yes, I'll be there. I thought it was supposed to be a surprise."
"Well, I'll look surprised if you want me to."
"If we all jump up and yell surprise, that will be your clue."
"OK. I can remember that. Are you OK to wait till Sunday or do you want to get together tomorrow?"
"Oh, Sunday will be fine. If we don't have time to be alone and talk, we'll set something up next week."
"Good. Oh, one other thing. You know Wendy and I started her birthing classes, right?"
"Yes." She sounded a little hesitant.
"Well, I want to be involved with the birth and I'm going to make damn sure I'm with her at the classes, but it worries me that I'm a half hour away after midnight and it could take up to two hours during the day. More if I'm out working somewhere. I'd like you to go to the two remaining classes so you know what to expect. The first class was mostly massaging your pregnant wife, I can show you that. But I'd feel better if you knew what was happening and could help out with the delivery if I can't beat the baby to the hospital."
She had a strange look on her face. She finally said, "I have no problem with that."
"Good. I haven't talked to Wendy. She's probably going to think I'm trying to get out of it. But the last thing I need is for her to be stuck at home when I can't get there for two hours and she has nobody to call. I really appreciate this."
"You're welcome, Pete. I'm sure Wendy will be OK with it."
"I hope so. Whatever she says, thanks."
I walked out into the store. Susie finished running to the counter while Debbie ran to the cooler and opened it up, looking as if she was searching for something.
"OK, girls. I'm leaving now. It was nice meeting both of you. Time to get back to work."
They both said goodbye. Susie held out my flowers and I took them from her. She blushed when I smiled at her. I gave June another kiss, there in the store, with two employees watching. It was a little milder than the one in the backroom but our hearts were both going a little faster when we were done.
"Bye. Thanks for the flowers. See you Sunday."
"Goodbye, Pete. And I do not have a stick in my butt."
I pulled into Wendy's parking lot with five minutes to spare. I was knocking on her door right on time.
She answered in a shirt that said FUTURE PRESIDENT and her panties.
"I'll be ready in a minute, Pete."
She went back to the bedroom and I sat down on the couch. She was back in a couple of minutes with beige shorts and sandals.
The first thing I noticed was that Wendy had that pregnant woman glow. She'd had it a few months ago and then lost it. I think the worries about the pregnancy, the dislike of gaining weight and the problems it was causing, especially in driving her stick shift sport car had dampened her spirits and taken her attention away from the miracle that was happening. The class last night and the care I was taking with her seemed to have put her mind back where it belonged. I stood up as she came over to the couch.
"Uhm, you look good."
I pulled her close and we kissed. Much better.
We separated and I bent over to pick up the flowers.
"These are for you."
"Oh, they're beautiful. Did you get them from June?"
"Of course."
"Why three different kinds?"
"One is you, another is me and the rose is our daughter."
"Oh Pete, I love you so much. Let's go eat."
We drove over to a little Chinese restaurant one of her co-workers had found. One of those places you'd drive by every day without noticing. The food was fresh, flavorful, reasonably priced and healthy. And you didn't feel hungry a couple of hours later. The entire restaurant was staffed by an extended family. The husband and wife had started it by themselves almost 20 years ago. Then the son came on board, then the daughter. Now they had expanded the building to five times its original size and had aunts and uncles and cousins all helping out.
Every customer was treated as an honored guest. We were always made to feel relaxed and that they were eager to fill any request we had for them. We'd been there 7 or 8 times since we first tried it. The last few trips we just told the waitress to bring an assortment of whatever she wanted. We hadn't been disappointed. The father did most of the cooking and had come out from the kitchen the past two visits to make sure his food had pleased us.
We were led to a secluded booth in the back by a cousin who happened to be playing hostess tonight. Our waitress was the daughter. She had just finished pouring us some tea when the mother came over and both of them made a fuss over Wendy. She had brought the flowers with her and the mother called one of the younger girls over and told her to bring a small vase filled with water. When it arrived she took care to place the flowers inside and make sure they looked as aesthetic as possible. They both commented on how good Wendy looked and how much she was going to love having a baby. When they left she was beaming.
We were alone for the first time since we'd arrived.
"So, how was work today?"
"It was pretty good. I was kind of surprised that the girls threw me a going away party."