Authors: Nancy Frederick
"I guess, but I knew I could never live the party life they lived.
And it seemed that everything I did was sort of to show them.
Including my marriage."
Annabeth looked deeply into Doug's eyes.
The light there was clean and honest and she saw him struggling to uncover the truth of his own reality, something she admired.
"How so?" she asked.
"I married this beautiful, wealthy woman, someone they could never get, someone above them.
The only problem was she always acted like she was above me too. Like she was doing me a favor."
"Do you think it's possible that it was your attitude toward yourself that caused her to respond to you that way?"
"I don't know, probably so.
Don't they say that we create every circumstance in our lives?"
"Who says that?
I just meant that it seems to me you always underrated yourself."
Doug nodded, "Maybe so.
You know, when my dad called me to come back here and help him with the business, I was excited.
I felt like I had the upper hand at last.
Do you think I'm awful for admitting that?"
"Not at all.
And so now things are better for you?"
"I fight with my brother constantly."
"Maybe he feels like you used to--that he's living in your shadow.
After all life here is all he knows.
You had a whole other life in a big city."
"He and my father would have run that business into the ground if I'd let them.
Too much partying, too little care to the important things."
"So it's a pretty big come down for him to see you setting his mistakes to rights, isn't it?"
Doug nodded.
"But you're still angry at him?
Over high school and him being the football hero?"
Doug hesitated, as if he were about to confide something deeper, then said only, "Yes, I guess.
But lately it's a little better."
"It seems to me that if the best part of your life is in high school, the rest of your life must feel like a downwards slide.
Kind of sad, really."
Annabeth paused for a moment, thinking of Grady and his passes at her.
Maybe he was looking for some sort of validation with her?
"You have a lot of wisdom, Annabeth."
"They say it's a lot easier to make sense of someone else's life than your own."
"What's puzzling you in your own life?"
She sighed and peered once more into Doug's eyes, then looked down at her hands, quietly lying in her lap, then back to his gaze, which was kind and unwavering.
"It's awfully hard for me to accept being single.
I mean to feel single.
To know where to go from here."
She gulped and continued, "Sex.
Dating."
Feeling shy for revealing so much, she looked away from Doug, whose eyes were still on her, and across the bar.
George!
He had come in and Annabeth hadn't even noticed.
He was sitting at the far end of the bar, talking to some woman, his hand pressed tightly on top of hers.
Annabeth winced, then looked back toward Doug, who had casually been following her glance, causing her to blush.
"So you slept with someone maybe you wish you hadn't?" he asked.
"Not exactly."
Doug nodded, understanding.
"You got married young.
The truth is you probably need to experiment a little.
This is just a bad time for it."
Annabeth nodded.
Lowering her voice to barely more than a whisper, she said, "My daughter walked in on us.
It was humiliating."
"Children sometimes have difficulty accepting their parents as people, particularly their mothers.
Of course a chain on the door is a good idea."
He smiled after this last bit of advice.
Annabeth nodded.
"I installed one the other day.
Not that I expect to need it."
"Of course you will."
Annabeth looked again toward the bar.
George was massaging the shoulders of the woman next to him.
She sighed and paused, searching for a way to change the subject. "Patsy seems devoted.
How did you meet her?"
"She found me my house.
One thing led to another.
It was really just casual for a long time, but now she keeps after me to move in with her, but I don't know."
"Oh?
She's very beautiful."
Doug nodded, "I know.
But I guess the thing I like best about her is that she thinks I'm this great guy."
"You are a great guy."
"Thanks.
You're a good friend."
"It's hard for me to imagine being in love with someone new."
Doug opened his mouth, and Annabeth was sure he was going to say, Oh, I'm not in love with her.
Instead he volunteered,
"Sometimes just having fun is all you need."
Annabeth shook her head, "Oh, no.
How could fun ever be enough?"
"You're right.
It isn't.
I learned a lot from you tonight.
Thanks."
"Oh go on.
You knew it all along.
I just listened."
"Say, Annabeth," said Doug in a voice that was so quiet she could barely hear him, "Would you like to..."
"Hiya!"
George pressed his hand warmly against Annabeth's shoulder, wresting her attention from Doug and his question.
"Hi," said Doug and Annabeth simultaneously.
Without being asked, George pulled up a chair and sat down.
"How's it going?"
Annabeth looked toward the bar where he had been sitting.
The woman he had been with was now gone.
"Fine."
"Good," said Doug.
"You know, Patsy told me not to let you hang out here too late.
She said not to let you overdo."
"I'm in no danger of that," said Doug, an edge creeping into his voice.
"How's Flora?"
"Who?"
"Flora.
Weren't you two engaged?"
"For about fifteen minutes."
"Then it's Amy now?"
"Amy?"
George looked off into the distance.
"Oh...Amy.
We're just friends."
Annabeth watched the interaction between the two men.
There was something quite fierce about Doug, something she'd never noticed before.
"Feeling well this evening?" George asked Annabeth, making her blush.
"Yes, thanks, I'm fine.
And you?"
"Actually I was thinking about you.
That newel post on your staircase.
I'm trying to duplicate one similar to that--one that was badly replaced--and I wanted to take another look at yours."
"Well, sure."
"Great."
They sat like that for a couple of hours, exchanging pointless remarks, the two men determined to remain at the table, Annabeth trying to be polite but wondering how to manage the situation.
Didn't it seem as though George wanted to be alone with her?
What was Doug doing?
What had he intended to ask her?
Out of her depth, she floundered along, hoping for an inspiration that would diffuse the tension.
Finally Doug took charge, "It's late.
Let me walk you to your car, Annabeth."
He rose from his seat, tossed some money on the table, and reached to help her out of her chair.
"I'll be happy to do the honors," said George nonchalantly.
"Not necessary at all.
We're old friends."
"Well, I'll walk along with you.
It's a nice night."
When Annabeth drove up to her house, there was a car parked in front of it.
The owner sat casually on one of her porch rockers, a lit cigarette in his hand.
"How did you get here before me?" she asked incredulously.
"Motivation," he said pressing her tightly to him.
Annabeth's breath exited her throat sharply as she leaned into him.
Briefly she remembered the remarks Doug had made, for surely he had been bringing up all those women for a reason, but as George leaned in to kiss her, the thoughts in her mind scrambled and she whispered, "Come inside."
13
Annabeth awakened and looked over at George.
He was lying on his back, his mouth open, and he was snoring.
Thinking how nice it was to wake up with a man, Annabeth smiled and then wriggled over to snuggle against his side, resting her head gently against his shoulder.
She lay peacefully, listening to him snore until his breath fluttered and he awakened too, saying "Hi, baby."
He called her baby!
Wasn't that cute?
"Morning," she said, twisting toward him and kissing his cheek.
"I work pretty late," she said, "but still if you want you could come over after work.
I could make you supper."
"Oh, that sounds great.
I'm sure you're a fantastic cook."
"I'm not bad."
George pulled her close, his hands on her skin too distracting to allow her to complete her train of thought.
After they'd made love, she'd given him breakfast, and waved George on his way, Annabeth stood under a hot shower, her eyes closed, the steamy water pouring down her shoulders and back.
It really was good, wasn't it?
It wasn't a fluke.
No, it was great.
Well, she thought it was
great and it seemed like it was great for him, too.
She looked down at her body, which was rosy and glowing from the hot water. And he was coming back tonight.
A little tingle flowed over her.
She had a boyfriend!
The afternoon at work was filled with daydreams and sweet sighs.
With each scoop of ice cream, Annabeth thought of George and the nights they'd shared, the morning that just ended with her in his arms.
She smiled a bit to herself, caught up in the newness of the sweet romance she was envisioning, the night that was to come and the closeness they would build together.
There's so much she didn't know about him, everything actually!
He had good hands, she knew that.
Annabeth quivered a little, thinking of the specifics of what she did know.
And now they would learn about each other, and she could have the girls meet him, and they would see she was just rebuilding her life, not acting like a slut.
She glanced at her watch.
It was early.
It would be hours.
And then she would be in his arms again.
Annabeth reminisced briefly about the days when she and R.J. had first met, and she felt a bit guilty, but only for a moment, because her desire to see and be with George was just the same as she had once felt about her husband.
It was over with R.J..
He had moved on and so had she.
How about that--she had someone else too.
When Doug walked in, she offered him her warmest smile.
"What a nice surprise," she said.
He seated himself at the far end of the counter, away from the teenage couple who were busy feeding each other ice cream and giggling.
"You're looking happy," he said.
"I guess I am," she said smiling.
"In fact, I think I ought to treat you to an ice cream.
Name your poison!"
"All right.
How about a chocolate cone.
Small."
"I was thinking hot fudge.
Whipped cream.
Nuts."
"Okay, sure.
I oughta steal you out of here, set you to selling cars."
"I imagine I'd do very well as long as I started out by offering to treat the customers to whatever they wanted."
Doug laughed,
"Don't sell yourself short.
You wouldn't have to give it away.
You could make a fair deal."