Well, I had signed up for the cause, so I guess I was the best possible spy. Daniel and I had played golf from time to time and a golf course is a great place to converse. Now to get him to open up.
I called and set up a golf date. Before we found a compatible date, it had been three weeks since our group meeting. It had been a while for both of us since we had played. I found myself chasing balls from rough to rough. In between, I prodded him for what was going on in his life. It turned out that he was upset with his work but didn’t see any way to deal with it. He had taken on a new job with more responsibility but felt overwhelmed by it. His boss was a hard charger, not a touchy-feely type that he could have talked to.
I brought this back to the group for discussion at our next meeting. They all thanked me for the information and batted around various ideas. Finally Claudette thought of his boss’ wife. They weren’t really close but on speaking terms. It was decided that Daniel and Claudette would invite the boss and his wife for dinner. Claudette was hoping she could talk to the wife about Daniel’s dilemma. The mood lightened. There was a reasonable course of action. Claudette thanked me profusely and I got another kiss on the lips. I was starting to enjoy this.
Their dinner came and went. Claudette had managed to talk to Helen, his boss’ wife. It turned out that Helen ruled the roost at home. They worked out a plan of action and Helen worked on her husband. Within days he had come to Daniel asking if there was any way he could help in his transition to this new job. Things smoothed out after that.
Claudette showed up at my door with some flowers, thanking me for my help. I invited her in and I made her some tea. It was the first time I had ever talked to her alone. I was also a history buff, though an amateur compared to her instruction. We found a lot to talk about, primarily European history. The time flew by. She thanked me for the tea and conversation, hugged and kissed me, then was on her way. I had enjoyed our time together. It had gone by all too soon. I found I was beginning to want more human interaction rather than retreating as I had since Christie’s death. There were more and more small signs that life would go on. It was not at all what it had been before but at least there were glimmers of life.
Work was a welcome challenge. My colleagues were supportive. I met a couple of them after work for what passed for male bonding time, standing in a sports bar, drink in hand, trying to find something to talk about other than sports.
I came in late to the next meeting, coming in on the tail end of Claudette’s discussion about our conversation and time together. I’ll never get used to everything being a topic of conversation. I did enjoy the dancing though. Each of them were so interesting in their own ways. Stephanie was all energy, her dancing was nonstop. Claudette on the other hand was so smooth and sensuous, barely moving but moving in ways that could make your head swim. Sheila was just fun, in her own world, but loving some special songs that allowed her to cut loose with some interesting moves. Faith was less of a dancer than the others but on slow numbers seemed to melt into my arms. How someone who looked so stiff at times could just melt against me like that was a mystery. Amber, being the tallest one, was almost my height, especially if she wore heels. It was almost disconcerting on slower songs to look eye to eye with her. She would put her head next to mine, wrap her arms around my neck and allow me to guide her across the dance floor. They all took turns with me between dances with other men at Charlie’s. They were known there. Everyone knew it was just for fun. Nobody got territorial. Any new men were quickly brought up to speed on what to expect. We had such good fun. They didn’t get all dolled up but neither were they wearing old cross trainers and ratty t-shirts, showing up in tight jeans, nice slacks, even skirts from time to time. We parted again with hugs and kisses. I was coming to enjoy the kisses as much as the hugs. Stephanie gave me a great hug and kiss. She told me to call her the next day when I had time.
Sunday was a day of rest. I slept in after a night of talking and dancing, then showered and dressed. While having breakfast in the kitchen I heard a door open and close, then steps in the hall. I called out I was in the kitchen and Stephanie came in, carrying a big bag. “I got tired of waiting for you to call. I used the key you gave me months ago.”
Whatever you do, never underestimate a woman.
“I wanted to show you something.” She opened the bag and brought out a large picture of the six of them, including Christie. “This was taken four years ago in Maryland, when we went to DC and the surrounding area. You can tell because I still have long hair.” I gazed at the picture, looking at each woman in turn. Christie looked beautiful, so full of life. Each woman was subtly different than they were today, be it hair color, length or style. All were striking. It was a great picture. I passed it back to her.
“This is for you. I thought you might like to have a picture of the full League of Extraordinary Women including Christie. She moved over to a wall in the great room and took down the picture that was there. She reached up and hooked the wire on the back of the picture onto the hook on the wall. She walked over to the entry and turned on the light switches one at a time until the picture was illuminated. It was gorgeous.
“Wow. Thank you. It’s wonderful.”
“This is from all of us. We’re all truly enjoying your participation in our group. You didn’t replace Christie but you bring a different perspective on things from time to time. It’s interesting and it’s sure fun to kid and laugh with you. I can see you relaxing bit by bit, every time we meet. You’re headed in the right direction, Jeremy. Now, you can take me to brunch. John is out somewhere, anywhere but home. I can use the company and so can you.”
We found a small place. It was a bright, sunny day, still cool but a welcome change from the dreary months that had preceded it. The sunlight passed through the small-paned windows, making patterns on the floor. We moved to a quiet table and ordered. While we waited for our food, Stephanie told me about the account rep from one of the companies she dealt with that had hit on her. He had seen the ring and never batted an eye.
“Is it just open season for these guys? Are there no rules that pertain to them?”
“He’s in sales. For every twenty no’s there is finally a yes. He was just hoping you were number twenty-one.”
She laughed, a deep, hearty laugh that seemed out of place on someone so petite.
Our food came and we ate in companionable silence. It was nice to be out and especially out in the company of someone so interesting. Over two years had passed since the end of our affair. It had been exciting, something I had never ever contemplated. I loved Christie completely. Yet I surprised, even dismayed, myself by responding to Stephanie. I had felt guilty for starting something with her best friend. She was often over at our house, her house being empty of love and she being tired of being alone.