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Above and Beyond (Chapter Five)
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Above and Beyond (Chapter Five) |
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Irish Rose Member Patricius
since 2000-04-06
Posts 10263 |
Chapter Five Frank had not expected this announcement from his daughter, Katherine, but he really shouldn't be that surprised. After all, she was beautiful and nearly 30 years old. He must have known in the back of his mind that it would happen. He wanted to get to know Tom, meet him and try to stay calmed and reserved. All he really wanted was for Katherine to be happy. After lunch she blew him a kiss and sang into the air "bye, Dad, I'll call you" she looked so wonderfully glad to be alive and in love. The drive home for Frank was long and quiet. He knew he would have the evening to himself as Barbara had another round of meetings to attend to in California. The time alone would a welcome change for him as the stress and tension of the two of them co-exist was beginning to wear on his nerves. Once he had pulled his car into the garage his only thought was to have a small glass of wine and a sandwich. Frank rarely drank during the week, but he needed it to work up his courage in case someone had responded to his ad. Throwing his coat on the sofa as he often did, he carried the evening newspaper and the Wall Street Journal under his arm and tried to get comfortable. "I don't want to read the damn news, I'm sick of it, I don't want to know which stocks are up and which are down and I sure don't give a flying hoot about utility prices and bond prices. I'd rather use candlelight anyway. Oh, wait, the computer, guess I'd better reconsider my thoughts on the utility issues. But, I've had it with government politics! I want someone to talk with who wants to know how many stars are in the sky." Frank realized he had never had this thought before, although he rather enjoyed the place it was resting in his chest. A soft place just underneath his heart where he had thought nothing was allowed. He was simply wishing. His marriage had fallen apart years ago and he now faced the possibility of a future without love. Frank didn't want to die alone. He didn't want to cry alone and he didn't want to breathe alone, but he was afraid just like everyone else. Oh, the wine was just the way he loved it, cold. Frank had few things that he insisted on but he had to have his wine cold. Once pouring it into a chilled goblet, he threw a quick sandwich together. There was nothing fancy needed and he hated cooking so for Frank, two pieces of ham and a slice of cheese, some mustard and a pickle on the side were more than enough to appease his appetite. He was all set. He grimaced, feeling all he needed were his bedroom slippers and a recliner. No, he wasn't going to give into that thought. He felt young, vital; he still walked miles and miles on the weekend, and enjoyed a healthy check-up the last time he went in for one. In fact, his family dr. Dr. Reynolds had remarked, "Frank, you'll outlive us all" He never forgot a cliché. He turned on the computer and began to enjoy his sandwich, rustling through the paper but then tossing it aside. He really didn't want the news, he waited until the screen came on and then panicked when he almost forgot his password. "Oh no, what was it?" Calm flooded over him when he remembered. "How could I forget my Katherine's name?" He nearly fell back in his seat when he noticed he had 24 messages! "This is unbelievable." Upon reading the first from a woman named "Liz" knew he needed another glass of brandy. Then there was "Monica", no, not in this election year. No thank you. Then he read an interesting message from someone named Erika, however, she was obviously a very troubled corporate climber and he wanted nothing to do with her. Filtering down the row of messages, he was becoming increasingly disinterested in the entire matter. He went to the kitchen to make another sandwich and when he came back he began to read the one entitled "LC". Obviously the woman didn't want to give out too many statistics about herself and who could blame her. He began to read her words and they seemed real, sincere and something from them came alive instantly for him. She wanted someone to talk with, she wanted someone to share day-to-day things with and she obviously wasn't interested in upsetting his life or causing any problems, she just wanted conversation. Her words were real as he read "I feel I am intelligent, and can carry on a conversation" The ending line was the most endearing as he said it almost out loud, "I would like to know how you feel about oh, maybe 950 topics on any given day." Frank couldn't remember the last time Barbara had really listened to him, if she ever truly had. The woman signed her name without the surname, just Lana. He decided almost immediately to respond and saved her message, deleting all of the others. Frank sat and composed one he felt was an appropriate beginning, or at least he hoped it would be. Dear Lana, Thanks for responding to my ad. Could you tell I was a bit nervous? Hey, I notice you live in Washington, D.C. and seems like we are almost in the same line of work. Lawyers and government kind of go hand in hand don't they? No pressure here, but I'd love to ask why you decided to answer my ad. It sure wasn't much was it? Hell, I don't know what I'm doing half of the time when it comes to women. Oh, sorry, you may not appreciate profanity. That's one of the things I'd love to know about you. You sound "soft" and I like that. I like that a lot. If you're like me, it's hard to get to know someone and take that chance but I figured I would. I look forward to hearing from you. I guess I'll just come right out and jump in here and tell you I don't have much of a marriage, but that's not why I placed the ad. Talk to me, Lana, that's all you have to do. Just talk. Take care and I hope to hear from you again, ok? Frank He pushed send and instantly felt he had said it all wrong, or he had said it all right or too much. Well, Frank wasn't going to have a speechwriter. If she were going to know him, he'd be honest, himself, just who he is and no one else. It either worked or it didn't. He would know soon enough. There was a strange feeling gnawing at him about the secrecy of it though and he thought he was comfortable but he found he really was not entirely comfortable with it. "Just someone to talk with, that's all," he told himself. Frank spoke several languages and yet sitting there in his chair he felt he had chosen all of the wrong words. He just wrote what was on his mind, or was it his heart. He hadn't consulted with it in a very long time, but suddenly it seemed to be more alive than it ever was. He knew that Barbara would no doubt call and check in from time to time and he wasn't feeling particularly disloyal to her or to their marriage. In a way, it had been over for many years except for the legalities. Frank just knew he needed someone to share the things in his past and in his present and maybe even a future, although that was really something he hadn't considered. To him, the future was meaningless and yet he knew he wanted more from it. He was not particularly romantic and usually found it difficult to say the right things to a woman, but perhaps this time he could try without appearing overly needy. Now, he had no choice but to wait and hope she answered because Lana was the only one who appeared to be honest, and have enough class to carry on an intelligent conversation with meaning. This was something Frank wanted and needed so much. But the fear was there and certainly he tried to deny it. He would know soon enough. He had sent it immediately before changing his mind. Should she answer he would try not to act like a teenage boy with a bad case of puppy love. Or perhaps it was too late for that. Kathleen |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
Excellent! You certainly have talent...now why don't you submit one of the short stories to the main site? |
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Irish Rose Member Patricius
since 2000-04-06
Posts 10263 |
Sharon, I'd love to, how do I do that? oh, I'll e mail you you may not read this and ask you. Thanks Kathleen Kathleen |
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