1. Taking Chances Pt. 2


    Date: 5/24/2017, Categories: Mature Author: Sisyphus, Source: LushStories

    ... she said goodnight. In the morning Martin came into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. She asked if he would like some eggs, but he said, “I’ll make some for myself later,” then went into the living room with his coffee while she sat at the kitchen table, her two suitcases by the front door. It was a Sunday morning and there was not much traffic when she drove to Tom’s apartment downtown, a forty-five minute drive. It felt strange to realize she was now going to be living in his small apartment, but it was cozy and she liked that Tom always had flowers and was fairly neat and the apartment didn’t feel cluttered. They both liked to cook and she enjoyed standing next to him in the tiny kitchen, cutting vegetables, listening to classical music, sipping wine, stopping to hug each other and kiss, then take a walk through the park, sometimes sitting on the bench where she first saw him. It didn’t take her long to settle into her new routine. She liked that she could walk the two blocks to work and Gloria and Valerie both admired Catherine’s courage for moving in with Tom. She now shared some of the things they did in bed and liked how the two of them applauded and laughed, calling her a vixen. “No I’m not,” Catherine responded, but part of her liked that they said that. She liked that Tom called her at work, and before she could say Bronson and McGee, he’d say “I love you” then hang up before she could respond, but then she would do the same thing, impulsively call in ...
    ... the middle of the day and say, “I love you” and hang up. Occasionally, silly as it seemed, he surprised her by putting toothpaste on her toothbrush in the morning and leaving it there. Catherine would chuckle and loved his little gestures. When she made trips to the house to get a few things, she made sure Martin was not at home. She was prudent with what she brought back because of the small apartment. She also called Martin each week to see how he was. At first he was monosyllabic and she could feel his hurt and anger, then after two months or so, he mentioned he was taking a trip to England, partly on business but also a vacation and she was delighted. “Good for you,” she said. “I want to hear all about it when you get back,” and she felt there was a possibility they might be able to stay friends, but he responded, “I doubt I will want to tell you about it” and she realized he was still angry. “Are you eating well?” she would ask and he’d answer, “You don’t have to worry about me, Catherine.” He never asked how she was and she’d hang up, sadness welling up in her at the loss of Martin in her life, but still hoping it would change in time. She asked Melissa to spend more time with him, check up on him, which their daughter did, though Catherine was aware of the ambivalent feelings she had towards her father. He did bring her gifts when she was little and she probably had some fond memories, but as she got older, she complained about him being aloof and critical of the way ...