frowned.
With her suitcase tucked under the table, Diane sat in one of my kitchen chairs and looked a little more at ease than when she had arrived. She certainly looked a hell of a lot more at ease than I felt.
“Does she talk? When do kids talk? Three or five or something?”
“Oh, she talks, all right. Plenty. Too much sometimes, don’t you?” She smiled at her little girl who had now decided to waddle over and sit on the floor. I started the coffee.
“So, you were saying about the move?”
“Yes. The last time you were in Chicago…”
I had been to Chicago exactly once in five years.
“… you suggested I take a shot here. I just kept thinking about it and fantasizing…that sort of thing. Finally, I sold everything, quit my job and made the plunge. Other than a couple of boxes I shipped, all I have left is what you see.”
Spring pointed again to her backpack with the duck.
“You sold everything?”
“Apartment, car, stuff even my pots and pans. They were old, anyway. I figured the lighter I could travel, the better. I grabbed the things that meant the most, and bought two tickets to New York and a pair of boots for Spring. She had to have red like the duck on her backpack.”
If her luggage was any indicator of income, she hadn’t had much to sell.
“You had a good job, right?” I said. Still watching the kid, I tried to recall Chicago.
“A great job. I loved my job. The coolest. What a hoot.”
“A hoot?” I hadn’t heard that since… Chicago.
“Oh, yeah. A killer job.”
“And you quit to move here?”
“I figure if I had a killer job in Chicago, I could get a kick-ass job in New York.” She looked to Spring. “Spring, ‘kick-ass’ is one of those things you can’t repeat until you can drive.”
Spring seemed nonplussed by this information.
Diane turned back to me. “The right things happen when something is meant to be.” She might as well have been speaking Swahili for all the sense that kind of thinking made to me. “I’m just so glad I caught you. You’re the only person I know here. I was kinda hoping we could stay the night…unless it’s too much trouble. We can leave any time you want, if it is.”
I don’t know why I knew I was going to say yes, other than it seemed like the right thing to do. It could have been the worn-out suitcase, or the little girl who looked like a toy duck. What was a night or two? I could always go to the office, if I needed to get away. If I met someone and you never knew I could always go to her place. It might even be worth seeing if Diane and I had any sparks left. Hell, she could stay longer if she needed to as long it wasn’t forever.
“Stay the weekend, or more, even. Whatever you need.”
“Oh, that would be great.”
She got up and hugged me, kissing my cheek. I could feel her breasts pressing into me for the second time in 20 minutes.
“Spring, Mr. Dylan says we can stay here.”
This information left Spring unimpressed.
Diane put a hand on my chest. “It won’ t be long just long enough to find a place…”
A place? In Manhattan? That could take forever.
“Oh, I’m so excited! Where are the coffee cups?”
Even showing her where the cups were made me antsy. I could never consider having someone move in even on a trial basis. The only fair thing would be to do what the airlines do and ask all guests to keep articles confined to the overhead bin or the space beneath the seat in front of them.
Diane grabbed two coffee mugs and a plastic Yankees beer cup for Spring. Fortunately, I had some OJ left over from the previous weekend s screwdrivers.
“Spring…. that’s a unique name. How did you come up with that?”
Diane handed me the coffee. For a moment, our fingers touched.
She grinned at her daughter. “You almost had a different name, didn’t you?”
Spring nodded.
“I considered calling her Destiny.”
Destiny? For some reason, the word suggested that my own was about the change and my heart
With her suitcase tucked under the table, Diane sat in one of my kitchen chairs and looked a little more at ease than when she had arrived. She certainly looked a hell of a lot more at ease than I felt.
“Does she talk? When do kids talk? Three or five or something?”
“Oh, she talks, all right. Plenty. Too much sometimes, don’t you?” She smiled at her little girl who had now decided to waddle over and sit on the floor. I started the coffee.
“So, you were saying about the move?”
“Yes. The last time you were in Chicago…”
I had been to Chicago exactly once in five years.
“… you suggested I take a shot here. I just kept thinking about it and fantasizing…that sort of thing. Finally, I sold everything, quit my job and made the plunge. Other than a couple of boxes I shipped, all I have left is what you see.”
Spring pointed again to her backpack with the duck.
“You sold everything?”
“Apartment, car, stuff even my pots and pans. They were old, anyway. I figured the lighter I could travel, the better. I grabbed the things that meant the most, and bought two tickets to New York and a pair of boots for Spring. She had to have red like the duck on her backpack.”
If her luggage was any indicator of income, she hadn’t had much to sell.
“You had a good job, right?” I said. Still watching the kid, I tried to recall Chicago.
“A great job. I loved my job. The coolest. What a hoot.”
“A hoot?” I hadn’t heard that since… Chicago.
“Oh, yeah. A killer job.”
“And you quit to move here?”
“I figure if I had a killer job in Chicago, I could get a kick-ass job in New York.” She looked to Spring. “Spring, ‘kick-ass’ is one of those things you can’t repeat until you can drive.”
Spring seemed nonplussed by this information.
Diane turned back to me. “The right things happen when something is meant to be.” She might as well have been speaking Swahili for all the sense that kind of thinking made to me. “I’m just so glad I caught you. You’re the only person I know here. I was kinda hoping we could stay the night…unless it’s too much trouble. We can leave any time you want, if it is.”
I don’t know why I knew I was going to say yes, other than it seemed like the right thing to do. It could have been the worn-out suitcase, or the little girl who looked like a toy duck. What was a night or two? I could always go to the office, if I needed to get away. If I met someone and you never knew I could always go to her place. It might even be worth seeing if Diane and I had any sparks left. Hell, she could stay longer if she needed to as long it wasn’t forever.
“Stay the weekend, or more, even. Whatever you need.”
“Oh, that would be great.”
She got up and hugged me, kissing my cheek. I could feel her breasts pressing into me for the second time in 20 minutes.
“Spring, Mr. Dylan says we can stay here.”
This information left Spring unimpressed.
Diane put a hand on my chest. “It won’ t be long just long enough to find a place…”
A place? In Manhattan? That could take forever.
“Oh, I’m so excited! Where are the coffee cups?”
Even showing her where the cups were made me antsy. I could never consider having someone move in even on a trial basis. The only fair thing would be to do what the airlines do and ask all guests to keep articles confined to the overhead bin or the space beneath the seat in front of them.
Diane grabbed two coffee mugs and a plastic Yankees beer cup for Spring. Fortunately, I had some OJ left over from the previous weekend s screwdrivers.
“Spring…. that’s a unique name. How did you come up with that?”
Diane handed me the coffee. For a moment, our fingers touched.
She grinned at her daughter. “You almost had a different name, didn’t you?”
Spring nodded.
“I considered calling her Destiny.”
Destiny? For some reason, the word suggested that my own was about the change and my heart
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