Brendan's email was waiting for me, his profuse apology notwithstanding, he was lobbying for another matinee.
"I can't believe I fucked that up..., she is so fucking sexy! You've got to be out of your mind giving me a shot at someone like her..., but thanks anyway. Any chance I could try to redeem myself?"
"Up to her," I replied, "but you've had a great start. I have to warn you, however, that nothing is going to happen for at least two or three months! She's having some elective surgery next week and it will sideline her for at least that long."
His reply wished her good luck and asked that I update him from time to time. I promised to do so.
Lexi and I left rainy and raw New England on time and arrived in sunny and warm South Florida to a rousing welcome from her grandmother and a great aunt. My wife's youngest sister would be leaving the next day but we all wanted her to spend a day with her grand niece, a rare opportunity for all of us.
The rest of the vacation flew by, with lots of beaches, boating, sightseeing and generally enjoying our time together.
I didn't forget about Elle, calling her on Thursday, a prearranged signal established if she couldn't answer, another time set for Friday. She ignored the plan, answering on the first ring and explaining that, "..., since he'd been against the procedure from the start..., he didn't feel the need to, "nursemaid," me. So I've been here alone until Kim gets home from school and you wouldn't believe how supportive she's been. She's been my maid and cook and nurse..., I really couldn't have done it without her. But, I'm doing really well, no pain or medication since Tuesday night. I'm resting and thinking about you..., and reading..., and thinking about you..., and..., thinking about you."
"But..., Todd isn't helping you at all? Weren't you told to stay in bed? I remember the doctor saying you'd be bedridden for at least a week..., who's taking care of you until Kim comes home?"
"I've been taking care of myself and believe me, its better that way."
"But..., what if something happened, you'd be all alone."
"His attitude since day one has been, "Your idea, you deal with it."
"Asshole," is how I summed it up.
"But Kim has stepped up big time and she's just as excited as I am to see the results.
"Neither of you is excited as I am...," I told her, "and I wasn't crazy about the idea either. Any time you go under the knife, no matter how skilled the surgeon, something bad can happen! But..., you sound great and I can't wait to see you."
Lexi and I flew back Tuesday night, the weather cold and rainy, just as we left it!
While I felt like a jerk for not going to see Elle first thing on Wednesday morning, discretion was always the better part of valor and I knew better. I waited until after 9:00 AM to call her, just in case, and she seemed overjoyed to hear from me and have me home. Her status at the house remained the same, she was alone..., but still confident that she would be all right until Kim got home from school.
"Todd's still acting the same way?"
"Yes, but I think Kim's beginning to see what a jerk he is," she said, "the incident over her wanting to go to the mall and now the way he's behaving about this procedure. It's only a matter of time until some boy wants to take her out..., and then she's really going to see what ass he can be."
She wanted to talk forever, lonely no doubt, so I indulged her, spending a good forty five minutes listening to her talk bad about her husband and rave about her daughter and son. While she was droning on, I had a thought and interrupted her, asking if her friend Kathy could be trusted?
"Of course," she replied, "what brought that on?"
"I don't know, just something that you said sparked a thought..., is she married?"
"Yes, and her husband Vic is a wonderful man. If she did tell him about you and I..., I know he could keep the secret."
"Okay," and I left it at that.
Once she ran out of steam, I asked how she was going to get to the doctor's office the next day?
"You," she answered.
"I know that. But what about from your house to the place?" Meaning our usual meeting spot.
"I'll drive."
"You can't drive and you know it. What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I'd hoped that you would pick me up."
"That's what I was afraid you were going to say. Elle..., I don't even want to know where you live, never mind go there and pick you up. To be honest, I don't know if my going with you is a good idea."
"Call me back in a half hour," she told me.
The next morning I drove to where we always met, this time a BMW parked where her Town & Country usually sat. The woman behind the wheel got out and opened Elle's door. She got out, standing shakily, and waited for me to come to her. When I did..., I knew who the other woman had to be.
After a lingering kiss, not squeezing or hugging Elle at all, I turned and said, "You must be Kathy."
A smile..., then, "And you..., the famous storyteller."
We talked for a few minutes, sizing each other up, letting Elle referee, and then coming to an uneasy truce. "Take care of her," to me, as I led Elle to my car, "and call me if you're going to be late," to her friend.
We both nodded.
I was told the previous afternoon that the two of them had conspired to get Elle to where I would pick her up. Kathy had called the school claiming a family emergency and that she'd be an hour late for school. If everything went well, I'd deliver Elle back to her here, once school had let out.
We had almost two hours to kill before the follow up. "Did you eat?" I asked. "I had coffee," a hopeful look on her face. We stopped at a, "Mom & Pop," diner, and she ate a full breakfast, which I took to be a good sign.
"What did you think of Kathy?" her first question.
"I think the more import question is, "What did she think of me," I answered.
"Why would that matter more?"
"Because you need her to cover for you and if she thinks I'm a jerk, that's less likely to happen."
"So..., she'll just have to get to know you better," a smile as she wolfed down her eggs.
Kathy was what one would call, "Big Boned." She was attractive, probably five nine in her flats, proportioned, but definitely, "athletic," in all aspects of her appearance. Those less enlightened might refer to her as, "butch," but in a non-threatening way.
She talked some more about the implants, the doctor and his staff making her feel very confident that she'd suffer no ill effects from the operation and that proved very true as she'd had no real pain and only some slight discomfort in the 24 hours after the procedure.