As soon as I finished the call, I called Chris.
"Hey there. I just confirmed the meeting in LA is going to be next week. I need to go out Sunday afternoon for meetings that start Monday morning, and we're supposed to finish by Wednesday noon."
"Okay," she replied, "that's when you thought it would be. Honestly, it's good timing. Trial is only two weeks away, so I'm going to be working crazy hours for the next couple of weeks, including next weekend."
Chris was on the partner track at a large law firm, so long hours were not unusual. But leading up to trial, it shifted into an even higher gear.
Chris continued, "You should visit Anna for the weekend -- she'd love that."
Anna was Chris' younger sister, who was working on her Master's degree. We hadn't seen her in over a year.
"Yeah, I thought about that. If it works for her, I'd love to see her."
"Call or text her," she said. "Sorry, I gotta run. Don't wait for me for dinner tonight -- I'll catch something here."
"Okay. See you later. Love you."
"Love you, too. Bye."
Chris and I met early in our freshman year at college. We started dating and quickly fell in love. She's smart, funny, a good person and, in my opinion, quite beautiful. She's 5 feet 5 inches and in good shape thanks to yoga and spin classes, which are usually VERY early in the morning. She has brown hair that goes below her shoulders. She has small, firm breasts which I find absolutely beautiful. Her light-blue, large eyes sparkle and captivate anyone who looks at her.
We got married the summer after we graduated. Two months later, she started law school, and I entered the working world. Three years later, she began working at a major law firm, and I went back to school for my MBA. Now, I've been at my firm for two years. We are both very ambitious. We work hard and play hard.
We both want kids -- but not quite yet. More and more people are waiting until their 30s to start a family, so we figure we've still got some time. Of course, we get the usual pressure from the parents, but they know we'll make the decision when WE are ready -- not when THEY are ready.
Both of us grew up in middle class, loving families. She's got two sisters, and I've got two brothers. Both of our families really love our spouses, and the feeling is mutual. Chris' parents have always treated me like the son they never had; they're both terrific.
Chris and her middle sister, Vickie, get along, but they're not as close as Chris and Anna, her youngest sister. Vickie and Chris are only two years apart, so maybe there was too much competition growing up. Anna, on the other hand, is six years younger than Chris. They were never even in the same school, so there was no competition between them. When Anna was eleven years old and starting the mood swings that every kid goes through, she often clashed with her mother. She'd go to Chris for comfort.
Chris, of course, at 17, sometimes had her own teenage wars with her mother. If nothing else, they could commiserate with each other. But to an eleven-year-old, your popular, 17-year-old sister is the really cool person you strive to be. And you think your older sister has all the answers. Fortunately, both of them outgrew their teenage years and grew into really wonderful women.
When I first starting dating Chris, Anna was only 12. She was the typical, obnoxious pre-teen who teased her sister about having a boyfriend. By the time she was 18, she had grown into a stunning woman. Her breasts were much larger than Chris', and she teased her about it all the time. But it didn't bother Chris because she knew how much I loved her AND her small breasts. Anna said I only married Chris so I could spend more time with her (Anna). If she was alone with me, she would sometimes put her hands under her breasts, lift them and say, "These are what REAL tits look like!" And then she'd start laughing.
I texted Anna to see if she'd like me to visit her after my meetings. Ten seconds later, my phone was ringing.
"Hi, Anna," I said.
Before I could get out another word, she screamed, "YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!"
I laughed. "You know," I said, "you once yelled at me when I called someone after they texted me. You said I violated one of the basic rules of texting: never reply to a text with anything other than a text."
"Yeah, well fuck that," she said, laughing. "I was too excited. I haven't seen you guys in SOO long!"
"I know," I said. "But it will only be me. Chris has to work that weekend."
"Fantastic," Anna said. "We can finally sleep together when my sister isn't around." Then she started laughing as I didn't respond.
"You're terrible, you know," I said.
"Oh, come on," she said. "You know you want it. How long will you be here?"
"My meetings end Wednesday afternoon. I figured I'd work from there on Thursday and Friday, and head out Saturday morning. Is that okay?"
"Yes, yes, yes," Anna immediately said. I hadn't heard her so excited in a long time. "Will you stay with me after your meetings?"
"Yep, that works."
"I'm really excited to see you, Ryan. You've made my day. Hell, you've made my whole week. And bring your credit card. I'm gonna let my successful brother-in-law take me out for a nice dinner every night." Again, Anna was laughing.
"Okay," I said. "Good to know I'm just a meal ticket."
"You're not JUST a meal ticket," she said. "SOMETIMES I even like talking to you."
"Oh, okay," I replied. "THAT makes me feel better."
"Okay, I gotta go. I'll plan on seeing you sometime next Wednesday. Thanks, Ryan. Love you. Say hi to my sister."
"Bye, Anna. Love you, too."
Over the next few days, I did some prep work for the meetings the following week. Chris was working crazy hours, so it was easy to work late, either at the office or at home. Fortunately, THIS weekend they decided to take Saturday evening off at the law firm, so Chris and I could have a night together before I left. We went out for a nice dinner, and Chris was happy to drink most of the wine from the bottle we ordered. She definitely was releasing some pressure from this case and the trial preparation.
When we got home, as soon as we walked in the door, Chris hugged me and kissed me hard.