fresh pair of panties and my outfit for the day. After a shower and a mask of clothing, I’d be ready to talk. Maybe.
“I have to shower, Wesley. Is there any way you can use the bathroom in the hall while I get ready? We’ll have to talk about this when we leave. Margaret is probably waiting for help with the meal.”
“Amy.” He touched my hair and I quickly retreated to the tiled side of the floor. With the door closed, I’d have fifteen good minutes for myself to sort this out.
I gently began closing it, pulling my head from his reach. “I’ll be out in two shakes.” I stared at his puppy-dog eyes and held up two fingers with my other hand.
How did I get here?
Chapter Nine
I went downstairs and could not imagine I’d be seeing the person I saw sitting on the sofa with Wesley. Mark! I nearly tripped on my way and luckily white-knuckled the banister to catch my clumsiness. Wesley saw me first. His eyes grew in size and tried to say what his mouth couldn’t: Houston, we have a problem .
Mark stood as I finished off the last step more gracefully than the other fifteen of Frankenstein-style walking. Wesley rose to his feet, too. Tyler sat, unfazed by the pending atomic bomb about to detonate, and Claire pulled candlesticks off the dining room table, a keen but semi-tipsy eye being kept on the action unfolding.
“Honey, look, it’s Dr. Reilly. He was in the area and stopped by to see us.” Wesley practically spit as he shouted out the falsified information.
I heard my throat muscles swallow loudly in my ears. My eyes never left Mark.
“Hello.” I wanted to get closer. His hair looked a bit whipped, his beard was scruffy, and his tie dangled from his neck like a loose tooth. He must’ve been running on coffee, because as I got closer I could see the multiple intersections of blood vessels in his eyes.
“Can we talk?” he said in almost a whisper.
“Sure.” I looked around for Margaret and Jeff, who had thus far not showed up for the unexpected guest.
“We’ll go outside.” I directed my comment to Wesley.
“Let’s all go, if you don’t mind.” He looked at Tyler, who was zoned while some documentary played on the television. “Jeff and Margaret ran out to get bread or something. If they come back, at least we can say the doctor came to see me too.”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
Mark waited for me to go first. So much was processing in my head at that moment. In essence, I’d pulled the pin on the grenade that ended our relationship, threw it, and ran like a fugitive. It seems I had only a day on the lam until he caught up with me. Now what would I say? I never figured on this part of the breakup: face-to-face combat.
Just as we were exiting the door, Jeff and Margaret walked onto the porch. You would’ve thought Jeff had seen a ghost.
“Dr. Reilly! What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
I swear he turned three shades of paste waiting for the answer.
“Mr. Tillion, not at all. I’m here on personal business. I was in the area and dropped in to see Wesley and Amy. Wesley was my patient earlier this year.”
Jeff grabbed his chest and sighed in relief. “Of course, I’d forgotten.” He stole a look toward his wife. “Well then, do come in and visit. We’re having dinner in a few hours. Maybe you’d like to stay.”
“Thank you, but I’m having dinner with family later. I appreciate it, though.”
Jeff smiled and walked past us into the house. I didn’t know what just happened, other than Wesley and I would be interrogated later about Mark’s mysterious visit. I would be glad when this day was over. Especially the next couple of minutes, when I had to face Mark and tell him why I couldn’t leave with him. Why did he go and mess up what we had going?
“If you want, we can go down to the pier. I’ll just wait while you all can talk in the boathouse.” Wesley was being unusually congenial about the whole situation. Thank goodness.
“Sure,
“I have to shower, Wesley. Is there any way you can use the bathroom in the hall while I get ready? We’ll have to talk about this when we leave. Margaret is probably waiting for help with the meal.”
“Amy.” He touched my hair and I quickly retreated to the tiled side of the floor. With the door closed, I’d have fifteen good minutes for myself to sort this out.
I gently began closing it, pulling my head from his reach. “I’ll be out in two shakes.” I stared at his puppy-dog eyes and held up two fingers with my other hand.
How did I get here?
Chapter Nine
I went downstairs and could not imagine I’d be seeing the person I saw sitting on the sofa with Wesley. Mark! I nearly tripped on my way and luckily white-knuckled the banister to catch my clumsiness. Wesley saw me first. His eyes grew in size and tried to say what his mouth couldn’t: Houston, we have a problem .
Mark stood as I finished off the last step more gracefully than the other fifteen of Frankenstein-style walking. Wesley rose to his feet, too. Tyler sat, unfazed by the pending atomic bomb about to detonate, and Claire pulled candlesticks off the dining room table, a keen but semi-tipsy eye being kept on the action unfolding.
“Honey, look, it’s Dr. Reilly. He was in the area and stopped by to see us.” Wesley practically spit as he shouted out the falsified information.
I heard my throat muscles swallow loudly in my ears. My eyes never left Mark.
“Hello.” I wanted to get closer. His hair looked a bit whipped, his beard was scruffy, and his tie dangled from his neck like a loose tooth. He must’ve been running on coffee, because as I got closer I could see the multiple intersections of blood vessels in his eyes.
“Can we talk?” he said in almost a whisper.
“Sure.” I looked around for Margaret and Jeff, who had thus far not showed up for the unexpected guest.
“We’ll go outside.” I directed my comment to Wesley.
“Let’s all go, if you don’t mind.” He looked at Tyler, who was zoned while some documentary played on the television. “Jeff and Margaret ran out to get bread or something. If they come back, at least we can say the doctor came to see me too.”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
Mark waited for me to go first. So much was processing in my head at that moment. In essence, I’d pulled the pin on the grenade that ended our relationship, threw it, and ran like a fugitive. It seems I had only a day on the lam until he caught up with me. Now what would I say? I never figured on this part of the breakup: face-to-face combat.
Just as we were exiting the door, Jeff and Margaret walked onto the porch. You would’ve thought Jeff had seen a ghost.
“Dr. Reilly! What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
I swear he turned three shades of paste waiting for the answer.
“Mr. Tillion, not at all. I’m here on personal business. I was in the area and dropped in to see Wesley and Amy. Wesley was my patient earlier this year.”
Jeff grabbed his chest and sighed in relief. “Of course, I’d forgotten.” He stole a look toward his wife. “Well then, do come in and visit. We’re having dinner in a few hours. Maybe you’d like to stay.”
“Thank you, but I’m having dinner with family later. I appreciate it, though.”
Jeff smiled and walked past us into the house. I didn’t know what just happened, other than Wesley and I would be interrogated later about Mark’s mysterious visit. I would be glad when this day was over. Especially the next couple of minutes, when I had to face Mark and tell him why I couldn’t leave with him. Why did he go and mess up what we had going?
“If you want, we can go down to the pier. I’ll just wait while you all can talk in the boathouse.” Wesley was being unusually congenial about the whole situation. Thank goodness.
“Sure,
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