me you think Mark is dead.” I was crumbling on the inside, but I hoped it didn’t show.
Dennis ignored the question. “If you hear anything further, will you let me know?”
“If you hear anything, will you let me know?” I repeated.
He hesitated and then agreed. “I will.”
I studied him and he steadfastly met my look and didn’t flinch. He was a man of his word and I knew I could trust him. “Then I will, too,” I promised.
He replaced his dress hat and walked toward the front door. “I wish I had better news, Jo Marie.”
“Me, too,” I replied, my heart aching. Mark had made it clear when he left that he didn’t expect to return. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t hang on to the spiderweb-thin thread of hope. And yet that was exactly what I’d done.
—
Emily cooked dinner, but I wasn’t hungry and didn’t bother to make a pretense of eating. The numbness had stayed with me all afternoon, that tightness in my stomach, that ache in my heart. I needed to call Bob Beldon; he’d want to know what I’d learned, but I couldn’t bring myself to make the call. Nothing felt real, and yet reality was staring me in the face.
“You okay?” Emily asked with a worried frown. “I don’t mean to pry, but if you want a shoulder to cry on, I’m a good listener.”
“Thanks,” I said, “but I don’t feel much like talking.”
The sympathetic look she sent me said she understood. “Is there anything I can do?”
I shook my head. “Nothing, thanks.”
After dinner Emily went up to her room and I retreated into my own. Rover still wasn’t himself, but he looked better than he had earlier. He lay down at my feet as I sat in my comfortable chair. Although I had no interest in watching TV, I turned it on, hoping a distraction would help me out of this blue funk.
When my cell phone rang, it startled me to the point that I jumped. I reached for it but didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello,” I said tentatively.
“Jo Marie? It’s Greg from the party. Karen gave me your number. I hope you don’t mind my calling you.”
“Greg…Hi.” I did my best to sound pleased to hear from him. I made a determined effort to hide the turmoil churning inside of me.
“I had a great time over the Fourth.”
“I did, too.” It seemed like the holiday had been light-years earlier, yet it’d been only a day. That didn’t seem possible. Twenty-four hours and it felt as if a year had passed.
“I wanted to connect and let you know that I really enjoyed meeting you,” Greg said.
“Thanks. It was a fun day.” And it had been, although there was little to celebrate now.
“I was wondering if you’d like to get together again,” Greg said.
His invitation shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. I hesitated, unsure what to tell him.
The silence felt awkward and uncomfortable as I wrestled with how best to respond. My head spun. Mark hadn’t made me any promises. He’d done everything within his power to tell me he wasn’t coming back, despite the few times I’d heard from him. That had been weeks ago now.
Weeks and weeks.
He hadn’t made it across the border or made it to the rendezvous point.
“Karen told me you’re a widow. I don’t know if anyone mentioned that my wife died nearly four years ago.”
No one had said anything. Four years. About the same time as Paul.
“I haven’t dated much since, and I have to tell you I’m more than a little nervous about this. If you’re not ready, I understand.”
“I’m ready,” I blurted out, my decision made. “I’d enjoy seeing you again.”
We talked for nearly an hour. Greg was a great conversationalist, and when we disconnected I felt better than I had all night.
It was time to let go, really let go this time, and move forward.
I was concerned about Jo Marie. She’d been withdrawn and quiet all through dinner, hardly saying a word. She’d picked at her food, too, showing no interest in the blackened chicken Caesar salad, a meal
Dennis ignored the question. “If you hear anything further, will you let me know?”
“If you hear anything, will you let me know?” I repeated.
He hesitated and then agreed. “I will.”
I studied him and he steadfastly met my look and didn’t flinch. He was a man of his word and I knew I could trust him. “Then I will, too,” I promised.
He replaced his dress hat and walked toward the front door. “I wish I had better news, Jo Marie.”
“Me, too,” I replied, my heart aching. Mark had made it clear when he left that he didn’t expect to return. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t hang on to the spiderweb-thin thread of hope. And yet that was exactly what I’d done.
—
Emily cooked dinner, but I wasn’t hungry and didn’t bother to make a pretense of eating. The numbness had stayed with me all afternoon, that tightness in my stomach, that ache in my heart. I needed to call Bob Beldon; he’d want to know what I’d learned, but I couldn’t bring myself to make the call. Nothing felt real, and yet reality was staring me in the face.
“You okay?” Emily asked with a worried frown. “I don’t mean to pry, but if you want a shoulder to cry on, I’m a good listener.”
“Thanks,” I said, “but I don’t feel much like talking.”
The sympathetic look she sent me said she understood. “Is there anything I can do?”
I shook my head. “Nothing, thanks.”
After dinner Emily went up to her room and I retreated into my own. Rover still wasn’t himself, but he looked better than he had earlier. He lay down at my feet as I sat in my comfortable chair. Although I had no interest in watching TV, I turned it on, hoping a distraction would help me out of this blue funk.
When my cell phone rang, it startled me to the point that I jumped. I reached for it but didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello,” I said tentatively.
“Jo Marie? It’s Greg from the party. Karen gave me your number. I hope you don’t mind my calling you.”
“Greg…Hi.” I did my best to sound pleased to hear from him. I made a determined effort to hide the turmoil churning inside of me.
“I had a great time over the Fourth.”
“I did, too.” It seemed like the holiday had been light-years earlier, yet it’d been only a day. That didn’t seem possible. Twenty-four hours and it felt as if a year had passed.
“I wanted to connect and let you know that I really enjoyed meeting you,” Greg said.
“Thanks. It was a fun day.” And it had been, although there was little to celebrate now.
“I was wondering if you’d like to get together again,” Greg said.
His invitation shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. I hesitated, unsure what to tell him.
The silence felt awkward and uncomfortable as I wrestled with how best to respond. My head spun. Mark hadn’t made me any promises. He’d done everything within his power to tell me he wasn’t coming back, despite the few times I’d heard from him. That had been weeks ago now.
Weeks and weeks.
He hadn’t made it across the border or made it to the rendezvous point.
“Karen told me you’re a widow. I don’t know if anyone mentioned that my wife died nearly four years ago.”
No one had said anything. Four years. About the same time as Paul.
“I haven’t dated much since, and I have to tell you I’m more than a little nervous about this. If you’re not ready, I understand.”
“I’m ready,” I blurted out, my decision made. “I’d enjoy seeing you again.”
We talked for nearly an hour. Greg was a great conversationalist, and when we disconnected I felt better than I had all night.
It was time to let go, really let go this time, and move forward.
I was concerned about Jo Marie. She’d been withdrawn and quiet all through dinner, hardly saying a word. She’d picked at her food, too, showing no interest in the blackened chicken Caesar salad, a meal
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