Chapter 1

The little diner at the Greyhound station was nearly empty. One guy at the counter was just getting up to leave, and the only other patron was a woman, mid-30s, sitting in a booth in the corner. I looked at the waitress as she poured my coffee and cocked my head in the woman’s direction.

“Dunno,” she shrugged, “she’s been here for over an hour, just nursing a coffee. If we had been busy, I would have run her off, but she isn’t bothering anyone. Why? You think she looks like your style, honey?”

“Mmm, mebbe,” it was my turn to shrug.

The waitress left me to my own devices and went about her business tidying up the back bar. I glanced over at the woman again and noticed her red eyes and puffy cheeks. She had been crying, that was clear.

I walked over. “You hungry? I’m buyin’.” I decided that I would test the waters. She was either going to get up and walk away if I was wrong about her, or submit completely if my sense was correct.

She looked up, “Oh, I couldn’t let you...”

“ ... yes you can, and yes you will.” I motioned to the waitress. “Bring us a coupla’ menus.” Ordinarily I would have said ‘please’, but I was making a point, and not to the waitress.

“Why you being so nice to me, mister? I don’t even know you.”

“But I know you. You are someone who needs to be treated nice, and...” I paused for effect, “you definitely need someone to give you some direction in your life.”

She looked up startled, almost afraid, and just as quickly looked down. It was clear that I was right. She would be as malleable as warm clay if gently but firmly treated.

I took both menus from the waitress and said, “We’ll each have a steak, rare, bakers if you have ‘em, and whatever your vegetable is. And fill our coffee, thanks.”

“Bu ... bu ... but that’s expensive,” the woman said.

I gave her a stern look, “A lady never looks at the prices.” I would have been surprised if she had argued. She was beginning to accept my authority.

“My name is John,” I said and paused.

She looked at me expectantly, and then realized that I was waiting for her to respond. “Oh, my name is Susan. Susan Lix.”

“So tell me about Mr. Lix,” I said as I looked pointedly at the wedding ring she was wearing.

“He... , “ she began and then started to sob into her hands.

I took one of her hands in mine and just waited for her to continue.

“He just died. Last year he was fine, then he felt bad one day. The doctors said some kind of cancer. And tonight, he died.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” I said still holding her hand.

Then the words just started to spill out of her, “He was my rock. He took care of everything important, made all of the decisions. All I had to do was keep his house and take care of our Annie. He was both husband and father to me. He even punished me when I was naughty.” She giggled a bit at that last.

“He had a big insurance policy, and the house is nearly paid for, so I don’t really have to worry about money, but I never had to decide what to do on my own... , “ her voice trailed off.

“I take it you are on your way home from the hospital, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“And you haven’t told Annie yet? Your daughter, I presume.”

“Yes, Annie is our fourteen-year old daughter, and no, I haven’t told her about her father yet. Though I’m sure she knows that the end was very near.”

“I am going to take you home, and then I am going to help you break the news to your daughter. I, too, am a man who knows how to care for a woman like you who needs strong guidance. I presume your daughter is the same, is that right?”

“Yes, she is. But ... I hardly know you. And what about your wife?”

“I no longer have one. The woman I married was not like you. She was independent and wanted to take care of herself. She came to resent my need to be the master of the house, so she found a younger man and left with him. I understood her feelings so we parted fairly amicably, but she is out of my life for good. But I have a burning inner need to nurture and care for someone, and I have been missing that for a couple of years now. Fate, apparently, has brought us together.

“I promise that I will treat you gently, but firmly, and always with dignity and respect. And if you ever decide that you no longer want my company and guidance, I will leave quietly; no drama.

“Now tell me about Mr. Lix’ requirements regarding your, and your daughter’s, obedience.”

“Oh, he demanded absolute, but not necessarily instant obedience. He would listen to any reasonable objection to a command, and sometimes he might even change his mind, but in the end his word was law. I think Annie and I will both like it if you are the same way.”

“I think I should drive you home. We can check on your car, make sure it is secure...”

“ ... Um, I took a cab to the hospital, and I walked this far.”

“Well, fine, then my car is just down the street. Shall we go?”

She nodded as I motioned to the waitress. I just handed the waitress two 20s and told her to keep the change. Then we walked out, and as we started down the sidewalk toward my car, I took her hand. “John Thicke,” I said, “I’m sure you were wondering.”

“Is it?”

Startled by that response, I looked down at her. She was sporting a sly grin. At once I knew that she was quick, intelligent, and had a playful streak. I think at that moment is when I started to actually fall in love with her. As I looked at her, I realized that she also had an expectant look on her face; she wanted an answer.

“When the time is right, I’m sure that you will find out,” I said having no intention of letting her win the verbal sparring match so easily.

“I was just teasing you, John. There are so many other things that are so much more important that right now I just feel are right. But if it is, I’ll like it,” she giggled again.

It was my turn to tease, so I said, “I think we will need to have a little discussion this evening about teasing me without permission,” my expression deadpan.

“Yes, Sir.” she replied and I smiled broadly.

She told me her address and I plugged it in to my GPS. We were parked in front of her house ten minutes later, and got out of the car. Susan paused, took a deep breath, and said, “No sense delaying things. I’m glad I have you with me John. I feel stronger somehow.”

Susan opened the front door and stepped inside. Over her shoulder I could see a petite young teenager who looked to be on the verge of tears.

“He died, didn’t he?” the girl asked.

“Yes, sweetie, he’s gone. He’s not in pain anymore...” Susan hugged her daughter and they both started sobbing. I quietly shut the front door and just waited.

Once the girl had begun to recover her composure, she looked past her mother at me with a quizzical look, “Who’s that, Mom?”

“This is my friend, John. He has been so nice to me this evening. When I left the hospital, I was just sort of walking in a daze. I was so unsure about how to handle telling you, so I stopped at the Greyhound station diner to have some coffee and get my head together. John saw me, knew I was grieving about something, and sat down with me to just listen. Then he bought me a nice dinner and gave me a ride home.

“John, this is my daughter, Anne. But everyone calls her Annie. Annie, this is John.”

I held out my hand and said, “How do you do. I’m so sorry for your loss. Your mother told me that you loved your father very much.”

“Th ... th ... thank you, Sir,” she said as she made the motions of shaking my hand.

“Annie, show John a seat in the living room, and I’ll make us some hot cocoa.”

Annie took my hand and led me into the living room while Susan went to the kitchen.

As we sat down, she said, “Are you gonna stay the night and be my Mom’s lover?”

“You don’t beat around the bush at all do you, kiddo?” I smiled at her, and then continued, “The fact is that a few things would have to happen before any of that would go down. You realize, of course, that you asked two different questions that may have different answers. In the first place, your mom would have to invite me to stay the night, and in the second place, I would have to accept the invitation. And then before I would actually stay here, I would have to be reasonably sure that the idea wouldn’t be upsetting to you. As to the other part of the question, all of the same considerations would have to be taken into account.

“I know that isn’t a very definitive answer, but it is as honest as I can be at the moment. Ok?”

She stared at my face for a full minute without saying anything or making any sort of communicative expression, then said, “I am pretty good at reading people. I can almost always tell if I can or can’t trust someone, and you I think I can trust. I hope Mom does invite you, and I hope you accept – both questions.”

I smiled and said, “We’ll see.”

Just then Susan came in with a tray with three steaming cups of cocoa. As she sat down a served me, she said, “Well, what have you two been talking about?”

Annie blushed a bit, and I said, “She’s been giving me the third degree. She just wanted to know whether she could trust me or not. You should be very proud of this young lady, Susan. She knows how vulnerable you are at this point in your life and she is stepping up to be your protector. Even if I did have nefarious motives, I would think twice before doing anything that would violate Miss Annie’s sense of propriety as far as you are concerned.”