Chapter 2: Stood Up

Emma sat at the courtesy bar sipping on a glass of white wine waiting for her date to appear. He was late and was starting to get upset by his tardiness. Emma was always punctual in everything she did from arriving at work, going to a play, or a concert, or a to movie. The one time she was not was about a year ago when some drunk rear ended her as she waited for the light to change. She was willing to give Tim the benefit of the doubt if something like that happened but he hadn't called and this irritated her.

When Tim turned into a no show she got up and left feeling upset that she had been stood up. She wore an off white dress that fell to her knees with glitter that sparkled in the light. It was a very nice garment and she got it on sale. The soft material felt nice on her skin but being in the fancy dress didn't make her feel all that glamorous. This was turning into a hot dog, French fries night. She had been looking forward to a small filet, twice baked potato, veggies, and their scrumptious dessert. Now it was dogs and fries from the stand about fifty feet from her flat near DePaul University.

She walked out in a huff. Even if Tim came now, it was too late. Emma's pet peeve was tardiness which there were very few excuses for in her book. She spent the evening wearing flannel pajamas, watching a movie called Gray Matters while eating her hot dog and fries. The only redeeming part of the night was the chick flick was a good comedy. And made her laugh at Heather Graham's infatuation with Bridget Monahan.

SIX WEEKS LATER

"Emma!" she heard her name being called from behind. Turning, she saw it was Tim Davis. Her face turned angry as she increased her step to hasten her escape this man. Her anger from the night over a month ago when he stood her up turned outright dislike. "Emma," he hurried to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm. She froze in mid step. When he let go, she turned to him with fire and anger in her eyes.

"I don't want anything to do with you. You have the nerve to speak to me after I went through all that trouble to get ready for that date only to be stood up by the likes of you!"

"Just hear me out, please." he pleaded.

"There is no excuse you can give me that will..."

"My mother died that night," he said.

Suddenly all the anger in her eyes left. "How do I know you're telling me the truth? Maybe you are a man who can lie and tell a girl something that is false. Using your mother's death is the lowest of the low."

"Have ever heard of Irene Limpa?"

"Yes, I've heard of her. She died over a month ago. Are you trying to tell me that you were her son?"

"I was her only child from her first marriage. My two half sisters Lisa and Lena are identical twins from her second marriage to Mark Limpa. I have a half brother from her last marriage to a guy named Doug Minor. I know you want to kick me where it hurts the most, but I'm telling you the truth. I had it on my voice mail at home when I got the news. I just packed a couple of shirts, another suit, some underwear and socks and grabbed a cab for O'Hare. I got a red eye to Ipswich, Long Island."

"You could have at least called me from New York."

"That's the other part of the story. Some pickpocket stole my wallet and I lost your card along with my money, credit cards, and most importantly all of my ID. My social security card, driver's license, and even more. I've been running like a chicken with its head chopped off cancelling my credit cards, renewing my driver's license, and all the rest. Emma, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for standing you up and I feel like crap for doing it but you've got to understand."

"I do understand," her voice softened. "I didn't know that Irene Limpa was your mother. I'm awfully sorry. What did she die of?

"She was in the kitchen drinking a glass of water before going to bed and she dropped right there. The doctor who autopsied her said she went right away. The only thing that I'm thankful for is that she didn't suffer."

"I am sorry," she placed her hand on his arm. Her mind went blank and stopped speaking as she stared into space.

"Emma! Are you okay?" Tim looked concerned. "Emma?" The thousands of people were walking around them from both directions didn't notice that she was about to fall to the sidewalk when her hand dropped from his arm, she came back to earth. "What happened?"

"I don't know."

"Are you okay?"

"I feel fine. I guess I had a flash of some kind."

"Aren't you a bit young to be in change of life?" he grinned. "Look, we're blocking everyone. I'm on my way to lunch. Would you like to join me?"

"I was on my way to lunch too," she said. "Yes, that will be nice. I want to hear more about your mother."

"How about going to Harlows?"

"That's awfully expensive," she protested mildly.

"It's close and I still have that money in my piggy bank. I think I can afford lunch for two," he grinned, noticing what she was wearing for the first time. It was a beige woman's business suit. Knee length skirt, a matching coat, no blouse that he could see. A gold chain about her neck with a diamond pendant and the same watch she wore the last time. Her shoes were two inch heels so they looked directly into each others eyes. Her best feature was her flowing dark brown hair that matched her eyes. It fell down to her shoulder blades and had a shine like she had just left a salon.

Harlows is a restaurant catering to bigwigs, business men and women, plus anyone who had money. They certainly didn't serve the regular people who worked in the Loop area. They were seated in a booth for two. Being the middle of the day, both opted for Cokes. Him regular, her diet. Emma ordered a salad with cold chicken while he had a hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes.