Chapter 7: Reunion

June and I quickly finished our lunches, left some money on the table, and I retrieved my car from the valet while June got her luggage and checked out of the hotel. I picked her up curbside and we drove to my condo. She waited in the car while I got my flight gear and tossed a few things in a go-bag. We drove out to Washington Executive airport where I keep my plane; half an hour later we were wheels up headed to Chapel Hill. The weather was VFR all the way, but still with the impending emotional meeting ahead, I had to concentrate on my flying more than usual.

June and I talked during the flight. June and Kim were half-sisters. Mom lost Dad when Kim was young. Kim’s Mom remarried and June followed. He died in an accident and she remarried again. Their parents lived near Denver; their dad had his own accounting business that their mother helped out during the busy season. They were currently near retirement but active and vital people.

June told me she worked for a large company called Alperion just outside Camp Forge, Pennsylvania. She was a little evasive about her living arrangement so I figured she might be in a lesbian relationship but then she finally referred to Jim, her husband. I figured I’d ask deeper questions about that some other time. June was running several large projects for Alperion.

Our wheels touched down ninety minutes after our takeoff at Chapel Hill Airport, a small landing strip on a plateau on the north side of the town with few amenities. I spotted Kim’s Mooney tied-down among a row of planes. I had memorized the tail number.

We parked the plane, checked in with the FBO, and after a couple of phone calls were actually able to get a rental car to pick us up. We finished registering for the car and then June directed me through the university and towards the town of Carrboro where Kim actually lived. We pulled into a very nice, heavily-treed neighborhood and then into the driveway of a large contemporary home that probably sat on an acre or two of land. After we got out of the car, June took my hand and dragged me to the front door. My heart was racing; I was scared at what would happen.

We rang the bell at the front door to the nice suburban home.

Fifteen seconds later Kim burst through the front door and I had a blubbering young woman in my arms frantically kissing me all over my face, ears, neck, and about any place she could find skin as I held her to me. Kim was sobbing and shrieking, frequently unable to even find her voice she was so choked up Once I heard, “Oh God, I’ve missed you so. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry I left the way I did. Oh, I’ll never leave like that again. Oh, I love you, I love you so. I hope you still love meeeeee.”

I was crying, too, and blubbering out about the same things to her. June was standing there crying at our newfound happiness and also looking pleased with the result of her matchmaking. I had tried to steel myself to not be emotional about our reunion, but then the damn I’d built for six months since Kim and I parted burst and all my pent-up emotions came flooding out in deep racking sobs.

I loved this woman, deeply and without reservation. I didn’t want to face the future without her. Tears and moans wracked my body as I clutched Kim to me and wept into her hair and shoulder. She was crying loudly against my chest clutching my shirt in both fists like I was her life preserver from the oncoming storm.

After several minutes of our tearful reunion, Kim pulled her sister and me inside the house and into the living room. She was still sobbing and holding on to me for dear life. I have to admit that I didn’t want to let her go either. We were wrapped around each other; we wanted to crawl inside each other.

Suddenly, I was aware that the unhappiness that I’d felt for six months had vanished; yes, I was crying but I couldn’t remember when I’d been so joyous. My heart sang with happiness. I still had questions, but I was happy.

Kim pushed me onto the sofa and sat in my lap. She started to rain kisses all over my face again. Sometimes she took one of my hands and kissed it, then she’d wrap herself in it or hold it to her breast. She kept blubbering her love for me. She’d get control of herself for a few seconds and then burst into an uncontrollable bout of loud weeping, sobbing that she thought she’d lost me forever and how she couldn’t have stood that. Then she’d hug me madly laying her head onto my chest and bawling uncontrollably again. My shirt was soaked with her tears – our tears. I wasn’t doing any better. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house; Kim’s tears were contagious and we were all weeping.

June left the room and returned with a box of Kleenex that she shared with each of us. She sat next to Kim and me on the sofa. Kim turned to her and embraced June, “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing the only person I’ve ever loved back to me.” Then she shrieked and cried aloud some more, this time on June’s shoulder. June comforted her and held her close; she looked across Kim’s convulsing body at me with doe eyes of affection. I guess I’d done and said the right thing as far as she was concerned.

I think it took fifteen or twenty minutes for Kim to finally get herself under control; I only did a little better than that. Her eyes were red and puffy and even her blouse was wet where our tears had fallen. She kept sniffling and sighing, and then taking huge gulps of air, and trying to catch her breath and swallowing hard, all the while trying to regain some semblance of self-control. The coffee table became cluttered with the various tissues we were using.

Kim came back to me and we hugged and sat with our arms wrapped around each other. June smoothed Kim’s arm in a comforting gesture as well. After several huge sighs, Kim lay down and put her head in my lap and her legs in her sister’s lap. She was barefoot and suddenly exhausted. Her arms were clutching my legs; she wasn’t about to let me out of her sight. I was holding onto her very tightly, too. We weren’t going to leave each other’s company any time soon.

As she regained some control, she rose and looked at me through her swollen red eyes. “Oh, I love you so. I kept trying to tell myself that you couldn’t love a person my age. I started to write or call a thousand times, but didn’t have the courage. Then I’d realize I wasn’t a kid and that you should love me just as I am. But then I’d cry like a kid again, and start the cycle all over again.”

She sniffled and rubbed her eyes as more tears came. She choked out “June was here last weekend holding the Kleenex then, too. She worked me over pretty well and at least got me to where I could admit I still loved you and wanted you back and that you could love me just the way I am.” She choked off a sob again. “When she called hours ago I had a premonition that she was doing something like bringing you here. I prayed and hoped all afternoon. If you hadn’t come I might have gotten up enough courage to have been on your doorstep tomorrow.” She hugged me then held my face in her hands and kissed me wildly.

I started, “I couldn’t believe you’d really love an older guy like me. I wanted you so much but couldn’t trust my instincts or even what you were saying. I felt like I’d scared you away telling you about my life and some of the unusual relationships that have taken place in it. I’m sort of used merchandise, too, having been married, having kids, and all. Plus, I worried I’d scared you off with my material possessions, my career and even the crazy sex we had. I admit to trying to snow you, but it also genuine. I did that because I wanted you in my life.” I sobbed again, “Oh, I want you to forgive all that and just love me forever.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Kim stated as she kissed me again and with a little more authority in her voice than she’d had since we arrived. “I love you just the way you are. Hear me and hear me well, your age doesn’t matter to me – AT ALL; in fact, I like the fact that you are older. You give me perspectives on life and stretch my thinking in ways no other human has ever done.” I accepted her loud emphasis with a slight recoil

Kim continued, “As for the unusual relationships you shared with me – the foursome and threesomes – to be frank they turned me on. I’ve thought a lot about them over these months and I could be in one too if the people in such a relationship loved each other. I think that’s part of your unselfish and unconditional love philosophy isn’t it? Also, you having been married doesn’t make you ‘used merchandise’. Good lord, Ron, your wife died tragically at a young age; she didn’t dump you because you were a loser. I love you because you loved Mindy; you’ve proven you have a heart and can weather the ups and downs of a long relationship – and bring up two daughters...” She squeezed my hand in a tender gesture.