Chapter 6: Getting Back Into the Game

I fell into bed early on New Year's Day morning and lay on my back, my hands behind my head, visions of Allison Bledsoe dancing in front of me. It was crazy that within a couple of hours we had met and, through some kind of unknown and unexpected chemistry, we had made a connection. I tried to reconstruct the woman that I had met.

She was about five-and-a-half feet tall, nicely curved but not what I would call voluptuous. The outstanding features were her incredible, almost hypnotic eyes, and her lovely soft, red hair. Not to forget her now-and-then goofy accent and strange phrases. Freckles. That was something else I really liked. Freckles that she tried to hide on her cheeks and yet allowed them to show on the tops of her breasts. Then there was her perfume and scent. I was wired. I felt like I'd had a dozen coffees. It would be a while before I slept.

It was nearly ten when I woke the next morning. I had slept six or seven hours, but it seemed like I had not slept at all. My dreams were full of Allison.

I usually don't remember my dreams, but last night was an exception. They were vivid and disturbing. I wondered what they meant, other than the fact that Ali had a strong effect on me. I didn't feel any guilt. After all, I was a free man. The court said so. But why did Ali come onto me so strongly. I didn't expect that. I know you're not supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth, but this was hard to understand. She made me feel like I was something special, and that didn't fit with my self-image. Yet undeniably, she had assured me that she expected me to call her for a date. That wasn't a dream. That was definitely real.

It took me a couple of days to adjust to my new job, or more correctly, my new office and support staff. I had been sharing an assistant, Sharon Tremaine, with Frank, but he had moved upstairs to the Planning Department. It seemed that Sharon was there only for me. We got along very well, and I wondered if Sharon wouldn't be my successor. She was capable and certainly knew the job. I'd have to talk to my new boss about that. I now reported to the City Manager, Soren Forssmann.

Frank had cleaned out his office sometime before Christmas and I moved in the first work day in January. As far as the job went, it wasn't really going to be very different from what I had already been doing. My boss had prepared me well to be his successor. It was only a matter that it was taking place sooner than I expected.

My work load did differ somewhat from my previous job. It was the attendance at meetings and doing the necessary reports and budget planning that would add to my responsibilities. Sharon was right there to guide me. She wasn't really a secretary. Her title was Executive Assistant and that was exactly the role she performed.

"You need to make arrangements to pick up your car, Graham," Sharon announced my first afternoon.

"Oh ... how do I go about that?"

"Our contract is with Kimble Motors. You have a choice of either a Fusion or an Escape. You should contact the lease manager," she said before coming to an abrupt stop. "Is that going to be awkward for you?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't expect to encounter Mr. Winters. He's the sales manager." I hoped I was right in my assumption. I checked the rolodex Frank had left me and found the direct line to Mel Thompson, the lease manager. I punched in the number and was able to talk to him. I arranged to meet him after work and make a decision on which vehicle I would choose.

My first day seemed to pass in no time at all and I was soon driving the few blocks to Kimble Motors and Mel Thompson.

"Let me show you the choices, Mr. Rideout. I think you'll be pleased with either one," he said confidently.

He went over the features of each vehicle. All city transport was white with a small city crest on the front doors. The main difference between the Fusion and the Escape was the SUV featured four-wheel-drive. I liked that option and that's what I chose. I hadn't had a new car of my own since I bought the Malibu, almost nine years ago. It was still in good shape and ran well. I would get very little for it if I sold it, so I decided to hang onto it for now. I had Matt's desire for a driver's license in the back of my mind.

Mel said I could pick up the Escape on Wednesday when it would be prepped and the paperwork complete. I had the authority to sign for it. One of the perks of my new job was permission to use the vehicle for personal use.

Camillo Dalla Riva had been our family financial advisor for several years and I thought a conversation with him was in order since my divorce and new job had changed almost everything about my financial status. He didn't know about the divorce, so I filled him in on the phone before we agreed to meet at my townhouse the next evening.

Reese and I had established we would start the New Year with the children at our former home for the first two weeks, then alternating each two weeks between us. We had both shared the children over the Christmas period by mutual consent and that had worked out well. Neither of us was deprived of their presence and both Jess and Matt seemed to have accepted the new routine.

We had yet to figure out how to set them up in two separate households without them carting clothes and other things back and forth every fourteen days. Otherwise, we decided to make the exchange of residence on Sunday afternoon or evening so that they could get settled in for school the next day. I don't think either Matt or Jess were pleased with their circumstances, but when I discussed what might have been, they agreed that the situation was better than any alternative.

With the kids at Reese's residence, I was free to get a number of things done without worrying about dealing with their needs, preparing meals, or checking on homework. I had made use of my bachelor period in the fall to teach myself some rudimentary cooking skills. I couldn't claim to be great, but I could provide my offspring with a variety of proper meals, some of which I made from scratch.

Before meeting Camillo, I'd spent the previous evening going over my finances, including my indebtedness to Miles Hoffman and sundry other bills. I wanted him to have a good picture of my situation and allow him to make some suggestions on how to proceed. I was no accountant and I certainly didn't know tax law. I had always hired an accounting/tax firm to do my personal taxes.

On Wednesday morning, I hitched a ride to Kimble Motors with Sharon. It was only a few blocks out of her way and she was happy to do me the favor. Within a few minutes, I was satisfied with my choice of vehicle. It rode nicely, had plenty of power, and plenty of space, especially when the rear seats were folded down. I was pretty sure Matt would be impressed.

My meeting with Mario was very enlightening. My new salary and perks would greatly improve my income and we constructed a plan for me to retire my debt to Miles Hoffman. I should have it paid off by the end of the year. I really valued Camillo's advice and his help in dealing with my new economic circumstances. I wasn't rich, but I was able to meet all my obligations and work myself out of debt.

I hemmed and hawed about phoning Allison after Mario left and decided to defer it to Thursday. I had to decide where to take her for dinner and perhaps afterwards. I remembered a very nice restaurant Reese and I tried a year or so ago. It was listed as Continental food and I remember it had an interesting menu. I decided to suggest it to Allison.

I worked up my courage the next evening and picked up the phone. Allison answered on the second ring.

"Hi, Allison, it's Graham," I said, managing an upbeat tone.

"Hi, Grime. I wondered when I'd hear from you," she answered brightly.

"I said I'd call and ... well ... here I am."

"Yeah. So when are we going to get together?" she asked, cutting directly to the point.

"I'm good anytime this weekend. Friday, Saturday or Sunday."

"Okay, I'll take all three," she laughed.

"Whoa there, Ali. Why don't we try Friday? I'll take you to The Europe House and we can spend some time getting to know each other better."

"Oh ... going first class. We'll, I'll have to wear my best bib and tucker."

"Uhhm ... that dress you wore on New Year's Eve was pretty nice," I suggested.

"Yeah ... I thought you'd like that," she chuckled. "Nice view from the top, eh?"

"Nice view top to bottom," I replied without thinking.

"Ohhh ... cheeky," she giggled. "What time?"

"How about seven o'clock. I'll pick you up at your place."

"I'll give you my address," she said, and did so.

"See you at seven tomorrow," I said.

"I'll be here," she laughed again before hanging up.

Well, that was easier than I thought. She was just as eager to go out with me as she suggested she was at the party. If I had one objective it was to find out more about the interesting woman who had been living out of the country for some time. She also had a child ... a son. That was something I hadn't thought of, but it shouldn't have been a surprise. She had been in a relationship for ten years, so it wasn't surprising she would have produced an child.

The address she gave me was a ranch-style bungalow in a nice neighborhood. The lawn was well kept and there were shrubs and a flower bed in evidence around the front. I walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Within seconds, the door swung open and a young boy appeared.

"Are you Grime?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," I chuckled as he mimicked his mother's version of my name.

"I'm Jack. Nice to meet you," he said as if it was an everyday occurrence. It was hard to believe he was only six.

He stood back to allow me to enter before closing the door behind me. He was exceptionally well-mannered, if this was any indication.

"You're taking Mum to dinner?" he asked.

"Yes ... that's the plan."

"Don't go to the Casino. Mom says the food stinks."

I laughed. "Actually, I'm going to take her to The Europe House. I hope it doesn't stink," I said with a straight face.

He shrugged. "Dunno. Never been there."

"So, who's watching you tonight?"

"Grams. She'll be along soon."

I hadn't met a six-year-old quite as together as Jack Bledsoe. If I'd heard his voice on the phone, I might mistake him for much older. He had a slight accent, but nothing like his mother. It sounded like he had some of her vocabulary, though.

"First year in school?" I asked him.

"Naw. Second. I'm a little ahead of some of the other kids."

"I'm not surprised," I chuckled.

"What do you do?" he asked.

"I manage the works department for the city. We make sure all the water and sewer and roads are in good shape." I tried to keep it simple for him.

"Mum works for Grams. She's some kind of boss. Grams is the big boss."

"Yes, I know. I met your grandmother last week. She's a very nice lady."

"Yeah. I'm glad we live here now. I get to see her a lot. Gramps died, you know."

"I heard about that. I'm sorry you never got to know him."

At that moment the front door opened and Kim Bledsoe entered.

"Hello, Graham. How are you this evening?"

"Fine thank you, Mrs. Bledsoe."

"It's Kim, Graham. Are you all settled in your new job?"

"Yes, I think so. I'm happy the budget is all set for this year so I'll have some time before I have to do next year's."

"Hello, Jackie," she said with a big smile, tousling his hair before turning back to me.

"Where's that daughter of mine. You'll be late for your reservation if she doesn't get a wiggle on." With that, she walked quickly toward the back of the house seeking my date. One thing I was learning about the Bledsoe family. They weren't the shy, retiring types.

It was only a minute later that both Kim and Ali appeared. Kim had been dressed very casually in a cable-knit sweater and slacks. Ali, on the other hand, looked quite different. She was wearing a multi-colored blouse on a dark blue background and complemented it with a navy blue skirt that was ankle length. The effect was something very different ... and very, very attractive.

"You look lovely," I said, as I greeted her.

"Thank you, Grime. You look very handsome yourself."