Chapter 9

Second week in December

We saw each other every chance we had but were somehow careful to generally avoid situations that were too tempting. We went to dinner once with Mars and once by ourselves. I took both of them out to High Cotton so Mars could see what a proper date looked like. I like to think I’m always a gentleman but made sure to hold chairs, open doors and the like, especially for Mars and she loved it. So, did Jan. On our second date of the week I decided to share how Jan looked to me.

“How many times have you been asked out in the last year,” I asked.

“A couple. Three or four times, maybe. Maybe more than that. None of them interested me and I don’t really know. Why?”

“I was expecting a higher number. It should be a higher number. Significantly higher.”

“You think so, huh?”

“Very definitely. And I’ll tell you why, if you like.”

“That sounds like a fun conversation. Do tell.”

“Men are visual creatures. We can’t help it. We even admit it. We call ourselves leg men or ass men. Pardon me.”

“Or tit men?”

“Or that. We talk about what attracts us and we act on that. I told you the first week that your bikini pic was an important factor in me asking you out. Why should you have been asked out a lot more? Because you are the total visual package. You have no weak spots. None. You do have wonderful legs. I know that must be first from gymnastics and then running to get ready for a triathlon. You’ve got a wonderful tight little ass, too,” I said, smiling and leaning close so the rest of the restaurant wouldn’t hear. “You look amazing walking away. But as good as you look from the backside, you look even better from the front. Guys like a fit woman and you are definitely fit. Your posture is the giveaway, believe it or not. You have a nice trim waist and you filled that bikini very nicely.”

“I have nice tits,” she said, giving me permission to be a bit more crude.

“I’m certain of that. Your hair is a beautiful straw blonde, tending toward strawberry blonde and it’s always got a beautiful wave to it. I don’t know if it’s natural or not but it seems so. But your face is the big deal because it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. It’s proportional and that sounds weird but it is, and you have high cheekbones without them seeming boney. You’ve got a fine nose and those razor-sharp eyebrows. Your smile is to die and you have almost dimples. That’s a new thing for me; almost dimples. But your eyes. Oh my god, girl, your eyes are one of a kind. They are not just beautiful. They are powerful. If you look at someone, they’re going to hold your gaze longer than they would anyone else just so they can see those eyes. You could make me forget what I’m doing with those eyes. When a man sees a complete package like you, when a real man sees you, they have to think to themselves, ‘I want that’. They have to. I can’t imagine any man looking at you and not thinking you were desirable and any of them that didn’t ask you out are either married or cowards. So, if you’ve only been asked out a half dozen times in the last year, it’s only because there are a lot more cowards in the world than I could have imagined and I’m glad.”

I lifted my glass for a toast and said, “Here’s to cowards.”

She clinked hers against mine, smiling and echoed, “To cowards. That’s the finest toast I’ve ever heard.”

She was radiant. I wondered how often her husband had told her just how beautiful she was. I was curious but not so much that I’d ask.

“I wish this place had a dance floor,” I said. “You need to dance. We need to dance. I can feel it.”

She agreed. I paid the bill and we went back to her place to dance. She put a swing station on Pandora while I pushed a few pieces of furniture back to give us room. The first song was Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood” and moved from there straight into “Begin the Beguine”. It was a great station with lots of songs from the big band era and an hour later, I led her through a heart pounding tango to “Mack the Knife”. She could really move and followed like we’d been dancing together for a lifetime. It felt great. A song neither of us had heard before started and we decided to take a break. We were both a little breathless.

“Great station and you’re pretty good,” I told her.

“Not so bad yourself. That was fun.”

“What do you think Mars would say to that,” I wondered aloud.

“I love it that you’re interested in her reaction. Mimi’s supposed to have her back in 10 minutes or so. We can go another round and you can ask her yourself.”

“Wait. Who? I didn’t think to ask where she was.”

“My grandparents have her and my grandpa can’t drive at night. She should be here before 9. You haven’t met my grandparents. Want to?”

“How am I supposed to answer that. No, I think I’ll give it a pass?”

“No, silly. You’re supposed to say you can’t wait for the chance.”

“Well, then, I can’t wait for the chance.”

“Much better. Need a refill?”

“Yes. Just water, this time. I want to be sober when your grandma shows up.”

She laughed but knew I really did want water. Five minutes later Mars burst through the front door with her Mimi right behind.

“This kid’s a real pain in the ass, you know. You need to get a proper babysitter. Someone who can keep up with her. Ah...” she said spotting me. She looked like one of the Golden Girls with white hair and a wrinkled smile.

I stood to greet her but she didn’t move to greet me so I let the distance stand.

She looked me up and down as though deciding if I was acceptable or not. “So, this is what all the fuss is about. Hummph. Doesn’t look that special to me. Did you keep the receipt? Is he a doctor?”

“Stop it grandma. You know darn well...”

She walked toward me and we greeted. We shook hands and she looked me in the eye.

“Are you honest?”

“Most days. And on the other days I’m too honest,” I replied.

That broke her and she laughed. She squeezed my bicep once, turned to Jan and nodded, then said, “Okay. You can keep him,” and started for the door. “Bring him by for dinner one night so Pops can meet him too. Do you like steak,” she asked.

“Yes ma’am. I like a good steak.”

“Good. We do too. Bring rib-eyes when you come. We like thick cuts,” she said and was gone.

“I’m dying here. Oh my god. Your grandma is hilarious. I couldn’t tell when she was pulling my leg and when she meant it.”

“When you figure that out, you’ll be ahead of me. She does all the talking and Pops listens. We’ll go sometime. She’s really nice and you’ll have a good time, especially if Mars goes with us. Mars is the only one that has her number.”

“What were you guys doing? Why’s all the furniture pushed back,” Mars asked.

“I’m so glad you asked sweet pea. We were just thinking you’d enjoy this.”

Jan started the music again with Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up” and we began to dance. After our second dance, I asked Jan to put on Chubby Checkers’ “The Twist” and I danced with Mars and she loved it. We went through four or five more songs with Mars watching but when Glenn Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade” came on and we switched to slow dancing, Mars left.

“I’m going to bed. No smoochin,” she said and we had to laugh and immediately made loud smooching noises. She covered her ears in mock annoyance.

It was great to learn that Jan liked to dance and better yet to learn that she was good at it. Even better that we were good together. I’d had to work a bit, dancing with Amanda and Kayla. They were fast learners but Jan ... Jan was a natural. Then I remembered gymnastics and floor exercise. She could undoubtedly teach me a few things. That would be fun.

Thursday afternoon, I saw her in the car line and we agreed to meet for my run while she rode with me. I got home thirty minutes later and called to make sure she was still good for it but she didn’t answer. I texted her and pulled out some papers to grade while I waited. I kept checking my phone and the time and got very few papers graded. It wasn’t like her. I had just decided to drive down to her house when my phone chirped and I almost jumped out of my seat.

“Mr. January? This is Rhonda at East Cooper Medical Center.”

“Yes.” I didn’t really want to talk about any appointments I might have missed.

“Janice Pinkney asked me to contact you.”

That got my attention. “Yes. Go ahead.”

“She has been in an accident and wanted you to know.”

My heart must have jumped up thirty beats a minute. “Is she okay? Has she been hurt?”

“We’re still running a few tests...”

“Is there anything serious? I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“I don’t want you to worry. She just asked me to contact you.”

“On my way.”

Five minutes later, I went tearing in the emergency room door like a man with his hair on fire. I was directed back to room five but it was empty, not what I was hoping for. That’s when it dawned on me that Mars had been with her.

“I think they might have taken her for a CT scan. If you want to wait here, that will be fine,” the tech told me.

“What about Mars? What about her daughter? Did she come in with a little girl?” Now, I was doubly panicked.

“Stay here and let me check.”

I know she was only gone a moment but it seemed like an hour. When the tech returned, she walked me down the hall. When we walked into the room, Mars smiled cautiously.

“I’m getting a cast,” she said and that’s exactly what was happening. A doctor was wrapping her right forearm in a cast while Mars held an ice pack to the left side of her face. At least she was smiling.

“What happened, Mars? Is your mom okay?” The doctor smiled at me and nodded at a chair on Mars’ left and I slid in close to her and put my hand on her back.

“We got banged up.”

“I can see that. It looks like you have a broken arm. Does it hurt?”

“It used to, real bad,” and then she gave me a goofy smile.

“She’s got a simple fracture and we’ve given her a bit of pain medication,” the doctor said as he continued to wrap her arm. Mrs. Pinkney has been taken for a CT Scan. Concussion protocol.” He looked up at me and saw that I wasn’t comforted by this. Reassuringly he said, “I don’t think there’s anything serious, Mister...”