Chapter 4

‘I got the impression from Sam, that Tara was a might upset. I had a feeling that she would not be cooking BBQ tonight.

When Sam took Peggy to the Meditation Room, Tara’s mom, to talk, it was a clear sign their talk would not be about any wedding plans.

Later, when Sam came back.

“Don, how about doing me a favour?”

“What, if it’s money maybe, if it’s advice about women, forget it man, that’s why I came to you.”

He was especially relieved when Sam asked him to “Stay here for a bit Don. At least until I get back from London and find out what Bob Simon has for me that’s so urgent. OK?”

“OK! It’s not like have thousands of other options to consider Sam, although I do have one or two job prospects around here to investigate. What about your little girlfriend, what should I do if she decides to come back?”

“I’ll call before I go; her mom told me we needed to talk. You know what that means, right.”

“Yes, I think that is the standard kiss-off intro from a female’s handbook, I think we both heard it before from ex wives.”

I felt sorry for my friend. Looking around the house though, not that sorry for him; it was a fabulous home.

When he indicated he was going out, him asking me to stay over took only 2.3 seconds for me to answer; it only took that long to agree.

This was quite a place.

Upon my return from dropping Sam off to a beauty of a plane, a G-650 no less, I had a decision to make. Stop for food at a grocery store or take home stuff. Sam had almost nothing in the home to eat. Then I remembered that Tara, his ‘almost’ GF did all the cooking.

That started me thinking about Jenny, Julie and of course Jamie. She was the youngest but there had been something about her that stirred up a countless number of emotions in me.

‘Damn’ I thought what had I been thinking. She and they had probably even forgotten my name by now.

A stop for a food cache won out, mostly because I was not very hungry yet. My thoughts turned to my previous life while pushing a cart through the store’s aisles. I wondered where it all had gone wrong. It seemed to me to be a rhetorical question, one I very well knew the answer to, and there was no need to dwell on the past.

I had been pushing the cart more than 15 minutes and when I looked, it was still empty. I once again valiantly began that tedious journey again. Milk, bread, eggs, bacon, pancake mix, sugar, beer, two frozen meals, a few more things and chips soon were on-board. ‘Yes I had all the essentials now’ I thought.

The girl at the register checked me out. By her look, she was checking out more than what I was buying.

“New in town?”

“Yes, I’m staying at a friend’s house while he is out of town.”

While he was saying that, when the ‘He’ part was said, Becky raised a brow and had to have a tad more information before pursuing any relationship with this man. You have to understand in this part of the world a good man was like gold, hard to come by but easy to spend away.

“Y’all need anything or your wife waiting to help you?”

‘Magic words’ he thought.

Probably not this trip, I’m divorced, no kids and not certain how long I’ll be around here. My name is Dr. Donald Weaver, I go by Don, and you are?”

Now her face was shining like a 1,000 watt light. “I’m Becky. Becky Sue Jameson, 18, single and so far un-attached.”

“Nice to meet you Becky. So far you, my two neighbors and my buddy are the sum total of people I know around here. I went to school in DC and practiced for a bit there too. Everything rather went south then, so I’m trying to start over. Since I need to eat I’ll see more of you again, soon I hope.”

Flirting with a pretty girl was almost therapeutic. It had taken my mind off some bad memories too.

As I walked to my car, both I and the girl probably had similar thoughts, like ‘Had that conversation been a might too ‘personal’?

When I pulled up to the front of the house, there were two streaks charging me.

“Would you please ask Sam to come talk with us? We have been trying for over an hour and he won’t answer. Please?”

There was no doubt that who stood before him were mother and daughter, even sisters maybe.

“I’m sorry ladies, Sam isn’t here. He left the country this morning and I am not certain when he will be back.”

The two were crestfallen.

“But ... but ... we, I mean my daughter needs to say...”

“I’m Don Weaver, Dr. Donald Weaver and I’ll be staying here at least until Sam gets back. If he calls I’ll mention you wanted to speak with him.”

Seeing the girl he assumed she was the infamous Tara since he had briefly seen her when he had arrived. To be honest, in that swimwear, he was not looking at her face much. She, in better days would not look her age. He noted how Sam might be swayed by the girl. He also noted the tear marks on her cheeks, and that this was not one of those days she looked older. His thoughts once again turned to Jamie.

Don smiled at them, un-locked then opened the door and walked inside with his groceries immediately putting things away.

He thought that he had handled that little episode well.

For the next week, then the next after that; Don must have visited a dozen places. Everything at many of them seemed to go just fine. Only one called back though.

“Dr. Weaver, I had to tell you, we would have liked to have you a part of our practice but...”

‘Where have I heard that before, right the intro my ex gave me.’

Being so young, not having practiced here in Virginia and so little experience in any specialty makes you a liability to our group insurance plan. I’m sorry. Perhaps when you gain some experience here in Virginia we can re-visit your being part of our group.”

‘Gee, that’s what I was trying to do’ thought Don. That job in that Hospital in the Carolinas was looking better all the time all of a sudden. Then he remembered being a hospital doctor was just above an intern and maybe as high as a nurse, pay was about the same too.

To brighten up his day a bit, Dr. Don went back to that same store where he first met Becky. When he arrived, he looked for her but saw someone else at the register. He went about his shopping. At the meat and fish case he paused, trying to decide what was going to be his dinner, when he heard:

“You sure do look like you need a hand Dr. Don. I hope I can help you?”

“Well Becky, I can’t decide what ‘WE’ are having for dinner, you decide maybe. If it’s a BBQ, I think we need more food, I hear my next door neighbor makes a mean char-grilled steak. Of course wine is out; she is not old enough to drink.”

“Oh, I don’t think ‘WE’ will need her tonight, I think I know what I need to do.”

The temperature for both of them began to rise.

“Becky, I’m serious if you wish to join me for dinner. We can go out or eat at my place. There are ‘no strings attached’. I’ve been here two weeks and am a little bummed; so a pretty, smiling face is all I need. If you want bring some swimwear; there is both a pool and hot tub at the house.”

That got him a funny look from Becky followed by a grin and smile.

“Why, Dr. Don, whatever else did you think I meant?”

“Becky, dear heart, I’m a man. We men have an innate sense about certain things. I really like you and want to learn more about you but I’m a bit gun-shy about how my wife exited. This being Friday, you are welcome to stay-over, in your own room, if that’s Okay? Bring something to sleep in and extra clothes too and we can do something on Saturday, public things.”

“I’m available now if you mean it. You need to drive me home then to your place. Mmm, that means you probably need to drive me back when it’s time too.”

Becky, you are a ‘bad little girl’ you know that?”

“Dr. Don, whatever do you mean, I was just thinking a ‘gentleman’ would want to make certain a lady got home.”

“Right! Becky get any foods you like, let’s buy whatever we may need. I’ll drive but please, don’t make this harder on me than it needs to be.”

“I won’t. Only what it needs to be.”

“Why does that not make me very comfortable Becky?”

“Maybe because you know I like you too.”

“Oh, I’m sure, you know so much about me.”

“I do! You’re on the internet plus one of my roomies went to the same school you did. So there.”

Don’s opinion of Becky got a bit warmer, after that comment.

After buying out the store, probably more stuff than he would use in a month he drove to her apartment.

If Don was now getting a warmer, more comfortable feeling about being around Becky, by the time they got to Sam’s house, she was starting have a meltdown.

The new Lexus he filled the trunk with started it. When he walked her into her apartment, that feeling continued. She introduced her roommates, who, by chance all were there and just had to fawn over ‘her date’ which actually made her feel good. She had never brought a man over and instead of jealousy; Becky was showing Pride in their reaction and her being with him.

While packing a ‘few’ thing, well, maybe more than a few, perhaps enough for a week or two, Carla, Kathy and Monica all decided to help. They took turns; one always making certain Don was not without some company. When Becky happened to mention that Don was a Doctor and they met a few weeks ago, there were mixed reactions, something akin to ‘that green-eyed monster’.

Kathy, who was a LPN re-iterated that she had seen Don at school, before he was a Doctor. Although Becky had not exhibited any jealousy, when she mentioned to each girl, that ‘She was staying at his place and did not know when ‘they’ would be back, all three, to varying degrees were put off a might more.

Becky did not just walk out to the car, you could say she almost floated there, while Don played ‘beast of burden’ and carried out what seemed like twenty-seven bags.

By her sinking back into the seat, both eyes closed and her fingers playing tag with his arm and hand, Don got the impression Becky was more than comfortable with him now; a feeling he shared about her. Outside of Sam, who had gone ‘walk-about’ who knows where, Becky was the only friend he had made there.

Becky was comfortable, would be very comfortable in-fact. When she reached twenty-one her grandparent’s trust fund became hers. Until then it would only pay for her expenses and college tuition if she went. Becky was a smart girl and wanted college to be something meaningful not a way to spend money foolishly.

Up until now, there was no one she wanted to be around and every boy or man who tried to woo her only wanted sex, not her company necessarily. Dr. Don seemed different.

When they pulled to the drive at Sam’s house, Don used the remote to open the garage saying it was closer to the kitchen; then a bit more took place.

Becky’s mouth opened wide, opened with a gasp. Then when she saw the Mercedes in the garage she did the ‘woman’ thing, she fainted dead away and slumped more into her seat.

Don shook his head. I said before he was a nice person and it would show with Becky. He opened her window, brushed her fallen hair from her eyes and reached across to recline the seat so she could rest easier. He let her be and started to take things in and put them away.

He started to put her clothes into a vacant room, hanging up things or laying them in dresser drawers after first placing a pillow under her head and a light blanket to keep her warm.

When all that was done, he went back into the garage with a glass of water in one hand and a small juice in the other. Both found a place to sit as Don waited for ‘Sleeping Beauty’ to awaken.

When she did he pointed to the drinks, she took the small juice then began to cry.

“Everything is so beautiful. The house, your cars, you, you have everything, you’re a doctor, I’m a nothing just some eighteen -year old girl who can’t make up her mind what she wants to do with her life.”

“A very lovely girl who is my friend and has deemed me worthy to be her date; now what say we have a look around the house? Contrary to what you may think, the Mercedes and house are my friend’s he has me as caretaker; at least so far. Even if I wanted to, which I do, I could not afford this house yet, you forget I’m not that much older than you; oh maybe by a few years I am.” He laughed.

“Becky, I did not bring you here to show off, and you are something, you are you, you are my friend and I like you, like you a lot.”

Her tears almost stopped. A hug, kiss then another kiss seemed to be all she needed. Some re-assurance it was. ‘Maybe after some food, TLC and some time in that meditation room or even the pool would help some. I sure hoped so’ he thought.

His efforts in the garage got him a smile.

“You really like me?”

“Yep, at least when you’re not crying your eyes out I do.”

She took my hand, sniffed a might then said, “C’mon let see this mansion. I’m sort of hungry too.”

Ah youth, they seem to have a resilience that knows no end. I did not lie I really did like her. She might not have had money, position, a nice house or even a car but from what I had seen in her, she was an exceptionally nice person.

We toured the house. There were places in it I had never even seen. Who knew there was a garden behind those sliding glass walls? She like me got a little misty in that meditation room. I think anyone who went there would.

Who knew she could cook. I got my BBQ after all. After twice in the pool and twice soaking away the world in that hot tub she cuddled up.