Chapter 22: Monday

Kyle’s phone rang early Monday morning, early enough that he’d barely woken up. It was Sally. “You up for a run this morning?” she asked.

“Hey, I’m barely out of bed,” Kyle complained.

“Good, I wanted to catch you before you got in the shower.” She paused and giggled. “I can almost taste you. Coming? I’m out front.”

Kyle threw on shorts, shirt and shoes and dashed out the door. Sally was at the end of the walk dressed as he was. They started off down the street, jogging at a good pace.

“What brought this on?” Kyle asked.

“Something Henry Le Beau said. He says they both run in the mornings. We don’t get enough exercise, and maybe we’ll see them.”

“Canfield Engineering, this is Bill.”

“Bill, it’s Louise Wilson. Got a minute?”

“For you, sure. It’s a little squirrely here today, but...”

“Well, how about lunch? Di Genarro’s?”

“Good. Twelve thirty okay?”

“See you then. Bye”

At the restaurant, Louise found Bill at the entrance. They found a table and sat to wait for a server. It was a homey Italian restaurant they both knew and liked.

“What’s up, Louise? To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Well, it’s good to see you, Bill, and it’s as much for that pleasure as anything else. Business good?”

“Very good. As a consulting engineer in a solo practice, when things get very good, they get very busy. But I’m not complaining. Sorry I couldn’t talk on the phone this morning. Anyway, it’s nicer to see you in person.”

Louise Wilson was a trim, good-looking woman of middle height, with dark brown hair much like her daughter’s. She was dressed professionally, as her work in the city’s Health and Human Services Department required. Bill, somewhat more casually dressed, was tall, with blond hair beginning to turn gray at the temples.

A server arrived with menus, and the two, familiar with the place, ordered quickly. “Glass of wine?” Bill asked, and Louise agreed. “Pinot Grigio,” she stipulated.

Louise decided to get right to the point. “Bill, I called because of something I noticed in the last week or so.”

“Should I assume this has something to do with our kids?”

Louise smiled. “Yes. Nothing too serious, I don’t think, at least not as far as I’m concerned. Those are two great kids.”

“They’ve been buddies for what – seven years now?”

“Yeah, and we’ve been hoping they’d become more than just neighbor-buddies.”

“Well, as far as I know, they’re thick as thieves as it is. I guess Tom tells her everything, including things he doesn’t want me to know.”

“It works both ways, and I’m sure it includes things neither of us want to know.”

“Is this one of those things?”

“Oh, no. Melanie told me the whole thing, including that she told Tom she was going to.” Louise waved her hand. “But I have a suspicion Tom hasn’t told you.”

Bill smiled. “I guess not, or I’d know what the hell you’re talking about.”

“Well, in the shortest possible terms, they’ve gotten together. They’re going together.”

“They’ve always been close.”

“Yeah, but now they’re lovers.”

Bill’s eyebrows rose. “Really? That’s great! What do you know about this, and how?”

Louise shrugged. “Melanie came and told me last week that Tom ... Let me back up, Two Sundays ago I had to go to my sister’s to help with something and Melanie was home alone. Tom came over to our house that afternoon to talk with Melanie.”

“That’s not unusual. I seem to remember him saying he was going there, and I didn’t give it another thought. Should I have?”

“No, no reason to, Bill. Mel says he was upset because Sally Davidson had turned him down for a date at kind of short notice. He and Mel talked and Mel tells me he was feeling bad because he thought he’d never get a girlfriend.”

“You mean he was whining that he’d never get laid. Actually, I’ve been on the receiving end of that one, too.”

Louise laughed. “I guess that’s exactly it. Anyway, Melanie decided to fix that.”

Bill sat up straight, then relaxed as their orders arrived. Once the server left and they began to eat, he said, “And exactly how did she fix that?”

Louise wiped her mouth and said, “She took him to bed. From what she told me, they spent the afternoon in quite pleasurable intercourse.”

Bill chuckled. “Well good for him. It’s clear you don’t have a problem with this, am I right?”

“None at all. I’m really glad the two of them are together at last, I’ve been hoping for it for years, especially since they’ve gotten into adolescence.”

“I agree, and I’m really glad you feel that way. I assume Melanie is on the pill or something?”

“Thanks for asking, and yes, she is. I managed to get her on even before she became sexually active.”

“Does that mean Tom has the benefit of an experienced woman?”

“Well, not that experienced. As far as I know, she’s only had two other lovers, and no one for about the last six or eight months.”

“You’ve got a really good relationship with her. I’d envy you, except that Tom and I get along almost as well. But,” Bill added ruefully, “he hasn’t told me about this big event in his life.”

“Oh, I’m sure he will. By the way, Mel told me he was very ... Well, what she said was ‘He’s great in bed’. I gather they’ve had several opportunities to discover that.”

Bill’s face took on a more serious look. “Well, now I suppose we need to be on the lookout for romantic difficulties.”

“Maybe not so much as you’d think,” Louise said. “Mel said they’re not ‘in love’ – can you believe that? She seems to feel that they’re taking care of each other’s needs just as they’ve done ever since you guys moved next door.”

“We’ll see how that plays out.” Bill seemed doubtful. “Tell me, Louise, what about your needs? As far as I can tell you don’t date, any more than I do. I know your husband died before we came here. I suppose I’m being rather personal, but is there a reason you don’t date?”

“I don’t mind your asking, Bill. I’ll be frank with you. I don’t date for several reasons. I have a demanding job – it’s rewarding, too. I focus a lot on Melanie’s well-being, and, well, I get away to conferences and things fairly often and I can find some ... uh ... opportunities there.” She paused and brushed her hair back. “And another reason is that you’ve never asked me.”