Relationships 104: A Short Call Between Old Acquaintances
by DB_Story
Copyright© 2008 by DB_Story
Flash Story: Sometimes we let our hopes for a reconciliation with a loved and lost one lead us into situations that end up only bringing more pain and rejection. Perhaps just having the courage to ask the right questions ahead of time would have helped avoid a lot of personal grief. Here's a prototype of such a conversation presented in an almost-Flash length. Any sex is off-screen. Inspired by a subplot on the 4/8/2008 episode of Boston Legal.
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Author's Note: Although not flagged as 'true', there's a lot of truth in this tale if you know where to look. What prompted its writing now was the recent episode of Boston Legal, which has twice now this season had situations too closely approximating this for comfort. In their cases, the guy is always coming out on the short end of the stick, hoping for more from the woman than he's going to get. Some consider this comedy, although if the situation was reversed it would be an episode of Sex in the City. The other situation my also be written about some day as part of The Relationships Series.
A special thanks Mulligan for his excellent and much appreciated proofreading. All remaining mistakes are mine.
Chapter 1: Once Upon A Time
Once upon a time in this fairytale that couldn't have a bit of truth in it He met She. They were both in college together and a mutual interest in Science Fiction had brought them together. Although the word was out that She had a most jealous boyfriend, He finally asked her out himself one evening when the "boyfriend" was only feet away. She accepted immediately.
They started dating and He was willing to take it slow. He couldn't believe everything he discovered about Her as they spent time together. It only reinforced how She was so very right, and how every other woman on the planet was so very not! She often spoke about how close and comfortable it was to be with Him. How they seemed so psychically connected that they even ordered the same dishes in restaurants. He was finally ready to let himself be vulnerable again after too many past hurts. He was finally ready to take this relationship to the next, intimate stage.
Then suddenly she told him She wasn't going to be seeing Him any longer. That She had already started seeing someone else instead. "But what about Us?" was the question that never should be asked in these situations, but was. It should never be asked, because it is going to get the following answer:
"I Love You," She said to Him, "as a friend. I'm just not In Love with you." To women, apparently that's the difference between who they sleep with, and who they just let buy them dinners and movie tickets and ice cream and...
She moved in with her new man, who became one of many to come through her life for various periods of time. She eventually married yet another person, but only for a brief moment out of Her lifetime. While she never seemed to let herself get that close to anyone else after that, She never seemed to lack for company or admirers either. He remained single for so long that everyone eventually came to believe that he would never get married himself.
Years passed. Although they kept in touch, and were always seemingly close on the phone, She was untouchable to Him. They finally, gradually, fell out of touch.
Then one day His phone rang...
Chapter 2: The Conversation
Him: Hello?
Her: Hi there!
Him: Well hello! It's been a while.
Her: It certainly has.
Him: What prompts this call after all this time?
Her: You sure get right to the point of things?
Him: You've told me more than once how much you didn't like it when I didn't get to the point promptly enough with you.
Her: I said that?
Him: You sure did. Trust me, it's not something I would have forgotten.
Her: I guess I might have said something like that once.
Him: And I've learned.
Her: So you have.
Silence.
Her: It has been a long time.
Him: Yes it has.
Pause.
Her: I guess what I'm trying to say is, I've kind of come to a point in my life where I want to reconnect with people in my past.
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