Chapter 3: The Last Thing I Expected

The more I thought about Ginny's lie, the more pissed I became. It wasn't like we were going out every weekend. I wasn't monopolizing her time. If she didn't want to be with me, why didn't she just say so? I could have handled that a lot better than what she was doing.

I don't exactly know why I did what I did next, but I did it. I picked up the phone and dialed Georgette's number. I took a long-shot chance she would be home on a Saturday evening. If not, I could call her tomorrow. I thought, for some reason, she'd want to know what happened. I was surprised almost into silence when I heard her soft voice answer after the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Georgette. It's me, John Smith."

"Oh, hello John. I didn't expect you to call this evening. Is there a problem?"

"Uhhm, no ... I mean ... yes. I just thought you'd want to know. I caught Ginny in another lie tonight. I was supposed to go to dinner with her and she begged off saying she wasn't feeling well. I ran into her on the street a little while ago with another guy. I think maybe it's time to end it."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, John. She really doesn't understand how hurtful that is. Did she say anything?"

"No, I didn't give her the chance. The next time I talk to her I'll let her know we are done."

"I understand. Still, I feel bad for you. You two have been together for quite a while."

"Two years," I sighed. "We met at freshman orientation. That's when it began."

"I'm sorry about that, John. I'm sure that ruined your evening. We should talk about it when I see you next."

"Wouldn't you know she picked the one night in the month when I'm the only one in the apartment for the weekend."

"I don't know what to say, except I'm sure you'll find someone to replace her. You're a nice guy and girls are always looking for guys like you. Ginny may just have given a rival a clear shot at you," she chuckled.

"Well, I can hope, can't I? Anyway, I'm not sure why I called you tonight and I'm sorry if I interrupted your evening for something so trivial, but I appreciate your talking to me. Thanks, Georgette."

"You're welcome, John, and it wasn't any imposition at all. I'm glad you did call."

When I hung up, I felt better for some reason. Perhaps because Georgette had confirmed my decision to dump Ginny. Just talking to her was a tonic. I flicked on the TV and sat down to begin channel surfing. I found some reruns of Big Bang Theory and settled down to laugh at Leonard, Raj and Howard while I ground my teeth at Sheldon, The Insufferable. Please tell me there aren't any real people like that.

I was about half way through the second episode when my buzzer rang. I couldn't think who that would be unless Ginny had decided to come up and apologize. I hoped not. I wasn't ready to face her.

"Hello?"

"It's Georgette, John. Can I come up?"

"Uhhm, oh ... sure. Come on up," I stumbled, pushing the door release button.

I opened my apartment door to wait for her to arrive. We were on the second of three floors and there was no elevator, so she would be walking up the stairs at the end of the hall.

"This is a surprise," I said as she approached.

"I should have called, I guess," she apologized. "I didn't think. I just felt you could use some company tonight."

"Come in, please. Let me take your coat."

She was wearing the same clothes as she had during our afternoon session except that the next two buttons on her blouse were undone. She slipped off her shoes and left them by the hall closet. Again, with almost no makeup and little if any preparation time, she looked amazing.

"Can I offer you something? I have some white wine and beer in the fridge."

"What's an apartment with four guys living in it doing with white wine," she laughed.

"A couple of my roommates' girlfriends are wine drinkers, so we have to keep some on hand for them. We might even have some red."

"I'll have some red if you have it, or white if you don't, thank you."

I moved quickly to the kitchen and checked the cupboard for what I hoped might be there. It was. A bottle of Napa Zin that was drinkable, if not vintage. I took a wine glass down and opened the bottle. I grabbed a mug and took a cold Anchor Steam out of the fridge before hustling back to the living room.

"I must say," she said, looking around, "for a bachelor pad, this place is very neat and clean. I wouldn't have expected that."

"Ah, guilt by association," I grinned as I passed her the glass of wine. "Not all of us are slobs. Actually, I'm a bit of a neat-freak, so I tend to clean up the place when I'm on my own. The three guys I live with a pretty good, in fact. This definitely isn't Animal House.

"Cheers!" I said as I raised my mug. "This is a very nice surprise. I was settling in for an evening of sit-com reruns when you arrived."

"So was I," she admitted.

"I didn't expect to find you at home when I called. I was sure you'd be out on a date somewhere."

She shook her head. "I don't date very much at all."

I was about to ask "Why?" when I thought better of it. She didn't volunteer the information and so I chose to let her decide what I should or shouldn't know.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Georgette spoke.

"How are you coming with your studies so far this semester?"

"Fine. I haven't run into any problems I couldn't get help on. I think that I've become accustomed to what I need to do to get by living here and going to school."

"You said you went back home to work with your parents during the summer. What do you do there?"

"I'm kind of an all-around handyman nowadays. Like my dad, I can do most electrical and plumbing repairs myself, so that saves them money on upkeep. I can work on the reception desk and fill in for mom or dad when they need a day off. Summers are the busiest time, so my being there is a real help. It keeps them from getting worn out."

"You said you had an older sister and a younger brother. What do they do?"

"My older sister, Mallory, is married and lives in Boise. They have a daughter and son, with another child on the way. My brother, Jared, is only sixteen and his duties are pretty much confined to cutting the lawns and picking up the trash. I'm trying to teach him some of the necessary things about maintenance and repairs, but I don't think it's in his blood to be much of a handyman. He's into photography and art and girls."

"So you've become the necessary spare part during the summer," she grinned.

"Yeah, that's me ... the spare part. I don't mind though. My parents are paying for my education and I owe them a lot for that. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them."

"Sounds like you have a close-knit family."

"We do," I admitted. "I was thinking the same thing when you told me about your living arrangements."

She nodded and smiled. "I'm very lucky. I live rent-free. My father is semi-retired and as he and my mother age, I want to be nearby to make sure they can cope. My grandmother is surprisingly spry for her age, but she's a little bit hard of hearing, so it's important we keep an eye on her too."

"Are you an only child?"

"Yes, unfortunately." I could see a wistful look in her eyes as she spoke.

"I'll bet they're hoping for some grandchildren," I said before realizing just how uncalled-for that comment was. I was about to apologize when I saw her nod with a slight smile.

Once again, there was an awkward pause. I had stepped into an area I didn't belong and didn't know how to retreat.

"That was an unwarranted comment," I said. "I apologize."

"No need, John. I know you didn't mean to offend. And you were right. My parents are waiting patiently for grandchildren."

"But you don't date often, you said." Once more, I had wandered into a place I didn't belong.

"Sorry," I said immediately. "Didn't mean to get so personal."

Again she smiled. "It's all right, John. I don't mind your comments. I know you well enough that it isn't invasive or rude. You are curious about me, though."

I nodded and sighed. "True. You are a bit of an enigma."

"Let's leave that for another time," she said, still smiling. No harm done apparently.

"Sure. I'll let you decide what you want me to know."

We talked for over two hours. I told her about my growing up in Northern Idaho and she told me about growing up in San Francisco. I found she was easy to talk to and, as I had already discovered, an intent listener. We had a lot of values in common and although we didn't talk about it any more, I knew she didn't approve of Ginny and gave me the feeling I would be better off with someone else.

When she decided it was time to go, she gave me a hug at the door and thanked me for my hospitality. I thanked her for coming over and spending the time with me. I genuinely enjoyed it. I was surprised at the unexpected familiarity, but pleased by it as well. I promised I would be on time for next week's session and we parted.

Ginny didn't call on Sunday and I suspected she was trying to avoid me and a possible confrontation. It was the first time she would know she had been caught in a lie. I wondered what her story would be when she finally called. I got the answer to that on Thursday afternoon. She was waiting for me where I left my bike.

"Hi, Johnny. Are we going to get together this weekend?" she asked boldly, showing no signs of regret or concern. I wonder if she knew how irritated she made me when she called me "Johnny."

"No, I don't think so, Ginny. In fact, I think our time has come to an end."

That seemed to be a huge surprise to her. "Why?"

"I think you know perfectly well why," I said, looking her straight in the eyes.

She couldn't hold my gaze and I could see her getting frustrated.

"It was no big deal, Johnny. So I dated another guy. We always said we could ... you know ... no strings."

"You lied to me, Ginny, and it wasn't the first time. If you'd lie to me about something like that, what else would you lie about?"

I had thrown down the gauntlet and Ginny was quite prepared to pick it up. The argument got quite vocal for a short time. I named several instances when she hadn't told me the truth and she tried to gloss them over as meaningless. She didn't see any harm in telling me what she call "fibs" as the need arose. I disagreed strongly. In the end, I made sure she understood we were done and she left, angry that I had broken up with her for what she thought was no good reason.

"Hi, Georgette, it's John."

"Oh, Hi John. Are we still okay for Saturday?"

"Yes ... absolutely. I just thought you would want to know what happened with Ginny."

"Yes ... I am interested."

"I guess to make a long story short, she didn't see anything wrong with lying to me and couldn't understand why I would be upset. I think she was putting on an act to keep from having to admit she'd done something wrong. I'd hate to think what would happen to some guy who married her and then found out about her personal values."

"You're better off without that, John. I know for a fact you can do better."

"We'll see. I don't think I'm going to be in any rush to replace her. It's a lot of work developing a relationship and I'm not sure I'm ready to do that all over again."

"I understand how you feel. Are you all right about it, John? I mean, do you have regrets?"

"Some. Not many. I know I wasn't in love with her, so it's not like it tore my heart out or anything. On the other hand, we were intimate and we did share things with each other. I guess I'm disappointed more than anything."

"Cheer up, John. You'll be fine. You're resilient and young and you'll find someone better, I'm sure of it."

"Thanks. I don't know why I felt I had to call you, but I really appreciate your listening to my tale of woe."

"You aren't alone ... trust me ... you aren't alone."

"Thanks again, Georgette. I'll see you Saturday."

"Yes ... Saturday," she said softly.

When I hung up, I wondered about her last comments. Was there something there that she was trying to tell me? And why did I feel compelled to call her? Was I developing some weird dependence on her support? I was almost treating her like a psychiatrist.

We sat once more in the living room of the lovely fourplex and talked for a couple of minutes before Georgette began our second session. She had dressed differently this time and I was a bit surprised. She was wearing a snug v-necked pullover, a pair of tight jeans and was barefoot, just as she had been in my apartment. Between the sweater and the jeans, she was displaying all her physical assets to their maximum and not helping me concentrate at all.

"I wanted to ask you first off about what you consider the most important thing when having intercourse," she began.

Wow, right out of the chute. No fooling around with this girl. I pondered the question for a moment before answering.

"I think the most important thing for me is to please my partner."

"You didn't take much time to answer that question. Is it something you've thought about before?"

"Uhhm ... I suppose I have. It's something I believe is my responsibility. Otherwise, I'd be selfish and my partner may not get any satisfaction from it."

"How does that manifest itself? What do you do to insure your partner's satisfaction?"