Fate Steps In

Hey there.  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  It was perfect weather here.  Love this time of year.  Today I saw the three little goslings from the Canadian Geese that live down by the pond in the back.  The first I've seen them - we had some last year too but unfortunately they were swooped up by either the coyotes or hawks.  They're so cute and their parents are so vigilant.  Not sure if it's the momma or poppa, but he/she spreads her wings and herds them back to the pond if danger is sensed.  We have several geese and I swear they are always on patrol - they're like the neighborhood watch.

Anyway, here's this week's story.

Cathi Jackson was returning home from yet another blind date.  Her friends were constantly fixing her up with some brother-in-law, cousin, actually any breathing single male, was a candidate as far as they were concerned.  Tonight was the last time – she’d had it.  They may be great guys for someone but not for her.

She had already had the perfect guy once and everyone else was coming up short. Dale Jefferson Jackson had put his shoes under her bed for twenty-one years. They met in college when Dale, a member of Reserve Officer’s Training Corps, contacted Cathi to arrange a color guard for a program Cathi was heading. Once he met her, he used the phone number for personal reasons.They married right out of college. Cathi got a job teaching 2nd grade and Dale went to work for the Department of Juvenile Justice.  They joked that he was DJJ of DJJ. Life was good for them.  Every summer he would go off to his two weeks of National Guard duty until September 11^th.  Everything changed after that. His unit was called to serve in Iran and Afghanistan for several tours and on the last tour, his unit didn’t return.  When she answered the door that fateful day, she didn’t think she would survive the pain.

That was two years ago and her friends were determined she had spent enough time grieving for what was and it was time to get down to what is.  She knew they were right and that Dale would agree with them.  Actually, by now he would have had her over his knee telling her exactly how silly she was acting, but she couldn’t take another blind date.

She knew that some of the younger teachers at work used the internet to meet people.  Come Monday she would get the names of the sites they used and do her own surfing from now on.  She couldn’t do any worse.

She was wrong. 

So many of the responders, let’s just say, stretched the truth. With others, there was no chemistry.  She would always agree to meet them either for lunch or cocktails and always at a public place.   There were times she excused herself to go to the ladies’ room and never returned. She laughed the first time she did this thinking about Dale’s reaction to that behavior.  He would have been appalled at her rudeness but at the same time applaud her actions.

When she had just about given up hope of ever finding anyone even close to what she wanted, Justin Davis walked into her school.  He was in the military and had recently transferred to Lawton AFB. He came into the office to enroll his son Brady in school for the following September.  Cathi was filling in for Sheila, the usual registrar, who was off for a family emergency.  By the time all the paperwork was completed, Cathi knew Justin Davis was a widower and had transferred to Lawton because he wanted to settle in the area at the end of his military career which was coming at the end of the year.  He wanted Brady to have some stability in his life, and his sister and brother-in-law lived nearby, and he wanted Brady to grow up knowing family.

Justin was six feet of gorgeous.  He had dark hair, graying at the temples, with steel blue eyes, startling white teeth, that ramrod straight military posture, and a smile that could charm a snake.  It certainly charmed her. She hoped she wasn’t drooling on the outside because she sure was on the inside. All she had to do know was figure out a way to get him to ask her out.

Fate stepped in.  Cathi volunteered at the local animal shelter and on the following Saturday she was working the front desk when Justin and Brady Davis walked in.

“Ms. Jackson, are you lost?” he asked with a smile.

“I do a lot of volunteer work and on Saturday, I can usually be found here.”

“How does Mr. Jackson feel about your being gone all the time?”

“I’m a widow and the volunteer work fills up the emptiness.  Enough about me.  Are you here to adopt an animal?”

“Yes, Brady here has wanted a dog for sometime and now that we are going to settle, I think it’s time to grant his request.  Ain’t that right son?” he said as he tussled Brady’s hair. Brady nodded his agreement.

“Well, let’s get started.”  She led them to the cages and as Brady traversed the corridor, Justin and Cathi spent the time talking.  He asked her about her husband and was surprised to learn she was a military widow.  She learned his wife passed about the same time as Dale.

Right about then, Brady came running up to his dad and grabbing his hand.  “Come see the dogs I want Daddy.”

“We’re only getting one dog, son.” Cathi watched Brady deflate.  “But Daddy, the sign says their brother and sister.”

“I guess I better go take a look,” he told Cathi and went off with Brady.  Cathi went back up front.

A short time later, Justin and Davis came back to the counter.

“I guess I’m a pushover, we will be taking the two shelties,” he told Cathi.

“A pushover, huh, I doubt that.  I think you just have a soft heart.”

“You could be right.”  They completed the paperwork and were waiting for the doggies to be spiffed up when Brady spoke up.

“Hey, Ms. Jackson, why don’t you come over sometime and see Buddy and Bella? Is that okay with you Dad?”

“More than okay,” he said with a smile.  When the dogs were ready to leave, he gave her his card and asked her to write her number on the back.

Cathi said goodbye and walked back to the desk floating on a cloud.  Justin was the kind of man that could fit nicely into her life.  There would never be another Dale but there was room in her heart for another man, and in this case one man and a boy.

It was the following Sunday and she hadn’t heard from Justin. She felt sure there had been a connection and she was sorely disappointed he hadn’t called.  Her phone rang and she hoped it was him, it wasn’t.  It was her friend Melody asking her over for a barbecue.

“Why not, can I bring anything?” she asked.  

“No just yourself.  There will be a couple of others here too,” Melody responded.

Oh God, Cathi thought to herself, please don’t let this be another fix-up.  I don’t think I can take it.

“Come anytime, we’ll be here.” Melody told her.

Cathi stopped off at the grocery store and picked up a bouquet for Melody.  She heard voices as she pulled up and followed the sound to the back deck.  To her surprise, there stood Justin.  He was in deep conversation with Melody’s husband Jim.

“Hello everyone,” she said as she stepped onto the deck.  Jim came over to give her a hug and Melody came out of the kitchen to greet her.

“Cathi, I would like you to meet Justin Davis. I met him at the base the other day,  and ran into him at the grocery store this morning and invited him over. He’s recently moved here with his son...”

“Brady, I know.  Captain Davis and I already met on a couple of occasions,” she said coolly.

“Hello, Justin.  How’s Brady and are Buddy and Bella settling in to their new home?”

“Brady’s fine now, he came down with a raging case of chickenpox last Saturday.  Buddy and Bella have been a handful, but they’ve kept Brady company.  My sister volunteered to take Brady to the movies today as a reward from being such a trooper.  Actually, I think it was more as a reward to me for getting through the week,” he said laughingly.

“I’m glad he’s better,” she told him and turned away.  He followed her and touched her shoulder.  She turned back to him.

“Are you angry with me?” he asked

“No, of course not,” she responded.

“Then what’s with the cold shoulder?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” she told him.

“I think you do.”

“You don’t know me well enough to think you know me.”

“No, I don’t, but I would like to get to know you. So far today though, I feel like I’m getting the brush off.”

“Okay, you’re right.  Maybe I was giving you the brush off.  I was a little miffed when I didn’t hear from you this week.  Now that I’ve had time to process what you told me about Brady I’m a little embarrassed about what I was thinking.”

“Thank you for being honest.  I’m a little rusty on this dating thing and I probably should have called you, but I didn’t.  In the future, I’ll do better.  That is, if I’m forgiven.”

“Yes, you’re forgiven,” she said with a smile.

“Just for the record, when I ask someone a question, I always expect an honest answer,” he told her.

“Yes, sir,” and gave him a salute.

“No need to be salty.”

“That’s what my husband used to say.”

“Oh really, and what did he do about your saltiness?”  He saw her blush.

“Yeah, that’s what I figured.  The same way I deal with saltiness,” and he laughed again.

Melody saw Cathi blushing and came over to join the conversation. 

“What did you say to my friend to make her blush, Captain Davis?”

“Just a private conversation and please call me Justin. I’m in my civvies today.”

The rest of the afternoon was fun.  Justin and Cathi teamed up for horseshoes against Melody and Jim.   Justin found out that Cathi was very competitive and when they switched partners later he made her a bet that the loser would be fixing dinner for the other next Saturday night.  Cathi won.

She arrived at Justin’s rental house the following Saturday and was greeted by Buddy and Bella.  She could already tell they ruled the household, not matter was Justin might think.  Brady wasn’t far behind and lead her into the kitchen where Justin was hunched over the sink cleaning vegetables.  He looked so cute in an apron over his head and tied in the back.

“I wish I had a camera,  Captain Justin Davis in an apron slaving over the sink cleaning veggies, what a picture.  I bet the guys in your section would love to see it.”

“You haven’t even said hello yet and you’re already starting with the saltiness.  I think someone needs a reminder about what happens to sassy girls.”

He dried his hands and came over to greet her.  She backed away and he laughed. 

Dinner was great.  Justin was a good cook and after dinner she and Brady had KP duty while Justin sat and watched. 

He loved the way she related to Brady.  Of course, she was a teacher and knew about children, that was a definite plus.  He hadn’t dated much since his wife passed and it was important to him that anyone he brought into his life knew it was a package deal.  She was a looker with her long shiny brown hair and hazel eyes.  She had curves too, he liked that, he wasn’t into bags of bones. He was starting at her and she turned around and caught him.

“A penny for your thoughts.”

“Only a penny, hardly worth sharing.”

“Now, who’s being salty.”  She grabbed the towel off the counter and whipped it at him.  Brady laughed and joined in the action.

“No fair, I’m in charge and don’t either of you forget it.” Justin said.  Bella and Buddy heard the ruckus and joined in the fray.

After they finished up in the kitchen, they played monopoly in the living room.  About 9:00 Justin told Brady it was time to hit the sack. 

“Aw Dad, can I stay up a little longer?”

“No, it’s adult time.  Now take Buddy and Bella outside and then truck  on upstairs.”

Brady obeyed but he went with a slouch to his shoulders and a lag in his step.

“What an actor.  You’d think I just sent him to prison,” and he laughed.

When Brady came back in and bid them goodnight,  Justin joined Cathi on the sofa.

“This is what I miss the most,” Justin said.  A fun filled family evening.  Thank you,” he whispered into Cathi’s ear. 

“You’re welcome.  Know what I miss the most?” she asked.

“What?”

“Being with a man that I can relax around and be myself. I love that you are both strong and gentle, have a great sense of humor, love your son to pieces, can cook and most of all, recognize saltiness for what it is.”

“You know what else I miss.  I miss putting my hand to a salty girl’s bottom and I think the drought is over,” and he laughed.

“I think it just might be.” She answered and offered a silent thank you to Dale who she was sure engineered this entire thing.

Now before I start getting questions about continuing this storyline, let me tell you that next week's story takes you further into their relationship, so I hope you enjoyed it.

See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.