The Talk
Chapter 2
Lee brought their drinks over handing Amanda hers before sitting down himself.
He stated, "I meant what I said before, Amanda. We really don't have to do this now. After all, we'll have the rest of our lives to-"
But Amanda taking a sip of her drink immediately put it down on the coffee table and shook her head replying, "No. I think we should take care of the old business so we can start fresh, Lee. I don't want us to later wonder about the importance that other people we were with had on our lives at the time. Besides, if things were to change here-"
Lee protested firmly, "Hey! That is not going to happen! Are you saying you don't trust my love for you?"
Amanda patted Lee's arm gently and responded, "Of course I do, just like you do mine. But things happen and-"
Lee sighed and getting up took his turn to pace as he shook his head answering, "Whew...your first marriage really did a number on you, didn't it?"
Amanda shrugged and replied sadly, "Well, when you grow up with the notion of marrying until death do you part it does something to your psyche when it fails, you know?"
Lee looked at her intently then and asked, "Wait. You don't blame yourself for what happened, do you?"
Amanda sighed and remarked quietly, "Well we didn't talk like we should have and I'm thinking that if we had, the marriage wouldn't have happened at all. Gosh, I don't think I've ever said that aloud before."
Swallowing hard she added, "But then I wouldn't have had those sweet boys. I don't regret them for a second. Best part of my life, along with you of course."
Lee joined her again on the couch and squeezed her hand gently stating, "Thanks, Honey. Now, about Hilton Head?"
Amanda began, "Well, I left the next morning. The boys were already at Mother's the night before so I went over to say goodbye. She sensed there was a problem but I told her we'd talk when I got back, that Joe wasn't going after all."
Continuing she remarked, "Got to Hilton Head before lunch and unpacked at the hotel. I wasn't all that hungry for lunch anyway so I just went to the beach nearby and took a walk. I guess I'd been gone a while because I noticed a man jogging on the beach and he must have passed me at least three times. That and the light was dimming. He stopped and asked me if I was all right. I told him I was and then he asked if I was hungry."
Lee didn't like where this could be heading and asked cautiously, "And?"
Amanda shrugged and responded, "I told him I'd be having dinner with my husband but I thanked him for asking anyway."
Lee bewildered replied, "That was it? He believed you?"
Amanda chuckled stating, "Lee, he'd have to have been blind not to notice the ring on my finger and the subtle way I was telling him I wasn't available. Sheesh!"
Lee sighed and remarked, "Amanda, that doesn't always work with guys-"
Amanda responded, "Are you saying back in the day that you were one to hit on a married woman?"
Lee flabbergasted answered, "Of course not! I knew enough not to approach them. But if they happened to be in a bar and engaging in conversation with someone already, I assumed that they were more or less alone at the time. Nonetheless, I never made the first move-"
Amanda shook her head stating, "Always the gentleman, weren't you?"
Lee cleared his throat and remarked, "Could we get back to your story, please?"
Amanda sighed and answered, "You always deflect when you don't like where a conversation is going, don't you?"
Lee replied firmly, "Amanda, please?"
Amanda put up her hand saying, "All right, all right. Anyway when I got back to my room, I called Mother to see how the boys were. She said they were fine but asleep. She'd fed them dinner early and then told me Joe called her to ask what the number to my hotel was. He told her he'd lost my note I left him with the number I could be reached at."
Taking another sip of her drink she then stated, "Anyway after we said goodnight I called down to the front desk to see if there were any messages. There weren't any so I called him at the house. No answer but I left a message for him to call me later. I then decided to go have something light in the hotel restaurant and found the same man from the beach coming in when I was almost finished eating. It did unnerve me a little so I decided to ask him what was going on-"
Lee pointed his finger at her commenting, "A-ha! So he did want something-"
Amanda waved him away and remarked protesting, "Will you stop it? Anyway, he was there for a meeting but it had been cancelled. He swore he hadn't been following me but he again noticed I was alone. Before I knew it, we were having a drink and then went for a walk around the hotel area just talking. I found myself telling him I was there for the weekend and that my husband was working and was delayed in getting there."
Sighing as she recalled the events she responded, " Jim Cernin was someone I never imagined a real connection with. Not physical mind you, but we began talking about everything. It got real late and he asked if we could meet for breakfast the next day. I wasn't sure what I should do, just in case I heard from Joe. He understood my hesitancy and apologized for being so forward but said he'd never met anyone like me before who was on the same intellectual level that he was on-"
Lee groaned and shaking his head replied, "Oh man, you fell for that line? I don't believe it-"
Amanda responded in a hurt tone as she looked at him, "Yes I did because that's all that was between us that weekend, Lee. Men and women can communicate without bringing sex into it. He gave me his number and told me to call him in the morning if I changed my mind. That he'd understand if I decided not to meet him."
Amanda then got up and went to the window once more as she continued, "I didn't sleep well that night. I was very confused about everything all of a sudden. I mean, Joe and I just had an argument. That was no reason to throw my vows out the window for some complete stranger I'd only known for one day."
Lee swallowed hard and nodded responding, "So, what did you do?"
Amanda shrugged, "I got up and threw the number away. Then I got dressed and packed my things, went to the airport and caught the next flight back to Dulles and went home. Joe was surprised to see me back so soon. I'd told him I missed him and the boys too much and that when we do another trip, we should do it as a family. He apologized for our disagreement about Hilton Head. That he should have gone with me after all. But the EAO soon intervened and that was that."
Lee came up behind her and pulled her gently against him stating, "I'm sorry you went through all that, Amanda. Did you ever see him again anywhere?"
Amanda shook her head replying, "No. And if you don't believe me, look at the file. The first and last time I ever saw the man was in 1976. Of course if you still doubt me, then we have a whole other problem, don't we?"
Lee kissed her cheek and shook his head remarking, "No, because I do believe you. I need to refresh my drink. Can I redo yours?"
Amanda hugged him tightly against her and nodded stating, "Sure, because it's onto your story now. Hopefully, it won't be as earth shattering as mine was."
Lee sighed as he took both drinks over to the bar and commented, "I never said our stories would be earth shattering but they might make us slightly uncomfortable, okay?"
Amanda gave him a small smile as she went back to the couch and sat thinking, Lee and Francine? Uncomfortable would be one way of putting it...
TBC
