And who might you be?" asked the young woman with straight, silky blond hair and dark blue eyes.
She was talking to the handsome toddler who had wandered over to her.
"Alex. That's my mom," said the Black haired little boy, pointing to an attractive brunette a few feet away.
"Alex, don't bother the lady. She is waiting for someone too," said the child's mother.
"Yes, Al, come on over here," replied the boy's father.
"That's okay," answered the young woman. "I am waiting for someone to come on the train. My ex husband. Who are you waiting for?" she said kneeling down to Alex's height.
"My gramma is coming. From I-W-A. It's far," announced Peter.
"Well, they must be on the same train, Alex," she said.
"Yep," he nodded knowingly. "What's your name?"
"My name is barbra Jean, Brock calls me bj though."
"who is Brick?" persisted young Peter,"do you love it'" with more questions.
A shadow crossed Jean's face.
"ohh umm ," she said, praying that the child would ask no further questions.
"Honestly, Alex, come here and watch for Grandma. Here, hold the flowers we picked out for her," said Al's father. "Sorry, miss. He is at that age."
She waved her hand in front of her face.
"No, no, it's no problem."
bj thought about how great it would be to see Brock. She hoped that they would have time to talk . To have the kind of undisturbed time they had shared years ago. she was also anxious for him to meet Doug, her fiancée. He was coming up from lisia tomorrow and she was very anxious for the two men in her life to meet and hopefully get along.
"Brent, will you hold Alex for a minute. I need to tuck in his shirt and pants before your mother gets here," said Alex's mother Shanon.
The tall man called Brent scooped up his young son and held him while all the necessary adjustments were made.
"He'll just get messed up again in a second, Shanon. And besides, Mother will be so happy to see him, she won't care."
"I know, but it gives me something to do while we are waiting."
There was a crackling over the loudspeaker.
"Now arriving on Track 5, the City of cicka wa." ((i dont know any cities in ohio so...))
bj could see the light of the engine as it pulled the long train slowly into the train shed. In just a few minutes now she would see Henry's father. She had been thinking about his arrival for weeks, since he first said he was coming.
"And soon Alex, you will see your grandma," she called to Alex a few feet away.
He beamed.
"My grandma is real pretty," he announced to Bj, bobbing his head up and down.
"I'm sure she is," chuckling to herself how a child would think even a 70 year old gray haired grandmother would be beautiful. Love was like that.
Slowly the passengers started to drift off the train. bj stood on her tiptoes to see if she could see him coming. She thought she recognized a familiar person far down the platform, but it could not be him. That person was walking slowly, head bent, holding hands with a woman. Usually her dad was one of the first ones off the train.
"I see Grandma," shouted Peter, who was perched at a vantage point on his father's shoulders.
Brock and Reba walked slowly along the platform, holding hands. He often bent down to say something to her and to kiss her hair. She smiled shyly, blushing, giving him glances with half closed lids.
"Nervous?" he asked her, as he tenderly brushed a strand of hair off her forehead.
"A little", she admitted.
"Yeah, I know," Brocl answered, looking serious. "But we've overcome more difficult things. I know it will be alright. You'll see."
Reba looked up at Brock. His words sounded so comforting. Still though, she wondered what his son and ex wife would think when he saw her with Brock. But she had to listen to her heart. Nothing would interfere with her chance to loveBrock again. They would just have to work things out. She glanced ahead at the crowd of people waiting at the end of the platform. Reba sawa blonde woman wearing hott pink sweat mants and white cowboy boots and a little boy not over a yar balanced on her hip.
"thats got to be her," she thought to herself
"Has she already spotted us?" she wondered.
Maybe they should not be holding hands or walking so close to each other. But Brock was not letting her go. Perhaps it was better to show just where things stood right from the beginning.
bj stood in a state of shock, her eyes filling with tears, as she realized that it was Brock walking hand in hand with a woman. What was happening to their weekend together just him, her and henry until the reunion that is Who was she? She looked again at the redhead who held Brock's hand. She had seen her before. But where? Then she put her hands to her face.
"I know. Brock had some pictures of her. Oh my God it's her ..Reba I think thats her name!"
A few years ago,Brock had asked bj to put something away in hiscloset. There she had found an old leather picture album. She hadn't meant to look, but she was curious. Opening it, she found picture after picture ofof the woman she now saw before her. What was worse was that they were not just casual pictures, they were languid, sensual pieces that suggested an intimate relationship. They were from a long time ago. 1983- 1994. Long before they had met. What was going on? Why had he never said anything?
"I think they have known each other since the beginning of time. I can't explain it, but I just sense there is something going on. Something from the past maybe."
bj just shook her head and looked again at the woman with Brock. She was a very attractive woman.
"Never, he never seemed to want to get involved with anyone," said bj, still watching him in disbelief
It was an awkward moment, because as they approached bj, Reba and Brock sensed that they were already the topic of conversation.
"Trust me Reba, it'll be alright. I promise," Brock told her, giving her hand a squeeze.
She smiled at him, happy to see that the lonely haunted look had left his eyes.
"It was amazing what one night could do," she thought, blushing at the thought of what had happened between the two of them. For what had occurred last night between two mature adults was much different from what had taken place years ago in the cramped, freezing back seat of a car with two kids.
Reba and brock let go of each other and walked to their waiting families.
"Oh,bj,Henry it's good to see you," cried Brock, hugging his son and ex wife.
they hugged Brock back, but somehow this was not the reunion bj had dreamed of.
"Is it Brock? Do you really mean it?" she asked him, trying hard not to sound disappointed.
"Of course, I mean it. I've been waiting months for this. Come on, let's go, so we can start our visit. Just give me a minute here."
"Sure, I understand," said Bj quietly, not understanding at all.
"everything will be fine trust me,"
"I trust you Brock. It's just that I'm afraid…" she couldn't finish.
"Reba, come here," he said pulling her closer, unconcerned with what anyone thought. "on Friday, we'll get an early start and do something, just the two of us. How does that sound?" She nodded her approval and smiled. Reba hadn't felt this way in years. As if she could do anything. And with Brock at her side she could. He had always inspired confidence in her, even when she thought he had been lost.
" I am never letting her out of my sight again," he thought to himself.
"I love you, Brock," she said softly.
"It's going to be alright now. I love you too. We're going to make it this time. I won't let you go…ever again," he promised, reaching down to kiss her, not caring if the whole world saw him.
After Reba and Brock got in the car with Henry and Barbra Jean you could have heard a pin drop, you could cut the tension with a knife
"well you have a cute son," reba comented ,another sad attempt to break the ice
"thank you," Barbra Jean replied cheeerfully
"how old is he?"
"ohh he is 11 months next week he'll be a year old," she smiled
"aww I love kids I have two girls ones 9 and the other's 15,"
"wow you dont look old enough to have a 9 year old muchless a 15 year old,"
"well thank you, but you dont mean that I look horrible I was kept up all night and ended up waking up 10 minutes before the train arrived and wasnt able to put makeup on,"
"well If this is what you look like without make up i cant wait to see you with it on, you want to go out to dinner tonight? i could do your makeup,"
"umm..I dont know," she answered akwardly looking at Brock for an answer but he was sound asleep next to her
'I must have worn him out' she thought to herself before answering "sounds like fun , I'd love to,"
"oh it will be soo much fun we can do eachother's hair and make up and I can let you borrow some of my clothes we can be just like twins!" Barbra Jean exclaimed, making Reba wonder why she had agreed but never the less went along with what she said until they pulled up in her driveway
"you have a lovely house," Reba commented before she shook Brock to wake him up but he didnt budge she called his name still nothing finally she cocked her head and pecked him on the lips ,he responded imedialatley,turning her innocent kiss onto a very passionate one they were wrapped up in their own world until Bj made her presence known
"oh umm I think I need to go get my suit cases out of the trunck ," Reba excused herself feeling embarrased for getting carried away like that
"I'll help you!" Barbra Jean hollered after her leaving Brock to get Henry out
Hours later things had calmed down until the door bell rang....
