Chapter 3
About four days later, there was a knock on the front door of the Hartley's apartment just as Emily was serving dinner. Bob got up to answer it, figuring it was Howard. To his and Emily's surprise, it was Laura.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was asked to bring down a message, from Howard," Laura said.
Bob gave her a strange look. "A message, from Howard?"
"He was supposed to leave this evening. Instead, the airline called him and asked him to take a 2:00 flight this afternoon. He stopped by my place to ask me if I'd ask you to pick up his mail and water his plants for him," Laura explained. "I offered to do it for him, but he said you have a spare key and he didn't have another one for me."
"We do it all the time for Howard, so of course, Laura," Emily responded. "Did he say when he'll be back?"
"In about three days," Laura stated. She looked somewhat longingly at the dining room table. "Gosh, I miss Howard already. We were supposed to have dinner together tonight before his flight. You know we've eaten dinner together every night since we met."
"No, we didn't know that," Bob replied.
Emily had noticed Laura's look. "Why don't you sit down and have a little dinner with us tonight?"
Bob rolled his eyes a little, but went along with Emily. The three sat and had a congenial meal, then dessert, but Laura went home a little earlier than Howard often did. However, over the next three days, Laura stopped in quite often, almost as often as Howard did when he was home.
Privately, on the morning that Howard was due home, Bob said to Emily, "I think we just adopted another neighbor." Emily just nodded, grateful for the quiet breakfast-for-two that morning.
Right after Bob got home from work that evening, a loud rap on the door startled the Hartleys. Emily answered the door this time, with Bob right behind her. They were expecting it to be Laura.
"Hi, Emily, hi, Bob, I just got back from Lisbon. Did I get any mail?" It was Howard, in his airline khakis, still carrying his airline bag. He closed the door behind him.
"Oh, not much this time, Howard," Emily replied. "Let me go get it."
Another knock on the door came just as Emily disappeared into the den. Bob opened the door.
"Howard!" It was Laura, and the first one she laid eyes on, was Howard. Howard put down his airline bag, and the two hugged like they hadn't seen each other in weeks.
"Hey, Laura. I'm glad to see you. Go to dinner with me?" Howard didn't hesitate this time.
"I wish I could, but in about 20 minutes, I've got to leave for work."
"WORK! But it's dinner time!"
"Nurses work 24 hours a day, just like airline people do. I work the 6 pm to 6 am shift for the next few nights. I'm usually up by 1 in the afternoon. We could have lunch then, if you like," Laura suggested.
"I'd like!" Howard replied. He took the mail from Emily. "Thanks, Emily, thanks, Bob. I'll see you tomorrow." He and Laura headed across the hall to his apartment.
"Goodnight, Howard, Goodnight, Laura," both Bob and Emily said. After the door closed, Bob shook his head. "I still think that's headed for disaster."
"Oh, Bob, they get along so well. Why would it be a disaster!" Emily wasn't so sure.
Two weeks later, Carol buzzed Bob in his office. "Bob, Howard is here to see you."
Expecting anyone else, Bob replied, "Howard? My neighbor?"
"Tall, blue eyes, dark hair, several hours behind us all ... yup, Howard."
"Send him in."
Howard came into Bob's office and immediately plopped down on the sofa. "Bob, can I talk to you?" Howard was clearly upset about something.
"Well, sure, Howard, but I can't talk long. I've got an appointment in about 10 minutes - IF he's on time."
"Why wouldn't he be on time?" Howard was puzzled.
"Because one of the problems he's trying to cure is habitual tardiness," Bob said. "So what's the problem?"
"Laura." Howard stated the problem in one word and stopped, leaving Bob hanging.
"What about Laura? Aren't you two still seeing each other?"
"SEE each other! I'd like to know WHEN! I get home from one flight and she's got to go to work. She gets home from work one morning, we have three hours together and I've got to fly. Her HOURS are so crazy! How do they LIVE like that!"
Bob tried not to laugh. Howard's work schedule wasn't in the least bit predictable, and Laura's work shifts changed on a weekly basis. "Howard, nurses in big city hospitals work 12 hour shifts and they have to share the good shifts with the bad ones. And you have to admit, your flying schedule isn't much better."
"My flying schedule is fine. I'm out for 3 or 4 days, and I'm in for 3 or 4 days. Well ... sometimes," Howard thought about it.
"This is one time, Howard, when you're just going to have to think of Laura as one of your - flight buddies - and deal with her schedule as it comes. Is she as upset about this as you are?" Bob asked.
Right after work, Emily was accosted in the hall by a very distraught Laura. "Can I talk to you, Emily?" Laura asked.
"Of course, Laura. Come on in, let me get us something to drink and we can talk." Emily brought Laura inside the apartment, put her teaching bag by the coat rack and led Laura to the sofa. Laura sat down and started to talk as Emily got them some soft drinks.
"Do you have any idea how frustrated I am right now?" Laura asked. "I NEVER see Howard!"
Emily hid a smile. "I take it that you two are seeing each other?"
"SEEING each other! When have we had time lately? He's either out on a flight, or I'm working! Don't they ever keep those guys on the ground?" Laura ranted.
"If Howard's not in the air, he's not earning a living. That's what he does for a living. Just as you aren't earning a living if you're not working," Emily wisely stated.
"I wish I could be on days all the time. But I can't, at least not until I get enough seniority to be able to name my hours."
Emily took a deep breath. "Laura, what broke up your marriage?"
Laura gulped back tears. "My work schedule. My husband couldn't take it, and started cheating on me."
"I think if I were you, then, I'd be careful with Howard."
"Do you think he'd do that, too?"
Emily thought for a minute. "No, I don't think so. But he may not like your schedule any more than you like his."
Bob came into the apartment one night, about two weeks later, to find Emily and a young woman sitting on the sofa. To his surprise, Emily was holding a baby. He hung his coat up and deposited his briefcase in his routine manner, then greeted Emily.
"Emily? I'm home! Who's this?"
"Oh, Bob, this is Karla Wallner, and her new son Kent. Isn't he adorable!" Emily looked up at Bob with excitement in her eyes.
"Hi, Karla, and congratulations," Bob said, looking at the baby.
"Thanks. Would you like to hold him?" Karla asked.
"No, thanks, I need to change clothes," Bob said as he went into the bedroom.
Sometimes the Hartley apartment was like Grand Central Station. There was a loud banging on the door, so Emily, still holding baby Kent, went to answer it. "Yes?"
"Hi, Emily," greeted Howard, noticing the baby immediately. "Emily! Did you and Bob adopt a baby? Already?"
Emily chuckled. "No, Howard, this is baby Kent, he's Karla's son. This is Karla, who I had the baby shower for a few weeks ago." She noticed Howard's down expression. "Is there a problem?"
"Is Bob in? I really came to talk to him," Howard said, sadly.
Bob had heard Howard's voice and came out of the bedroom. "What's up, Howard?"
"Nothing's up, it's all down. Can I talk to you? Privately, I mean?"
The two men went into the Hartley den. Howard eased himself into one of the chairs and put his head in his hands immediately. "Women. Why do I even mess with 'em?" he raved.
"That bad?" Bob asked.
"Laura told me that we could only be friends. I really, really liked her, too."
"Friends are good to have, Howard. And it's important to like your friends."
"But - I liked her more than a friend. I really thought we could - - well, she was special," Howard said.
The den door opened and Laura walked through it. "Howard? Could I talk to you for a minute, please?"
"Why? So you can hurt me some more?"
Bob cut in, "Would you like me to leave?"
"No, you can stay. That way I have a witness," Laura said. "Howard, when I said that I wanted to be friends with you, that's what I meant. I never meant that we couldn't take it further later, or break it off entirely. I just want to slow down."
"Slow down? Slow down! That's for cars, not relationships!" Howard was still hurt.
Laura looked at him and lifted his chin with her hand. "I went way too fast with my first husband. Because we didn't take the time to become friends first, when problems started to surface it was too easy to walk away. I made myself a promise, if I ever found a man that I liked enough to date again, I was going to take it slow and be friends with him. Good marriages were good friendships first."
Bob nodded. "Laura's right, Howard. Good marriages are formed from people who made good friends, first."
Something in Laura's eyes got through to Howard. "You mean, we can still date?" he asked.
"Yes, I would like that very much. But I live in my apartment, and you live in yours. Understand?"
Laura and Howard hugged, and Bob walked into the living room leaving them that way. A good psychologist knows when his job is done.
Copyright 2005 CAJeannieFan57/Donna Ransdell at http/