Chapter 4

July 2nd 1985 Nighttime

Amanda glanced at her reflection in the mirror, pleased with the new soft pink silk dress. She reasoned, 'This may have started as an assignment from work, but that doesn't mean I can't dress up and enjoy dinner with an old friend.' In a few minutes she would be meeting Jeffrey in the lobby of her hotel, and dining in its 'Last Hurrah'.

Jeffrey patiently waited neatly attired in a pale blue shirt with navy tie and trousers. Watching her approach, Jeffrey thought 'Amanda would always be special. Who knows what might have happened if I stayed in Arlington. Another case of bad timing, in a few hours, we will have to say goodbye again.'

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting long," sneaking a peak at her watch Amanda resumed her greeting, "I didn't think I was running late, but I guess I got carried away shopping today."

With a warm smile Jeffrey dismissed her apology, "Its okay, you weren't late, I was early."

The handsome couple was seated at a corner table, far enough away from the band to allow for conversation.

Amanda reached into the basket for one of the square Parker House rolls. Jeffrey pointed out, "The recipe for the rolls originated here at this hotel."

Between the small talk and the appetizer, Amanda was reminded of how comfortable she always felt around Jeffrey. With regret she thought, 'Some relationships just aren't meant to be, this is one of them.' Her thoughts drifted to the persuasive agent that handed her a package nearly two years ago. 'It seems so natural to spend time with Lee, with or without an assignment. After all we are partners and friends, well, maybe one day...'

Amanda's attention was brought back to the present as the scholarly Jeffrey informed her "There's an old saying, in Washington success is measured by one's influence, in New York by one's wealth, in Boston by one's knowledge."

"That must be why there are so many colleges and universities here," Amanda observed.

"And authors, literary giants have always been well-respected here," Jeffrey continued, "This was once the meeting place of the Saturday Club, a literary association that included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Longfellow, and even Charles Dickens when he visited America."

The "big band" music of the 40's played on while they dined and reminisced.

"I'm flattered that you remembered how much I enjoyed the old swing music, and mother's collection of Harry James & Benny Goodman records."

"Amanda, your impromptu gatherings with the old records playing, and Trivial Pursuit nights were always a lot of fun, some of the better memories that I have of Arlington."

"I learned a lot about Boston on those nights. The nation's first university is Harvard; the oldest public park is Boston Common. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, made the very first phone call here in Boston I always thought you would return; it was just a question of when."

"Funny you could see how much I wanted to return home, and my own wife couldn't." Jeffrey wistfully remembered those days. He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before he continued. "All those years living next door to one another, and we never knew how much we really had in common. We pretended to be strong for our families' sakes, but it was a very lonely time."

Nodding in agreement, Amanda acknowledged, "You never knew how much your divorce affected me. When you had the courage to divorce Susan, I realized I was living in limbo too. There were no guarantees that Joe would ever come home to stay. I realized my life had been on hold. There had to be more out of life than waiting years to figure out how I fit into someone else's plans." Slowly sipping her wine, collecting her thoughts she continued, "I kept wondering is that all there is. When would it be my turn to contribute, to make a difference, I wanted to be more then I was."

"It looks like your new job came around at just the right time."

"Yeah, you could say that, I was really ready for a change."

"How did you wind up working for a film company?"

"I guess I was in the right place at the right time when they needed someone."

"Amanda, you seem to make a habit of being in the right place at the right time. When Susan left me to go 'find herself' I had no idea how I would manage being a single parent for two young boys. Having you there, along with your boys really did make a difference."

"We did have some very special times together, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did," he nodded.

"Remember when the four boys were camping out in the backyard? It started to rain heavily," she reminded him. "I came over to bring the boys home, but they insisted we said they could go camping that weekend."

Recalling that weekend clearly Jeffrey spoke at the same time as Amanda, "We set up a dry tent in the empty dining room."

Lost in private thoughts, Amanda remembered falling asleep in the family room, how relaxed she felt when she woke up on the sofa to the sound of four boys and Jeffrey playing in the next room. 'This is the way a family should be. Jeff is such a good father to his boys, and always around when I need an extra hand.'

Amanda revealed, "My divorce had only been final for a few months, part of me still loved Joe. That was the morning when I realized I was no longer in love with Joe. There had been days at a time when I wouldn't even think of Joe. The days had turned into weeks without any reminders of him at all."

She finally understood Amanda and Joe King were history. It became quite clear that she was attracted to Jeff, even though she knew there would be no future for them either. Jeffrey would be relocating to Boston, having accepted a position at MIT for the next semester.

With newfound self-confidence Amanda proclaimed, "That was the weekend I realized it was time to move on with my life, I was ready to begin dating again."

Jeffrey happily replied, "Fortunately for me. At least we had a chance to share some much-needed companionship."

Amanda wistfully agreed, "The charity event we attended at the Kennedy Center was a good excuse to wear that long black dress stashed away in the back of my closet. To feel vibrant and full of life again."

Scanning the dessert cart the waiter had wheeled over, Jeffrey remarked, "I hope you saved room for their signature desert, Boston crème pie."

Amanda questioned, "Isn't that really a yellow cake with crème filling for the center, covered with chocolate?

Jeffrey responded, "Yes, you're right it is a cake, not a pie. English can be stretched quite a bit. Have you noticed, we park in a driveway, and drive on a parkway?"

Amanda concurred, "I know what you mean, there are no eggs in an eggplant, no apple in pineapple."

A whimsical smile came over Amanda's face as she perused the dessert selection.

"I've always wanted to try the 'Pilgrims Peach Puff,' it looks really appetizing to me."

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End of chapter 4