Chapter 6
The storm had passed and I was standing in a field of sunshine left in its wake. Memories of Linda's betrayal floated away on the tailwinds and the clear sky was dotted with wispy white clouds. Each one held a cherished memory of my last weeks with people who had become the cornerstones in my life.
First and foremost were Emma and Tommy. The constant ache in my heart of living without them had been numbed somewhat by our tri-weekly visits. They loved the house, and they loved Marie. I had to pack all of the love and attention I could into those precious hours I got to spend with them. It made Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons fun, intense, adventurous episodes that kept me going until their next visit.
The next cornerstone was May. That beautiful soul flew into my world of grey and painted it gold. In the bedroom, we were experiencing pleasures neither of us had ever thought possible. Outside, a love was growing that matched the blossoming of Spring around us.
Marie occupied the next spot. She'd given me a room and helped me through the hardest period of my life. I would never be able to thank her enough - not that she asked for any thanks. She was a guiding light, a source of comfort, words of wisdom and - when I needed it - a clip around the ear accompanied with a stern talking-to.
The final cornerstone completing the foundations of my new life was Sam. Since coming out, she'd regained all of her former brashness and confidence. She'd spoken to staff about her personal life and they'd heaped all of the praise on her that she deserved. Alice was now a regular face at the gym, often greeting Sam with a kiss that left her red-faced and starry-eyed.
I was happy, something I'd never have dreamt possible when Linda walked out of my life with Marc. I don't think that there is a single thing that caused it, but a chain of unlikely and lucky events that came together and struck with the power of lightning.
May and I had spent our time fixing, sanding, making love, reupholstering, fucking, eating, cumming, laughing and generally making the most of life. The living room was finally complete but we hadn't let Marie in yet - that big reveal was coming later. We'd also made a good start on the games room and second bedroom. Soon, I would have a nice room set up for my kids to stay in and a place where they could play.
Time passed in blissful joy. The only spot of darkness on the otherwise clear horizon was that there were only two weeks left before May had to leave.
My proposal for short-term memberships with local hotels had been approved by the big bosses and it was time to take it to the hotels. It was a Monday morning and I'd spent yet another amazing weekend with May. Winter had finally given way to spring, and the world was beginning to wake from its long, cold slumber. I met Marie at her work and we visited Bob's resting place.
Sitting on the bench overlooking the park, I inhaled deeply through my nose, savouring the scent of the grass and the trees. A few birds sang from high in the branches of the old oak standing watch over Bob's grave.
"How long does May have left?" Marie asked, interrupting the peaceful quiet.
My heart sank as her question struck me. May and I had been avoiding everything to do with her departure. It was stupid, but we were so absorbed in our happiness that we didn't want to risk spoiling it by talking about the inevitable.
"Another two weeks," I said despairingly. "Then she moves on to another city. I'm not sure, but I think she has two months left on her tour after she leaves here."
"You haven't spoken to her about it?"
"No, I think we're too scared about what it means."
I don't know how she did it. She was sitting next to me on the bench, both hands tucked in her lap the way elderly women do. The next minute, a pain exploded right on my ear lobe. "OUCH!" I shouted. I turned towards her but her hands didn't look to have moved.
"Shush," she said sternly. "We're in a graveyard. It's been a while since I've had to do that."
I rubbed my ear and did my best to cover my moodiness. I didn't mention to her that she had only just slapped my ear in said graveyard. "What was that for?"
"For being a man-child. Hiding from your problems is no way to deal with them."
Damn that spirited old ninja for always being right. "What can I do!? Ask her to drop her life for me?"
"You don't have to ask her to do anything, young man. But you both need to talk to each other about it, you owe it to yourselves. I've spent enough time around you both to see that you're meant for each other. She's an absolute gem and you aren't so bad yourself."
"Thanks, Marie." I shuffled a little along the bench, not that it would make a difference if she decided to strike. "Do you not think that her world and mine aren't compatible though?"
"Jim, you're worrying too much about the problem and not putting energy into seeking the solution. Yes, you might have come from different worlds, as you put it, but you've created a new one together, why can't you think about that? Why are you still stuck on where you've come from, rather than where you could go?"
I sighed heavily. Marie had a special way of getting straight to the core of any issue. "You're right, as always. I'm due to do a presentation at May's hotel this morning, I wasn't going to bother her, but maybe I'll see if she's free and we can talk."
"Funny that, isn't it? Talking about your problems might solve them."
"Yes, yes, I hear you," I laughed. "Is that how you and Bob dealt with things?"
Marie looked at the words at the bottom of his headstone fondly. "Not at first, but we soon discovered what worked best for us. We found that talking was always the best way to deal with our problems. It's not easy, especially if you're angry at each other, but we learned and we grew together. No relationship is perfect, you and May will argue, you'll fall out, but as long as you learn after, you'll end up stronger than before." She patted my hand. "Bob and I had a lifetime of learning and making mistakes together."
"Thank you, if I ever find half of what you and Bob had, I'll count myself lucky." I chuckled. "I bet whatever happens, I'll still make twice the number of mistakes you did."
Marie watched the singing birds take off from the old oak and spin through the air in a joyful dance. "I bet you will, but it's all part of life. None of us really know what we're doing, we stumble along making things up as we go. If we're really lucky, we find someone to stumble along with us."
