Writers Note
This is chapter four of my story about a very special person from a long time ago. This covers the events of January and February of 1981. I am sure that some of you might think that what happens in here is strange but this is how it all really happened.
T
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Things with Katie went back to normal on Saturday nights after New Years, if you consider normal as in going back to the playroom and all the wild and kinky things that were going on in there. But one thing did change, instead of sleeping on the hospital bed back there, we started sleeping in her bedroom. Katie had a double bed and it was a lot more comfortable to sleep on. Her bedroom was the same size as the bedroom that I always got undressed in. There were a couple of dressers in there and a chair. The bed had a headboard that had a pair of shelves running across it but the only things that were on it were these old candles. The bases were made out of some kind of metal, about four inches square on the bottom, five inches high, and the edges curved inward so that the tops were a little over two inches square. The metal had some decorative work to it but it was very worn and faint. The candles themselves were a funny color, almost like a parchment paper color. They didn't feel like wax but I couldn't tell what they were made from. I asked her about them and she told me that she had found them at a rummage sale.
Katie said, "I can't get them to light. I used up a book of matches one night and burned my fingers a couple of times trying. But they look kind of nice and they weren't expensive."
I replied, "Just get some different candles."
She laughed and said, "I was going to, but I can't get those other ones out."
The third week in January started off as they always had, I called her on Sunday evening and on Monday, and everything was fine. I worked later on Tuesday to get caught up on some paperwork while my part time employee was there and I called her from the store around 7:30 PM. I got her answering machine, which had happened in the past if she wasn't near the phone, but she always called me back within a few minutes. I left her a quick message and I waited at the store until a little after 8:00 PM, but there still was no call. I called her back and left another message that I was going to the apartment and that she should call me there after 8:30 PM. I went back to my apartment and she called me around 9:00 PM.
"Hi Tony," she said, "I'm sorry I wasn't around. I decided to do some shopping tonight and it took longer than I planned."
I replied, "That is okay Katie. I was just getting a little worried."
Katie said, "No I am fine. I have some stuff to get in the freezer so I have to get going. I will talk to you tomorrow, okay?"
I said, "Okay. Good bye Katie."
"Bye," she said and she hung up the phone.
Which was a little weird because she had never rushed through a phone call like that in the past but then women do tend to do strange things from time to time. I didn't think much about it that night. The store was busy the next morning. There was a steady stream of customers and there was one woman who came in and hung around for thirty minutes looking at different things and asking lots of questions. She was well dressed, with an expensive looking black coat that was trimmed with black fur, and she had dark red hair and green eyes that had this look to them. I had never seen her before but she kept looking at me as if somehow she knew me. She finally left around 11:30 AM and then at 12:30 PM Katie came into the store. I finished up with the customer I was working with and after he left the store, I walked around the counter and gave her a kiss.
Katie said, "I want to apologize for last night Tony. I was in a hurry and I'm sorry that I was so rude."
I replied, "That's okay. I understand."
We kissed again and she asked, "Down at the club tonight?"
I answered, "That is fine with me."
Just then the front door opened and I looked over to see my sales manager Danny come walking in. I had no warning that he was coming here or that he was even out doing store visits and that usually wasn't a good sign.
He stopped as he got to where we were standing and asked, "This is getting to be a habit?"
Katie smiled and said, "It is so nice to see you again Danny."
He just looked at me and said "It is nice to see you again," and he walked back to where my desk was in the stockroom.
I whispered to Katie, "I don't like this."
She whispered back, "Be positive Tony. It will be fine."
I whispered again, "I hope so," and gave her one more kiss then she turned and walked out the door.
As it turned out the visit was good. He was pleased with how the store had done over Christmas and our January sales had been good so far. Danny mainly wanted to get a feel as to where I would go if another store opened up. I said that I would go anywhere and he asked me about what Katie would think about that.
I answered, "I don't know. I really like her but there are some things about her that I don't know about."
He shrugged his shoulders and said, "All women are like that if you haven't figured that out already."
I replied, "Yeah, I know."
We talked for a while longer but he wasn't ready to make any moves just then. Our fiscal year ran from July to June so any moves he was making were going to be after July 1st. The rest of the day went quickly and 9:00 PM came and I went down to the club. Katie was waiting for me and already had gotten a beer for me as well. As I always did, I gave her a quick kiss before sitting down. We talked about the day like we always did.
Katie asked me, "So how did it go today with Danny?"
I replied, "It was good. I still have a job." Katie laughed and I added, "We talked about where my next promotion will be. Nothing definite and it won't be happening until the beginning of July."
She said, "That's good. You do work very hard there."
I answered, "You have to, otherwise it's out the door."
Katie replied, "That is the same anywhere." Both of our drinks were finished and she looked at me for a while and said, "I think it's time to inspect that apartment of yours again."
"That is fine with me," I said with a big smile, since Katie hadn't come over on a Wednesday night since I had started going over to her house on Saturday nights, except for one night early in December. I asked, "You going to spend the night?"
Katie smiled and replied, "No. Not until you get rid of the alarm clock from hell!"
I laughed and answered, "Oh well. I'm ready if you are."
I got the waitress over, Katie paid the tab, and we left.
She said, "I'll be waiting for you," as she got into her car.
I had driven mine down to the club after closing the store. I got in and left at the same time, but she knew all the short cuts and was at the apartment before I was. We walked up the stairs and went into my apartment.
"Hasn't changed much," she commented as we went inside.
I asked, "Did you really expect it to?"