It was a Friday night when my best friend's ex-wife walked into the bar and immediately locked eyes on me. Grace and her gaggle of other middle-aged divorcees were heading over. Most were wearing way too much make-up, war paint a friend called it once, along with clothes meant for twenty year old's and not women in their 40s. To be fair, only three of the six women were over the top, the three loudest by the way. The other three just seemed happy to get out of the house. I was trying to keep a neutral face as I realized my quiet evening of having a few beers was not going to be quiet.
Grace pulled me in for a hug as she kissed my cheek, "It's so good to see you Jack, I can't believe my luck in running into you here."
Grace introduced me to her friends and their names which I quickly forgot. What I remembered was how easy Grace was in high school and the years after. She offered herself to me but I always declined. She was still offering herself to others when she was engaged to my best friend Mark. We desperately tried to talk Mark out of marrying her but he insisted she would change when they said, 'I do.'
Maybe she did for a while or maybe she tried hard to hide her affairs. The STI Mark caught ripped the cover off that, they separated for a year or more but Mark took her back. After that she barely tried to hide her affairs, even after Mark caught a second STI he wouldn't kick her out. And then, he threw her out and divorced her. There was no explanation from Mark. The first time they separated, Mark would be frequently be found crying into his beer. He never said anything about the last time.
I was lost in thought and didn't realize Grace was talking to me again, almost whispering in my ear, "Now that Mark and I are officially divorced and so are you and Marge, why don't we get together tonight. You know I wanted you for a long time and you have always denied me."
Grace looked horrific from across the bar, up-close she was even worse. She had so much make-up on I thought it was flaking off.
"No thank you Grace, fucking your best friend's ex-wife is a violation of the bro code."
"Your loss Jack, excuse me, I see someone who won't say no." She waddled over to some guy over by the pool tables who looked like a hillbilly in a cartoon. Seriously, bib overalls straining to contain a huge beer belly, a t-shirt that looked like it was once white with a John Deere cap on. He gave Grace a minute long kiss hello. The other two loud women joined her. The three remaining had made themselves comfortable on the barstools near me.
Two of the women talked my ear off, we had all gone to high school together although we were in different years. The third woman sat quietly at the bar, sipping a beer and watching the baseball game, exactly what I came here to do. When I got back from the men's room, I ended sitting next to the quiet woman."
"How's the game going," I asked.
She gave me a look, "Right, you're Jack. The fucking Reds are losing again. I swear our high school team can beat them four out of seven. I'm Jesse by the way, it didn't look like you heard Grace when she introduced me. I'm also guessing you didn't accept her offer to go home with her."
"I have been declining Grace's offers for a long time."
During a commercial break, she said, "You're not going to yap away, trying to sweet talk me out of my panties are you?" Jesse said it with a smile on her face but there was an undertone there.
"Jesse, you are doing exactly what I came to do, have a few beers, and watch the Reds maybe win a game."
Jesse stared at me for a bit, and said, "This round is on me Jack," as she flagged down the bartender. We watched the game, cursed when the Reds did something stupid which was often and chatted during commercials. I don't think I ever had such a good time watching a baseball game with a woman, and Jesse knew her stats too. The Reds were shut out again and I had enough beer so I started to head out.
"It was nice to meet you Jesse and I enjoyed watching the game with you," I found my balls and said, "They playing tomorrow night if you want to join me here again."
"I'm sorry, I can't," she said. There was no explanation which meant none was needed.
"Maybe some other time." I said trying to hide my disappointment. Fuck, I was 45 years old and still felt like I was in high school when a girl said no.
I was outside the bar, beginning to walk the two blocks to my place when she caught up to me.
"I'm sorry Jack, that was cold. I have a little one at home and I used this week's babysitting money on tonight." Jesse continued to stare at me like she was looking for words or balls to say them. I had nothing but an ok.
Finally, she said, "We could watch the game at my house, if you promise not to try and talk me out of my panties and you don't mind a little one wondering around the first couple of innings?"
I felt like I was in high school and the girl said yes. We swapped phone numbers and she sent me her address.
"I'll pick up the beer or something else if you prefer."
"Something besides beer for a baseball game, what kind of woman do you think I am?" She said all that with a smile on her face.
"God, you're beautiful when you smile Jesse."
"Don't start that sweet talking shit Jack, or I may invite Grace to chaperone." She laughed and smiled again before heading back to the bar. I walked home with a shit eating grin on my face.
When I woke up in the morning, there was a text from Jesse asking me to call her, so I did.
"Maybe I had one too many last night but I can't believe I invited a man I just met to my house. I don't do that, I have a little one at home and I don't want to parade a bunch of strangers around him. He gets enough of that when he's at his father's."
"Are you rescinding you invitation Jesse?"
"Yes, or no, or I don't know because I don't know anything about you. I tried pumping Grace for info, she said she's known you since grammar school and you were always her ex's best friend. You were married and got divorced but she was already divorced from Mark when that happened so she didn't know any details. She also said you were a catch so I shouldn't pass up on you. Grace left me more confused than when I started. So, tell me Jack, what kind of man did I ask to be the first man to meet my son?"
I never talked about my divorce to anyone, it was way too painful. Even my parents or siblings didn't know. I was about to pass on Jesse's invitation but other words came out of my mouth.
"Marge, my ex-wife was fucking her boss for a year before I figured it out. I was completely oblivious. I've never revealed that to anyone, even Mark or my family. The whole thing was the most embarrassing and painful experience of my life and for the first time in my life I knew what suicidal felt like. I think I'll pass on the game tonight," then ended the call.
Talking about Marge cheating ripped the scab off again. Fuck, that was three years ago and it still hurt on so many levels. We were talking about having kids when I found out. Jesse was trying to call me back but I shut the phone off. Jesse was the first woman that I ever asked out, if that's what you would call it. Rational me was saying that I would have to tell that story to any woman I met so I better get used to it. Irrational me was saying this called for a glass of scotch. Irrational me wasn't going to win since I had just gotten out of bed. Rational me said I needed coffee and food so I headed to the kitchen. I also needed a shower.
The coffee was done and I was just getting ready to pour some eggs into an omelet pan when there was someone knocking at my door. After turning off the stove, I opened the door and Jesse was standing there with a little boy, maybe three or four. I was at a loss for words when she invited herself in.
"That's not fair Jack, you turned off your phone and wouldn't let me call you back. Fortunately, Grace struck out last night and was able to give me your address."
"Would you like some coffee Jess, I have some OJ for the little one if he's thirsty. What is his name." The poor kid was hiding behind his mother.
"His name is Peter and I would love a cup of coffee, black and bitter please."
Before getting their drinks, I went to my hall closet and pulled out a bin of toys I kept for my brother's kids. I knelt down in front of Peter and started offering him toys. His eyes lit up when I offered him the Hess truck with the lights lit up. Peter began playing with it on the floor, I got Jesse her coffee and poured Peter some OJ in a sippy cup.
"Do you have kids Jack."
"No, the toys are for my brothers kids when they come over. I always buy them two of everything, one to take home and one to leave here."
"I'm sorry for asking that question Jack. My husband cheated on me and I was clueless until he asked for a divorce because she was pregnant. God that hurt so much, 'so your leaving me and our son so you can go play daddy with someone else.' I was so fucking angry. They never got married because she caught him cheating on her. Once a cheater always a cheater. Sorry, I'm venting."
"It's good to vent Jesse."
"But you don't vent Jack."
"Hey, I was just getting ready to make an omelet, I can make you one and I can make some eggs for Peter?"
"Well played Jack, but I'm not going to let you off that easy. I'll take an omelet, cheese and some ham if you have it. A scrambled egg for Peter would be nice. You wouldn't happen to have a booster seat in that magic closet would you?"
"I believe there's a couple in there if you want to take a look."
By the time Jesse had Peter seated at the table, his egg was done and I made him some toast. Jesse buttered the toast for him and cut it into four triangles. Jesse's omelet and toast were done next, she ate the toast but waited until my omelet was done and I was seated before she started on hers.
"Nobody except my parents have ever made me breakfast before," Jesse said.
"When did you learn how to cook or are omelets the extent of your culinary skills?"
She said it with that smile on her face.
"You are beautiful when you smile, it wasn't just the beer. But to answer your question, my mother insisted my brother and I learn how to cook, do laundry and sew from an early age. I can remember standing on chair, barely able to see into the pan making pancakes. She never wanted either of us to have to rely on a woman to take care of us. And my culinary skills far exceed omelets. When my mother's vision started to go, my brother and I took over thanksgiving dinner. We had always helped her out before so it wasn't a stretch for us. She'd be sitting in the kitchen, smoking her Paul Mall's barking out orders, it's time for this, stir that, drain the potatoes and laughing her ass off."
"I'm guessing she passed?"
"Yes, and fortunately it was right before I found out Marge was cheating on me or she would have gone after Marge with a rolling pin and since she couldn't see shit by then, who knows what damage she may have caused."
"Only the one brother?"
"No, I have a sister too but neither my brother or I have spoken to her in years. She always treated my mother like shit, but you should have seen her at my mother's funeral, throwing herself on the casket, sobbing hysterically. My brother wanted to nominate her for an academy award. The best part was when she found out our mother had cut her out of the will. What about you?"
"I have a brother and a sister, both live about an hour away, they are both married and they each have two kids. We were never really close growing up and we only see each other a few times a year, Christmas, thanksgiving and maybe a summer birthday or two."
