No Ordinary Proposal

Jo was quiet. She hadn't let go of my hand the entire trip home from the airport. I knew she was thinking. She had called Scott before we boarded the plane and he'd said he was fine and wished us a safe return. I wondered if our little bubble was bursting or if she was preparing herself to see him again, or both. I thought back to several years ago and even though he'd gone a little soft due to being a boardroom buckaroo riding a leather chair for long periods with less and less hard hat time in the field, he was still in good shape. I could see what Jo saw in him when they met. I knew that Jo and I would never share that new relationship feeling since we'd been friends for so long. I knew there were things for us to both discover about each other but it would likely more be that she liked relish on a hot dog or the designated hitter rule in baseball.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Me? I'm fine." I glanced at her with a smile on my face. "Are you?" The tone of my voice caused her eyes to open a little wider.

"Yea. Shouldn't I be?" She sounded a bit defensive.

I held her hand up. "I don't know but you've had a hell of a grip on me for the last twenty miles."

"Sorry." She tried to let go of my hand but I wouldn't let hers go.

"I'm not complaining. I'm curious about what's on your mind."

She looked out at the road ahead of us and took a deep breath letting it out slowly. "I'm scared. Is he going to look worse. How much longer does he have, to do... everything."

"We've only been gone five days."

"I know but I know seeing him is going to give me a shock."

"Because of his condition or because of..."

"Bobby, just please, don't share any of it. I know how boys talk."

"Yea it's different when we're talking about the same girl. I promised you that what happened between us was up to you to disclose if you wanted to. Trust me, I understand how weird it sounds discussing your new sex life with your husband." Jo let out a nervous chuckle at that and kissed the back of my hand and resettled it on the armrest between us.

"You're telling me? Oh hi honey, I just drove our friend Bobby crazy for a few days and then we fucked like rabbits all weekend. How was the lasagna I left for you?" She said. Her mocking tone made me laugh.

"Picture that conversation between he and I in the locker room at the country club. Damn Scott, you never told me your wife could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch." I said laughing. "I'd leave with my four wood shoved up my ass, and my putter wrapped around my neck."

"Uh huh, and that's what I want to avoid. He's very open to the whole idea right now but I worry that at some point resentment is going creep in, possibly as his condition worsens. I just don't want to come to the same end as Guinevere." She said, with a rueful smile.

"I can't picture you in a nun's habit. Even less so after this weekend." I laughed. She let go of my hand and hit me in the gut then laughed herself.

"I mean I don't want to lose both of you in all this."

I squeezed her hand. "Not going to happen."

"You're going to be my rock through this." She looked over at me. I just nodded. The rest of the ride to their home was quiet.

I pulled into the drive and there was another car in the space next to where I usually parked. We gathered Jo's luggage from the trunk and she opened the door. A bark and jingling tags greeted us in the form of Maggie. She danced and wagged and Jo was smiling as she gave her the attention she was looking for.

"Come on let's go find everyone."

We found Scott in his office typing away on his computer.

"Hey you two." He said with a wan smile. "How was your trip?"

"It was great." Jo replied as she walked around the desk and pushed him back from the desk for a hug and kiss. "Lovely city, bigger than I thought, a lot bigger than Pittsburgh."

"Not quite as big as Houston though." He smiled as she settled gently across his lap in the over-sized chair. "Get any shopping done?"

"Yes, I bought you a business jet for the bargain price of thirteen point eight million US dollars."

"Aw shucks, thank you." He gave her a kiss. "I hope you got something for yourself." He asked glancing up at me. "How about you?"

"I had a good time too. Got to fly the demo up to Quebec City and back. I didn't want to frighten Jo but I nailed the landing when we got back to Montreal."

She put her hand over her heart. "Lord! It's a wonder we didn't bounce."

"Sure you're safe over there where I can't take you over my knee."

"By all means. I've been wanting to for years." Scott opened his arms releasing her.

She acted shocked that he'd betray her like that and gave him a little smack on the chest.

"You'll get yours later." She growled at him.

"Promises, promises."

A woman stopped in the doorway. "Welcome home Mrs. Meadows. I put a fresh pot of coffee on for you folks."

"That sounds great, thank you. I'll be right back." Jo leapt up and left the room.

Scott looked at me like only he could, cutting through the bullshit. "Have a good time?"

I nodded. "Great time." I replied and offered no further information. The expression I got in return was patient but expectant. I let out a sigh. "Listen, I just think things will work better if we aren't completely open. There has to be some space that's... I don't know, personal?" After a pause I added, "Talk to Jo, she may be more open between the two of you."

He nodded and looked down. "How are you two getting along? Generally speaking. If I may ask."

"Great, nothing has changed since last week. Found out she's not a fan of liver." I said with a chuckle.

"She doesn't know what she's missing." He smiled.

Jo walked in with a tray a moment later and pushed aside papers on the desk as she set it down. "What am I missing?"

"Liver." I said with a grin.

She grimaced. "I had no idea what that spread was, it looked like tapenade."

"The pie, now that would be worth another trip north for though." She turned to Scott to explain the taste of the maple sugar pie.

"Sounds like a diabetics worst nightmare."

"It is." I added with a laugh. Jo added a few more anecdotes and peeked toward the doorway to make sure the nurse wasn't passing by.

"I owe one of the look-books to Matt our personal valet." She grinned.

"I don't know why, he had plenty of looks while we were there." I said grinning.

"Did you torture the poor guy?" Scott asked her with a grin.

She turned serious. "I wouldn't call it torture."

"At one point, he practically walked into the door forgetting to open it first."

"Only once? I'm losing my touch." She giggled.

"That was after I got him to close his mouth and stop staring. I never thought I'd have to wave a tip in front of a room service guy more than once to get him to grab it."

"I told you he would be putty in my hands when we asked him about the tripod." She winked at me.

"I think he would have donated a kidney to you by that point." She went on to explain how she'd teased poor Matt into a froth before we left the hotel.

"Damn I can't wait to see those pictures." Scott was sincere as he wriggled gently under Jo who went to stand and he wrapped his arm around her to keep her in place.

"Stay for dinner. I'm guessing your fridge is probably empty." Jo said as she climbed off her husband's lap. "Let me grab my laptop and you can see the new shots." She grabbed his shoulder as she went out to the foyer.

Jo set it on the desk and turned it on.

"Did you really enjoy your trip?" Scott asked her.

"I did, more than I expected to." She smiled and looked up at me embarrassed. "I mean I expected to be bored while Bobby was working." She looked at Scott who had a smirk on his face.

"Listen." She turned and leaned against the desk. She took a deep breath and let it out. "If this is going to happen the way you had it worked out in your head I hate to disappoint. When it comes to private time between us, it needs to stay that way."

Scott opened his mouth about to speak and closed it and gave her a nod.

"Sweety it's not that there's anything sinister going on. It's just that, I mean there's here," she pointed back and forth between herself and Scott, "stuff that I don't share with Bobby."

"I understand. I do. I'm sorry." Scott reached out and took her hand.

Jo sighed again. "This was your idea and now we're all in the middle of it. We can't let it get weird now."

"Now?!" I interjected, and they both started laughing.

She turned to look over her shoulder at me. "It's like you said. There can't be any jealous bullshit here. I already feel like I'm being pulled apart and you said there's no conflict, you're not fighting over a girl in college here. I don't think I could take that at this point."

I nodded. "I did say that."

"So you need to cool it with hinting around for a play-by-play. I can't control what the two of you talk about when I'm not around but please respect me. I don't want anybody hurt, least of all me." She added with a nervous laugh.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. The reality of it is a little more than I had expected." Scott said, with a nod.

"Funny, I don't want to speak for Jo, but I thought you were out of your fucking mind."

Jo laughed. "No, I think that hits the nail squarely on the head."

Scott smiled. "Yea well you tend to think that you can handle things pretty easily, until those things go from concept to reality."

"Should we..." I stopped myself as Scott waved off the question.

"It's something I can live with, well as long as I'm going to anyway."

Jo slapped him on the shoulder. "Stop it."

"Why are you mad at me? I'm the one with the coming expiration date."

"Because you're feeling sorry for yourself when you're the one that's throwing in the towel, and you're making everyone else around you feel even worse." Jo shot back at him.

"Misery loves company." I said trying to keep an all out fight from starting. "I sort of understand why you've chosen to do what you're doing by stopping treatment, but it's hard on those around you too Scott."

"I just spent five days trying to lighten my mood and I'm not home an hour and I already feel like shit again." Jo said and she turned and walked out of the room.

We were both silent for a few minutes. I could hear Jo speaking with the nurse in the other room.

"Send not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." Scott said staring down at his cup.

"You hear about it happening but it's never going to happen to you. Right?" I said softly.

"I never had a grand design in life. I never wanted to be rich, or famous, or popular. My goals were comfort and companionship. Enjoy some football on a Sunday, maybe a hunting trip in the fall. Turkeys out here are thicker than squirrels." He nodded towards the window. "Love my wife, maybe raise a family." His voice trailed off and a tear slid down his cheek.

"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men..." I said in a badly affected Scottish accent. I raised my coffee mug and drained it.

Scott set his mug down on the tray and walked out of the room. I nearly followed him but I thought better of it and waited. I could hear them speaking in low tones in the other room. He walked back a few minutes with two tumblers of scotch and handed one to me. "That's the problem with self-pity. When you're in it like a hog in a wallow you want everyone to join you. I'm sorry about that."

"You don't need to apologize to me Scott. I've been through this before. I have a better idea of what you're going through than Jo does."

"Your dad, I forgot in all the excitement. I'm sorry."

"It was what, five years ago now. He never would quit the cigarettes, no matter how much anybody complained."

"I don't even have a vice to blame it on. Well besides this," he held up his tumbler, "and the doc assures me that at my intake that wasn't the issue. I just got a bad roll of the dice, and possibly some genetic marker."

"Did they ever look at your work? You did some hole time and some oil rig work for a while as I remember."

Scott shook his head. "Nah I was never exposed like the guys who did it day in and day out. I was the clean suit guy who only got his hands dirty occasionally. The college punk."

I chuckled at that. "I know that feeling. I have to remind some of our hangar dwellers that despite the fact that there's the blueprint way, and the actual way, that mistakes cost lives and money. I remember the time a few years ago I told a new kid to imagine every time that a plane left the ground his family was on board, and to be diligent when he worked on them."

"We were young and stupid once too."

Jo popped her head in the door. "She's heading out. Come say goodbye."

I took a sip of my drink and listened to their farewells.

When they came back into the office Jo sat next to me again and Scott took his seat behind the desk. Jo refilled her coffee, no one said a word for several minutes.

"I asked him to marry me."

Scott's head snapped up and he looked back and forth between us. I just nodded.

"Well shit, you're moving fast."

"I don't want him to get away."

"What did you say to that?"

"Yes." I tossed back the rest of my drink and nearly choked.

Scott looked down at his desk for a minute and started laughing. "I gamed myself."

"What?"

"Six years ago I was worried that something was going on and now I've made it happen. A self-fulfilled prophecy."

"Nothing has changed. This is what you were trying to bring about in the first place."

"I thought he'd be the one to ask, after a suitable period of mourning of course."

"I beat him to it." She smiled and looked at me and back to Scott.

"You know I didn't think this needed to be brought up." I said, looking at Jo.

"Well I did." Jo said. "Maybe we can stop trying so hard to make what happens later happen now." She said pointedly at Scott.

He nodded. "Again I am sorry for bungling this, but I'm not sorry for wanting to look out for you."

There was a long silence in which Scott finished his drink and nodded at me. I stood and took the glasses to the liquor cabinet in the other room and refilled them. I figured they should get a few to discuss the bomb Jo dropped. I was surprised she told him and in that way but it sounded as if she was on edge from all of his self-pity. Lashing out like that was the act of a cornered animal I know but it still felt like a harsh blow to a man that had only a few months to live. When I went back I stopped in the doorway and looked at them both sitting like two bulldogs in a staring contest. I gave Scott his drink, reached for Jo's coffee mug and replaced it with a tumbler.

"What exactly was your end game plan then?" Jo asked. "If not this or something like it?"

"I did think you might wait." He rubbed his chin and looked at me.

"If it makes you feel any better it's only between us and will remain so for a long while yet. Despite Jo's claim to be ready for the gossip and grief that will come with a fast rebound, I won't put her through that. What I'd like is if she could just focus on you two for..." My voice trailed off.

"The time I have left." Scott finished.

"You know," Jo had turned to me, "you're wrong. Lancelot was a traitor to his friend and his king. That's not something you could ever do."

"Where did that come from?" Scott asked smiling. We related the conversation we'd had a few days earlier. He nodded. "I can see how you would have felt that way but Jo's right. You could have taught old Lance a thing or two about nobility."

After dinner I tried to go but after a healthy dose of scotch and half a bottle of wine I agreed driving wasn't the best idea. Jo ended my argument by pointing out that I had all of my work things with me in the car including clothes so I could just go into the office from there in the morning. I hadn't told my boss about the impending purchase yet so I knew I was golden even if I showed up late due to the longer commute.

* * * * *

I had a cup of coffee in one hand and my briefcase in the other as I walked into the office the next morning greeting coworkers. I settled into my office and finished up the reports I would have worked on Friday night if it hadn't been for Jo's little shopping trip that afternoon.

She'd found an outfit that fit Matt's description and we had a fun shooting the pictures of her in it. He'd found us a tripod and a couple reflectors and left them in the room. The thought of it as I printed off the hard copies of my report made me smile. Matt was going to enjoy them. Sunday afternoon she had declared us done with the shooting and we were going to make better use of the bed until we left the next day.

I walked into my bosses office and handed him the folder with the report and purchase agreement, with Scott's bonus for the project I expected to realize a nice pay check for this one project. He was congratulatory and all smiles as this doubled our business with Scott's company and extended our stewardship of their growing fleet. Things were looking good for me and I spent a little time basking in it as I went over other work the rest of the day. I left work and stopped for a few groceries on the way home.

When I got home I checked my personal email and there was a link from Jo which showed the look-book layout ready to send to the printer. She asked if there was anything I'd change. She credited me on the back as Pylon Racer Studios, a nod to the discussion we had on the flight home about what I had done for fun in recent years. The book looked incredible and I could easily see any guy who felt he'd never see her again upon her retirement would be more than willing to purchase one of them. She said in the email she planned on ordering just higher than the minimum and would order another batch if they sold out quickly. I replied telling her that the proof looked terrific. She replied later that she placed the order and they should arrive in a few days.

Wednesday I got to their home to pick up Scott for golf. I knocked and let myself in without waiting. Jo came out of Scott's office without looking up and dashed down the hallway out of sight. Maggie the dog was hopping up and down and following me around the corner. I knocked on the door jamb as I peeked in.

"Hey Bobby. Come on in."

"Hi Scott. Is Jo alright?"

He shrugged. "I think so."

"She just ran out of here like a spooked deer and didn't even say hello."

The corner of Scott's mouth lifted slightly. "Yea, well. Are you ready to lose a third week in a row?" He groaned as he stood up slowly. Jo came down the hallway and said hello and goodbye as we left. She had an odd look on her face like that of a guilty child.

She grabbed my arm after Scott went into the driveway. "Sorry." She gave me a long kiss.

"What's going on?"

"Well you nearly caught Scott having a snack." She pursed her lips and giggled. "Me."

"Well he's going to get beat today so if he comes home grumbling don't be surprised."

"I have ways of picking up his spirits." She winked, kissed me again and slapped me on the ass pushing me out the door.

I did beat him handily since he was running out of ways to mess with my head. He did give me a few insights into what to expect Friday at dinner with his lawyer, and Jo's new lawyer. Jo had told him that she'd found her through a referral service and was meeting today for the first time.

"This burger tastes like winning." I teased at lunch.

"Well they all should from here on out."

"Scott." I chided.

"I know, but you're a little thicker skinned, I think." He held up his hand in surrender. He didn't speak for a few minutes. "Truth is I feel weaker every couple days. No matter how much rest I get. My doc and Jo poke at me to move around, I walk Maggie out back but I get back to the house and feel like I just ran a road race. As much as she has a right to be annoyed, it's not easy dying slowly. If I didn't know it would cause a world of other problems I'd put myself down like a lame horse rather than drag it out. Like Buddy my old dog should have been. It's like living out a bad hangover that just keeps getting worse ever day." I was surprised when he chuckled at that.