I live for the moment I hear that catch in her throat with our first kiss. Her breathing getting heavier with each tender touch and caress of her sensitive places, I wait for those three words she will not say..., yet.
Catherine Chapter 21
The Things I Hear --- Neil
My phone and my watch buzzing at the same time, both telling me it's five o'clock and time to get my ass up --- but is she up too; her flight to DC at seven-ish, arriving there around eigtht-ish; I think she said.
Getting my first cup of coffee and not even taking my first sip, it's my phone laying here on the counter buzzing again; this time it's Catherine calling, who, I wasn't expecting her to call. Picking up the phone to my usual answer to her calls,
"Hi Me," saying to the phone now on speaker.
"Hi.., it's me," a lilt in her voice. "You must be awake and up, thats why I called to make sure were," she's telling me.
"Yes I am...," replying. "My double alarm system worked perfectly and now I'm standing here in the kitchen talking to you and I haven't even had my first sip of coffee." telling her. "So I guess you must be already up too."
"Yes I am, and doing the same as you, having some coffee," she says, that giving me a moment for my first two sips from my coffee cup to hear her, "Are you still their," she's asking.
"Yes Catherine, I'm still here..., I was just taking those first two wake up sips of coffee so..., how long have you been up." asking her now.
"Oh.., maybe fifteen minutes," she says. " My usual pee alarm, like yours." she laughs.
"Well, I haven''t made that run yet, but soon, I think!" Telling her.
"Catherine...?" Saying her name after she hasn't said more.
"Bobby...," she says now.
"Bobby..., I, ah,,, you know after what I told you..., you know..." she stumbles over.
"Catherine..., I told you too..., okay..., nothing changes. Just..., please, call me when you can; especially this morning when you're back on the ground, alright?" Not asking her, but telling her.
"But now Catherine, I have to make that pee run, get a shower, dressed and out of here early because we're still going to that installation site; the longer walk I told you about. Oh, and you said your flight gets in about eight-ish?" Asking her.
"Yes." she says. "It's a very short flight from here to there, as I guess you know." she answers. "And I will call you just as soon as I can when I get there," she telling me.
"Good..., anyway Catherine, you um.., ah..., don't need to call me again until you're back home. I..., ah, you know too..., I was only..., was only teasing about that..., ah..., Nancy thing." My stumbling this time.
"You are such a shit, Swaggart!" She calls me. "I love you. Now, get your pee run in, shower, and get to work!" Sounds like an order.
"Bye, Catherine."
"By Bobby and keep your phone close by at all times." Her laughing I hear as the call drops.
Taking a different route this morning from the train station to the new system installation site; bypassing the school and it's cafeteria where I got my usual breakfast and coffee. Instead, today I've stopped in one of those boutique coffee shops for a large regular coffee with cream and sugar; not surprisingly, two dollars and fifty-cents more than I paid in the cafeteria.
But on exiting the coffee shop, it's John who comes bounding up the steps from the subway, carrying the same expensive cup of coffee as I have in my hand.
"I see you've taken a step up in your selection off coffee," he says on seeing me exiting the coffee shop. "Yeah John, and all I get for the extra two-fifty is one of their standard logo cups, a slip-on heat sleeve and a sippy-cup lid.
"Okay," he says. "But the coffee is hot..., right?"
"Yeah John, the coffee's hot." telling him just before I take another sip through the sippy-cup lid.
"So what brought you this way today," John ask. "Your usual walk from the train station was through the plaza and up eighteenth street; I think," he says.
"Just a change of scenery John," telling him, but it's really not the case. The real reason was avoiding looking over to that tall glass and stainless steel building with the big letters, IIG, on top and knowing she's not in it.
"How's the girlfriend," John's question pulling me back.
"Doing great John," telling him. "In fact...," as I take my cell phone from my jacket pocket to check the time, "she's probably about to board her flight to DC."
"DC," he ask.
'"Yes John. She'll be there for two days, some important meetings
along with seeing some old friends too." Of course leaving out telling John those friends are male, "Her Friends With Benefits."
"But I'll tell her you were asking about her when I talk to her later this morning, John."
"Two days with out the girlfriend..., huh old boy?"
"More than that John." telling him. "When she gets back she'll have a lot to get done before this coming weekend --- a reception Friday night for some out of town people who will be staying for the weekend. Plus a big dinner party for about twenty people Saturday night," she told me.
"Sorry Old Boy." he says. "I guess you'll be pretty horny by the time she gets around to seeing you again," John busting on me. And him saying that, another stupid thought, she'll get her, 'horniness,' taken care of tonight and tomorrow night. Then mentally slapping myself down for thinking it, but knowing it'll be true anyway, looking at my phone again; she should be in the air by now, my thought.
"Oh.., I don't know John. There are three other beautiful women who love fucking me, and just so you know," telling him now. "One of those is married too."
"You fucking lie!" he accuses me.
"No John..., no lie. Oh and this too, I fucked my ex-wife Sally this past Saturday night when I was in Virginia."
"You are so full of shit, Swaggart!"
"No, no shit John!" Putting some emphasis on it.
"Does your girlfriend know you fucked your ex-wife," he ask. "Just in case I meet her again and ah..., something accidentally..., you know..., slip of the tongue."
"In fact she does John!" Putting emphasis on that too. "Because I told her John! No secrets, no lies between her and I." That last part..., yeah, tonight and tomorrow night.
"Shit Swaggart..., how do you luck in to women like that?" He's not really asking, he's just envious.
"I guess I'm..., just a very nice guy, with a big dick and not like you, who is just a big dick!"
"Fuck you too, Swaggaart!" John saying back at me has both of us laughing at the same time --- me looking at my cell phone again to see what time it is; easily over Baltimore by now I should think.
Walking up on the floor, taking off my jacket, greeting the others hanging around the coffee urn, looking at the test lists that need to be run today, jabbing at John for spilling his coffee, looking at the clock on the far wall, it's time to get out on the floor and see what works and what fails; fixing the failures, rerunning the test. How many times have I looked at my watch? She should be on the ground by now; it's well past eight-ish!
My phone buzzing in my back pocket..., it's Catherine. "Hi me," answering.
