Twelve years and now it was over. After many years of trying to make her failing marriage work, she finally decided it was time. Time to move on. Time to stop the madness they had become and try to find the ever-elusive happiness that had evaded her for so long. It had taken that long for her to realize that she deserved to be happy.
It was her mother actually that made her decide it was time to make the move. Her death hit hard. Though she missed her dearly and would always feel the loss, her main thought had been about herself and the things she had missed out on. The life she'd missed out on. Standing in front of the mirror, she didn't see herself anymore. She saw every line, every crease, every sag of skin that made her feel so much older than she really was. She wasn't sure when it happened, but she had become her mother and now that she was gone she knew she wanted, nay, needed so much more for herself.
Forcing herself out into the world had been a slow and painful process that she nearly gave up on countless times, but she refused to give in to the fear. It started on the internet. She would log on to a popular social networking site and would watch the interactions of those around her. She slowly began engaging people in conversations and though she felt uncomfortable and awkward, she was determined. She wanted to try. She wanted to succeed. For so long, she felt unimportant, unloved, undesirable, unattractive and uninteresting. Interacting with strangers on the internet, she began to feel that she really was someone that others wanted to talk to. She began to feel attractive, desired and interesting and this began to bleed out into her real life. That's when she told him it was over.
So, here she was trying to sell her house. The economy unfortunately was working against her. No one was buying these days and everyone was selling. The process had been a challenge to say the least. Staging her own home, having to leave early in the morning to allow tours for potential buyers; all were stressful and taking their toll but the repairs needed for her to be able to sell the house were even more of a challenge. Every room in the place needed some kind of work. It seemed a never-ending list and she had been desperately trying to find the right person to handle all the repairs. So far, no one met the criteria. After several calls to various handy men, she finally was given the name of a friend of a friend. He owned his own construction company and was able to handle all the repairs himself. He had said he would do it as a favor to their mutual friend and would give her a great deal.
The day came that he was scheduled to tour the house and go through each room to discuss the different repairs needed, so she opted to take the full day off from work. Upon his arrival, she opened the door to let him in and was struck by the warmth of his smile instantly. A man of average height and build, he was not what one would classify as the "take your breath away" type, but he had a smile that overtook his entire face and left her tongue tied when she greeted him. They toured each room and discussed all the different work that was needed then she offered him a cup of coffee and they sat in the kitchen chatting. She was amazed at how easy the conversation flowed and felt herself relax with him in a way she never could with her husband. Hell, she even caught herself flirting! She never would have imagined that was possible a year ago and yet here she was, flirting like a girl in her twenties.
He shook her hand when he left and gave her the schedule of when he would be by to handle the work. He told her that he would, unfortunately have to handle most of the work in the evenings and on the weekends but would get everything completed in three weeks' time. She let him know she didn't care when he came by since she understood he was a busy man and had a business to run.
Each evening he came by to work and they would chat, joke and get to know one another. She enjoyed having someone to talk to for a change and he was so charming she just couldn't help herself. She found herself thinking about him constantly and though she thought for sure he wasn't attracted to her in the least, it was nice to have someone to think about. She began scheduling dinner for when he would finish working for the night and invite him to stay and eat with her. He always took her up on her offer though she was certain it was because he was a bachelor and didn't want to cook for himself. She didn't care. She enjoyed his company and the time they spent together each evening.
The weekends were even better than the evenings during the week. He would come by early in the morning and would work throughout the day, which gave her even more time with him and she loved it. Soon the repairs were nearly completed and she was dreading it. She knew once they were done, he would not be over again and then she would be back to having no one to talk to. She was going to miss him for other reasons too. He was sweet, funny, and she thought he was just so handsome. She felt stirrings within her that she thought had been long dead and didn't want those feelings to go away.
On the last night, she prepared an elaborate meal for them and picked out a nice wine. She wanted everything to be perfect and had even considered the thought of asking him out on a date, though she didn't think she would be brave enough to actually do it. They ate, they drank, they talked and laughed and she was sad when he finally said it was time he left. Walking him to the door, she had rehearsed what she would say again and again but when the time came, she couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to ask him to dinner on an actual date. He turned to leave then stopped short. Looking at his feet and then to her, he seemed unsure of himself and before she could ask he blurted out,
"Susan, I don't know if you realized this or not but, I'm crazy about you and I would really love it if you would let me see you again."
