Dori never did come back. She and Brad were married two days after the passion-filled night she and Peter had spent together. Two months later they announced that she was pregnant. Everyone naturally assumed that the baby was Brad's, only she and Peter had any idea that might not be true.
Life gradually returned to normal for Peter though he soon saw a pattern developing in the women he was attracted to. Each one of them reminded him of Dori in some way. It didn't know if it was their eyes, the way they wore their hair, or their body, they all reminded him of her and if they became lovers he sometimes imagined he was making love to her once again. "Lust", "Desire", "Need", "Obsession", he knew all the words and finally delved into his work to avoid thinking about her.
He was soon promoted to 'Regional Manager' which allowed him to travel frequently and get away from his home where it had all begun. But one time when he returned from a trip 4 years after they had last seen each other, he was surprised to find her sitting on his front porch.
She looked almost the same. Her hazel eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Her hair, though longer, was still brunette but was now highlighted with streaks of blonde that hung just in front of her ears. She was dressed in a tight-fitting, red camisole with a loose-fitting gray jacket over it, a pair of black, ¾ length pants, and black high-heels.
"Hi," he said in as nonchalant tone as he could muster.
"Hi, yourself," she replied, just the barest hint of a smile on her lips.
"What're you doin' here?"
She glanced around, obviously uneasy about being seen like this. "Can we go inside and talk?"
"You mean like last time we 'talked'?" he said sarcastically. "I don't think so."
"Listen Pete. I understand you might be mad at me and I don't blame you. What I did was ... thoughtless, I think would probably be a good word for it."
"That's a good start at least."
"Can we go inside?" she asked once again.
"That probably isn't a good idea and not for any reasons you might think. After you left, I got promoted so now I spend a lot of time away from home. When I left this last time it was pretty cool out so I never turned on the A/C. I figure it's probably about a million degrees inside right now," he laughed.
When she didn't laugh, he continued. "We have a choice, we can sit in the backyard if you'd like," but when she hesitated he continued, "or we can head down to the beach. It's pretty empty this time of day."
"That sounds like a good idea. Less chance of me being recognized," she said in a low voice.
Intrigued by her comment and behavior, he headed for his car, hearing the 'click, click, click,' of her high-heels as she followed.
The further away from his house they got, the more relaxed she seemed to be so by the time they got to the beach, she was laying back in the seat enjoying the breeze and the warm, Summer sun.
After pulling into a parking space, he twisted in his seat so he was looking at her. Images of their night together were flashing through his mind before he asked, "So, what's so important?"
She sat up, hesitantly, before she spoke almost in a whisper. "Our son."
"Our son?" he repeated in disbelief.
"Yes."
"You mean ...?"
"Yes."
Shocked, he sat quietly as her statement swirled through his brain.
"That night ...?"
She nodded her head to answer.
"Are you sure? I mean, it was only that once."
"About as sure as I can get right now."
Once again, he sat quietly before continuing. "So, what about ... our son?"
Tears filled her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. "He has ... he has ... has leukemia."
The single word felt like a ton of bricks had fallen on him. "I don't understand. What do you need from me?" his voice now filled with tenderness and concern.
"He's had chemo and the doctors say he's ready for a marrow transplant. The problem is that Brad and I aren't a good match. That's not too uncommon with a son and his mother but a son and his father ..." she shrugged. "Anyway, Brad starting making comments and we had some really huge fights. Finally, I said 'Enough is enough' and left ... but that's my problem. What I need from you is a DNA and marrow test to see if you're a candidate for the transplant. The whole thing can be done anonymously so Brad will never know a thing if we later work our problems out."
"Of course I'll do it," he said without a seconds hesitation.
"Good," she said, the smile returning to her face, as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll let you know when and where as soon as I get it set up."
"So where ARE you living right now? I need to know in case I need to make any travel arrangements. I heard that you and Brad moved to Atlanta for a while and then I think it was Dallas but after that I lost track of you."
"From Dallas, we moved to L.A. That's where Lucas was diagnosed."
"Lucas," he whispered his son's name for the first time.
"Yeah, we named him after my dad."
"Cool."
"Anyway, we stayed in L.A. for quite a while but then Brad had a chance for a job overseas. That's when the shit really hit the fan. I told him I was sick and tired of moving every couple of years and wanted to give Lucas some roots. He said, 'roots' were wherever he said they were and wherever his job took us."
He could tell she still had more to say so he stayed silent.
"That was when I said 'enough.' That was 7 months ago. Right now, he's in Tokyo and we're living," she blushed, "back with my dad and mom."
"No wonder you were afraid someone might see us. They live, what? Ten or twelve blocks away?"
"Fourteen, actually."
The two of them laughed, light-heartedly, that she'd know the exact distance.
"Okay then. You set it up and I'll make sure I'm available."
"Thanks, Pete," she said, a sense of relief flooding over her. "Now, I think you better take me ... mmmmmmm ... take me to the Mall. I can catch a bus or get a taxi back to my parent's house from there."
The remainder of the ride was spent talking about what he'd been doing, where he'd gone, and what his plans for the future were. Never, once did they talk about the night they spent together.
True to her word, he received a call the next day providing an address and instructions about what he'd need to bring with him so he could have the test.
A week went by, and then two, before the test results came back. Though not a perfect match he was by far the best choice.
Again, appointments were set and instructions were given for him to donate his marrow.
The day started out warm and sunny, a good omen as far as he was concerned, but events quickly turned dark when he arrived at the hospital and saw Brad sitting in the waiting room. One look was all it took.
"YOU? You fucking son-of-a-bitch," he yelled at Peter. "You fucked up your own marriage and now ... now ...," he stomped away unable to finish.
Unfortunately, Dori and Lucas had overheard the outburst and come out to see what was going on.
Brad stormed towards Dori, anger filling his voice. "THIS? This is the guy? I ... how could you ... fucking bitch," he snarled. "Some of my friends said I was making a mistake marrying you. They said you were nothing but a slut," he looked over his shoulder before returning his gaze to her. "They were right."
Then he spun on his heels and pushed past Peter as he stormed out.
Dori mouthed the words, "I'm sorry," as a tear formed in the corner of her eye.
