“Jane, you know how I feel, I don’t know what else I can say to convince you of my sincerity in this matter.”
“Lee, I know that right now you think that you know what you really want but you need to sit back and ask yourself why you feel this way before you make a promise you probably won’t keep or be able to keep,” she typed in her message box.
Jane had been speaking online with Lee for almost three months now. During that time she felt that they had become friends. She has enjoyed both exchanging email and chatting online with him, getting to know him better.
Lee had been reading some of her stories online and had finally gotten up the courage to drop her a note telling her how much he had enjoyed reading her stories. He had never really expected her to answer him back but he had included his email address just incase she did.
“Lee, do you remember when I asked how you came to be on the site where you found my stories,” she typed her question waiting for his reply?
“Of course I do, but what does that have to do with this,” he typed back?
“You told me that you were feeling a little sexually frustrated at the time and had been searching for some adult stories to help you ease your frustrations.”
“Jane, why are you bringing all this back up now? I told you the truth, I’m no different then any other men who seek out those sites to help ease some of their sexual frustrations?”
“ Lee, the men and women who frequent sites like that do so for so many different reasons. Your correct, your no different then any other man or woman who is in a unsatisfactory relationship.”
“Ok, I’m no different then so many others, so why should it make any difference?”
“That’s just it Lee, it’s a fantasy you all have. A fantasy that you all wish were true, one that you dream of, think of in your free moments, one that at this moment in time you want to make a reality.”
“Jane your driving me nuts! I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than I do this. So what if it is a little fantasy of mine? It’s one that you’ve created, that you’ve made me hunger for, how can you say no?”
“Hon, I’m really honored that I’m a part of your fantasy. Hell, what women wouldn’t want to be some man’s fantasy? We all want the “man in our life” to desire us above all others. The key words here are “man in our life”, not a one time good time. There are places that deal in that kind of thing hon.”
“Jane it would never be just a one time thing for me, I couldn’t have you once and not want to be with you again, that just won’t happen.”
“You can’t say that for sure Lee and you know it. For one thing, the real thing could be a disappointment to you. The one big disadvantage is distance Lee and you know that as well. There is far to much distance between us, even if we found we wanted to continue we would both still be frustrated over not being able to be with the other only occasionally.”
“Dammit Jane, that just won’t happen. I’d make the time to be with you as often as possible and I think you know that, but won’t admit it. Just meet me, that’s all I’m asking. I just want to talk to you face to face.”
“Lee any man who would drive almost 200 miles to meet a woman would expect a little more from her then just talk.”
“Ok, I’ll admit that I will be hoping that you will want to do more than just talk to me but I won’t be expecting you to do so. If something happens between us then great, if not, that’s ok as well, at least I will get to see you in person.”
For long minutes she just sat starring at the screen. No matter what she said to him he still wanted to see her. She had to admit that she would like to talk to him face to face as well. They had talked a few times on the phone, he had called her secretly from his office in his basement a few times.
“Jane? Are you upset with me? Are you still here,” he typed in the message box then hit send waiting for her reply? “I’m still here Lee. If I agree to meet you do you promise me you won’t expect more from me then just to talk?”
“Yes!!! I agree!!! When?”
“Ok, I’ll meet you if you promise you won’t expect more from me then just talking,” she typed.
“I can drive your way this weekend, how about Friday night?”
“Friday will be fine, what time do you think it will be when you get here,” she asked him?”
“I’ll leave right after my last class that afternoon. My last class gets over about 1:30 and I’ll leave right from school.”
“I know how Chicago traffic is Lee so how about if you call me from your cell phone when you get in Battle Creek? You will have about 15 more miles before you get to Marshall and I will meet you at exit # 110. There is a large truck stop to your left off the exit. I will be parked in the restaurant parking lot facing the road. I’ll meet you there then we can go downtown to have dinner and talk.
“Sounds perfect to me babe, I can’t wait to finally see you! Jane, could I ask just one thing of you?”
“Sure hon, what is it?”
“Would you let me hug you when we meet, that’s all, just a hug?”
Jane was smiling when she read his last message, she would have hugged him when she met him without asking him first anyway.
“I’ll see you on Friday Lee. I will be looking forward to meeting you.”
As the weekend drew closer Jane found herself getting more excited about Friday. Over the months of chatting and writing to Lee she had determined he was a pretty lonely guy. He wasn’t married, but he did live with a woman, another professor who taught at the same college he did. He was unhappy with the relationship he was in and had been for some time according to him. They had been living together for five years and in the last couple of years he had begun to feel dissatisfied with it. He said nothing ever changed, that it felt more like an arrangement then it did a relationship.
They shared the same living space, slept in the same bed, drank coffee together in the mornings then drove separately to school each day. He had a couple of night classes twice a week, as did she, only on different days. She had some woman’s group she belonged to one day a week and on Saturday’s they always made love at 10pm when they retired for the night.
According to Lee making love consisted of a few kisses, a few caresses, then right on to the joining. The same thing, every week, same time, same position, same duration, and the same damn “Bat Channel”. She had laughed when he had likened their lovemaking sessions to the old TV show of the comic Batman and Robin.
He had also admitted to Jane that during their once a week session the only thing on his mind was getting it over with. He told her that he was afraid that his life had become stagnet. The same thing week after week, year after year and he was unhappy with it.
She was trying to be fair to both parties when she asked him if he had done anything to change the boredom he was feeling. Had he spoken to his partner about his feelings? Had he told her of his desires, suggested they try something new within their relationship etc.?
Lee had told her that he had once tried to seduce her in her office and she had spurned his advances and told him to act his age. Jane had the feeling that when she had turned away from him that he had felt rejected. She felt that maybe that rejection had left him feeling unsure of himself in some way.
He called her as soon as he was in Battle Creek. She had been sitting in her car for about fifteen minutes before she saw him turn into the drive of the restaurant parking lot. She got out of her car so that he wouldn’t have to search for her.
He pulled into the spot next to her car and got out. She recognized him from the picture he had sent her in an email a few months ago when they had first began writing. She waited until he came around to where she was standing then walked up to meet him putting her arms around him telling him how glad she was that they had finally gotten to meet.
Lee held her tightly and close, she could smell the light cologne that he was wearing. Thank god she was thinking, she absolutely hated men who’s cologne was overpowering.
“I’ll let you drive and give you directions,” she told him as he held open the passenger door for her to get in. “I’ll give you a short tour of the city before we go to dinner.”
“This is what is referred to as the “Circle” from the town residents. That’s Brook’s fountain in the center of the circle. In the winter, it is decorated as the manger with the three wise men giving their gifts to the baby Jesus,” she told him. On July 3, in 1930 Harold C. Brooks presented the city with the fountain in memory of his father C. E. Brooks. The fountain is of Greek design and a replica of the “Temple of Love” in Marie Antoinette’s garden at Versailles, France. In the summer the fountain displays a color light show.”
“What is the Honolulu House,” he asked her pointing to the huge yellow building on their right just before coming to the circle?
“The Honolulu House was built in 1860 by Abner Pratt. He was the first US counsel to the sandwich islands, the Hawaiian Islands. It is said to be the exact replica of the house he lived in while living in the islands. He loved the house so much he had a replica built of it when he returned to Marshall. It is now home to the historical society and a museum.”
