The next evening, Thursday, the phone rang in Robby Alexander's duplex apartment. By a lucky chance, he was home. "Hello," he said.
"Is this Robert Alexander?" Jeremy asked on the other end.
"Yes."
"Mr. Alexander, you don't know me, but I'm calling on behalf of Louise Blaisdell," Jeremy said.
"Oh? How is Louise? Is she all right?" Robby sounded mildly concerned.
"Louise is fine--physically. But she is in a bit of a situation. She could use your help."
"If I may ask, who are you?" Robby asked.
"Sorry. My name is Jeremy Hill. I'm one of her boarders this year. And I'm also a friend."
"Wait a minute. Is this just a way for you to get me and Louise back together? I mean, she was very special, but I have sort of moved on," Robby said.
"Well," Jeremy said, "I would be lying if I said that Louise did not want to get back together with you. But that's not the reason I called."
"Well, then, why did you call. And why didn't Louise call herself?" Robby asked.
"Unfortunately, an awkward situation has developed with the mother of one of the boarders here. You have just the training and expertise we need to help her out of the situation. Louise did not call herself because she was unsure of your reaction. I am merely helping her out as a friend," Jeremy replied.
"What exactly can I do to help?"
"Well, I'd rather not get into it over the phone. Could you drive over, say, tonight about seven? Louise would like to cook you dinner, and go into the situation more fully."
Robby thought for a moment, and then said, "Yeah, I guess so. I'd kind of like to see Louise again anyway."
"Great," Jeremy said, "she'll be happy to hear it. I'll tell her to expect you around seven."
A few minutes after seven that evening, Robby drove up in his new Chevy Cavalier. Louise saw him out the window and thought to herself that he had been doing well. He got out of the car and started up the walk. Robby was wearing Levi's Dockers, brown loafers, and a button-down-collar dress shirt. His hair was a bit shorter and looked styled. All in all, he looked more mature than he had only a few months before. I suppose that's what the workaday world will do for you, she thought.
He came up the front stairs and rang the doorbell, Louise opened the door and let him in. She was wearing a floral print short dress with a lace-up decollete' and sleeves that fell down to expose her shoulders. The dress exposed a goodly amount of cleavage, as well as Louise's tanned thighs.
She realized that she was probably dressed a little skimpily for late September, but she felt the need to impress Robby. She was going to need his help.
They stood there a bit awkwardly. "How have you been, Louise," Robby finally asked.
"Fine," she said. "How's your job?"
"It's okay, but hard to get up in the morning sometimes."
"Tell me about it. Come on in, let's have a drink before dinner." Louise led the way to the living room.
"Where are the other boarders?" Robby asked.
"I fed them a little early, then told them I was going to be busy the rest of the night. Several of them went out, a couple are upstairs studying. What would you like, a cold beer, wine, or something stronger?
"A cold beer is fine," Robby answered.
" We'll be having lasagna and salad for dinner. I hope that's okay."
"Hey! You know I love lasagna. Especially yours."
Louise was pleased. Robby seemed to be loosening up, slipping back into his old familiar ways. She went quickly to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of Robby's favorite beer, a frosted glass, and a large glass of cold white wine for herself. They sat down on the couch in the living room.
"You really look great, Louise," Robby said, admiring her legs.
"You look good, too. How's your love life?" she asked, a bit teasingly.
"It's all right, I guess. I'm dating some, but nobody steady," he replied.
A buzzer buzzed back in the kitchen. Louise said, "That means the lasagna is done. Here, come with me while I put in the garlic bread."
In the kitchen, Robby leaned back against the table, and made small talk, while Louise put garlic bread in the oven, and dressed and tossed the salad. It felt good to Louise, just like it had been until only a few months ago.
They ate in the dining room with the door closed, so they could have some privacy. The dining room was on the side of the house away from the sun, so it began to get dark soon after they started eating. Louise got up, put a couple of candles on the table, and lit them. The room became nice and dark and intimate. Louise and Robby both were drinking a mild red table wine with the lasagna, and they grew mellow as the evening went on.
A couple of times, Robby appeared about to say something, but stopped himself.
Finally, he said, "You know, Louise, I have missed you these past four months."
"I have missed you too. But it was your decision to move away. You could have stayed here with me," she said, somewhat reprovingly.
"Okay, I guess I deserved that. I suppose that what I mean to say is that, sure, I missed you. I missed you alot. But I also felt--feel--that I needed some freedom. And, although you look fabulous tonight, and although I will help you any way I can, I'm not ready to move back in."
Louise's eyes filled with tears and Robby looked uncomfortable. "Oh shit," he said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I suppose I should leave."
"No! No, don't leave. I mean, I didn't even want to talk about your leaving. I miss you--I admit that. But I understand why you left. It just still hurts some, that's all. I'll be all right. Just give me a minute."