CHAPTER 7
Lit by flickering candlelight in the restaurant, a trace of lipstick on his upper lip, Thom said, "Together at last."
"Yes our missed lunch engagement because of the chemical spill and then me being sent to Austin for three days. I was beginning we weren't destined to meet again. You can inspect the apartment when we finish up here and see if it meets your requirements.
"Does it have a bed and a sturdy sofa?"
"Yes of course."
"Then it meets my requirements."
Jane finally worked out what he was on about and blushed. "God, you are so earthy. How will I manage taking you anywhere?"
"So we really are going to cohabit?"
"I sincerely hope so. I feel committed."
"Me too."
"Oh Tom, is that all you're going to say."
"I just thought you'd not want me to go on about sex."
Jane sighed. "How right you are. There are other things to life."
"Name one if you can," Tom charged.
"Tom Briscoe. You are incorrigible."
Tom grinned and said she said that as if she liked him.
"Well, quite frankly, I do. And it's just not because you know how to use your dick. There is still something of a little boy in you. You love to tease and another thing I love is if you have nothing to say you prefer to say nothing. We'll have to work on that one of course. You have that survivor's mentality -- you are scared of no one and appear able to do things without any experience in the field. It's simply amazing."
"No, it's called common sense. Come home with me to see if mom and dad accept our fraternization."
"Oh my, swallowed a dictionary since we were last together, have you?"
"Words and expressions kind of sneak up on you."
"They do, they do indeed. I'm not crossing Texas just to be rebuffed by your parents. I mean to be told I ought not be sleeping with you."
"You mean fucking me?"
"Oh Tom, ease back. I'm sensitive about this."
"Hmmm. Well what about this? I write mom and suggest she and dad drive to Junction. The best man at their wedding Mr Latham has a fly fishing business there on the Llano River. The guys haven't seen each other in years and dad's spent most of my life talking about going to see what Dave is up to one day. I'll send them money for gas -- it's a trip of over four hours plus stops for them. For us it's five hours -- you can drive can't you?"
"Yes."
"We'll get a rental and I'll pay."
"No we'll split all costs."
"Thanks. That tells me you are committed. I say to mom I have shifted to Dallas and ran across you and we are the best of buddies."
"Buddies?"
"Mom isn't dumb. Your parents would have been talking to them about us when we got together in New York."
"Fucking you mean."
Tom grinned. "Shhhh. I'm sensitive."
"You are such a big tease," Jane giggled. "What if they refuse to meet us in Junction?"
"Mom often says nothing ventured, nothing gained. She'll know what this is about and dad will pick wax out of his ear and say he's not going and mom will say 'You're going' and that will be the end of that. To answer your question, either way it doesn't much matter but my thinking is mom who's never seen you in the flesh will take one look at you and think grandchildren and..."
"Tom, I'll marry you but children... I still haven't come to a conclusion about that."
"The risk of deformities will be higher than non-related parents but it's still acceptably low in my opinion."
"You have studied it?"
"When you began fucking me in New York it seemed relevant to look up information on the web about the offspring of first cousins."
"We could be unlucky."
Tom reached for Jane's hand. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
"I would love to have children. Um, would you mind if I stopped taking my birth control pills."
"No, I commit to you Jane."
"Oh darling, what a wonderful thing to hear you say."
"Well there you go. I also think if we do commit to a wedding and mom and dad attend your father will come, with or without your mother. Carl will also come as he'll be best man."
"What, when did you figure that out?"
"When flying down from New York actually. The female flight attendants looked unappetizing."
"I bet some had big tits."
"Well yes, but I thought my marital prospects deserved all of my attention darling."
"I bet."
The apartment was easily large enough for two people, each swinging a cat and then room over.
"I could live here," Tom said in admiration.
"Done," Jane said, handing him a key-card and said she'd arrange for him to be added to the contract as a co-tenant. "That means we share all the outgoings from next Monday, the start of the new rental month."
"And the establishment costs including setting up."
"No, that's on me."
Tom scratched his head. "Do we have basement garaging?"
"Yes, the rental comes with rights to one space but more are available to lease."
Tom smiled as if he'd come up with a winner. "In that case you choose a car tomorrow or soon after and I will pay for it."