Part II -- A Weekend with Nathan
As you can well imagine, after that exciting ride home, I eagerly awaited another call to babysit for Jennifer and Nathan. And every time I was in town -- to go to work, or to do some shopping, or to go for coffee with the girls at the cafe -- I found myself constantly watching for Nathan's old truck.
Overnight it seemed the guys my age had become little boys -- I'd had a man, at least orally, and that man was exactly what I wanted again! I was so glad that my graduation present to myself that spring had been a visit to a clinic in the city to get birth control -- next time there would be no reason for Nathan to stop.
Part of me had hoped that Nathan would call me, but since he was married, I didn't really expect it. I did fantasize about how that wished-for phone call might have gone though...every single time the phone rang! I knew that there would be another call to babysit -- after all, I'd been watching their kids, Tika and Kylie, a couple times a month since they were just babies, and they were now 5 and 3 years old.
And so it was at 4:15 on a hot Friday afternoon, I answered the phone and heard, "Hi, Ali? Oh, thank God! It's me, Jennifer. I'm in such a spin! I know this is really short notice, but I just got a call from my sister Melanie -- she's the one in Toronto -- and she's getting married this weekend! Tomorrow! Can you believe it? Anyway, Nathan can't get away from work to come with me, but he got me a ticket to go for the weekend. I leave this evening at 9:17 and come back on Monday afternoon at 5:23. Is there any way you could come and take care of the girls? Nathan's got to work some crazy hours this weekend and it would just be easier if you could stay here with the girls for the weekend."
What could I say? "Sure Jennifer. I'll pack up what I need for the weekend and I can be ready whenever someone can come and pick me up."
"You're a life-saver Ali! I have to run out and do some errands, so I can be there in about half an hour!"
A whole weekend with Nathan! Was she nuts? Or did she suspect something had happened? Was she setting us up? I was in a panic -- excited to be with Nathan, and scared that Jennifer knew everything. In this state, I packed a bag for the weekend -- my new sexy undies, bikini, shorts, tank tops, jeans, and some new kids' DVDs and books I'd got for the girls.
Thirty-five minutes later, my bag and I were in Jennifer's little car, zipping back into town and over to the grocery store to pick up some last-minute provisions for the weekend. Then we were pulling up in their driveway alongside Nathan's truck.
As I helped Jennifer carry the groceries into the house, Nathan was coming down the stairs with her suitcase in his hand. I was behind Jennifer so she didn't see the look he gave me, or the way his hand "accidentally" slid across my stomach as we passed in the hallway. Taking a deep breath to calm my suddenly trembling limbs, I continued into the kitchen and set the groceries down on the counter. Tika and Kylie came running over to help put groceries away, and I was thankful for the distraction of their innocent chatter.
"I've got your bag for you, Ali -- I'll just put it in the guest bedroom for you," Nathan said as he came back into the kitchen, said bag in hand. "The girls are so excited that you're going to stay with us for the weekend; I think Tika has your whole day planned tomorrow." He winked, and I knew that HE had our whole day planned tomorrow, with no thought of work anywhere in it!
At last, Jennifer was ready -- she had almost an hour's drive to get to the city, and of course, she had to be at the airport an hour before her flight. So at 6:30, she kissed Nathan and the girls good-bye, gave me a quick hug and a, "Thank-you!" and was out the door and gone.
Feeling decidedly odd, I sat down to the supper with Nathan, Tika and Kylie; supper that Jennifer had left for us. It was delicious, and I couldn't help thinking that anyone looking in the window would think that we were a family. One thought led to another -- right into bed with Nathan. With an effort, I pulled myself back to reality and rejoined in the conversation with the girls. Nathan caught my eye over their heads and just smiled -- he knew where my mind had gone!
When everyone had finished eating, I cleaned up the kitchen while Nathan got the girls bathed, and ready for bed. Together we tucked them in with stories and kisses. As they always did, the little angels went right off to sleep.