It was another long night at the office for me, as I tried to prepare for the upcoming county audit next week. Being the assistant director for a non-profit agency had its perks, but this wasn't one of them. Each year it was the same thing - forging paperwork and deceiving the auditors into thinking our agency was obeying their rules. It wasn't too bad when I was single, but now that I was married it created tension at home. Just as I was signing my name to a document, my wife Kristin called.
"I just wanted to call and tell you that I miss you and can't wait till you come home." She said.
"Ok sweetie, I'll be home once I finish the project." I assured her as I leaned back in the chair.
"I wish you didn't have to work so much."
"I know. I'll be home soon, I promise." I said meekly.
"You better. I love you." Kristin said with a sigh.
"Yeah, me too. Bye sweetie."
I returned home around 1am and Kristin was wide awake. She was in one of her talkative moods unfortunately, and all I wanted to do was sleep. I remained attentive for a few minutes, but dozed off while she was talking about her sister's upcoming baby shower. When I came to, Kristin scolded me for falling asleep while she was trying to talk with me. I didn't feel like arguing so I brushed my teeth and slept on the couch downstairs in the living room. Apparently she wasn't finished talking with me...
"Why are you sleeping down here?" Kristin seethed.
"I'm tired and need my rest. Please, just leave me be, ok?" I responded tersely. This wasn't the first time Kristin mentioned the baby shower, and if truth be told it was another reminder of how we were still without a child of our own. It was a source of turmoil between Kristin and I since she wanted to wait a few more years to have children and I wanted them now.
When we first got married, she was all for having children right away, but soon changed her mind once she got her dream job as an elementary school teacher at some private school. That was 2 years ago and my patience was wearing thin. I wasn't considering divorce or anything, but I was the furthest thing from being 'happily married'.
"But I was trying to talk with you about visiting my family this weekend for the baby shower." Kristin continued.
"And just when are we going to have our own baby shower, Kristin?" I asked, my voice filled with resentment.
Kristin opened her mouth for a moment, but remained silent. She knew my response was valid given her selfish career ambitions and walked back upstairs to our bedroom. I lay back down on the couch and it wasn't long before I was out cold.
I arrived at work the next day exhausted, both mentally and physically. After reviewing the messages on my answering machine, I sat at my desk and just stared at the computer screen. My screen saver was a picture from years ago when Kristin and I were dating and took a trip to Mexico. I thought about how much happier we were back then and what went wrong. She had her flaws, but overall she was a good woman. However, I just couldn't overlook the issue of waiting to have kids. I was nearing 40 and Kristin had just turned 31, so time was not on our side.
I put my head on the desk and let out a deep sigh when my phone vibrated. Probably another text from Kristin saying that everything was going to be alright and how much she loved me. I looked at the phone and the text read: "miss me?" I looked at the sender's phone number and didn't recognize it so I responded: "who is this?" A few minutes went by with no response, so I figured it was probably a wrong number and went back to work.
Around lunchtime a few staff asked if I wanted to join them on their way to the local pizzeria. I was in the mood for some calzone so I walked to my car in the parking lot. As I got closer to it I noticed a white piece of paper on the windshield, like a flyer or something. I removed the paper and realized it was a hand written note folded in half. It read: "I've missed you Michael. Hope to see you real soon." From the looks of the handwriting it was a woman who wrote the note, but beyond that I didn't have a clue as to who it was.
Just before I left the office for the day I received another text from the anonymous sender. It read: "Come outside and find out." I was starting to get concerned now because it wasn't a wrong number and I still didn't know who was sending these texts. I took a deep breath and decided to go outside to the parking lot.
Lots of things flashed in my head and I walked towards the exit. Was it a surprise from Kristin? Maybe a practical joke from a co-worker? I still had no clue as I opened the door and began to walk along the sidewalk, expecting someone to be there. Instead I received another text that read: "I'm at your car."
I walked around the building and noticed someone standing next to my car. My heart was racing at that point, not knowing who it was or what they wanted. As I got closer, I saw it was a black woman - a young attractive black woman. "Oh damn." I said to myself as I finally recognized that it was my ex-girlfriend Sondra. I had met her about 5 years ago while taking graduate courses at a local college and we had dated briefly before I met Kristin. It was a volatile relationship to say the least, with her unstable moods and only matched by our intense lovemaking sessions.
"Surprise!" Sondra exclaimed as she put out her arms to hug me. I was a bit nervous but embraced her warmly.
"Long time, no see." I said casually, as to not give away my anxiety.
"Yeah, and you still look damn good Michael." Sondra said as her eyes scanned me up and down carefully.
I'd by lying if I said that I didn't size her up as well. Sondra remained a Haitian goddess, slim but voluptuous in all the right places.
"And you're looking nice as well." I admitted.
"So did my texts surprise you?" Sondra queried.
"Yeah, I had no clue it was you."
