Writer's note: I apologize for this taking so long. For two reasons, one of which was I got busier than expected, it took longer than usual to check over. As usual I include some of ch 1 to help you to catch up.
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At that point I almost turned around but after a moment I continued up to the stage. There was a smaller trash can sitting on one end of the table, with a paper mache top. The top had a slit barely big enough to slip cash or a check through. Around the slit was a sign shaped like a handle with the words FOR THE HOME. I slipped the check, made out to the home, through the slit. I next placed her present on the table with a few other presents. I wondered if the nicest one was from John, or if he had given her his present already in private. With that thought I turned around and started for the door. I'm still not sure why I left the present except that was the reason I had come and it would look funny if I took it with me.
Later Joanne told me that she saw someone, from where she was standing at the side of the stage, that she thought was me but she wasn't sure. She went over to the table and looked everything over. She saw the present I had put down and picked it up. It was a large flat box colored to look like a present. From the shape of the box and it's weight she knew it was clothing and for some reason she wasn't sure about she decided to see what was inside.
As soon as she caught a glimpse of one sleeve she knew what it was and who had left it. Her head lifted fast enough to give her whiplash as she quickly scanned the floor of the nightclub. She saw my back just before I reached the end of the tables. She took off going around the table fast enough to hit its edge and almost knock the table over. She ran, reaching me when I was almost to the door.
She touched one of my arms saying "Hey, where are you going?"
She said it softly like she was mystified not angry, so I stopped and turned toward her. She was wearing one of her shorter skirts and a tight sweater top. At least she didn't have a bare midriff. Looking up I saw her hair was streaked. It was her natural brown interspersed with streaks of a very white blond color. She liked to do things like that with her hair when she was Passing.
I said, "I'm going home. It looks like you don't need me here."
She looked puzzled so I said, "Since you're living with your lover I...," that was as far as I got when she interrupted me.
"I'm not living with John or anyone else. I told you I have my own place. And he's never been there. I never told him where I live."
"That is not what some of your fans think."
"I don't know how they got that idea. It might be because I stayed with him for a week after moving out. It took me that long to find a place of my own. I slept in a guest room not with him."
She said that last a little fast so I wasn't sure if I believed her or not.
Just then someone called her from the stage, using her DJ name. She ignored it until the person got louder.
She turned and looked at the stage but turned back to me, "I would like to see you on my birthday... to spend the day with you."
I started to say that it was a workday but she continued. "Please, it's my birthday I want to spend it with you."
She was almost begging which is unusual for her.
Someone closer, maybe the same person who yelled earlier, said, "It's time; we need to get this started."
She turned and took two steps toward them but turned back and said, "Please, I want to be with you."
She sounded like she would start crying if I said no. That too was unusual. To my surprise my heart tore at the tone of her voice.
I said, "Okay, I'll met you at the Dancing Garbage for lunch, at 11:30. I'll buy and... Afterwards I would like to see your place."
She smiled one of her most radiant smiles. Then let her self be led away back to the stage. I left thinking about how beautiful she looked when she smiled like that especially when she smiled that way for me.
I had chosen the Dancing Garbage for two reasons. It was her current favorite restaurant and I wanted her to enjoy herself. We had never been there together but I still knew it was her favorite at the moment. I also wanted to send a message. I wanted her to realize that I wasn't as unobservant as she thought I was. I did miss some things like a new hairstyle or a new sweater she had bought, sometimes, but I also saw more then she realized.
On the way out to my car my good feelings were deadened when a question came to mind. How many times had she been there with John? Some of the times might have been innocent, just a couple of friends going out to lunch but after that first time they had sex was there anything innocent about their relationship even during the periods they weren't having sex? I couldn't answer that question.
Not that evening or when I thought about in the next few days. On her birthday I arrived at the restaurant early. I had made reservations but it was early enough that it wouldn't have mattered.
While I waited for her I realized that maybe I should have met her at her place earlier. I wondered if John was giving her a nice birthday present in private. A few minutes later she came in, significantly early. She smiled when she saw me. Today she was wearing a more modest knee length skirt with a nice looking blue blouse. And her hair was all brown. I wondered if she had dyed her hair or if there was some way she cheated to make it different colors. I knew she had two wigs that she wore when she was Passing, but I had seen her with pink hair that went down the middle of head like a Mohawk and I had seen her with wide blue streaks on both sides of her head. Even though at times I've watched her get ready I still didn't know how she did those colors.
She looked nice in this outfit and to tell the truth she looked very nice in her outfit the other night. That was one reason I didn't like her dressing like that. I knew more than a couple of men would be aroused while looking at her.
She sat and we talked for a moment before ordering. She was nervous and being honest again; so was I. We had been married a number of years and had been on a lot of dates but it was almost like a first date.
After the waitress left she opened her purse and took out the box with her rings in it.
"You forgot these were in one of the pockets of the coat you gave me."
"I didn't forget, I placed them in the pocket on purpose. I thought about giving them back to you. That was before I decided not to stay."