We live in a situation where people come to study for six to eighteen months, and then move on. (Ourselves included.) This means that there is always a moving van on the street. It also means you are casual about the friends you make, because they won't be around too long.
One day when Jack was at school, I saw a truck in front of the house next door. The house was next to our patio door, I watched for a few minutes, but I only saw the movers. I had to watch kids, so I couldn't linger. Later that afternoon, there was a knock at the front door. I opened it, to see a woman, in her late twenties in the door.
"Hi, I'm Jamie, I'm moving in next door."
"Oh hi, I'm Jill. I was watching, but I didn't see you, how's it going there?"
"Mostly ok, you know how they want to hurry everything."
"Well at least they leave quickly. Do you need help with anything?"
"Well, they kind of misplaced the box I had marked with all the moving in things, like pegs, hooks, cleaning supplies, and I'm kind of ahead of them."
"Same thing happened to us. I have plenty of things, but I can't help right now, I have my hands full of kids. Look in here."
I showed her the closet where we had deposited the bulk of our miscellaneous housewares. "It's a nice day, I'll leave the door open, come and go all you want."
"You're already my best friend here."
"Undeserved flattery, I assure you."
We talked for a few minutes. She was here as a student, her husband was away on a long-term assignment, and would try to catch up later. She would have two kids here in school and daycare.
I tried not to stare, she was tall, with long screaming red hair and blue eyes. I could faintly see fading freckles. Like most of the people in this school, she was fit. She was wearing grey sweatpants and a white tank top that let me see that it was actually a little chilly. She was wearing Teva sandals, and I saw all of her polished nails matched.
"I'll bring it back, I swear." She smiled.
"Don't hurry, I know where you live. Just if life gets silly over the next few days, I can help you."
"This is great. I was worried I would be on my own out here, but it isn't so terrible after all."
I helped her out over the next week, while we had time. Jack would pretend to watch kids, while he really watched re-runs of Law & Order, while we moved and cleaned. It made me feel inferior, she had more clothes, books, and exercise gear than me. And apparently she used all of it.
"You guys have been great to me. I think it's time for me to give a little back, tomorrow night, after the kids are in bed the three of us should have some beer and pizza. My treat." It sounded great to me.
The next night she bought over plenty of Corona and wine coolers. We got the kids in bed and ordered pizza. We listened to classic rock and got a little drunk. She told us about her life, it was crazy, she had lived all over the world with her family in the military, her husband was the same, they had met that way. I understood why she was used to so much moving. I could tell she was tough and used to it, but at the same time, I wondered if it was wearing her out sometimes. I asked how she was doing without her husband around, she kind of rolled her eyes. "It gets tough to tell when he's gone because he has to be gone, and when he wants to be gone. We knew what we were getting into, but sometimes I think he's getting bored."
Too much to drink. "With you, or with life in general?"
"It's tough to tell, because when he's here, everything is so over-compensated, because he knows he's going to leave again soon. It's easy to keep up the enthusiasm for short bursts."
"Jack doesn't have that problem. I make sure of it. He's very good at spreading things out."
"You guys are lucky. It's good to have a good relationship and not feel like it's work all the time."
"Well, it can't be bad all the time."
"I shouldn't complain. It's not like I don't have plenty to keep me busy. I guess I manage to stay satisfied." She smiled again. "Well, I should go. No need to get you guys so tired that you go straight to sleep."
"On the weekend, not an option, Jack makes sure he's never too tired."
"Good, but I have plenty to do. Class starts soon. Need to get moving." She got up to leave, and stumbled a little. I helped her, and she hugged me as she stood up. "Thank you guys again, for everything."
"Thanks for the pizza. Goodnight."
We watched her out the window as she went home.
"Do you like her as much as I do?"
"I hadn't even worried about it. We really have been working, you know. Women can work without thinking of sex at the same time."
Me and Jack have had our fun with other people in bed, and sometimes by ourselves, but it has been a while. We are just too busy to make those kinds of friendships lately.
"Not even a little?"
"I knew she was hot when I saw her, but no, I hadn't even thought further than that. Even if you obviously have."
"It doesn't matter. But watching you look at her made me plenty horny."
"I'm sure it did, I was planning on it. Let's go."
He followed me down the hall, pulling off clothes as we went. That night, I didn't mind if it was fast and rough. We both fell asleep right after.
Life continued with predictability. I would go for my evening run, and sometimes I would wave at Jamie as I went by her house. One day I ran the other way, so she was out at the end of the run instead of the beginning, so I stopped to talk to her.
"I've been watching you run, good for you."
"Well thanks, we'll see if it gets me the desired effect in this lifetime."
"Bullshit. You have the effect already."
"Easy for you to say." She laughed. "Jack went to L. A. to see a friend of his, you want to come over tonight, watch a movie, act like guys?"
She laughed again. "You know what? I might as well. I'll bring beer again. You liked those coolers, right?"
"Yeah, I'm a wuss, I like the sweet stuff."
"I'll come over later."
So, she came over, we watched a couple of design shows, and found out we both fantasize about houses we can't afford, and share a lot of the same tastes. We drank a little, and we found the conversation getting personal.
"So, when do I get to meet your husband?"
