Kirk remembered meeting Gretchen for the first time. Her mother introduced her to the group. His girlfriend at the time was renting a room in a four bedroom townhome. Had you told him the woman he just met would become his wife, he wouldn't have believed it. He didn't believe in fate at the time.
She was pretty, but skinny and wiry. His girlfriend, Carrie, was tall, blonde, and had great breasts. They both worked together in a grocery store. It wasn't until later that he discovered Carrie had slept with just about everyone in the store while she was dating him.
He pretty much stayed in the townhome. Gretchen didn't seem to have a problem with it. She was getting her post-graduate degree. He was finishing his undergraduate degree. Carrie...well, she could actually fix a car.
Gretchen didn't seem to have much luck with men. She dated Carrie's brother for a brief time. She also dated one of their friends that worked at the store. He gave her some pretty rude treatment when he dumped her.
Kirk had a big heart. He asked if she wanted to go have a beer and talk. Carrie was working, but he knew she wouldn't mind. They never made it out of the parking lot. Once inside the car, she broke down in tears and unloaded on him.
She had come from a rich family living in Winter Park, Florida. Her father worked for a large software firm. Her mother was a nurse. She had lived at home her entire time as an undergraduate. Kirk began to understand. This was her first time being on her own.
She also was incredibly talented. She ran mid distance and sprints in track, and still held many state records. That explained why she was so thin and wiry. She also played the flute very well. For her PhD she was working on the social changes in the gay community resulting from the newly discovered AIDS.
They talked for hours. Carrie had already come home and had briefly joined them, but left for bed. When they finally decided to call it a night, she reached up and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you for being so kind." They looked at each other. Kirk couldn't stop looking at her. He almost gave her a much more meaningful kiss. They were slowly coming closer. At the last minute he pulled away. They said goodnight.
Carrie moved out a few months later and found a place with Kirk and her brother. It was while living there that Kirk discovered she was seeing someone else at the same time as him. He moved out a few days later.
The place he moved into was unusual. Boulder was a college town. Many houses had been broken up into rooms for rent. The room he rented, however, was partially in a turret. It wasn't a castle, it was a house. With a turret. He loved the place.
He also went through what he called, "The Summer of Women." He was 25 and in the best shape of his life. He barely needed to ask, the woman just ended up in bed with him. At the end of the year, it was Gretchen who ended up there.
Carrie had a New Year's Eve party at a place she was renting in the mountains. She invited both Gretchen and him. He was surprised to see Gretchen. She had filled out some. She still was muscular, but wasn't as thin. She really looked good. They ended up tipsy and she proceeded to trounce him at darts. He asked her to his Turret.
She got a kick out of the place. They did some kissing and groping, but she was clear: that was it. This was the first time that year he was with someone who wanted to take it slow. He wasn't sure how to react. Should he call her the next day? This was before cell phones. A phone call took effort. He never made the effort. She reminds him of that to this day.
A few months later Carrie called and wanted to talk. She was pregnant and wanted to keep the baby. The father wanted nothing to do with her or the baby. He also worked at their store.
He agreed to help. Once again he was the nice guy. They found a two bedroom place and stayed there. Nothing ever happened between them. She had a cute baby girl. Everyone assumed he was the father, including Gretchen. She was the only one he bothered to clarify it to.
After the girl was a year old, he knew he had to move out. He was falling in love. Not with Carrie, but her little baby. He was honest with Carrie. He had to leave before the bond became so strong he couldn't. She understood completely. They were better as friends. When Gretchen and he were married a few years later, the baby girl carried the flowers. They always laughed about their "love triangle."
The turret house just happened to have the same room for rent. Something wasn't right about it, however. The magic was gone, It was just a brick basement that had been made into an apartment. He had no luck with women this time.
Except Gretchen. He always liked to look back on their early time, although what finally brought them together was troubling. It was over 30 years ago, but still gave him the chills.
He was sound asleep when he suddenly awoke to the sensation that someone was in the room. It wasn't a generalized feeling, it was right there, at the foot of the bed. He couldn't see or hear anything, but there was no question in his mind that someone was there. It wasn't a nice entity, either.
He had been in the military and even made marksman, but at that moment it didn't mean jack. He was terrified. If whatever it was would have moved, he would have died of fright on the spot. He slowly slid to the side of the bed and slipped on his clothes. Then he ran. Straight at it. Nothing happened. He ran straight out the door and jumped in his car. He immediately headed towards Gretchen's. Why her, he didn't know. He hadn't seen her for some time. The whole time driving he was terrified. He kept imagining some skeletal spectre was going to appear in the rear view mirror.
