PROLOGUE
I had always had a soft spot for Karen.
She was my wife's sixty-two year old, maternal aunt. She was single, stood about 5 foot six and had a nice figure, which she never flaunted, but it showed through in the conservative style of clothing she wore.
I had only ever seen her in jeans once and she had quite a cute behind.
Her breasts were of a modest size, but showed no sign of sagging, under the sweaters she wore.
She had a short relationship in her late teens that resulted in her becoming pregnant. The father to-be high-tailed it out of her life as soon as she told him the news. He spent the rest of his life siring a string of offspring by different women.
Karen's mother was a very conservative woman who considered that having children out of wedlock was a shameful act. Karen's sister, my mother in-law, took her to a facility outside of town to have the baby, in secret. It was a few years before her mother would allow her and the baby in her house.
The baby was a girl, whom she called Nina.
Later in life, Karen met Ronnie, a chain smoking, lazy, male chauvinist pig, who believed that Karen was only good for cooking, keeping house and having sex with. By all accounts, from what my wife had told me over the years, he never lifted a finger to help her around the house. He spent most of his time either at the betting shop or sat in front of the television, smoking. Karen admitted to her daughter that he was no great shakes in the bedroom either. He was only ever interested in his own needs and always managed to finish before Karen had even begun to warm up.
When he died from lung cancer, no one, least of all Karen, wept any tears over his demise.
Karen didn't have a great deal of self confidence, due the fact that she suffered from a speech impediment, which caused her to stutter over words. Having said that, she showed mettle when she managed to study and pass her taxi driver's licence exam. Then she took a job as a taxi driver, after Ronnie died.
Whenever there was a family gathering, such as a dinner or birthday party, Karen was always in attendance and I spent a lot of time talking to her about my job, as a musician, which she found fascinating.
I always thought that she would make someone, the right someone, a good wife, but as the years went by that seemed more and more unlikely.
Which is why I was completely caught off guard when my wife, Jen, came home from a visit to her cousin's, with a proposal for me.
"Karen is thinking about getting back into the dating scene," my wife told me. "Nina says that Karen has been single for so long that she lacks the confidence to meet anyone and make a date. She thinks she could use some training."
"Who thinks Karen could use training?" I asked. "Nina or Karen?"
My wife narrowed her eyes at me in annoyance.
"Nina thinks Karen could use some training. She thought maybe you could help," she replied.
"What, you mean you want me to find someone for Karen to date?" I asked, surprised. "None of my friends would be any good. Why doesn't Nina ask one of her own friends?"
"Nina doesn't want anyone outside of the immediate family to know," my wife replied. "In fact, you and I are the only other people that do know. Not even my mother and definitely not my sister can even know. Karen is very nervous about the whole situation. It's supposed to be our little secret."
Then a light bulb switched on above my head.
"You mean that Nina wants me to date Karen? Why can't her husband do it?"
"He's Karen's son in-law and it would seem just too weird," she replied. "You're not related at all and so it would be easier. Also, Karen actually approved of you to be her date. She told Nina that she feel comfortable around you."
I was already sitting on the couch when my wife dropped all of this on me. Now I was seated on the edge of the seat cushion with my head in my hands.
"So what am I supposed to do?" I asked. "Take her to the movies?"
My wife removed her coat, threw it over the back of the couch and sat on the armchair opposite.
"No," she replied. "Nina will set up a reservation at a restaurant where you can take her to dinner. She also wants to be there to observe you and see how Karen reacts. Then when the dinner is over, she will drive Karen home and the two of them can analyse the evening and make notes."
Nina had a bit of controlling attitude and I didn't like the idea that I would be on show.
"No, that isn't gonna happen," I said, standing up and pacing in front of the hearth. "If Nina wants me to be involved, against my better judgement I might add, then I'll make the reservation and she can stay the hell away. If she wants to call Karen afterwards and discuss the night, then that's fine by me, but I refuse to be part of some perverse lab experiment."
"She won't like that," replied my wife.
"If she doesn't, she can find some other schmuck to date her mother," I said and stormed off upstairs to the bathroom.
When I came back down again, my wife was just switching off her mobile phone.
"Nina said she didn't like the idea of you being alone with her mother, but she said she can't find anyone else and so you can arrange everything."
"What does she think I will do?" I asked, glibly. "She just wants to control everything as usual, but fails to realise that her mother is grown woman."
I sat back down on the couch, after pouring myself a good sized glass of Craggenmore, single malt scotch.
"I promise I will be the perfect gentleman," I said, before swallowing a mouthful of the amber liquid. "You know you can trust me. Nothing else is going to happen, other than dinner and polite conversation."
Then I thought for a moment.
"In fact, coffee and conversation might be a better date," I said. "Dinner is a bit formal for a first date."
As we went to bed, that night, I realised that I was getting a little excited by it all. My wife and I had been married for almost twenty years. We had lived together for five years, which meant that I had known Karen for the same length of time. It occurred to me that I knew absolutely nothing about her. I only knew what I had been told by my wife. Whenever we had talked at family gatherings, she never revealed anything personal to me about herself.
I was looking forward to getting to know this woman.
Chapter One
I called Karen and asked her if she liked the idea of meeting at coffee shop, in the town centre. She agreed and we set a time and place to meet. She told me that Nina would be driving her there and I told her that I would take the bus.
I waited at our pre-arranged meeting place, which was a large fountain, in the middle of a plaza. I checked my watch and saw that I had five minutes before Karen would arrive.
As it would only be coffee, I dressed casually in blue chinos, white shirt and sneakers. It had promised rain, so I brought a jacket, which was slung over my arm.
I saw Nina's car pull up on the opposite side of the plaza, from where I was standing and Karen got out. I saw her dip her head back into the car, presumably to say one last thing to Nina and then she closed the door.
Nina drove away without even giving me a glance.
Karen saw me, waved and made her way to me. I walked towards her, waving as well.
When we finally met, she placed her hands on my shoulders and pulled me into her and we kissed each other politely on the cheeks.
She looked at me and smiled.
"How are you?" she asked.
"I'm fine," I answered. "And you?"
"N...nervous," she replied, slightly stuttering.
"Yeah, me too," I said, half laughing. "I haven't been on a date in decades."
"Me neither," she replied.
We made our way to the coffee shop and found a table by the window. I ordered our coffees at the counter, while Karen sat and watched the people passing by.
After I had set the mugs of the steaming brew on the table and sat down, Karen asked me, "Are you okay with this?"
I sipped at my coffee and winced when it seared my lips. I set the mug down again and thought for a moment.
"Yes, I am fine about all of this," I replied "Even if it might seem a little bizarre. I realised last night that I know absolutely nothing about you."
She lifted her mug and tried to drink her cappuccino, but like my drink, it was way too hot to drink. She set it down on the table again.
"I admit that I know a few things about your life," I said. "But these are only things that I've been told by Jen and I believe those things have been relayed to her from either Nina or your sister."
"What sort of things?" she asked, with a horrified look on her face.
"Nothing to be embarrassed about," I replied, realising that I could ruin this before it started.
I told her that I knew about Nina's real father and all the controversy surrounding Nina's birth. I also told her that I knew a little about her relationship with Ronnie.
"But," I said. "I don't really know about you, the person."
I shifted positions in my chair, crossed my legs and sat back.
"I'm looking forward to finding about you," I said, smiling.
For the next 2 hours, we chatted about her likes and dislikes. She revealed to me her childhood dreams. Karen also revealed the dreams she'd had as an adult. Sadly, those dreams had been shelved the day that Nina was born. She even revealed me the fact that her mother, Jen's grandmother, had tried to pressure her into having Nina put up for adoption, such was her personal shame of having a baby, born out of wedlock, living in the house.
"I lived alone for a few years, trying to make ends meet, take care of Nina and finish school," Karen explained. "My sister was a great help through those years."
"Oh, really," I said, keen to know more. "How?"
"She would baby sit sometimes, when I had to work an evening shift," Karen explained. "I worked as a dishwasher in the Neptune Hotel. Sometimes I would be required to work late, overtime or a late evening shift. Jen's mum would come and look after Nina until I came home."
