So Little Time To Love

Mid-1995

"Your dad called today."

"What did he want?"

"He said he was coming for Thanksgiving next week."

"Oh, okay. Was I in the shower or something?"

"No, you were helping Lexi with her project." He paused and waited for her to look at. "Aimee? He wanted me to let you know he's bringing someone with him."

She was putting on her mascara and stopped in mid stroke. "My father is bringing someone home? Here? To our house? I had no idea he was even seeing someone. Did he tell you anything about her?"

"I didn't feel it was my place to ask, honey. That's your department."

Dennis and Aimee Thompson had been married for 15 years. They had one child, a daughter named Lexi, who was 14 and a sophomore in high school. She saw her grandfather maybe three or four times a year and Thanksgiving had always been one of them. Other than that her only contact with him was the occasional phone call or maybe a birthday card with some cash it. Coming to visit wasn't all that unusual. Bringing another woman—someone who wasn't Aimee's mother—was.

"Does that bother you?" he asked.

"No, of course not. Well, maybe a little. I don't know. Mom's been gone a little more than two years so...I just don't know how I feel about it. 'Weird' is the best word I can come up with. Seeing him with someone else—anyone else—after 40 years with my mom will be...weird. It'd just be nice to have some time to adjust to this, you know? Maybe see some photos of her or have them come visit for a weekend that has no real significance."

"Or memories involving your mother?" he asked in the kindest way possible.

Aimee nodded but didn't speak. Dennis knew she loved her father, but she'd never been close to him while she and her late mother had been best friends her entire life. She certainly didn't blame her dad for her mother's death from uterine cancer. She also couldn't fault him for dating too soon after her passing as it really had more than two years. Even so, it just rubbed her the wrong way and were she to be honest with herself, it made her angry. How could he bring this...this other woman into her home on the most important family holiday of the year?

And then there was the way he talked to her. Alan Garrison was a well-educated man to be sure, but his daughter was a practicing physician and very intelligent in her own right. In spite of her many accomplishments, he still had this way of speaking to her that made her feel like a child. He could be so pompous; so...condescending.

In stark contrast, her mother had treated her like an equal since she went away to college. She never made her feel guilty or unworthy, but her dad seemed to do both every time they got together. She closed her eyes and took a few breaths as a first attempt to let it go. He was coming and he was bringing someone with him and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

"God grant me the serenity...." she said quietly as she finished with the makeup and turned around.

"I heard that, you know," Dennis said as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Just give her a chance, okay, honey?" He gave her a quick peck then said, "I've got to get to work, but we can talk about this tonight if you want to."

"Yeah, okay. We'll see. I'm not sure what there is to talk about. We want Lexi to know her grandfather so we want him to come visit. Also, Dad's only 65 so I guess I knew he'd eventually remarry. I just never thought it would be so soon."

"Whoa, Nellie!" her husband said. "He's bringing her to visit not sending out invitations to a wedding. Slow down here, Aimee. As I said, give the woman a chance. Who knows? You might hit it off with her and even make a new friend."

She turned around, sighed, then said, "You know? I hate it when you're right and yet you usually are. Okay, I'll...take a chill pill. That's what kids Lexi's age say, right?"

He smiled and said, "That sounds about right."

"I might be late tonight, Dennis," she said as he headed out the door.

Aimee-Garrison Thompson ran a family practice clinic in their hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. She'd hired another doctor a few months ago because she simply couldn't see all of her patients even when she worked twelve hours a day. Most days, she was able to leave after ten hours, but this new physician had a family emergency and Aimee was on her own for the next few days.

"Lexi? You ready to go?" Aimee called upstairs. No answer. "Ugh! She's probably got her headphones on and the music turned up."

She looked at her watch and tried not get upset with daughter knowing she was still on edge from thinking about the other woman. No, it wasn't her. Dennis was right. She might be very nice. It was her father and it was the same way she'd felt as long as she could remember. She was just using this other woman as her most recent excuse to be angry with him.

She knocked on her daughter's door then opened it. Sure enough, her daughter was sitting on her bed listening to her walkman so loud she could hear it ten feet away. Aimee pretended she was pulling off headphones to tell Lexi to do just that.

"Hey, Mom," she said.

"Let's go! We're gonna be late."

Lexi wasn't a bad kid. In fact, as teenagers went, she was pretty great. She and Aimee were good friends and her hope was she'd always have the same kind of close relationship she and her own mother had had. Lexi had her faults, but so had Aimee growing up, so she gave her daughter a wide berth when it came to things that drove her crazy like punctuality.

Aimee ignored the loud music and the gum snapping in the car for a while then finally reached over and pulled one of the earphone pieces off her ear.

"Hey! What was that for?" she asked.

"I want to talk to you, honey," her mom said.

She pulled the headphones off, turned off her walkman and said, "What's up?"

"It's your grandfather," she began.

"Oh, my... Is Grandpa okay?"

Aimee could feel the genuine concern in her voice and she was thankful her daughter was able to love her grandfather in spite of the way he'd treated Aimee all of her life. With Lexi it was easy. A smile, a hug, a wad of cash or some new expensive gift and he was her hero. She didn't have to sit and talk with him and listen to his holier-than-thou commentary and the subtle putdowns or what her mother used to call 'compliments with shit on them.' "You look nice for a girl who was so heavy growing up," was a classic example. Another favorite was, "Family practice? How quaint. I guess we need those, too." It was infuriating, and yet Lexi had been shielded from all that.

"He's fine, Lex. I just wanted to let you know he's coming for Thanksgiving."

"Oh, cool! But he always comes to our house for Thanksgiving. Well, except for when we drove out to Phoenix when I was ten. That was so awesome, Mom!"

Aimee had a very different recollection of being cooped up in a car for three days with Lexi, Dennis, and their dog, Luke Skywalker. They'd made the mistake of letting their daughter name her right after she'd seen the original Star Wars movie so their Basset Hound became Luke Skywalker.

"Yes. Yes, he does," her mother said. "But this year he's bringing...a friend."

"You mean like...a girlfriend?" she said her eyes wide with interest and possibly even excitement.

Aimee wanted to throw cold water on her daughter's enthusiasm in the worst way but instead replied, "Yes. He's bringing a woman with him."

"Awesome! Go, Grandpa!" she said as she whirled her fist in a circle.

"So...that doesn't bother you...at all?" Aimee asked trying her best not so sound bitter.

"No. Why would it? Grandpa's probably tired of being alone. I know I would be after two years."

Aimee knew two years was a big chunk of Lexi's life, yet for her it was the blink of eye, and she couldn't help but resent her dad even wanting to date someone else let alone.... The thought of it, of them...doing it...was more than she could take.

"Okay, I just wanted to let you know so you won't be shocked or anything."

"Oh, okay. Cool." Lexi looked over and said, "It bugs you, doesn't it, Mom?"

Aimee knew better than to lie to her daughter. Lying led to mistrust and Lexi could always tell anyway. "A little, I guess."

Lexi reached over for her mom's hand, another thing she loved about her daughter, and said, "Just give her a chance. Okay, Mom?"

"You are so your father!" she said cutting her eyes toward her daughter. She reached over and tickled her and got her to laugh. So many little things were disappearing like that as the months ticked by and while Aimee knew Lexi had to grow up and become her own woman, she was her only child and a part of her was sad to think her little baby was already gone forever.

Both of them laughed as Aimee pulled into 'parent pick-up' and dropped her off. "Dad will be here for you as always, honey."

"Okay, Mom. Have a good day. Love you!"

"Love you, too!" At least they still said that every time one of them left.

******

"Are you okay?" he asked as they finished their latest round of lovemaking.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said panting. "You're an animal!"

Alan Garrison was 65 and knew he was no animal. He'd always been good at lovemaking even though it had been some three years since he'd had an opportunity to show off his prowess in that area.

With the exception of the last year after she'd gotten sick, his wife of 40 years was always ready, willing, and able. He'd loved her dearly...and very passionately...the entire time. When she told him it was cancer his world crumbled with hers. He was by her side every minute of every day until the end. He sold his business and devoted his life to making hers as comfortable as possible until she drew her last breath.

When she passed away, his daughter came home with her family for the funeral and stayed a couple of extra days. He didn't see them all that often, but it was probably just as well. His daughter had always favored his wife and the hurt it caused him over the years made it hard to be around her. It was as though no matter what he did, it wasn't good enough because he wasn't her.

During the visit, she asked him about social security, something he hadn't thought of. Money wasn't an issue and he didn't the $2,000 a month he was entitled to by law. Still, it was supposedly 'his' money so he'd agreed to go sign up. Except that he didn't. At least not until three months ago when he turned 65. That two-year delay was worth and extra four-hundred dollars a month, money he was putting in a savings account to give to his granddaughter, Lexi, when she graduated from high school. Then again, he might just buy her a car and keep adding to the account until she finished college. Either way, Aimee would be mad as hell, but he didn't really care.

As nice an unnecessary surprise as that had been, the real surprise was meeting Lori. Lori Russell was a case worker at the Phoenix office of the Department of Social Security and she'd handled his case when he finally got around to going in and filing.

Alan had always been a good-looking man and even at 65, he still took very good care of himself. He didn't smoke, he only drank socially, had never done drugs, and still worked out every day. Not like he used to but he still rode his bicycle 15 miles every other day and worked out with light weights in between. His hair was still thick for his age and although the sides were nearly all gray, the top was still mostly dark. His face was weathered but in a ruggedly handsome kind of way.

He'd been out a few times about a year and a half after his wife's passing, but none of it was serious. It was nice to have someone to talk to and to his very great surprise, three of the women he'd dated had agreed to sleep with him after the first date. All of them had been over 55 and two of them over 60. Still, it had been a lot of fun to be able to well, have a little fun.

So while he was aware he was still at least okay-looking—for his age—he knew there was a lower limit where no woman in her right mind would be interested in him. Therefore, he'd questioned Lori's sanity when she continued flirting with him. At first he thought she was just being nice. Old guy comes in, young girl makes him feel important, no one gets hurt, and old guy goes home with a lifetime annuity.

But Lori kept flirting long after Alan left her office. She'd even sent him flowers, something he couldn't believe when they arrived. She'd sent a card with the flowers that said, "Just in case you're wondering, I prefer older men who know what they want. Guys my age are all about work and careers and climbing ladders. I find you very attractive and appealing. If you'd like to go out sometime, please call me at...."

He left the card by the flowers for several days as he kept thinking she was....what word had Lexi used for it? Oh, right! Pranking. Lori must be pranking him. He was pretty sure she wasn't even 30 years old and even were she 'that' old, it made no sense to him. But curiosity soon killed the cat and he found himself dialing her number later that evening.

She'd answered on the first ring and said, "Hello, Alan. I'm glad you called."

Half an hour later he hung up having had a very enjoyable chat and having made a dinner date with her for the following night at 7pm.

His fears about people staring were unfounded, but he realized that's because they would have assumed she was his daughter, not his date. After all, she was younger than his only daughter so what else would any reasonable person think?

Lori was not only attractive—and not just 'for her age'—she was a wonderful conversationalist capable of holding her own on any topic. They discussed politics, economics, medicine, and even pop culture. Alan walked away not only thoroughly impressed but having learned several new things.

Were that not enough, she'd kissed him goodnight at the end of the date and told him she'd love to see him again—soon. A second date that weekend to the Phoenix zoo during the relative morning cool of an October morning was even better than having dinner with her. She was a veritable fountain of knowledge about biology, anthropology, and could talk about the details of evolutionary theory with the best of them. As she was 'schooling' him, she held his hand stopping to kiss him many times and several of them drew the kind of attention he'd been so worried about during their first date. Another pleasant surprise was Alan finding himself not giving a damn and he said so. That made Lori laugh and she launched into a long story about the making of Gone With the Wind telling him details about Clark Gable she just shouldn't know. That in turn, led to discussions about many other popular movies and books and Alan Garrison knew he'd met his match.

Or he thought he had until she invited him in that evening and they ended up in bed. He couldn't say she'd worn him out, but she was a very skilled and talented lover in every way imaginable, and that was the biggest surprise of all. But along with the surprise came a concern. Lori was sweating during lovemaking, something Alan had never seen before unless he was outside in the summer heat and even then his late wife would maybe just barely break a sweat. Lori was nearly drenched.

It happened two days later when they made love again and this time he definitely heard what he thought he'd heard the first time. Her breathing sounded raspy or phlegmy or maybe even gurgly.

So he asked her, "Are you okay?" She'd assured him she felt just fine and not wanting to ruin a good thing—assuming it wouldn't last—he asked no further questions. But this time seemed even worse so he'd asked again.

"You worry too much!" she told him as she struggled for breath. "I told you you're an animal. You wear me out. That's all. Think less, fuck more," she teased as she got up to shower.

He lay there listening after she closed the bathroom door and was sure he heard the sound of an inhaler. When she came out, he asked her.

"Oh, that. Um, yeah, that was me. I use an inhaler."

"So you have asthma?" he asked her.

"I told you, you worry too much."

She didn't specifically answer his question, and a part of him was content not to dig any deeper. As they continued making love on a very regular basis, he ignored what he saw and told himself it was just the way she way. He knew better and yet he didn't want to know more.

"I want you to come with me to my daughter's in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving," he told her.

"Seriously?" she asked him.

"Yes, seriously. In case you hadn't noticed I kind of like you," he said with a smile.

"Well, the feeling is mutual, Alan. But what is she going to say when she sees me? Won't that be...awkward?"

"Maybe," he replied. "But she'll get over it."

"Or she won't," Lori said knowing her appearance would be unsettling, at a minimum.

"I've never asked before but just how old are you?" Alan asked for the first time.

"I'm 26," she said with a smile. "Satisfied?"

They'd just finished having sex so Alan smiled broadly and said, "And then some."

She snuggled up next to him then he said, "I love what he have, but you have to admit this is...unusual. What I get from this relationship is obvious. You're young, you're beautiful, you're unbelievably intelligent...."

"You forgot funny," she teased as she kissed him.

"Right. Funny. But help me understand this."

"What's to understand. Younger guys are difficult. They're self-absorbed. They can't dedicate themselves to the relationship. Guys your age can. And I find you attractive as well as interesting. Isn't that enough?"

Still not satisfied he was getting the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, he decided he'd bored down as far as he cared to go. "Okay. Works for me," he said as he kissed her again.

"Are you sure you want me to go with you?" she asked getting back to the original subject.

He rolled over and said, "Would it scare you if I were to say I'm falling in love with you?"

He watched her eyes as he spoke then kept watching as she replied. "Not at all because I'm falling in love with you, too."

He kissed her for several seconds then told her, "I would really like you to meet my family."

"You have a granddaughter, right?" she asked.

"I do. She's 14 and before you...and my late wife, of course...the love of my life."

"I noticed you didn't mention your daughter. Was that on purpose?" she asked.

He spent some time discussing the family dynamic before Lori finally said, "Okay. I'll go home with you." She ran her hand over the tuft of gray hair on his chest then asked, "Will we be able to sleep together?"

Alan tried not laugh as he said, "Once you meet my daughter, you'll know the answer to that."

"Then I guess we better put make a bunch of deposits in the fuck bank before we go, huh?" she said playfully as she climbed on top of him.

******

"No, don't come get us, Aimee. We'll get a rental car. I just wanted to let you know we landed and that we'll be there in less than an hour."

"Oh, okay, Dad. Um...sounds good." There was a pause before Aimee said, "Um...what's this woman's name if you don't mind me asking?"

"Why would I mind? It's Lori."

"Lori. Okay. Well...I um...I look forward to meeting her. See you soon?"

Just over an hour later Lexi came bounding down the stairs. "Grandpa's here! I just saw a car pull into the driveway. Come on, Mom! Let's go say hi!"

Aimee wasn't thrilled about going out to meet them and busied herself around the kitchen. It was just after 10am on Thanksgiving Day and she wanted dinner on the table by 3pm. Skipping lunch and eating dinner early was a longstanding tradition handed down by her mother.

Dennis went outside to grab their luggage and when he saw the 'woman' his father-in-law was bringing home, he knew this wasn't going to go well. "Alan! Welcome! It's good to see you!" he said after Lexi had already hugged him. She hadn't really gotten a good look at the woman in the passenger's seat and was still smiling and very excited.