Chapter Seven – Reunion
Our road trip was a long and grueling affair, albeit profitable. There was always a veritable plethora of lovely and very willing young girls hanging around backstage to meet the band, and I freely admit that I availed myself of them at every opportunity.
While playing one city for an extended two-week engagement, I met April, a girl with whom I developed a deep affection. We were practically inseparable for the entire two weeks and, when we moved on, I actually longed for her and had little interest in any other girls. April visited me during another long layover in a different city, and once again, we were inseparable. And this time, when we again moved on, April came with me.
At the conclusion of our tour, we drove all night as we were all tremendously homesick. I arrived home late one night. I had telephoned Louise to let her know when I would be in so that my arrival wouldn't surprise her. Arriving at the house, I was surprised to see a light on in the kitchen. As I unlocked the door and pushed it open, Louise was smiling at me from the kitchen. As April stepped through the doorway, Louise's smile faded and she arched her eyebrows in surprise. I hastily made the introductions, and Louise quickly regained her composure, welcoming April warmly.
The next morning, I awakened to the sounds of the house coming alive and I smiled to myself. It was good to be home. I slipped out of bed quietly, allowing April to sleep on, and made my way upstairs.
Louise greeted me warmly, crossing the kitchen to embrace me and welcome me home. After the usual flurry of activity surrounding the kids and getting them ready for school, Louise and I finally got a chance to sit down for a quiet cup of coffee to catch up.
"The kids sure got bigger while I was away." I said.
She nodded and smiled. "It's always that way with kids," She said, "When you haven't seen them for a while."
"So...how's Ross?" I asked, "What's he been up to these days."
Louise sipped her coffee and shook her head. "Ross...is gone." She said quietly.
"Gone?" I said, "Gone where?"
She shrugged. "He's moved out of the house."
I sat there in stunned silence. "What?" I somehow managed to gasp.
Louise smiled sadly. "It was a few months after you left." She said, "Do you remember Ida?"
I nodded. I did indeed remember Ida, I had been introduced to her at one of the dinner parties Ross and Louise had hosted. She was a very attractive woman, nice figure and absolutely killer legs. She worked for Ross, and had been recently divorced at the time I had met her.
"Ross just came home from work one day...and right out of the blue...he tells me he is in love with Ida, and that he is moving out to be with her." She said with another shrug.
I shook my head in disbelief. "I don't know what to say." I said, "I'm absolutely stunned."
Louise laughed aloud. "Welcome to the club." She said. "I cried a lot at first...then got really pissed off by it all and broke a few things. Now...I'm just kind of numb, I guess...I don't feel much of anything anymore."
"God, Louise...I feel terrible." I said, "Is there anything I can do?"
She smiled and reached over to pat my hand affectionately. "Just keep on being my friend." She said.
"Absolutely." I said, standing up and moving around the table to her. She stood up as I neared, with tears welling in her eyes and her lips trembling. I embraced her and she crushed me to her. She sobbed silently against my shoulder and I stroked her back softly.
With a sniff, she pulled away, wiping her eyes. I quickly reached to get her a handful of tissues, which she accepted with a wry smile.
"I'm sorry...I thought the crying was over with." She said, wiping her eyes with the tissues, "I haven't done that in a few months now. I think...it's just because you're home now."
We resumed our seats and talked for quite some time about Ross and his probable mid-life crisis. She explained how they had remained married and, while opting not to divorce, they had managed to reach an amicable financial settlement, where Louise owned the house outright and received a generous monthly stipend.
Resenting her lack of self-sufficiency, Louise had boned up on her typing skills and landed a part-time job as a receptionist at a nearby branch of the library, where she worked four days a week.
"It's actually kind of liberating." She smiled, "I've even started feeling good about myself again. With the house paid for, I make enough money to support me and the kids without even touching Ross's money...I'm putting that aside for the kid's college fund.
"I also tossed out all those baggy old clothes that Ross always liked me to wear...all my too tight bras and my ugly, sensible shoes. I...uh...sort of went on a bit of a shopping rampage," She laughed, "Charging his cards to the max...and I bought some really nice things...lots of skirts and dresses...and a couple of pant suits...and about a dozen pairs of nice shoes with heels...everything I always wished I could wear but couldn't. I even had about a dozen bras custom made too."
I smiled. I could well imagine how difficult it might be for anyone with Louise's generously endowed bustline to find anything off the rack. "Good for you." I said.
"Even though I still sometimes get a little weepy,' She said, returning my smile, "I really do feel good about myself...and the way my life is working out."
"I'm glad." I said, "I like that you've turned a bad situation into something positive. What do the kids think?"
She sighed and shrugged. "Well," She said, "That's another story...they miss their dad a lot...and they're totally confused as to why he's not here anymore. But...kids are pretty resilient...they see their dad on weekends...and, for now that'll have to do."
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Later that morning, Louise strode into the kitchen dressed for work. It was all I could do to keep my mouth from falling open in astonishment. She looked absolutely wonderful. She wore a cream-colored skirt with a matching jacket and a beautiful floral blouse. As she entered the kitchen her heels clicked loudly on the tile floor. She wore matching cream-colored patent leather pumps with a three-inch heel, which shaped her sleek, nylon-clad calves beautifully. Her skirt was tastefully short and displayed her legs wonderfully. Without her restrictive bras and her over-large, baggy sweatpants and tops, her voluptuous figure was stunningly displayed.
