You may remember Kate, my cousin. After too many years of being in love but not in touch we had a long weekend together that was dynamite. The only downside was that she had to return to her home and her husband. After her visit we stayed in close touch via emails but her home situation was growing tough. We decided to end the emails and texts for fear they might be used against her, and after that I had very little news or contact from her. It seemed that the memories of that weekend together would never be anything more than that, memories.
I was in town one winter day about 18 months after the weekend with Kate, just doing some grocery shopping and a few chores for one of the widows in town. I had just loaded the groceries in the pickup and was about to leave when my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID to see if I wanted to answer it or not, and my heart pounded when "KATE" appeared on the screen.
"Hi, Good Lookin. What's up?" Kate was short and serious in her tone, only relaying that things on her domestic front had erupted, she'd caught her husband in bed with another woman, things were ugly, and the lawyers were involved. She promised to call when she could. Wow. I knew she wasn't too happy, but this wasn't ever considered. This weighed on my mind for days.
About a month later I got another call from Kate, this one more relaxed.
"Hi. I just thought I'd bring you up to speed on the home front. Bob's going to keep the house but I'm getting all the money assets we'd built up. I'd never want to stay there anyway, him screwing that whore right in our bedroom and no telling where else in the house." As she explained it, she was set well financially, but at the time didn't know where she was going to live. Her job was an OK one, but not something to make a career of, and besides, she really didn't have too much need to work now anyway.
"Well, why don't you come stay out here in the country for a spell until you figure out what you want to do?" There. The offer was on the table. I figured she'd gracefully decline with ample gratitude for the gesture. In a way I was comfortable in my lifestyle, but in other ways I did indeed miss the company of a woman at times and the memories of our weekend together had instantly come afresh.
"I knew you'd make the offer. You're so sweet. Let me think on it, OK?" Well, that wasn't what I expected and I really didn't know which way to take it. I tried to put it out of my mind, knowing that Kate would likely settle in the city where she was more comfortable, and perhaps visit once in a while, at least until she found another man to fill her life. After all, this was the third or fourth husband she'd been through.