Playing Doctor Ch. 02

That took the wind out of his sails and he used the arrival of the tea to get his thoughts in order.

"What the hell does that mean?" he finally asked without head. "I'm dense, so use small words."

I smiled and shook my head. "You're not dense. You're a man. While the two are similar, there are differences."

Steve seemed to finally relax as he gave me a small smile. "Here we go."

"Look, people fight. So you and Trina had an argument. Whoop-ti-do. That happens to millions of couples every hour of every day. The big deal is that you're not talking about it anymore. You're dodging the most important person in your life, and that has to stop. It's hurting her."

"I'm not trying to hurt her," he defended himself. "I'm giving us both space to cool off."

"My therapist tells me that men and women think in different ways," I said. "You may think you're just giving her time to cool off, but what you're telling her by doing that is that her position in the argument is the one that has destroyed your relationship and there's no possible reconciliation. She's devastated."

"What?!?" he asked, truly astonished. "That's crazy!"

"No, it's not crazy," I said patiently. "That's the way women think. As long as we can talk about something, it's still in play, still negotiable. Women are born negotiators, in case you missed it. We're willing to talk about lots of things, even unreasonable things. It's when one of the players walks away from the table that we see the line drawn in the sand. By not talking to her any more, she thinks that the two of you have reached a non-negotiable impasse. Just think about it until the food gets here."

I sipped my tea and watched him thinking. It occurred to me that I was going through that same negotiating process with Keven, though I hadn't put it into those exact words before. I was negotiating both with him and myself, with Keven to see what I was willing to do, with myself to see what I was willing to compromise about.

On the flip side of the gender issue, I needed to keep in mind that men were more direct. Men thought and then acted, where women thought and then emoted. Action vs. emotion. If Keven's direct and strong actions so far meant what I thought, then he was as struck by me as I had been of him, and probably had just as little understanding of what was happening. At dinner, I needed to keep a firm hand on my emotions and not let us get stampeded into something we didn't want. Or at the very least, that I didn't want. Now I just needed to decide what that was.

I was so lost in thought that the plates of food being delivered startled me. With a smile at Steve, I gratefully accepted his contemplative silence to allow my own situation to percolate in peace. I wanted Trina and Steve to make up, but right now it wasn't what was really worrying me. I knew that they'd figure out their situation. I wasn't so sure about me and Keven.

The food was wonderful, as always. Part way through, Steve started talking about the things he and Trina were planning to do in the near future, and that reassured me that he had gotten the message. If he didn't call her before I got back to the office I'd eat my cell phone. I listened and made noises at the right times for the rest of the meal.

When the check came, Steve insisted on paying, and I didn't argue. I toyed with whether to ask him about my own situation, and decided that I could ask a few questions. Steve was a nice, very discreet guy.

"Steve, there's a man that I met recently that seems really gung-ho about going out with me. He seems really single-minded about it. Should I be worried?"

"Does he frighten you?" he asked, his eyes sharpening.

I hesitated and then shrugged. "Maybe. Not really. Sort of. I don't know, I guess. I've never had someone that seemed so determined to get to know me."

He smiled. "Ah, a firm, definite, tentative, maybe, huh? Well, let me give you my male perspective on this, and maybe you can decide on your own how you really feel. Do you know if he's successful in what he does?"

"Oh, yes," I nodded. "He's very successful in his field." I took a few minutes to fill him in on all the pertinent details.

"You'll have to decide if he's stalker material, but in my opinion, his behavior falls into the category of seeing what you want and going for it. I'd say see how he is over dinner. Spending a couple of hours with him will settle your mind on what kind of person he is and what he wants. You can always double date with Trina and me."

I smiled and shook my head. "No, I think I can handle this myself. Besides, you'll probably be busy tonight." I grabbed my purse and stood up. "Thanks for talking to me and for the advice. Now, call Trina and send flowers. Trust me."

As I made my way into the parking lot I drew a deep breath and settled into my car, lowering the top. I started the Porsche and let the rumble of the engine calm me with its simple, stable noise. I was going to do this. I was going to seriously think about letting someone into my life that could disrupt all the priorities I'd already settled on. I must be out of my mind.

My thoughts were interrupted when the passenger door opened. I turned my head to see what Steve wanted and froze in shock. The man that flopped into my seat was a dark-complexioned stranger with short black hair.

"What the..." I started to say before he silenced me by pulling a gun out from under his coat.

"Shut up and start driving," he snarled in a heavy Brooklyn accent.