Catherine Ch. 12

"Swaggart don't you dare even think about doing that.., you hear," her sounding serious.

"Sure Catherine."

"No sure, Swaggart! I mean it," she says.

"Bob, a question came from someone who knows me very well," she says. "She understood when I told her you were a very special friend..., she knew what I meant by, special friend. But it's best to keep low..., if that's alright with you," she ask.

"That's fine with me Catherine." telling her.

"Swaggart, you are such a shit," she calls me. "I, will, meet, you there this time an I don't care what falls apart," she says. "So wave to me so I can get some work done and you can get back to your class."

"Sure Catherine," replying.

"SWAGGART!" Her raised voice coming through very loud and clear.

"I was only saying Catherine, I'm waving to you now." telling her.

"Oh yes, there you are," she says.

Laughing hard at her thinking, gotcha Swaggart. "Good-bye Catherine," telling her.

"Bye Bobby." I hear.

"Must be a good one," John coming over asking me.

"Yeah John, she sure is," telling him.

"Well Swaggart...," he says. "It must mean you two have mended your fences."

"John..., there were never any fences that needed mending, just a clarification of where the fence line was," telling him.

"Oh, like her being married," he says.

"A part of many parts John," telling him. "But for her the gate for me was always open. Like I told you, there is more to her marriage then you could ever possibly guess. Her definition, a "marriage of connivance for both."

Oh okay. Like she can screw..., arou..., date other men, while he sees other...,"

"No John, it's not!" My Marine Corps Master Sargent, no nonsense tone of voice telling him he almost crossed a line..," My hard look staring back at John." "An just so you know too..., through that window, it's seven floors down to a hard landing; I've survived two; will you?"

With that and my coffee cup, it's walking away from the window to sit at our shared table.

John sitting down in his chair next to me waits a few seconds before its, "I'm sorry Bob," he says. "If..., I..., said..., it's obvious you care about her a lot."

"Forget it John..., no harm done buddy," my reply. Then a fist bump as Frank walks in an right away starts off with his usual, "Today we'll start off...,"

When Frank, at last, calls break time, it's almost to a man we head out of the room, some to the rest room, others to the elevators, me to the stairway. But as I'm slowly making my way down the steps I'm also on my cell phone hearing four audible rings before she picks up with, "Hello you," she says.

"Hello you too," replying to her. "How's your meeting going? I'm not interrupting, or maybe a bad time," asking her.

"Oh no," she says. "In fact, I just stepped out on my way to the ladies room and you," she ask.

"I'm in the stair well on my way down to the cafeteria for some more coffee," telling her. "It's a must when Frank is droning on about something he's trying, and not to well, to explain."

"Yeah, I know what you mean.," she says. "This meeting is about the same..., boring statistics and pie charts, someone in this meeting is trying to explain" she tells me.

"Sorry girl, but better you than me," my reply.

"Thanks a lot Swaggart! You're a pal," her come back.

"Well maybe at lunch we can have some laughs," telling her. Oh, speaking of, will you be able to slip away from your pie charts," asking her.

"Yes," she says. "This will only last about another hour..., thank God! This kind of stuff is the worst part of my job, but I love the rest of it," she's telling me.

"Yes, from what you've told me it sounds like you do. So..., go pee an I'll see you in a couple of hours..., I hope," telling to her.

"You will," she says. "I told you I miss you!"

"Thank you..., I miss you too!"

"Bye Bobby." A deep breath, letting it out slowly as I put my phone back into my left hip pocket thinking, "Your killing me Catherine!"

Lunch.

I've never anticipated lunch time like I have since she and I had lunch the day after we met. An now I'm sitting back at the same window table where I waited for her that day we..., started that stepping back thing. But today my intuition senses better days. An now my thoughts are interrupted by a tap on the window next to where I'm sitting. So looking to see the reason for it, Catherine is standing there waving, then hurries away to the door and over to where I'm sitting.

Standing as she reaches me I'm greeted with a cheerful, "Hello," shes says, a soft kiss on the lips follows it.

"Hello to you too!" As I help her off with her coat to lay it across my jacket already across the empty chair on the window side of our table. "Have you been waiting long," she ask as she's sitting down.

"Heck no, I just got here a few minutes before you. So, how was the rest of your morning? Better, I hope, than the last time we were going to meet here," asking her.

"Oh yes, much, much better..., thank you," she says, her big bright smile. "And yours," she's asking me.

"About the same o, same o," telling her. "But a whole lot better now that you're here!"

"Well, I'm glad I've helped to make it a little better," she says.

"Yes you have," telling her. "So.., how hungry are you," asking her.

"Depends..., if you mean food..., or..., for you," she says,with her smile an a tip of her head.

Looking down at the table top, trying to hold in my laughing, which isn't working well, is when I hear, "I want you Bob Swaggart, she's saying. "I really, really want you," she's telling me.

Hearing that I'm instantly snapped back to attention, with it all focused on her face, where her eyes are laser locked on mine, with her mouth forming the words, "I really mean it Bobby!"

But what does she really mean by that, silently asking myself. But I'll take it for what I want to hear.

Then without saying a word to her, I'm up, out of my chair an back to the door to her calling after me, "Bobby where are you g...," left behind. Because I'm already out the door, standing on the side walk, arms raised in the air to a loud, top of my lungs, "YES SHE DOES!" Must be rattling the windows.

Which has people stopping on the side walk to look at me, maybe wondering, what's he been drinking in there? Only to turn around to see her looking through the window at me, her hand over her mouth, some misting of her eyes maybe?

Back it's inside, standing beside her chair, "Bobby, you, are, certifiable," she's telling me. Where placing a long kiss on her beautiful mouth stopping her from saying anything else.

But when sitting down, glancing around at the looks coming our way, the murmur of many voices that was just background noise before my, I'll call it, 'celebration,' accompany some of those glances in our direction.

But I don't give a damn! Because right now all want to do is clamp my mouth over hers and kiss the daylights out of her again! But it's Catherine's "Do you often go off like that, she ask. Just in case I need to be prepared for that kind of thing happening again," she says.

"I'm sorry Catherine if I embarrassed you," telling her.

"Bobby..., I'm not embarrassed," she tells me. "I'm just..., so glad I've met you!" Followed by long seconds of staring back at each other, until its, "I think I asked if you were hungry Catherine?"

"Yes..., you did, an yes I am," she says. "But I won't repeat the other..., at least now," she says..

"Okay..., I was thinking about a turkey club," telling her. "Plus I see the soup today is chicken noodle..., how about you," asking her.

"That sounds good. But would you mind sharing your turkey club, and soup with me," she ask.

"The soup sure, but are you sure about the sandwich," asking her. "You know of course, a club sandwich has bacon on it..., and..., mayonnaise; man food Catherine," telling her.

"Swaggart..., I do eat bacon..., occasionally and also mayo. And if this was a more private place..., I'd eat your man food!"

All I can do is just stare it her because she has me again..., speechless!

Then at last I've got it; a come back. Okay, so what would you like to drink..., to wash down my man food," asking her.

Her face brightens with her gorgeous smile, "A Diet Pepsi would go good with you," she says.

With just a side ways turning of my head, "Sure, I'll be right back."

Returning with our drinks, sitting down asking, "You were saying something this morning about us being observed," asking her.

"Well in a way yes," she says. "An like I told you it's nothing we need to be too concerned about. Because it was by someone I'm very close to; plus a friend of hers, also a co-worker in another department. The two of them saw us when you kissed me in the City Hall Court Yard --- I never saw them Bob and Connie said they walked right past us."

"Connie," asking her.

"Yes, she's Sarah's and my administrative assistant. The friend with Connie, Sharon, works in new clients, other than military, and veterans," she telling me. "It was funny, Connie came into my office after I got in to tell me that case I told Sarah to give her was being processed."

"But as she was leaving she stopped and looked back at me asking, 'Who was that hunky, handsome guy putting that long lip lock on you,' she asked.

"I guess my surprised look had her asking, 'You never saw Sharon and I walk right past you there in City Hall?'

"Telling her, no I didn't. Where she comes back with, 'Well I can understand why,' she says. 'So who is he?' she said. "Then the nosy bitch has the nerve to threaten me with, 'Oh, your secret is safe with Sharon and I. But only if you tell me who he is.' she says. "I called her a blackmailing bitch, then told her to close the door!"

"And you told her," asking now.

"I told her..., it's none of your business," she says.

"Her business..., or my business," asking Catherine.

"Yours.., for now," she replies.

Again the staring match only broken by the girl behind the counter calling out, "Number 27, Number 27 please."

"What's your number," Catherine's asking,

"Well Catherine..., you ought to know, you've had it since the day we met!"

Getting up to retrieve the tray with our soup and sandwich, seeing her beautiful smile, bright flashing eyes --- she knows it too!

Returning to place the tray in the middle of our table where she begins opening the container of soup, as I place half of the club sandwich on the extra plate I asked for. "Do you like black pepper in your soup," she ask, seeing her holding a tare open packet of black pepper.

"Yes I do, usually lots," telling her.

"Well they only gave us two of these," she says.

"Both of them..., I love hot things," leering at her sweater covered breast as I said it.

" Oh...," she says, only catching on to what I said when she looks down to see what I'm staring at.

"You lech," she calls me when she looks back at me.

"Also..., she says now. "They only gave us one spoon. Do you mind sharing it," she ask.

Still staring her, "Catherine..., after all the fluids we've exchanged, do you really have to ask that?"

Has her face cheeks turning pink as she looks out the window to feigned shy embarrassment, then back to me with, "I guess not; huh," she says, gets both of us breaking up in stupid silly laughter.

Passing the soup container back and forth, eating our half sandwich our conversation being how we're going to meet up this evening after I get out of school and she leaves the office.

My class dismissal is pretty much set at four-thirty --- Franks punctuality, company policy, so there's no over time. They're already paying for the travel time. Catherine, she's never sure. But five or shortly after is what she would like --- but usually later, sometimes by a lot! So we agree she'll call me sometime shortly after four-thirty to give me a heads up. Where I'll wait, like I usually do, in the cafeteria for her call.

Finishing lunch we're up and on our way back to her office, where I suggest we say good-bye some where in the plaza, but it's Catherine who wants to walk with me back to the steps up to her building."

"After we've already been observed," telling her. "An questions asked --- it might be better if our good-bye is somewhere else," telling her.

"No Bobby," she says. "It's okay, as long as you don't drag me up the steps again to kiss and grope me like you did the last time," she says.

"Grope? I didn't grope you," telling her,

"Oh, that's right," she says. "Maybe it was just my wishful thinking," she's telling me.

That brings us to a stop at the bottom of the steps to her building, where we're standing there laughing.

"Good-bye Catherine, you will call me," asking her.

"Of course I will, silly," she says.

But oh how I want to kiss her so bad, maybe even grope her right here on the sidewalk in front of her building, where its just a squeeze of her hand, then a wave as she gets to the top of the steps watching till she disappears back into her building where I miss her already.

But now I have to really hurry back to school, so its to the curb, waiting for the light to change, then a jog through the plaza to cross over to 18th street, waving to mister Willis, where it's inside, to running up the steps just in time to hear Frank, "Oh..., nice of you to join us again Mister Swaggart," he says, as I'm hanging my jacket up. "Another long good-bye to your girlfriend," he ask. As I look around the room at all the faces looking back at me.

Where I'm focusing now on just John who's giving me that innocent look with a shrug of his shoulders as if --- 'I have know idea where he got that from.' When it's Bains with, "Yeah, mister tall, hot, sweet and what did she say, 'full of cream,' was it," he says.

Glaring back at him as I walk over to my seat its Frank with his, "Please Mister Swaggart...," he's saying. "Try to keep your good byes within your lunch window."

"Bob.., it wasn't me!" John pleading his innocence as I sit down.

"Sure John," telling him. "See if I introduce you to her sister.

"WHAT! You said she already has a...,"

"Would, you, please..., Mister Wearing," Frank cutting John off. "Hold it till after class is over," where he turns around to write something on the board.

"You said she already has a boyfriend!" John whispering to me.

"Oh, that's right John, she does." My reply low enough so Frank can't hear me. Where it's John's mumbled, "Fuck you Swaggart." Has both of us trying not to laugh out loud.