Helper

She stirred, giving a gentle sigh as she nestled closer to him. She rolled over, placing her face against him, her hand caressing his chest in return. A slight quiver alerted him that something was wrong.

"Gwen? Are you crying, sweetheart?"

Her head moved slightly in something that he suspected was a nod. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing right now, Terry. Everything's more perfect than I could imagine and I feel better than I've felt in years."

"Then...why are you crying?"

"Silly guy. Have you never heard of happy tears?"

"Yeah, heard of, yes, but believed in, no. If you're crying, you're not telling me everything."

She looked up at him, resting her hand and chin on his chest as she looked into his eyes. "It's enough for tonight, Terry. Now, do you think you can make love to me again?"

Her hand sliding down to rub him led him to nod. "With a little encouragement like that, I think it can be in the cards."

"I can do encouragement," she said with a smile. "Lots and lots of encouragement."

***

Terry awoke after an excellent sleep to find that he was alone in the bed. He made a trip to the bathroom and was about to dress before going downstairs to find Gwen when he noticed a folded paper atop his clothes.

Dearest Terry,

I had such a wonderful evening with you and had hopes that it would continue well into the morning. Unfortunately, a client had an emergency come up overnight in Boston, so I'm off to the airport. You looked so peaceful sleeping in the bed that I didn't want to wake you to say goodbye. I'm very sorry.

I'll probably be gone for several days but will contact you when I return. Please help yourself to coffee and enjoy the breakfast in the refrigerator. It's from Renato's; I'm sorry I won't get to share it with you. Let yourself out when you're ready; just pull the door closed and it will lock on its own. I'll set the security remotely.

I hope to see you again very soon.

Love,

Gwen

He slumped down on the bed, sitting there watching the words blur together on the page in front of him. It was when he felt a tear slip down his cheek that he realized the cause of the blurriness. Terry wiped his eyes and stood up to dress. When he was done, he let himself out and called a rideshare service to get back to his vehicle parked at the restaurant.

***

Gwen didn't answer his call or his text message on Sunday afternoon, making him a bit sad after what they'd enjoyed less than twenty-four hours earlier. Not getting to talk to her allowed his mind to wander after his voicemail message was complete, and it wasn't long before he realized that he'd finally found a way to move past Lacey. After all the dreams he'd had of getting back together with her, he'd realized months earlier that it would never happen. Now, with Gwen in the picture, he was surprised that part of his sadness came from the realization that he no longer really cared.

As the afternoon progressed, he ignored a call from Rose and then another from Patricia, their middle sibling. He was about to fix something for supper when his phone vibrated from an incoming message. He grabbed it and let out a yelp.

"Yes! It's from Gwen, Sylvester!"

He opened the message and sat down in the chair to read it.

Dearest Terry,

I don't know how to say this but I care a great deal about you. In fact, I haven't been able to think of anything else today as I've traveled. It's far too early in this situation in which we find ourselves to be sure, but I think it could potentially be something very special if we were willing to give it a try.

Unfortunately, due to my work, I've always told myself that I can't afford to get involved with a man on a real relationship-type level. It would affect my work and my response to that wouldn't be fair to my lover. Now, I find myself in that exact situation with you and I already see the effects that I've always attempted to avoid. As much as I care about you, and as much as I believe you care about me, we can't go on together, for the end result wouldn't be fair to either of us. Because of that and as much as I hate doing it, I must ask that you forget me, putting me completely out of your mind as I must also do with you.

Please, Terry, find someone else to love, someone else who can love you in return for the abundant love and affection you'll doubtless give them. You will richly deserve each other when that happens.

Sincerest regards,

Gwen

For the second time that day, Terry's heart was filled with sadness and he couldn't believe what he was reading. This time, though, there was also a touch of anger as he reread her note over and then over again. He started typing a response before cursing, deleting it, and starting over. This repeated several times as he couldn't decide exactly what he want to say, to express his desire for her or his anger at her for giving up so easily on what seemed like such a good thing. He finally pitched the phone down on the couch and flopped into a recliner well away from it where he couldn't read Gwen's message again and where he wouldn't be able to send her a reply.

Terry was about to lie back and raise the footrest on the recliner when Sylvester came over and rubbed against his legs. He sighed before picking the big cat up and petting him. "Thought I might have made a real breakthrough, Sylvester, but the old saying is right: if it's too good to be true, it is. Isn't true, that is. Oh, you know what I mean." He huffed in frustration. "It's just that this was way too good so I should have know better, but now it hurts. Too much. But, you know, cat, I'm not going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that."

Sylvester gave him a "Seriously?" look before abandoning his post and jumping down, leaving Terry wondering if he was doing the right thing. He almost called Rose and later Clarence to vent, but he ultimately passed on each, not wanting to spread the story of his failure or his frustration. Looking at Sylvester again, staring back at him from his perch in the sun on the other side of the room, Terry figured he was doing the right thing; the cat would at least keep the tale secret.

It was all he could do to keep telling himself that as the evening progressed and as he finally got ready for bed. Still, no matter how much he wanted to pretend it didn't matter and leave Gwen thinking he didn't care, he knew that wasn't true either.

***

Work helped take Terry's mind off of Gwen, at least part of the time, during the day on Monday, but that evening the situation came crashing back down on him. He sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and thought. Sylvester came over to join him, rubbing on his legs again.

"Sylvester, life's not fair," he griped to his cat while reaching down to pet him. "I tried for almost three years to get Lacey off my mind and when I finally find someone who does it for me, somebody I think I really care about, it turns out to be a flash in the pan."

The big cat gave him the standard "Why are you telling me this again?" look before going to lie down in his favorite perch.

"You're right, Sylvester. I don't need to be telling you. I need to tell Gwen." He'd saved her to his favorite contacts list, so he pulled her up only to see that her name was now next to Lacey's in his favorites listing.

Feeling his frustration level reaching a boil, he swiped Lacey's info to bring up the "Delete" option and then held his finger above it but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Despite the fact that she was gone, she was still the mother of their children so he got out of delete mode and hit the button to call Gwen. It went straight to voicemail.

"Hi, Gwen, it's Terry. I had a wonderful time with you...and, despite what you said in your message, I still think we might have something really special together. I really hope you'll reconsider and call me. I...I miss you."

He'd barely hung up before he was reconsidering what he'd said and realizing how bad it sounded. He mocked himself aloud as Sylvester looked on. "Oh, Gwen, please, please, come back to me! I miss you. Damn. Pathetic."

***

Chapter 7

It was Thursday afternoon while he was in a meeting that Terry felt his phone buzz with an incoming e-mail. It was to his personal account so he waited until he was back in his office before reading it. He was surprised to find it was from Gwen.

My dear Terry,

I received your voicemail and I've been debating for days on how to respond. You are a very nice man, a most special man, and I really like you, but the circumstances aren't right for us to be together. I don't want you waiting for things to change, for, to be perfectly honest, I don't know if—no, even doubt that—they ever will. I've been an independent woman of means and an admitted workaholic for ages, so such a change would be very drastic since it would only happen if I force it to do so. The thought of doing that scares the hades out of me and I doubt that I would—no, not would, could ever be happy with myself if I did.

Therefore, I hope you don't mind, but I have a friend who I believe would be a perfect match for you. While people say that all the time, remember that is exactly what I do, matching people and companies, and sometimes even individuals, together for the benefit of both.

Her name is Beth and she'll be at Olympus on Saturday night wearing a little black dress and holding a single yellow rose. Sandy blonde hair, 8 PM, sitting at the bar; you won't miss her. Terry, she's a bit fragile after her boyfriend broke up with her, so introduce yourself but whatever you do, don't mention my name since she'll be embarrassed if she realizes someone else is trying to help her. Personally, I think you'll be really good at that and that the two of you might turn out to be really good together, far better, in fact, than we ever could be. I know it's a strange request, Terry, but I'm asking not just for Beth's benefit but for your own as well.

Sincerely,

Gwen

P.S. I'll owe you one.

Terry sat stunned, his breathing stopped for seconds on end before his system shocked him into taking another breath. His anger rising, he couldn't believe what he'd just read. Gwen, the woman he'd grown to care so much about, was trying to pawn him off on her friend.

It wasn't long, though, before he realized that the "I'll owe you one" at the end might be used to his advantage to win Gwen back someday when she returned home, so after a long period of debate, he sent Gwen a note.

Gwen,

Doing this for you, not for Beth. I hope you understand. I miss you greatly.

Terry

***

His debate continued throughout the week but, in the end, he showed up at Olympus that Saturday night. Just as he'd been told, there sat a lady wearing a little black dress at the bar, spinning the yellow rose between her fingers as she nursed a cosmopolitan. She was surprisingly pretty but she looked quite sad.

"Hi, is this seat taken?" he asked quietly.

"Well, I was actually expecting someone, but he sent me a text message that he wasn't going to show. Ever. So no, it's not."

"I'm sorry. Want to talk about it?"

The woman looked at him, frowning, said, "Not really," but on seeing the look of concern on his face, she nodded and added, "but if you wanna' listen..."

"I'm Terry. Go for it." He took the seat and waved to Rick the bartender, who nodded in reply.

The woman said, "I'm Beth. My boyfriend of the past three and a half years, Jamie, broke up with me last weekend. I think he has a commitment phobia; I discovered it shortly after we started dating when we talked about marriage and family. He never really seemed to like the idea of marriage and was always sort of wishy-washy about it, but I thought he'd change his mind as we got closer and eventually fell in love. We got to the point where we loved each other, but Jamie didn't seem to want to go beyond that. This time, rather than being indifferent, he flat out said 'No.'"

"Excuse me, Beth. So it was you who brought up the 'M'-word again?"

"Yeah. Like he would."

Terry nodded and she continued. "He always said he was hesitant to bring kids into the world, and I understood and could live with that. I realized several years ago that my biological clock was working against me and I accepted it. What got me is that Jamie had never been so adamant about the possibility of marriage before. Or, I should say, his opposition to it. When I tried to draw him our about why, he got mad, told me in no uncertain terms what I could do with marriage and myself if I wouldn't drop it, and stomped out. I called him during the week, apologized, and asked if we could meet tonight, and he said he was up for it, but then he didn't show and I got this text."

She brought up the screen and hit a line to show the short message. He sighed on reading it.

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't expect to see him anytime soon after that. Still, with that attitude, I suspect he doesn't deserve you."

She shook her head as the bartender set another drink in front of her and a bottle of Heineken down for him. "Terry, I know you're trying to be nice, but you don't know me, and you don't know what he deserves."

"Beth, when a man says that to a woman, especially one he's been dating for over three years—hell, even past the first date—he provides proof positive that he doesn't deserve her...or maybe anyone else. If he'd shown up and the two of you had gotten back together, do you think you'd have had a realistic chance to stay together in the long term?"

She hung her head as she fought off tears. "Not really, I guess, but I feel like such a failure now. It...it seemed like it was going to work out but now...I guess I realize all I have to show for it is a bunch of wasted years."

"Maybe, but look at it this way. Three or even four and done is better than letting him string you along for another year or two or three and still having nothing to show for it. I hate to say it but you're probably better off without him."

She nodded but bore a grimace on her face. "Probably so. But, Terry, no one likes hearing that." She gave him a hard look. "So what's your story?"

Terry gave her the nutshell version before steering the conversation back toward her. He listened and nodded periodically as she described herself, her likes, dislikes, and goals, and Terry quickly realized that Gwen had been right. Under the right circumstances, he imagined that he would be really interested in Beth. However, circumstances were what they were. His interest lay elsewhere, but as he continued to talk with Beth, he wanted to help her.

It was a strange thought at first, the tiniest kernel of an idea, but he continued asking questions to draw her out, becoming more and more certain over time. While he thought that he could like Beth, she seemed perfect for another, his friend, Carl. There were too many similarities for him to ignore, so when she reached a stopping point, he asked a few more questions, nodding and smiling as she responded, answering each in turn.

When he had no more questions, she added, "That's me and the mess I'm in. What's the old military acronym? FUBAR? I think it was developed with me in mind."

Recognizing the term, Terry smiled and shook his head. "No, Beth. I think we've all felt that way about our lives from time to time, but it's rarely as bad as we feel. You have the further advantages that you're a beautiful woman and you have so much to offer to the right person."

She smiled weakly at him. "Thanks for saying that and for trying to cheer me up." Looking at him closely, she added, "I can't believe that you're here by chance; it's almost like fate, that you'd be here to help me like this. Terry, I hate to ask this, but if circumstances were right—"

When she said the word, he smiled and it was all he could do from laughing as he held up his hand. "Beth, circumstances really aren't, but if they were different, then who knows if we both might be surprised. Let's just leave it at that, okay? For now, though, try not to worry or be depressed about it all. You feel bad because the loss of a lover and relationship hurts, but deep down, I think you also realize that Jamie isn't the right guy for you and that should help you get over it sooner rather than later."

"You're probably right, but it sucks that I put so much care and time and effort into it. I've nothing to show for almost a tenth of my life and now I'm starting over."

"If you loved him, I'm sure you had some good times with him, right?"

"Yeah."

"So there was some benefit, plus, you learned a valuable lesson for next time. Stay with a relationship when you think it might be the right person, but don't try to change someone already set in their ways like Jamie."

"Lessons learned, I guess," she said. "Hey, I need to take a break to the girls' room. Will you still be here when I get back?"

"Tell you what, I'll do the same and will be here with you as long as you need me tonight."

As they walked to the restrooms, Beth's words raced through his mind and he continued to think of how similar she was to Carl. On entering the restroom, he pulled out his phone and called.

"Hi, Carl, it's Terry."

"Hey, Terry. What's up?"

"Carl, you're not going to believe this but I met the woman of your dreams this evening. I've been sitting with her at the bar at the Olympus Sports Bar. You need to get down here and meet her."

Carl laughed at him, but Terry's response, "Carl, I'm serious," quietened him.

"Really?"

"Totally. Hurry. I'll keep her busy until you get here. She's a sweet lady and she's hurting, recovering from a breakup, so take it slow, okay?"

"Got it." Carl paused for a moment before adding, "You sure you're not pulling my leg?"

"Carl!" Terry quickly gave him the address and then headed back to see Beth. She smiled when she saw that he really hadn't run out on her, and they continued their discussion over their drinks, with Terry continuing to nurse his carefully.

It was about twenty minutes later when Terry saw Carl approach. He introduced the two, carried the conversation between them for a few minutes, and then excused himself to go to the restroom again. Once inside, he leaned against the wall and looked at his phone for several minutes before washing his hands and heading back out where he found Beth and Carl deep in conversation.

Terry took the seat on the other side of Carl away from Beth and listened to them talking for a couple of minutes. He started to break in but didn't want to interrupt them so he paid their tab and headed toward the door. He sent a quick text before going out to his car.

Carl,

Hope you have a nice evening with Beth. It doesn't look like she needs me anymore, so please give her my regrets about having to head out. Remember, be careful and take it slow with her, and get her home safely.

Talk soon,

Terry

When he got home, Sylvester gave him a funny look as he sat down to type Gwen a note rather than doing whatever it was that Sylvester wanted done. The note was complete before long and he pressed Send.

Dear Gwen,

Beth was a lovely lady and was very sweet. After getting to know her a bit, I introduced her to my friend Carl, who has a number of similar interests and, I believe, a somewhat similar life outlook. They seemed to hit it off well and I stepped out of the picture. I don't think Beth even realized I'd gone.

I miss you and hope to see you soon.

Yours,

Terry

Carl called the next morning. "Terry, I owe you big time! She's perfect! At least to me. How'd you know?"

"Buddy, we've been friends for a long time. It was like she was holding a sign up with all the clues; I just connected the dots for her."