Hole in the Wall

He laughed and said he understood even though he really couldn't comprehend what was going on between her ears in that pretty little head of hers. So he told her that was just fine and that he was grateful to be able to spend some time with her.

Alicia loved that he wasn't cocky or one to assume she was now suddenly...madly in love with him or something that crazy. But as she took another quick look at him and paired it with what she knew of his personality her brain allowed her to relax a little bit and think it might not be all that ridiculous to actually date someone his age. Or more specifically, for her to date...him.

As she saw the office up ahead on their right, Alicia knew it wasn't about just anyone his age. It was about Jon Dyer and him alone, and as she gave that a bit more thought, it didn't seem as far fetched as it had just moments ago.

Before turning the vehicle off, Jon looked over and said, "Don't worry. I'm not going to kiss you in front of my mom."

He opened his door then looked back at her and smiled.

"At least not today."

That warm glow returned as Jon went around to open her door.

"Thank you again, Jon," she told him as they walked toward the office door.

"Anytime," he told her with an amazing smile. "And I'll text you about our date."

"Oh, right. Yes. Our date," Alicia repeated just before he opened that door, too.

"Hey, you two? How was the food?" the boss asked in a cheerful voice.

"It was good," Alicia replied, not wanting to get into the details like grease and fat and more grease.

"The food was fine, Mom. And the company was even better," Jon added as he spoke to his mother but looked at Alicia as he set the baggie down in front of her.

"I'm very happy to hear that," Nancy said to her son as she smiled at her new employee before thanking Jon for the food.

"So what's next?" Alicia asked as she walked behind the counter leaving Jon by himself.

He wondered if everything was okay until Alicia smiled at him in a way that told him it was. He smiled back then said he'd see them both later.

"Okay, honey!" his mom said as Alicia raised her hand and did a little wave with her fingers as she mouthed the word 'bye'. Just before he turned away she also mouthed the word 'honey' which made Jon smile then laugh.

Nancy wasn't sure what was going on between them, but she knew it was a good thing just by the way her son was behaving.

It was just after four o'clock before Alicia realized how quickly the time was passing. She was, as her ex-husband used to say, 'up to her ass in alligators' trying to learn as much as she could as quickly as possible and enjoying the challenge of it all immensely.

"You're a fast learner, Alicia," Nancy told her when she thought the younger woman needed a short break.

"Oh, gosh. Thank you. I really am overwhelmed. But at least I can answer the phone and transfer calls now."

Nancy laughed and said, "When we start any new job that's how it goes. You have to learn virtually everything from square one. But trust me, you're doing great."

"Thank you, and you've been very patient."

"Do you have any questions?"

Alicia thought for a moment and almost spoke but didn't.

Nancy sensed that and told her to go ahead and say whatever was on her mind.

"I...I probably shouldn't."

"Oh. Does it possibly involve my son?"

Alicia glanced down, sighed, then looked back at Nancy and told her it did.

"I don't get involved in Jon's personal life, but I'll be happy to answer any question I can."

"Jon's...wonderful. It's just that he's so...."

"Young?"

"Well...yes."

"Let me tell you a little about my boy."

Nancy laughed then said, "Make that...my son."

Alicia got it and laughed, too, as Nancy began talking.

"Most kids have a kind of...change of personality...when they become teenagers."

Alicia laughed again and said she understood. Through personal experience.

"Me, too. But not Jon. He's been the same calm, quiet boy...person...he's always been. At least two of his teachers in high school told his father and me that our son was 16 going on 35 or words to that effect. He's always been so focused and driven and he's as thoughtful and polite as the day is long."

"He's...extremely polite," Alicia readily agreed. "And he's also very smart."

"He is," Nancy beamed. "He won't want me telling you this, but he was third in his graduating class of 157."

"I'm not surprised."

Nancy looked right at Alicia as though she understood then said, "It's the age difference, isn't it?"

"In a word, yes."

"Who Jon likes or dates is none of my business, Alicia, but I can tell you he really likes you. And honestly? I've never heard him talk about anyone the way he talks about you."

Alicia was dying to ask how he talked about her but thought it best to leave that alone.

"May I ask how you feel? About me. Dating...or just seeing Jon."

Nancy sensed Alicia's nervousness but didn't mention it.

"I like you, too, honey," Nancy said more like a mom than her boss. "And all I really care about is my son's happiness. So if he and you, you know, like one another and enjoy being together, then I don't have any issue with that."

"I've never dated someone younger than me. Well, not by more than a year or so."

"I was seven years younger than Jon's father," Nancy told her. "It's not 13 years, but it is kind of the same thing."

"Things obviously worked out for you," a surprised and grateful Alicia said.

"It did. We were very happy, and I miss him every single day."

As Alicia took it all in Nancy smiled again then said, "You don't need my 'blessing' or permission. Just know that I'm 100% okay with you and Jon if that's what both of you want."

Out of the blue Alicia started talking about why her marriage ended, and in spite of the busy day they were having, Nancy let her talk and found herself captivated by her newest employee's words.

"He absolutely didn't want children. Ever," she explained after first going over how she had agreed to that when they got married.

"So I'm the one who changed, but I just couldn't get over wanting a child, and he couldn't change, so...."

"People change, honey. I know they say 'leopards don't change their spots' and when it comes to our overall personalities, maybe that's true. But as we live life our priorities often do change, and we women know we only have so long to have a child. Suffice it to say I understand. Completely."

"Nancy?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. For being so understanding. And for hiring me."

Before she could answer the phone rang. As Alicia picked it up, the second line rang, and they were back to business for the rest of the day. She was mentally exhausted from learning so many new things, but when she got home, Alicia looked at the patched hole in the wall and smiled.

She waited for a couple of hours then texted Jon.

"Hi. Hope I'm not bothering you. I was just thinking about painting over the patch and was wondering about matching the paint color."

She felt a pang of guilt knowing she could take care of this on her own. After all, it was nothing more than taking a small piece of the drywall that had been chipped off during the repair in order to square everything off, so she actually had the exact color in her hand. And that was even better than the photo.

But when he texted her back seconds later, she forgot all about the very mild deceit.

"You could never bother me, Alicia. I just finished my last job, and all I need to do is go home and shower. After that I could stop by and take you to Home Depot or wherever you prefer. And if you're hungry again, I'd be more than happy to take you somewhere to eat."

It wasn't even six o'clock, but Alicia told him that sounded nice. She wanted to offer to make something for them both, but until she could get to a grocery store, she barely had enough to make a meal for herself. Unless eating strawberry Pop Tarts and Kool Aid counted as a meal.

Even though she was wearing a nice dress, Alicia decided to change clothes and settled on a clingy, sleeveless, white, rib-knit top and a pair of pink short with white sandals. She touched up her mascara and added some pink lip gloss then brushed out her hair and a took a look at herself in the bathroom mirror.

"Why in the world would a gorgeous, 24-year old man be interested in you?" she asked the woman looking back at her as she moved closer to look for the first signs of crow's feet around her eyes. Seeing only the faintest first hint of any she sighed and tried not to think about it.

Alicia forgot all about how she looked when Jon stopped by a little later. He was wearing a very nice looking blue and yellow-checked, tuckless shirt with some dark blue shorts and a pair of sandals.

"You clean up very nicely," she told him with a nervous laugh.

He thanked her then let her know she did, too, as he tried not to notice the way the top showcased her...upper body and tight waist. Then there was her perfect little...backside...and two long, shapely legs he also made sure not to stare at. But that didn't keep him from stealing a glance at one thing or the other every chance he got.

"I found this little piece of drywall," she proudly displayed.

"Perfect. That's even better than a photo."

Traffic, as always, was bad, but neither of them cared as it gave them more time together even though they hadn't said much after the first five minutes or so.

"I uh, I had a very nice talk with your mom today," Alicia offered during a lull.

"She mentioned that."

"Oh. What did she tell you?" a now-nervous Alicia asked.

"Just that she had a very pleasant conversation with you and that she really likes you both personally and professionally."

"Oh. That...that's nice."

Alicia was relieved to learn that Nancy hadn't shared any details of their discussion then said, "She has such a good perspective."

"On?"

"On...life. And you, know...other stuff."

Alicia glanced over at Jon to gauge his reaction, and he neither laughed nor smiled making her feel better.

"She's pretty amazing. I lean on her a lot since Dad's passing."

"I really am sorry about that, Jon, and you don't need me to tell you that you're very fortunate to have your mom to talk to."

"My dad and I were very close. Maybe even more like brothers than father/son. Or maybe even best friends. But you're right, my mom is pretty amazing."

The local Home Depot was up ahead on their left, but the line in the turn lane was long, and they knew they'd be waiting at least two or three cycles for a green arrow.

"Did I...scare you? Today. At lunch," Jon asked as they inched forward.

Alicia chose her words carefully as she answered his question.

"You didn't 'scare' me, but you did surprise me."

"You do know you're beautiful, right?" he asked, that amazing smile on his handsome face as he looked over at her.

"I...I suppose I can see how a man my age might think I'm...okay looking. But I really don't see how one your age can think that."

Her reply was honest, but after saying it, she wondered if she'd made a mistake.

"All I can tell you is that this guy, who happens to be my age, does think that," he told her, the smile still there as he used his right hand to point at himself.

He was holding the wheel with his left hand as he reached over for hers with his right, and when he took it Alicia got goose bumps even though it was 85 degrees outside. Yes, the AC was on in the car, but it wasn't anywhere cold enough to induce 'duck flesh'.

He saw her look at his hand for a second before letting him have hers, and that made him smile, too.

"We can go as slow as you need to, Alicia. I'm hoping you'll eventually be as interested in spending time with me as I am with you, but if it takes some time to warm up to me, that's okay."

"I like spending time with you," she told him as her tummy fluttered.

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

"Did the talk with my mom have anything to do with that?" he asked in a playful way.

"Maybe," Alicia replied almost coyly.

"Then by all means, please talk with my mom as often as you can."

He smiled when he finished, and when he did, Alicia smiled, too. That made Jon laugh which made her laugh, and even though the arrow was green, they sat there until the driver behind them laid on his horn.

"You are dangerously distracting!" Jon told her as he realized what he was doing and caught up to the car ahead of them.

He let go of her hand in order to turn, and although it was necessary, Alicia didn't want that to happen. And for the first time she allowed herself to believe that there might just be something to this rather unlikely...relationship. What it was she couldn't yet say, but the thought of being in a relationship with this much-younger man no longer scared her.

The sales associate at the paint counter was a nice, older man who was very helpful and also quite friendly. He explained what he was doing as he matched the paint color and chatted with them during the rest of the process.

"I don't mean to be presumptuous, but have you two been together long?" he asked at one point.

Jon wasn't caught off guard by the comment, but he didn't answer. He did, however, watch Alicia react to it then respond.

"Oh, no. We...we're not, you know...together. Well, we are together. Here. We're just not, you know...together."

Understanding her reaction, Jon downplayed it and picked back up on the 'honey' theme from lunch.

"Honey, how can you say that?"

He looked at her in such an exaggerated way that it made her laugh, and calling her 'honey' had the desired effect on her and made her feel guilty for having blurted out what she'd said.

"Well, for what it's worth, you two make a very nice-looking couple," the box store employee told them as he put the can of paint in the shaker.

Alicia only asked for a quart, but Jon suggested a gallon.

"So we can paint the entire room."

The room was small, and a gallon would allow for two coats with a little to spare. Knowing it needed repainting, and also knowing she had the money needed to pay for it, she told him that sounded great. The brushes were just a few feet away, and in less than ten seconds Jon was back with an angled, 4-inch brush that was perfect for cutting in around baseboards.

Alicia got out her credit card as they walked to the checkout lane, but Jon shook his head.

"Uh-uh. No way. Repainting was my idea. So I'm paying and I'm doing the painting."

"Jon! No!" Alicia protested as she tried to hand the cashier her credit card.

Being so much larger and stronger than her he gently muscled her aside. As he fished out his own credit card, he said, "My girlfriend has the mistaken notion that she's paying for this stuff when repainting was my idea."

The 30-something woman was very aware of just how attractive the younger man talking to her was, and the way she was smiling at him made Alicia realize this would always be the case. And that thought also made her aware of the fact that when women were still flirting with him she would be 'invisible', a word her mother used describe what it was like when men stopped looking and flirting.

For the briefest of moments she wanted to run. To get away while she still could. To save Jon from her and perhaps herself from him. But when he looked her way and winked at her she knew she wasn't going anywhere. She was hooked, and although she wasn't convinced he really didn't care about her 'advanced age', she nevertheless pushed her fears aside and played along.

"My...boyfriend...is pretty wonderful," she told the cashier while looking at Jon.

"He uh, he is indeed," the other woman, who was nowhere near as attractive as Alicia replied, a look of resignation on her face as she looked only at him.

Two hours later they were on their way to her place after a very nice dinner during which they talked like old friends. The conversation was light and easy, and Alicia couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed herself so much. Her fears slowly faded away, and for the time they spent there talking and laughing, the only thing she cared about was being with him.

"We don't have to paint tonight," Alicia said once they were back at her place.

"If not painting will give me an excuse to come over again I'm okay with that."

He was standing right in front of her, and when he noticed her eyes darting with his, he moved closer. Alicia's heart fluttered when he did, and just a second later he ran his hands up and down the back of her bare arms sending another jolt of 'electricity' through her.

This time, when he leaned in to kiss her, Alicia didn't hesitate. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back, and to her great delight, the tip of his tongue touched hers, and she happily did the same thing in return.

"I'd offer you a drink, but unless you like grape Kool Aid, I'm afraid I'm fresh out."

Jon wanted to pull her to him and kiss her again so badly it caused something to swell dramatically. Instead he smiled at her then suggested they go grocery shopping.

"What?" Alicia replied.

"Isn't that what couples do?" he replied with a little tilt of his head, his eyebrows raised a bit indicating he was waiting for a reply. "You know, when they're out of groceries."

"You want to go grocery shopping?"

"No. I want to spend time with you. You need to go grocery shopping," he informed her in a playfully authoritative way that made her laugh.

"Really? You're willing to go to a grocery store?"

"With you, yes."

She looked up into his eyes, and for the first time, she forgot about how old she was or old he wasn't, and just stared.

"You okay?" Jon asked as he saw what look like tears welling up in her eyes.

"I am," she quietly replied. "I'm actually...very...okay."

"Then let's hit the supermarket...honey!"

Alicia laughed a happy, genuine laugh then told him, "I need to pee first, okay?"

She looked right at him then said, "That's the kind of thing couples can say to each other, right...honey?"

Jon didn't say anything. He just pulled her close and held her, his calloused hand stroking her long, dark, silky hair while the other held her tight. He loved that Alicia hadn't given in and cut her hair the way so many women did after years of marriage, and he loved the way it fell to just below her shoulders, framing her beautiful face.

When he let her go, Alicia's heart was pounding in her chest, and she felt like she might burst with happiness.

"Be right back, okay?" she said with a little smile as she headed for the bathroom.

"Let me know if everything comes out all right, okay?" he playfully teased.

It was ridiculously corny, but Alicia was so happy she laughed before calling back to him, "You goof!"

"Yes, but I'm your goof!" came the even louder reply that made her smile so big it almost hurt.

As she closed the bathroom door, she realized she liked the sound of that--as goofy as it was. Him being...hers.

They were in the produce section of a nearby Krogers just a few minutes later and started looking around. The store was busy but not packed, and yet Alicia never noticed anyone looking at her--or them--in any weird kind of way. She know no one cared who she was with, but it took seeing it for herself to set aside the paranoia that had partially returned. As she relaxed an aisle or two later she wondered why she even cared what anyone else thought and chalked it up to a lifetime of social conditioning.

Jon's hand running up and down the middle of back brought her back to reality, and suddenly she felt completely at ease with him. From then until the time they got to the checkout counter they'd talked constantly, and as they took the groceries out to the car she felt like she'd known him much longer than the few days she really had.

As he opened her door for her Jon said, "I could get used to this."