In My Life

Angela had certainly turned out to be a beautiful woman. She was always attractive when he knew her, but she was a 'girl' back then. Seeing her at the supermarket Mark could see that she had matured into a woman beautifully.

The following Saturday Mark went and did his shopping at about the same time. This was more out of habit than anything else. While he didn't expect to see Angela again, a part of him was slightly hopeful that they might just happen to bump into each other.

Mark did his shopping, and even backtracked to an aisle as he had forgotten something. After paying for his groceries Mark headed back towards his car. He actually felt a little disappointed that he hadn't seen Angela again. Walking along slowly he began to chastise himself, as he realised that hoping to bump into her at the shops was a pretty poor plan. As he pushed his trolley he was actually thinking about a way to try and contact her.

He was totally in his own world, not paying attention at all when he crashed his trolley into someone else's. The noise woke Mark from his thoughts and after seeing what he had done he started to apologise.

"I'm so sorry....." He babbled when he looked up and saw Angela.

She was walking her trolley, filled with cardboard out of the pharmacy when he had crashed into her. Mark's immediate thought was that Angela looked amazing, wearing a white, short sleeved blouse with the company logo on the left side and black slacks. But what amazed Mark most was the smile on her face. She looked so happy to see him.

"We will have to stop meeting like this Mark. Or you will need to get your trolley license again if you keep hitting people." Angela said with a laugh.

Mark laughed too. "Technically I have only hit one trolley. The other incident was a close call. Working today I see?" He replied with a smile.

"Actually I was working. Now I'm finished for the day."

Mark took a deep breath. "Well I was just going to have a coffee to settle my nerves after my accident. Would you like to join me?"

The smile on Angela's face beamed even more.

"I would love that Mark. Thank you.... I will just have to go and get rid of this mess."

"I have to take my groceries to the car too. How about we meet at 'Rossini's' in 10 minutes?"

"Sounds great. See you soon." Angela replied running her hand down his arm.

They met at the café a few minutes later where they talked for the next 3 hours. The café was near where they had worked together all those years ago and they reminisced about the old days at work. Angela and Mark then talked about the proceeding 18 years and what had happened in their lives.

Angela told him about her work, her life in Sydney and the move back to the coast when she divorced her husband. Mark thought her kids sounded wonderful and Angela sounded like she liked her job.

Mark then told her about his life. How he had left AHS then managed a couple of other businesses before being recruited by one of their suppliers to run their warehouse. He had been in that role for just over 5 years and really liked it. The company had been very supportive when he lost Elouise and Mark truly felt that he had the job he wanted to keep.

Angela listened intently to Mark's stories, paying attention to everything he said. As they were finishing up they shared phone numbers and social media addresses so they could keep in touch. Mark wanted to see Angela again, and she wanted to see him too.

Mark plucked up the courage and asked her out. Angela eagerly agreed. Due to the vagaries of their collective schedules the next time they could see each other was the coming Friday night, almost a week away. They arranged to go out for dinner and Mark couldn't have been more pleased.

They said their goodbyes and they kissed each other on the cheek. As they went their own separate ways, Mark was so happy. He actually had a date with a wonderful woman.

************

Angela was so excited when Mark asked her out. Having coffee together had been wonderful. While they had were talking Mark opened up about his life. He had been his reserved self to start with, just like Angela remembered him to be. The more that they talked though, the more he shared with her.

She thought Mark was still very handsome. He was taller than her which she always liked. His brown hair is a little grey at the temples and she thought this made him look distinguished. His blue eyes positively glowed as he spoke to her.

When she spoke she noticed Mark listened to everything she said. He wanted to know about her life, wanted to know about her. She felt so great to have a guy interested in her for her, and for this man to be someone she had liked for a long time.

Angela's week before their date was busy with her kids after school activities of dancing and sport, as well as a hectic work week. She and Mark spoke and texted regularly throughout the week. He sounded as excited as she was feeling about going out together. Angela thought about how funny the situation was. Here she was a 38 year old woman, but she was feeling like a teenager with excited anticipation about going out on a date with a man she liked a lot.

One evening after speaking to Mark she felt really happy. Her daughter Taylor could see her excitement and asked her mother why she was so happy. Angela told her she was speaking to an old friend and that we were going out together on Friday night.

"You have a date Mum?" Taylor asked looking a little surprised.

"Yes Tay I do. Is that a problem?"

"Dad didn't think you'd go on a date for a while. He said you were too uptight."

"Really! What else did you father say?" Angela replied getting angrier at her ex by the second.

"He also said that you were too 'high maintenance' for a guy up here. What does 'high maintenance' mean Mum?" Taylor asked.

"It means your father does not know anything about women at all."

"Well Dad does seem to have a lot of different girlfriends, but we only ever see them once or twice and then he is with another girlfriend." Taylor replied, innocently confirming Angela's opinion of her ex.

Angela explained the term 'high maintenance' to Taylor and she agreed that her mother wasn't high maintenance. It was that she just wanted to look her best.

The night of their date arrived and Angela was so nervous. The kids were with their father and Mark was picking her up. Angela wanted to look good for their date and as the weather was warming up she decided to wear a baby blue sun dress with thin straps. Angela liked this dress as it fitted her nicely, showed off her tan quite well and was casual but dressy at the same time. She knew the restaurant Mark was taking her too and thought it would suit the occasion.

Hearing the doorbell ring Angela raced out from her room. The excitement and nerves she was feeling had increased tenfold. Mark was here.

***********

Mark stood on Angela's doorstep and fixed up some small creases in his shirt. He was wearing a linen shirt and some dark chino's hoping to look good but not overdressed. He was nervous as he stood there, realising it had been over 30 years ago since he had been on a first date.

Angela opened the door and Mark's jaw dropped. She looked amazing. Her hair was out around her shoulders and she had a beautiful smile on her face. The dress she wore was gorgeous and suited her so well.

"Hi... Hi Ange. You look great." Mark babbled when the power of speech returned.

Angela moved some hair away from her face and she smiled even more.

"Thank you Mark. And you look so handsome too." Angela said quietly. She bit her lower lip, feeling happy, excited and a little shy that the handsome man on her doorstep was there to take her out.

They headed out to the restaurant. During the short journey there and once seated they talked constantly. Any anxiousness disappeared quickly as they soon continued their conversations they had shared during the week.

The meal was great, but the shared company was even better. As they chatted about their lives Mark studied Angela. She was very beautiful. Her smile seemed to light up the room and her hazel coloured eyes seemed to lock onto his and not want to let go.

Angela felt so at ease with Mark. He listened and laughed at her stories. He offered his hand when she spoke briefly about her divorce. He always had been, and was still, the most gentlemanly man she had ever known. She thought he was very handsome too.

Their date went so well that they were still talking even as the restaurant was closing. As they travelled back to Angela's house Mark couldn't believe such a wonderful woman was single, and that she wanted to go out with him.

Mark walked her to her front door and while that was a bit old fashioned, Mark was an old fashioned guy. While saying their drawn out goodbyes they arranged to go out again the following night.

As they said their final goodnights Mark almost instinctively moved closer to Angela. Her arm went to his shoulder and he slipped his hand around her waist. They moved in close and kissed. Her soft lips touched his and it felt amazing. The kiss was short, like they were almost testing the waters. They pulled apart slightly and Angela's hazel eyes opened, looking directly into Mark's. A smile crept across her face, matching the one Mark had.

He moved in closer again and they kissed some more. This time a lot more passionately. Angela's tongue manoeuvred to meet Mark's, tasting and teasing each other. Mark's hands drew Angela a little closer to him. She felt so good in his arms....

Suddenly a feeling swept over Mark. He started to feel uncomfortable holding Angela. Something was wrong. His body stiffened up and he stopped kissing her. Angela looked at him.

"Are you ok Mark? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"Ummm...ahhhh... Well.... I don't know what is wrong. I feel weird.... It's like ahhh.... I feel ........ Guilty."

The worried look on Angela's face changed a little, more to a look of concern for Mark.

"Ohhh Mark.... That's hardly surprising. I imagine you haven't kissed anyone for a while." Angela said with a comforting smile on her face.

"I think you are right Angela. I haven't kissed anyone in a long time..." Mark said, his voice trailing away. His mind was furiously trying to comprehend what was wrong.

"I was worried that you didn't like me." Angela said shyly.

"Oh no, no Ange, far from it. I really like you. It is just ..... I think I must still have some stuff to get over. If you know what I mean...... I'm sorry if I ruined our night." Mark replied contritely.

"No Mark you didn't ruin our night. I've had an amazing time and I hope we can still go out together tomorrow."

"Yes definitely.... I was beginning to worry that you might not want to see me again because I definitely want to see you again." Mark replied.

Angela leant up and kissed him on the lips briefly. "Yes Mark I do want to see you again."

They kissed again briefly and hugged while saying good night before Mark headed home.

Mark's mind was a whirl as he headed home. He was very concerned with what had happened. He really liked Angela and he knew she liked him too. Maybe he was feeling a bit guilty, but this was a strange feeling. He couldn't put his finger on why he was feeling this way.

Once at home Mark went to his bedroom. He wanted to get to the bottom of these feelings. He looked in his bedside cabinet and saw the picture of Elouise that he kept there. His initial concern was that he may have been feeling guilty about moving on or that he was 'cheating' on Elouise somehow.

Seeing the picture of them together Mark realised this was not the case. Elouise was in his heart and would always be in his heart. He knew she was gone and not coming back. Looking at the picture he didn't feel as though he was cheating on her.

If he wasn't feeling guilty about Elouise why was he feeling like this? Mark went out to the kitchen and got a beer from the fridge. Sitting down in the lounge room he switched on the TV mostly to provide a distraction. Putting his drink down on the side table Mark noticed the pictures sitting there.

Sitting there was a picture of Lara and Daisy together. The feeling he experienced when kissing Angela swept over him again. He was feeling anxious and uncertain. Why was he feeling like this?

It then occurred to him what was wrong. Mark needed to talk to his girls. He had to let them know that he was seeing Angela. His thoughts began to coalesce. He needed to tell them about Angela. Mark wanted them to know and to be happy he was going out with someone. What he really wanted was confirmation from them that what he was doing was ok.

The following morning he tried to ring Daisy, but she didn't answer her phone. He then tried Lara and she did answer. They spoke briefly and Mark asked to catch up with her. They arranged to meet at a café near her place and he drove down to Sydney to see her.

Lara was already there waiting for Mark when he arrived and she got up from her chair and came over to give him a big hug.

"Are you ok Dad? You sounded really anxious on the phone and you drove 40 minutes to see me. What's wrong?"

Mark could see the concern on his eldest daughter's face. She was so worried about him. He reached out and gently caressed her face.

"Lara I'm ok. Nothing is wrong. I just need to speak to you about something."

Lara felt slightly relieved, but she still had a worried look on her face. They sat down together at the table.

"Alright Dad what's up? What did you need to talk to me about that you couldn't discuss over the phone?"

"Lara last night I ..... Had a date. For the first time in 30 years." Mark said with a sigh.

Lara's expression immediately changed from concern to happiness.

"Oh Dad, that's great. When you phoned I was worried something was really wrong. Who did you go out with?"

Mark was so surprised and pleased that Lara was happy he was going out again.

"I went out with Angela Summers. She used to work for me back at AHS a long time ago."

"Dad that's good. How did you meet her again? What is she like?" Lara asked enthusiastically.

Mark proceeded to tell Lara how he and Angela met again and reconnected before going out together. He then showed Lara pictures of Angela from her Facebook page.

"Dad she is very attractive..... Are you sure you went out with her?" Lara mocked.

Mark laughed and proceeded to tell her how he had kissed Angela at the end of the date.

"No, no Dad. I don't want to hear any more. Too much information." Lara laughed.

Reaching out Mark held her Lara's hand. "Actually Sweetheart the kiss with Angela made me come down and see you this morning."

Lara looked at her father with confusion written all over her face.

"Lara I felt really 'guilty' kissing Angela last night. It wasn't because of your Mum either. It was.... I felt I needed you and Daisy to know I was going out with someone. Someone I really like and..... I ... I need to know that it's ok with you that I am doing this." His voice trailed away as he said this. Mark squeezed Lara's hand.

The expression on Lara's face said it all. The initial look of concern turned to surprise and then finally showing the love for her father that couldn't be hidden. Lara squeezed her Dad's hand before she spoke again.

"Dad this is definitely ok with me. I'm so happy for you. Angela looks like a wonderful woman and you have a history together so that is good. Dad this is a good thing. I think you should keep seeing her. I can tell she makes you happy and I love seeing you happy.... I have missed seeing you happy Dad."

Mark stood up, moved around the table and embraced his daughter. He held her close as she cuddled him back.

They sat back down at the table and Mark shared more about Angela. Lara was so happy for her father. As their conversation continued Mark said he had tried to talk to Daisy that morning but she didn't answer his call.

"Yes Dad, she has gone away for the weekend. She and Travis broke up the other day."

"Oh that's no good. Is Daisy alright? Did she say what happened?"

"Not really. But she was quite upset."

"I wish I had known." Mark lamented.

"Well her friends Kristy and Bec took her away for the weekend to have some fun. I think they were going to the Gold Coast. She will be back on Monday."

"I will message her now and ring her when she gets back. I hope Daisy is ok?"

"I'm sure she will be Dad. You know how Daisy is. She will be all emotional for a couple of days getting it out of her system and then be back to normal. I didn't think he was the right guy for her but, as usual, Daisy impetuously went into a relationship with him."

"That's Daisy alright. She always acts impulsively, particularly when she is emotionally attached. She gets that from your Mum and I wouldn't change that about her. It will cause Daisy trouble until she finds someone who loves her intensity."

Mark and Lara chatted for another 30 minutes before Lara had to leave. They embraced as they headed towards their cars.

"Dad when are you seeing Angela again?"

"Tonight Sweetheart. We are going out for a couple of drinks. I hope it goes alright after how last night finished."

"Dad just be honest with her. Tell her what happened and why you felt weird. If she really likes you she will appreciate your honesty. I'm sure it will go well. I couldn't be happier for you Dad."

*********

Angela was a little worried about how Mark would be with her. She realised he struggled with some guilt after their date the previous evening. While she could understand his feeling like that, she hoped it wouldn't affect their potential relationship. Mark was the first man to ask her out because of who she was, rather than her looks and she really liked him.

Mark arrived on Angela's doorstep right on time for their second real date. He felt so much better in himself after seeing Lara earlier in the day. He did have a little nagging doubt however after the less than stellar finish to their date the previous evening though.

On opening her front door Angela beamed when she saw Mark standing there. He looked so much happier than the last time she saw him. Mark's happiness grew when he saw Angela, which in turn made Angela smile even more.

He pulled a bunch of flowers from behind his back and gave these to her. Angela loved the flowers and she leant across giving Mark a kiss. She invited Mark in to her home as she put the flowers into some water. Mark acknowledged how nice her house was.

"It is a little smaller than my previous house, but this one is more of a home." Angela replied with a wistful smile.

Placing the flowers on the dining table Angela then went and gave Mark a hug which he returned. She leant back slightly and looked into his watery blue eyes. For the briefest of moments she got lost looking into his eyes. Instinctively she leant up to kiss him.

Mark held Angela closer and returned her kiss. It was a gentle kiss at first, but soon turned into a deeply passionate kiss. Their tongues duelled and teased as they shared the kiss they both wanted. When they moved slightly apart Angela sighed just a little before she opened her eyes. She could then see Mark smiling happily at her.

Mark took Angela's hand and they headed out on their date.

Their date the previous night had been exciting. This second date had a different feel. Angela and Mark were both a lot more open with each other that evening.

Sitting close together in the intimate cocktail bar overlooking the beach, Mark and Angela shared a lot about their lives. Mark told Angela about what he was feeling the previous evening. He also explained how speaking to his daughter Lara had confirmed he was doing the right thing by going out with her. Angela was so pleased Mark felt this way.