Jolene's Difficult Decision

"Well, I'm trying to stay away from being "old-fashioned" about this."

"So you think I'm 'old-fashioned.'"

"Maybe "traditional" is a better word," she said, chuckling.

"I like that one better."

"Okay then, do you like wine?"

Mark curled his nose. "I like beer."

"Your task for the picnic is to bring the beer of your choice and a bottle of chardonnay for me."

"Ah, you're a classy wine lady, huh."

"I just enjoy the wine. My ex loved beer, and I hated it."

Mark looked at her and smiled. "I think that's the first time you've mentioned an 'ex.'"

Jo sighed. "Yup, I was married for a while. You didn't know that?"

"I'd kinda guessed."

"And?"

"I'm looking at the Jolene I know, and I think she's perfect."

"That's nice, Mark, but I'm anything but perfect."

"You'll have to prove that to me because I haven't seen it yet."

He received another hard squeeze.

"When you come on Sunday, we'll just hike up into the woods for the picnic. I'm sure we can find a good place there somewhere."

"That suits me just fine, Ms. Jolene Baughman."

"It's gonna be fun. Like you, I haven't been on a picnic for at least a month of Sundays. This Sunday will be different."

"Something's already different," he said with a big smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Just that, today, something's different."

Jo was not about to say yes or no, but she was delighted he had sensed it. Something was definitely different...and it was her. They had still had just the two dates and the many conversations, brief as they were, over lunch. But today had launched the next step in their relationship as far as she was concerned.

Mark drove her back to the diner and her car, and when they stopped, and Mark told her he'd stop by for lunch before Sunday, she wanted to let him know that the change he had sensed had really taken place. She leaned across the console and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"I'm anxious for your garage to happen," she said.

"Jo, I'm anxious...well...for lots of things to happen, the garage included. But it will take patience that I hope I have."

"It'll all work out, you'll see," she said as she opened the door and climbed out.

Back in the cabin, she was feeling as happy and contented as she had in perhaps years. It was tempered only by concern about the Wednesday night date with Andre. She fell asleep, wondering how that might go.

◇-◇-◇-◇

Things must have been busy at the garage, as Mark didn't show up for lunch on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. In a way, she was glad as she was still mulling over how to handle the Wednesday date with Andre. Four or five scenarios kept rolling around in her head, half of them good and the others bad. She hoped she could avoid the bad ones.

Home from work on Wednesday evening, she dressed for the Hartman theater, primping to ensure she looked good, not giving Andre a clue of what was to happen after the Phantom when he took her home. Part of the problem was that she enjoyed being with Andre--she just found that she seemed to fit with Mark much more naturally.

She heard the Porsche pull up, the engine stop, and then the knock on the door. She opened it to a smiling Andre.

"You look wonderful," he said, gazing at her from head to foot. "Not that you ever don't look wonderful," he added, stepping inside.

"Let me get my purse, and I'll be ready," Jo said.

"You might want to wear a light jacket of some kind. It's cool this evening, but I heard it's supposed to warm up this weekend. Weather has a restricted meaning for me," he added with a laugh.

Jo knew he was referring, as he so often did, to his schedule, but she had her purse and was ready.

They chatted on the drive to the theater. The Hartman itself was as beautiful as she'd heard and that Andre had told her it would be. The well-dressed and stylish crowd applauded at the appropriate time, but Jo was more intent on quietly humming along with the music, all very familiar from listening to it over and over.

Afterward, they went to a small Italian restaurant that Andre knew of and had some delicious pizza. When they were ready to leave, he hadn't said anything about another date, so she decided to wait until they were back at the cabin to talk with him.

Andre pulled up in front of Jo's cabin and stopped, shutting off the engine and turning to face her.

"What's up?" he said very perceptively.

After all her planning, Jo was taken aback that Andre was questioning her.

"There's something," he continued. "You've been just, well, a tiny bit different this evening."

"I...I guess we need to talk."

"Ah, that's a very famous and familiar quote," he said, smiling.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not very good at this," Jo said, having trouble meeting his eyes.

"Is it just me, or is there another guy?"

She nearly cringed at his directness, not at all what she'd anticipated.

"There's nothing about you. You've been, well, all a woman could ask for."

"Almost all." he corrected.

"I guess, in a way, yes. But, well, there is another guy, and, I don't know, what happened just surprised me because the last thing I was looking for was, you know, any kind of serious relationship. I just wanted to have a couple of dates, go out, and have fun." She was afraid she might cry, and she certainly didn't want that.

Andre took hold of her chin and lifted her face so that she had to look at him.

"Listen, I've enjoyed every second I've spent with you over the last whatever. I don't know how much time we've spent together. You're beautiful, you're fun to be with, and the singing together has been great. The last thing I'd want to do is interfere with you and someone you've found to be special. But, and here's the big but if you're ready for it."

"I guess I am."

"We still need to sing together on karaoke night."

Now it was Jolene's turn to smile.

"I'm not going to deny that I've enjoyed that and would like for it to continue if you want to do that."

"Great! And we'll figure out a way to communicate rather than me putting my arm around you and squeezing, okay?"

"Yes, and thank you so much, Andre. I was so worried."

"I understand that, for sure. And let me share a secret with you."

"You don't have to--"

"--Yeah, I do," he interrupted. "There's a gynecologist that's been hinting quite a bit around me and..." The sly smile that filled his face made Jo laugh.

"Okay then. No shoulda, coulda, woulda, or what ifs then. We'll just let that part of things rest. Except that I bet she knows how to drive a Porsche."

"Sounds good, and we can exchange stories and gossip on karaoke night."

Jolene started to open the door of the Porsche, but Andre grabbed her arm and shook his head.

"Still on the date until I get you into your place." He ran around the car and opened the door, helping her climb out and walking her to the door. "Thanks," he said simply, "and I hope to be invited to your wedding one of these days."

"Whoa, that's a little premature," Jo giggled. "But, if there is one, I'll ask you to sing for it."

"Deal. And my fee for you will be very reasonable." A quick kiss on the forehead and Andre jogged back to the Porsche.

Jo sighed, knowing she'd sleep well after the tension-filled evening she'd just experienced.

◇-◇-◇-◇

Jo wasn't surprised when Mark showed up at the diner for lunch. She said hello, and when she walked behind his chair, she slid her fingernails along his neck. She could feel him shiver as she did.

"Jo?" he said, looking up at her face, a broad grin on his.

"It's just good to see you again. Been a few days, you know."

"I know, and I'm looking forward to Sunday."

"I checked the forecast, and there's a zero chance of rain with the temperature at seventy-eight. It should be a perfect day."

"I know it's going to be that. And you'd better keep moving before you get into trouble."

Mark no longer ordered lunch, and when Jo brought his cheeseburger and fries, she spoke to him softly.

"I have something to tell you on Sunday."

"Uh-oh."

"It's good. You'll like it," she assured him.

When Mark left, she found the now standard tip--a five and a one-dollar bill, held in place by a silver dollar. She now had two of them and wondered if there was special significance involved.

Two days had passed, two busy days, but Sunday morning arrived on schedule, bright and sunny as predicted. Jolene was up early, gathering all they'd need for the picnic. She'd made potato salad, was putting together ham and cheese sandwiches and had Doritos and regular chips along with carrot and celery sticks and some dip for the veggies. There was nothing fancy as neither she nor Mark were fancy people. While his pickup truck was only four years old, it was a simple two-door pickup. And her nine-year-old Chevrolet was more rusty than fancy.

She had an old army blanket they could use but had no classic picnic basket to carry all the goodies. Besides, if they were going to be hiking, a backpack might make more sense, and she did have one of those.

As noon approached, she began loading the backpack, careful to include two plastic spoons for the potato salad. She couldn't find any forks in her cluttered drawers but vowed to improve that condition. Thus, the spoons. She added a large bottle of water she'd saved for an emergency. This wasn't an emergency but was worth sacrificing the bottle.

Jo felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Mark's truck pull up in front of the cabin. It had been years since that had happened...but she enjoyed the feeling. She opened the door at his gentle knock.

"There's nothing better than having the door opened by a beautiful woman...and finding out that woman is you."

"Mark, thank you, but don't start," she chuckled. "I don't want my face to burn all day."

Mark laughed. "I'm..." He paused. "No, I'm not sorry. I just find you totally...totally everything, and after you gave me that little kiss at the garage, I've wanted to be with you all the time. And I want to hear what you're going to tell me. I do want to hear it, don't I?"

Jo laughed and hugged Mark. "Yes, you do. Let's go picnic."

"Okay, and I might have something to tell you too."

Mark grabbed the backpack and pulled it onto his shoulders. "The beer and wine are in the truck." He headed outside, and Jo locked the door. The wine fit nicely in the backpack, but Mark had to carry the beer in his hand along with the army blanket.

"Do I need to lock my truck?"

"Wouldn't hurt."

He did. "Where to now?" he asked, looking around.

"If we stay on the flat ground, we'll just run into more cabins. We need to go up the hill."

"Sunday afternoon exercise then."

They crossed the road and entered the woods, and before long, the uphill portion began. The woods weren't thick with undergrown, so the climbing was relatively easy if going uphill with a heavy load could ever be easy. They'd been climbing for about twenty minutes when Mark suddenly stopped.

"You knew about this, didn't you?"

"About what?" Jo asked, catching up with him. "Oh. No, I didn't, but I wish I would have. This is nearly perfect."

They were nearly at the top of the hill and had come upon a clear area of bare and flat rock. With the temperature in the mid-seventies, the sun shining, and a clear area perfect for spreading their blanket, the day was turning out better than either of them could have hoped for.

They spread the blanket and sat down together, basking in the warmth of the sunshine and the beauty of the forest surrounding them.

Mark tore open his six-pack and held up a can of beer.

"A little refreshment before lunch?"

"Well, I usually don't drink on an empty stomach, but this is a special occasion." She opened the backpack. "Oops. I forgot to bring a cup for the wine."

"It's a screw-on cap, so we can open it, at least. I guess you'll just have to be unsophisticated and swig from the bottle."

As Mark said that, a picture flashed through Jo's mind of her sitting at a small table at Richardson's, sipping her wine from the fancy crystal goblet. She giggled and took a healthy swig of the still-cool wine, watching as Mark did the same with his can of beer.

On the plain brown blanket, Jo spread the things she had prepared for the picnic, and they began to eat. They ate the potato salad from the plastic container she had used, kind of a "common pot" arrangement they both found rather appealing. The sandwiches were delicious, and they used the veggies and dip as dessert. Mark was on his second can of beer, and Jo found herself chugging from the wine bottle more often than she'd anticipated. But, it was fun, and she was feeling good."

"Okay, show and tell time," Mark said, chuckling.

"Show?"

"Well, just tell time. You first."

"So, you really have something to tell me?"

"Yup, I do."

She took a deep breath and smiled at Mark.

"I don't know if I've said it before, but that cabin was my divorce settlement. And it was a mess, but I had nowhere else to live. I was hurt, angry, and disgusted with life. I would have been happy never to see a man again.

"But, I was in trouble since the cabin needed so much done to it, and I had no money nor the ability to fix it. Then along came Phil, and he fixed practically everything...and paid for it all."

"You didn't say before that he'd paid for it all."

"Well, he's very wealthy and told me it made him happy to be able to help. I thought he might be after some "favors," but he wasn't."

"Wow. A big wow."

"He made me promise to take care of it...and to get a job, which I did. Oh, and he also paid you to fix my car."

"I remember, and little did I know."

Jo continued with the story about the karaoke at The Carolinian Club, singing with Andre, and then the dates with Andre.

"Some of my friends wanted me to stay with Andre since he could, well, give me everything I wanted. The trouble was, he couldn't give me what I finally realized I wanted."

A look of anticipation came over Mark's face.

"A much simpler life where I could be just plain old Jolene. This is only our third date, but I'm anxious to see where we might be headed."

"Together?"

"Definitely together."

She watched his face getting closer to her own until their lips met. It was a warm kiss, full of feeling and expectation.

"I enjoyed your story," he said softly.

"I'm anxious for the next chapter, but first, I want to hear yours."

"I'm not a very good storyteller, so give me a little leeway, okay? I may get emotional."

"If you do, I'll hold you."

Now a deep breath from Mark.

"I have an older brother--eight years older. He's an attorney in Oregon, a long way away. Right after he graduated from law school, my dad was killed in a traffic accident. He didn't have insurance, so my life changed suddenly, along with my mom's. Her's even more so since she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about two months later.

"I took care of her for the eight months she lived after the diagnosis. You know, cancer strips away the nonessentials of life, and your values change. I was kind of a carefree guy, you know, and then bam, bam, in less than a year, I was an orphan. I was nineteen by then, but my life wasn't at all what I thought it would be. But I learned to be a mechanic, I worked hard, and I have the garage.

"Now, here's the interesting part, Jo." He took hold of her hand. "I've been planning the garage expansion for a few months now, and it was going to be a year or maybe two before I had enough gathered together to get things started. I have my savings, and the bank has set up what they can do, but there's a gap." He squeezed her hand. "My brother wants to fill that gap, kind of his way of paying me back for taking care of mom when he couldn't be here. So, I'm ready to start."

"Are you kidding, Mark? That's wonderful news. I'm so, so happy for you." Kiss number two followed.

"And there's something else, too. You know that little office in the front that I showed you?"

"Sure do."

"I'll need someone to handle the scheduling, take care of the billing, and the books."

"Me?" Jo fairly squealed.

"You. Any training you need, we can get at the community college."

"I took accounting in high school," she giggled.

"A good start," he assured her. He reached for her, pulling her against him, and she lay back, her head in his lap.

As he caressed her hair, her brain was working to process what was happening. Despite her intention to avoid men, it hadn't happened. It wasn't the first time, either. Zach had come into her life that way...and swept her away with his bullshit. She had been young and gullible but was finding that she enjoyed being involved in a relationship with a man.

She seriously wondered if the guy playing with her hair was what she was looking for...and hoping for. She didn't need another horrible disappointment in her life. Was a few weeks enough time to get to know someone--to know them well enough to trust them with your life? She wasn't quite to that point yet but wasn't sure how much resistance she could muster. On top of that, she wondered if he was having similar thoughts.

As if in tune with her brain, Mark said, "Whatcha thinking, babe?"

"Babe?"

"Is it okay if I call you babe once in a while?"

"Sure. I kinda like it."

"So, the question."

"I was just thinking about us."

Us, he thought. He had done a lot of thinking along those lines as well. She was mussed but still pretty when he'd picked up her car. When Phil had paid him, he'd knocked a couple hundred dollars off the bill. When he'd found her at the diner, he was sure it was serendipity and meant to be. When Jolene had seemed to respond, he was elated but trying to be cautious, difficult as that was with the beautiful blond. Still, he was willing to go all in, despite the short time they'd known each other.

"You wanna tell?"

"You don't know much of the story of Zach and me. What I thought was going to be a wonderful time turned out to be nothing like that at all. Zach wasn't at all like I thought he was...or would be. We really had nothing much when it was time for the divorce, and the only thing I could get was the cabin. I guess I shouldn't be too bitter because, without it, I wouldn't have any place to live. And, with no job, I couldn't even get an apartment.

"Needless to say, I was disillusioned, dismayed, and angry as hell. But the cabin gave me a place to hide and stay away from me. So, a little booze and a lot of feeling sorry for myself kept the cabin a mess and me a mess along with it...until Phil showed up. Something happened. I mean, he helped me repair things and paid for it all, but something happened to me when he did that. It was weird. Maybe it was the remnants of hope I had from before I married, but the first man I had contact with after all of that was Phil, and he was great.

"And then, I ran into you. Or you ran into me."

"I thank the fates every day for making that happen."

"You really do that?" Jo asked, turning her head to look at Mark.

He wrapped a lock of her blond hair around his index finger.

"I do," he said with all the sincerity he could muster. "And jo, I've spent the time we've known each other trying to wrap my head around everything you've said and even hinted at. "I've sensed your, well, reluctance to trust, well, men...including me."

"Was it that obvious?" she asked resignedly.

Mark cocked his head and raised his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't you dare be sorry for being Jolene. I respect the Jolene that I met, and learned to know better and better each time we were together, and hopefully, even the times we were apart. I want you to get to know me, to know me well enough that you can trust me--trust me totally. Can you do that?"

"I think I'm already doing it, Mark. That's the reason I'm here with you today."