Oh Brother

I hadn't been shopping in a while so I knew there was nothing in my kitchen, and I didn't feel like stopping today after work (a not uncommon occurrence) so I just stopped at a local pub for a burger and fries and to watch the basketball games of the evening.

"Mind if I join you, Henry?"

I knew the voice well. I didn't even need to turn around.

"Sure Tara. Have a seat."

She came around the table and took a seat next to me. Her skirt was only knee-length so that when she sat it climbed even higher, exposing her tan, muscular thighs. I did miss those legs.

"You look beautiful as always."

"Thank you, Henry. You're a hard man to find."

"Not hard enough, apparently; so how'd you do it?"

"I hired an investigator to locate where you were working and where you lived. Tonight I was waiting outside your office and followed you here."

"I tried not to make it too easy, though frankly I'm surprised you're even looking."

"Why wouldn't I be? You disappeared without a word."

"I had said I never wanted to see or speak to either of you again, a statement that now includes the people that brought me into this world. But I suppose it was unreasonable to ask you to respect my wishes on that when you apparently didn't respect anything else about me."

"I know it seems like that, Henry, but nothing could be further from the truth. Obviously what happened happened, but please don't think that it meant I didn't love or respect you. You left on pretty awful terms and we never got a chance to talk about what happened and why. I kept trying to talk to you but you would never do it, and then the little trick with the meeting at Olive Garden. Your dad was not happy to hear from your neighbor that you were gone."

"What was there to talk about? You wanted my brother, just like everyone else, and you got him. As for the why, well I think the only thing worse than walking in on you begging my asshole ex-brother to fuck you is finding out why. I'm done with this subject. If there's something else we need to talk about let me know; otherwise I'd appreciate it if you just left me alone for the rest of our lives. Or haven't you done enough to hurt me?"

"Have I killed all the love you had for me, Henry?"

"Killed it? No. Buried it deep under a great big pile of hate, anger, and resentment? Yes."

She slowly stood up and walked over to me. She gently placed a hand on my arm and kissed me on the cheek.

"I never meant to hurt you, Henry. I'm really very sorry."

With that she walked out of the pub and, I hoped, out of my life forever. But it wasn't to be, though the next stage certainly surprised me.

<><><><><>

It was about 3 months later that things finally started to look up for me in the social life department, and it came from an unlikely source. I was just about to get off work for the day when I was called with a visitor. I wondered who the heck it could be. I had several friends in the area now but they either worked here already or they were people that would have no reason to just show up to see me at work.

Then I recalled that Tara had found me, and thought perhaps she had spread the word and some member of my family was waiting for me. I walked up to the front and saw no one I recognized so I checked with the receptionist, and was directed to a very attractive blonde woman seated in the corner. I didn't know her.

I walked toward her and she caught my eye and stood as I approached. She was about 5'4" and her hair was golden and straight. She was quite beautiful and I felt an instant connection to her.

"I'm Henry Weston. May I help you?"

"Mr. Weston..."

"Henry, please."

"Very well. Henry, I know we've never met, but I was wondering if you'd have dinner with me this evening. There's something I'd like to speak with you about; if you don't have any other plans, of course."

For a woman that looks like this I would break any plans I had, I thought. But I didn't have any, and agreed. We ended up at a Thai restaurant nearby that was a popular lunch spot but was slow during the dinner hours. We took a booth in the back.

"So now are you going to tell me who you are?"

"I will, if you promise not to get up and walk out once you know."

"You know, miss, my life is pretty mundane and boring at this point. Anything you have to say must be more interesting than anything else I might have to do. So I promise to hear you out."

"Henry, my name is Jamie."

She was apparently waiting for me to react to that, but I had no reaction because it meant nothing.

"I'm gonna need more than that, I'm afraid."

"My last name...is Gibson."

And now it dawned on me.

"Well, well; Tara's ice skating little sister. How is life on the road? Are you still with Disney on Ice?"

"We got back a few weeks ago from our world tour. We'd been at it for 2 years. It was time for a break. I'm flattered you remember my name since we've never met."

"Your sister talked about you quite a bit, though the only pictures she had were from when you guys were little. Otherwise I might have recognized you in the lobby. She was very proud of you."

"She was always my biggest supporter and fan."

"So is that why you're here, to go to bat for her? Get me to talk to her or forgive her or some such?"

"Not exactly, no. I would like to talk to you about her and your brother, but it's just a prelude to why I'm actually here. I'm hoping you won't think too little of me by the time we're done."

"The floor is yours, Jamie. I'm listening."

"Thanks. Tara led me to believe you might be less that receptive, so I'm glad you're keeping an open mind."

"I'm only unreceptive to her and my ex-family. I suppose how this goes will determine whether or not I add you to the list."

"Well, to that point, I'm not here to encourage you to talk to them or forgive them. What they did was unacceptable and I told them so."

"So they're still together?"

"Do you really care?"

"Only so far as I would hate to think Tara trashed our relationship for a one-timer."

"They were actually together for a few months before she found out he was cheating on her. And if you care to know, he was recently deployed back to the Middle East."

"I don't care, but maybe I'll get lucky and he'll get shot. Of course my luck would have to change..."

"You're really mad at him about this, aren't you?"

"I've hated my brother pretty much my entire life. This was just the final straw. So, anyway, what about them?"

"Henry, I've been on the road for 2 years, traveling all over the world. I try to find time to stay in touch with people but communication is spotty at best. Phone calls are expensive and you get poor reception, and I was never anywhere long enough to get letters. The best bet we have is email. But I sent postcards and stuff to my parents and Tara regularly."

"I'll bet they enjoyed seeing where you got to go."

"They did. I've got a ton of pictures, too. Anyway, this explains why the last information I had about Tara was that she had been seeing this great guy named Henry for a few months and she thought he might be the one."

"I thought that, too."

"Imagine my surprise, then, when I get back to find not only are you guys not together anymore, but she's dating your brother. Probably not more surprised than you were that day, but surprised."

"Surprised doesn't even begin to cover it."

"Henry, I talked to Tara at length about what happened. Like I said, what she did, screwing him the day after meeting him while she was still in a relationship with you was a horrible betrayal and I let her have it for that, even when she explained what happened. Can I tell you about it?"

"Is there a need for me to know, or is this just some effort for Tara to feel unburdened?"

"Actually, I would like you to know about it. It relates to why I'm here."

"Okay, Jamie, I'm willing to go on a little faith here."

"Thank you, Henry. In talking with Tara, even before this happened, when we talked about you she talked about how deep her feelings were for you, what a great guy you were, how sweet and romantic you were, and even what a good lover you were."

We both smiled awkwardly at this last one.

"What never came out was how much she loved you. Don't get me wrong, Henry; she did love you. But she – I'm sorry but I don't really know a way to soft peddle this – she lacked passion for you, and part of her was afraid she was settling for safe and comfortable. She knew you'd be a great and faithful husband and a great provider, but she worried about living her life without that sense of intense emotion. When you guys went to your parent's house that night she felt an instant connection with your brother."

"Her and every other damn person, it seems like."

"Yeah, I got that impression. Frankly, he did nothing for me. I found him kind of...smarmy."

"You just became my best friend, Jamie."

We had a little laugh at that.

"So you guys went home after the party and she says you guys went at it pretty hot and heavy."

"We did, but she was thinking about Michael already."

"How'd you know that?"

"We normally looked at each other. She wouldn't look at me the whole time. It was clear she was picturing someone else in her mind and who else would it be?"

"Tara didn't know you realized that. For what it's worth she felt bad about it."

"It means nothing. You can tell her that. So how did they end up in bed that morning, anyway?"

"Tara didn't have work that day, which I guess was usual, and she would sometimes go spend time with your parents on her off days. She went over that day, and by her own admission it was more to see your brother than your folks this time."

"So she planned it."

"Not according to her. She just wanted to see him again, see if the connection was still there, that kind of thing, and apparently it was, which put her in a tough position. And according to your parents, Michael had gone on and on about how she had affected him at the party. I think that's why your folks were trying to downplay what ended up happening. They kind of saw them as meant to be."

"You know, all she had to do was break up with me. It still would have been painful because I loved Tara so much, but at least she would have been showing a little respect for me and my feelings. Them having this 'connection' was no excuse to do what they did."

"You don't have to convince me, Henry."

"I know. I guess I'm mostly just getting it off my chest."

"Anyway, after spending some time at the house, Michael offered to take Tara out to lunch. They went to eat and were flirting and touching and doing all that kind of stuff, and before they knew it they were both, well, ready to go. They weren't far from Tara's apartment so ended up there, where you walked in on them."

"I had gone over to take her to lunch because I thought I had been kind of a jerk and a bit paranoid the night before. Turns out I was right on."

"So they went back to your parent's house and told them what happened and why it happened. Your mother thought it was romantic and was so glad 'Mikey finally found someone'. Tara said something about feeling bad about hurting you and she was actually kind of surprised when your mom said you'd get over it since this was true love and they needed to focus on that."

"That sounds like mom. If Michael's involved nothing else but his happiness matters."

"Yeah, that's what it seemed like. Of course, they wanted you to be okay with this but seemed to think it was just a formality. Then came the visit from your dad and your meeting at your parent's house where you walked out and told them to forget about you."

"Yeah, I'm still pretty proud of that moment."

"Setting up the dinner meeting at Olive Garden as a distraction so you could get your stuff was pretty clever."

"Your sister kept stalking my apartment so I had to get her away for a while so I could pack. Did my whole family go to the restaurant, too?"

"They were at a different table. They figured you'd bolt if you saw them so they wanted you to sit and start talking then join you at some point. Of course you never showed up. Your dad and Tara went to your apartment and spoke to your neighbor and found out what had happened. It sounds like you got out quickly."

"I had some money in the bank and was able to get a quick transfer to the office here, and I was gone. I was tired of having the family's heel crushing me. I needed some distance to live my own life and I haven't regretted it one bit."

"You were kind of harsh to Tara when she came to see you. That's not saying she didn't deserve it, but she had hoped to apologize and try to make amends."

"I wasn't interested. She made her choice that day. Speaking of which, how did she find out Saint Michael was fucking around on her?"

"When the paternity suit arrived."

"Holy crap. Michael's going to be a father? Poor kid."

"Actually, no. The lady had evidence that she had been with Michael several times but then she had a miscarriage."

"That's too bad for the mom, assuming she wanted the baby. But that kid dodged a bullet. What's Tara doing now?"

"Just working; she's not dating or anything. She says she thinks she has some growing up to do before she tries the relationship thing again. She thinks she was taking you for granted, that life isn't a fairy tale and she really screwed up."

"I would agree with that conclusion."

"Not that I'm encouraging it, but is there any chance you'd try with her again?"

"None whatsoever; my feelings for her have been permanently altered. I'd just be waiting for her to feel the passion again."

"I'm actually glad to hear that, because that brings us to why I'm here."

"It does?"

She pulled out a letter and unfolded it.

"This is an email I got from Tara. Accessing email was kind of sketchy while we were overseas. She talks about you and her. Let me read this to you.

"Henry brought me flowers today, just because. It was so sweet. He's such a great guy. I don't understand why I'm not more over-the-moon for him but I could do a lot worse. The funny thing is that when I really think about it I think you and Henry would match better than he and I do. He's so much like you."

She folded up the letter, slid it back into the envelope, and stuck it back in her purse.

"There's more to it, but that's the important part. Henry, remember when I said at the beginning that I didn't want you to think less of me. We're at that point."

"I don't understand."

"I've been talking a lot to Tara since I've been back, and she said the same thing then that's she's saying now. She thinks you and I would be a good match. So I came here to, well, to see if she's right."

"I don't think I'd be happy being with someone that was on the road all the time."

"I've quit Disney because I want to settle down and meet someone and get married. I understand that this is weird. Henry, I have a lot of money in the bank thanks to Disney paying well and covering all the expenses while we tour. So I took Tara's advice to come here and see if something would happen between you and me. If you're not interested just say so, but if you think you'd like to try then I'll move here and get a job and we'll see what happens. No guarantees needed; if it doesn't work out we go our separate ways. I just need to know if you're interested in trying."

"Jamie, you know the baggage I come with. I'll have nothing to do with my family, and I have no interest in seeing your sister ever again. Can you live with that?"

"I'm not concerned about your family, Henry. That's your business. I would prefer to have in-laws but it's not a deal breaker. Now I love my sister, in spite of her faults, and I won't be cut off from her. Having said that, I won't expect you to visit with her; I just expect that you won't stop me from doing so."

"I can live with that. You're right that this is kind of strange, to start a relationship like this."

"I was afraid of coming off as desperate. And the truth is I wasn't committed to going through with it until we met face to face at your office."

"What happened there?"

"I got a feeling, I guess, is the best way to say it. I felt something when you came over and introduced yourself. "

I smiled at her and reached across the table, asking her to put her hands in mine.

"You know, I felt something too, like, well, like we were meant to be together. Are we talking about the same thing?"

"We are. And Henry, I know we just met but if I'm going to move here and we're going to try this, it's just us. No dating other people."

"I'm a one-woman man. Even when I started seeing your sister and we weren't exclusive officially yet, I was. I'm all yours until we decide otherwise."

This was certainly the strangest way to start dating a woman that I'd ever heard of, but ultimately that didn't matter. We left the Thai place and walked back to my office to pick up our cars. I had my Silverado and she was driving a rented Chevy Malibu. They were the only cars left in the lot.

We had held hands during the walk back, and as we got to her car I pulled her to me. Even though it had been several months, I had not dated since getting into town, and so my last experience of intimacy was still with Tara, and when you're used to kissing a woman that is 6 feet tall, changing to someone that is 8 inches or so shorter is something you definitely notice.

She put her arms around my neck and I placed mine around her back. The move had lifted her shirt in the back so my hands found the bare skin just above the waistline of her skirt. I pressed my hand into the small of her back and she let out a little moan as our lips came together for the first time.

It was a sweet kiss, an exploratory kiss. There was no tongue; it was just Jamie and I repeatedly putting our lips together to get a feel for each other. I couldn't speak for her, but I was very happy with what I felt.

By the time we managed to bring things to a conclusion ten minutes had passed, which surprised both of us. Before she left we exchanged phone numbers, and we set up a date for tomorrow night. I would pick her up at her hotel after I got off work and we would go out to dinner and talk some more. And since it was Friday she wanted to go dancing, too. On Saturday I would help her find an apartment. She gave me a little wave as she pulled away, and I floated over to my truck.

<><><><><>

Friday morning went by slowly, mostly because I was so looking forward to seeking Jamie again that time seemed to slow to a crawl. In the afternoon I forced myself to focus on my work and that made the time go by much quicker.

I arrived at Jamie's hotel and knocked on the door. She cracked open the door but didn't open it all the way.

"Give me 10 seconds then come in."

Curious, I did as requested and entered into an empty room. I knew she was there, obviously, so I just waited. After about 5 minutes she called from the bathroom.

"Sorry about having you stand there. It's hard to make an entrance in a hotel room like this. Are you ready?"

"Hell yeah, honey."

She stepped out of the bathroom and I was blown away. She was wearing a black dress that stopped about 2 inches above her knees, with spaghetti straps and plunging neckline that showed she was not wearing a bra. The look was finished with a pair of 4" red heels. Her golden blonde hair was pulled back but otherwise hung straight down. I had never seen anything so sexy.

"I take from your slack-jawed stare that you like what you see."

"Damn, Jamie, you must be the hottest thing on 2 legs."

She flashed a wide smile then walked over to me and put her arms around me.

"And I'm all yours, Henry. But just so we're clear, I like to dress up when my man takes me out, but just because I look this good doesn't mean you're getting any tonight, okay? We're still gonna do this right. I just like all those other guys that look at me to be jealous of my guy. Are you okay with that or would you rather I toned it down?"