Providence Ch. 08

She's beautiful, he thought. Still the same flowing red hair as he'd remembered, still the same easy smile.

They headed inside and the conversation flowed, with Isaac getting them updated on his life, the kids, and the custody proceedings with Lena.

Then Bobby cleared his throat and asked, "So... Mari's coming right? How is she?"

Kate's eyebrows went up. She didn't know there was another visitor coming. Now, she was curious. Maybe this wouldn't be such an easy visit, after all.

Isaac answered, "Yeah, she's getting there, I think. The accident really took us all by surprise, most of all her. She's still grieving, but man... she's tough. I can't wait for you guys to meet her."

He finished his sentence right as the door bell rang again. Bobby jumped up and exclaimed, "I'll get it!" before Isaac could even react.

Bobby opened the door to a startled Mari. He offered his hand as he introduced himself, "Hey Mari, I'm Bobby, Isaac's butler. Come on in!"

Isaac gave Mari a wilting smile as she walked in, to her amusement.

"Hi Bobby, it's so nice to finally meet you! Isaac's been bragging about you," she smiled at him.

Wow, Isaac. This is gonna be a tough decision, man, Bobby mused.

They all piled into the kitchen and the ladies made their own introductions.

Mari held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Mari Foster. It's so nice to meet Isaac's friends. How long have you guys known each other?"

Kate shook her hand. "Hi Mari! I'm Kate Jenner. Likewise. I've known Isaac, hmmm.... How long would you say it's been?" she asked as she lightly touched him on his shoulder.

"I'd say about seven years now. We were in the same Sunday school class back west," he offered, surprised at the gesture.

Mari hadn't seemed to notice, thought Bobby. Maybe this is an easier decision than I thought.

As the meal was served, Bobby noticed that Mari had preferred to remain quiet, letting Kate and Isaac catch up. She'd sat next to him, laughing and playfully touching him. Bobby observed the couple's interactions, understanding there was probably some womanly code only known to them about competing for a mate.

He contented himself by eating his meal, wondering how long it would take for those two to notice the other visitors at the table. Mari sat and ate, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

Isaac stood up to serve seconds and Bobby joined him in the kitchen.

"Hey man, that was a good conversation. But just so you know... you have another visitor. Two other ones, in fact," he reminded him gently.

"I know, man, we're having a great time!" he replied as he ran the food out to the dining room. Bobby sighed and followed after him, carrying a basket of bread.

The silence was awkward as the men entered the room, with Mari studiously consuming her salad and Kate looking anxious for Isaac to come back.

"So, anyway, Kate, I'm talking to his coach..." Isaac continued.

Bobby turned to face Mari. "What's filling your time these days, Mari?"

She looked up, as if he'd called her out of a trance. "Hmm? Oh, you know, just work and church. I've just moved in to a new house so that's been taking up my free time. I squeeze in a workout every now and then," she shrugged.

"I hope you don't mind, but Isaac told me about what happened. I'm sorry to hear it. I can't imagine... if my wife and kids passed, I wouldn't know what to do with myself," he said.

"Just one foot in front of the other. Friends are essential," she said.

He nodded. Meanwhile, Isaac and Kate were lost in their own conversation, effectively having ignored their other dinner guests.

Bobby was now upset, but before he could say anything, Mari stood up and excused herself. As she walked away, Isaac looked up as Kate engaged in her own stories. He looked at Bobby, who just shook his head, looking disappointed.

Oblivious to the silent interaction, Kate continued to talk. "...and she said, 'honey, if you add any more milk to that pancake it's going to turn into an actual cake!' I must have added two extra in there -- Isaac... I could have served it as wedding cake!'

He chuckled, returning to their conversation. Meanwhile, Mari came back and sat down to finish her salad. She turned to Bobby and gave him a sad smile.

"Bobby, I've heard wonderful things about you from Isaac. I'm glad he has friends like you and Kate," she said, nodding in her direction.

"Thanks, Mari. I'm sorry he's so preoccupied tonight -- they haven't seen each other in years," he offered apologetically.

She waved the excuse away. "Oh, not a problem. I know how it is. I'm glad you guys get to catch up."

Mari checked her watch and stood up. Bobby stood up with her and the rest of the dinner party followed suit.

"Thank you for dinner, Isaac. It was delicious. It was a pleasure meeting you, Kate, Bobby. I hope you guys have a safe flight back home. I'm sorry to leave so soon -- I've got a meeting early tomorrow morning that I need to prep for," she said.

"It was nice to meet you, Mari. Good luck on your meeting! Have a good night," said Kate.

"Thanks for coming, Mari! See you later. Good luck on the meeting!" Isaac echoed.

"I'll walk you out," said Bobby, following her to the front door.

They walked in silence to Mari's station wagon. Bobby put his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet as she rummaged in her purse for the keys.

"Mari, I... I'm sorry for the way Isaac's acting tonight. I don't know what's gotten over him --" he started.

"Hey, it's okay, Bobby. I get it. He's mentioned Kate to... me and Kenzo before, and I'm glad they're getting along so well. He's talked about being interested and I'm glad the feeling's mutual. He deserves a good woman. They seem like a good fit and... I'm happy for him.

Really, it's not a problem. I just... I need to get home and prep," she stammered, fishing out her keys.

"All the same, I'm sorry for my friend. He can get pretty dense sometimes," he laughed weakly.

She smiled at him, the same sad smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Have a good night, Bobby. You're a good friend. Look out for him, okay?"

She closed the door and pulled out of the driveway as Bobby walked back to the house. As he entered, he heard lively conversation and laughter in the kitchen. Kate and Isaac had taken to assembling ice cream sundaes and were in the middle of a small whipped cream fight when he walked in.

Kate laughed. "Bob -- you gotta get some of this! Have some dessert!"

He shook his head. "It's okay, I'm good. I'm gonna go upstairs and get ready for bed... My wife's probably waiting for me to call her, too."

Isaac called after him, "Good night, man! Tell Jackie I said 'hi!' Let me know if you need an extra blanket."

--

Tears streamed down Mari's eyes as she drove home.

You stupid girl, she thought angrily.

What made you think this was going to do any other way? Stop thinking about him. You can't think about this, now! Grieving is about all you can handle right now. A crush can't take your attention, you idiot.

What are you thinking?! She's GORGEOUS, Mar. He's basically in love with her. She's got no baggage and no dead family to weigh her down. Get the fuck over yourself, she fumed.

--

Isaac and Kate talked into the late night. He'd enjoyed himself immensely and had even mustered up the confidence to touch her hand. A small gesture on his part, but not one that went unnoticed by both of them.

Kate's personality shone through and she was thoroughly immersed in their conversation. She'd taken to playfully shoving him as he made her laugh and they'd sat closer to each other as the night went on. At one point, their wine glasses had to be refilled so she padded into Isaac's kitchen, only to see a birthday card peeking out from under a stack of papers.

'Happy birthday, Isaac! May this year bring you joy and peace. Love, the Fosters!' It said.

She looked at the neat handwriting and deduced it was probably from Mari. Her eyes widened and she hurried back into the living room.

"Hey, so tell me about Mari. How'd you meet her?" she asked.

"Oh, we met at church. I was really good friends with her husband, Kenzo," he replied.

"Was? Where is he? She divorced too?" she prodded.

"He... No, she's not divorced. They had two kids. He and the kids were killed by a drunk driver in January," he informed her.

A hand immediately went up to her mouth. "Oh, my word..." she gasped. "That's terrible! Poor thing. I can't imagine that!"

They were silent for a moment as she absorbed the information.

"That poor woman. You couldn't tell, though! She just looked tired today and I thought it was probably because of work. I didn't know..." she stammered.

"Kate, she's... she's nothing short of incredible," he said, wistfully.

They'd stayed up for another hour, then both retired to bed.

In the morning, Isaac smelled breakfast being prepared. He heard pans clanging and hushed conversations in the kitchen.

He walked in and both Kate and Bobby looked up. "Hey sleepyhead, good morning!" she greeted him, raising a coffee cup.

"Hey guys, how'd you sleep?" he asked.

"Not bad, dude. Jackie says hi, by the way, and to tell you not to feed me junk," Bobby answered.

Kate finished her coffee and stood up. "I'd better get ready. We gotta be at the airport in four hours. You guys still giving me a ride?"

Both men nodded.

Fifteen minutes later, all of them piled into Isaac's car. Bobby joined in the conversation where necessary, but Kate and Isaac chatted the whole trip. As they arrived at the departure terminals, Kate jumped out to retrieve her bags from the trunk. Isaac got it out for her and she hugged him tightly.

"I'm glad I visited, Isaac. Thanks for having me. I had a great time. Why don't you call me sometime?" she said, winking at him.

"I will, Kate. Thanks for coming. You mean it?" he asked.

Her eyes fluttered up at him. "I do. I'll be waiting for it, in fact," she chuckled.

"Bye, Bobby -- thanks for the company! Take care of our boy!" Kate waved goodbye to both of them as she sauntered off to the gate.

Both men watched her as she walked off.

"She's... something," Bobby said.

"Huh? How's that?" Isaac asked.

Bobby shook his head. He started to say something, but decided against it and walked back to the car.

"What is it, man? What're you thinking?" Isaac prodded.

He sighed, then said, "Isaac... you remember when you called me last month? The time you told me you had a three-hour dinner with Mari with two other men?"

Isaac nodded. "Yeah."

Bobby continued. "You remember when you called me complaining that some women don't even know the effect they have on men, right? That it surprised you they can be clueless sometimes?"

He nodded. "Yeah, man. What about it? Who was clueless? Kate?"

Bobby shook his head again. "No, man. She's the farthest thing from clueless. It's you. You're clueless. And dense.

Have you ever seen Kate act that way? Flirty, playful? Did you stop to think about your other guests? Man... I don't care if you don't talk to me at the dinner table. We talk all the time. We're brothers. I do care when you ignore another woman whom YOU invited. You stop to think how that made her feel? Or did you just get caught up in your mutual flirtation?"

Silence. Bobby hadn't expected to feel the irritation he felt now, and he didn't expect to express them either.

"Listen, man -- I'm not trying to cause anything. There's enough heartache in that house for a lifetime. All I'm asking is, what were you trying to do? What were you trying to prove? Did you invite both of them to pit them against each other? 'Cause from where I was sitting, it sure looked like that.

You noticed Mari didn't say a single word? I could hardly get her to talk. It's that woman code, Isaac. It's dumb as hell, but we got the same thing with dudes. Why did you call me that night after the dinner? Were you jealous?

You know Kate, man. She's shy, reserved, quiet. It didn't bother you when she acted completely out of character, flirting, touching? I don't know Mari as well as you do, but I'm pretty sure she talks, dude.

Think, Isaac. Now that you got what you wanted -- which one? You've got two women interested in you. Break one of their hearts then move on to the one you want," Bobby explained.

Isaac closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Bobby... I didn't think about that. It felt so nice talking to Kate. I've wanted to get to know her for a while and... I'm attracted to her. Mari's been a friend. I don't know what I was thinking during that dinner... maybe I was jealous. I just thought she'd had a long day...

But that's not a good reason to ignore her. And you. I'm sorry, man. But I don't know what to do. There's two women in front of me and I don't know which one to pick," he said.

"Man... I forgive you, dude. You know that doesn't bother me. Y'know what... I'll play along. Who do you think about before you go to sleep? And don't tell me the kids -- that's not what I mean," Bobby challenged.

"Mari," Isaac sighed out.

"Why? Why not Kate, if you've been wanting to get to know her?" asked Bobby.

Isaac shook his head. "I don't know, Bob. I guess because I talk to Mari more often."

"Is it a physical thing? 'Cause I can't help you there, dude. They're both stunning in different ways," asked Bobby.

Isaac smiled. "No, dude. It's more than physical."

"Ok, so I'll help you, ok, man? On the house, since you're letting me crash.

Don't tell me, keep this to yourself. Who do you see yourself coming home to? Who do you see loving your kids, putting up with Lena's crap because she loves you, sharing your bed? Who do you see raising your babies?

Be honest with yourself. Then give yourself good, honest reasons. If it's more than physical, be honest. Then you've gotta break someone's heart. Think about them as you're breaking it to 'em," Bobby said.

--

"Hello? Oh, hey Isaac!" Kate greeted him on the phone. She'd been thinking about him since she visited, hoping he would call.

She noticed him stealing glances at Mari, the new woman, as she entered his house. Kate felt jealous and possessive of Isaac, something she hadn't felt for the man before. She couldn't help it -- she turned on the charm, usually held back under the shyness. She'd kept him in conversation and actually found herself enjoying it.

Now she contemplated him being a serious candidate for marriage.

I hope he feels the same way, she thought.

She returned to the phone call. "Thanks so much again for hosting. I had a great time. Who knows, maybe I finally found a good reason to visit the east coast regularly."

Isaac: "Thanks for coming, Kate. But uh, I wanted to see if I could talk to you about something else?"

Here it goes, she thought, nervously.

Kate: "Go ahead, I'm all ears."

Isaac: "Ok. I'm just gonna go ahead and lay out my cards on the table. I've been interested in you for close to two years now. I think you're sweet and you have a big heart. Any man would be lucky to have you. Me, included.

I'm glad you took me up on my invitation. It gave me a chance to get to know you and think about you. But uh... I'm calling to let you know that, uh... I think it would be best if we stayed friends.

I've thought about it, and... while I think you're beautiful and wonderful, I can't string you along and make you hope. That would be cruel."

Silence on the other line. Isaac was beginning to regret this more and more.

Isaac: "Hey, Kate, you there?"

Kate: "Yeah, I'm here. I-I don't know what to say, Isaac. Do you want me to say 'thank you' for the heads up?"

Isaac: "N-no, Kate, you don't have to say anything like that..."

Kate: "I'm sorry... I guess I'm just disappointed. I thought we had a good thing going."

Isaac: "No, I'm sorry. I should be the one apologizing. We did, Kate. I really enjoyed myself, but I had to think about what I was doing and the last thing I want to do is hurt anybody."

Kate: "Is it her, Isaac? Is she gonna put up with Lena's crap? Is she gonna fight for the kids? 'Cause I would."

She heard him take a deep breath on the other line.

Isaac: "Yes. It's her. Kate, I know you're upset, and it kills me I'm the one who made you feel that way. I'm sorry.

Mari's been through a lot of hell and back. She's been through more stuff than most people I know, myself included. I KNOW she'd put up with Lena's crap. I know she's gonna fight for my kids, because even before the accident she loved them without asking for anything in return.

I guess what I'm trying to say is... I didn't realize I've been praying for her all along. She was off-limits, Kate. I'd contented myself to someone else. You came to mind. That sounds like such a douchey thing to say, and I'm sorry I ever thought about you that way.

That's way less than you deserve. You can hate me.

But... I would protect her from Lena, you know. I know that she's the one I want, forever, if she'll have me."

Kate: "Then you just answered my question. You're right, Isaac. That *was* a douchebag thing to do. But... thanks for being honest with me.

I can't say I'm not disappointed, because I am. I really wish we'd gotten together, and I really wish I'd reached out before you met her. But I can't change your mind and I can't change your heart.

Go. Be happy with her. But don't invite me to the wedding... I don't think I'd be able to take it."

With that, she hung up the phone. He buried his head in his hands, but now he felt lighter.

-----------

NOVEMBER 2023

"Morning! How are you today?" read Isaac's text. Mari had been so preoccupied at work that she hadn't heard her phone.

She looked down and realized that text had come in two hours ago. "I'm so sorry, I just saw this! I'm alright!" she texted back.

"Nice! I'm pretty offended, though. Some of us have a life and can't wait around for other people to text us back, y'know." his text came in almost immediately.

That stung, Mari thought. That was a joke right, or... wasn't it? Didn't sound like one. She huffed and tossed her phone into the passenger seat.

She started the car and had been driving on the interstate for about thirty minutes when her phone lit up and rang. She fumbled around for it in her purse and missed the call.

Oh well, she thought. Text, people, text! Her phone rang again and found it. She pressed the 'answer' button before seeing who it was.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey Mari, I'm sorry... That was a dumb joke to make," the voice on the other line replied.

"What? What joke? Who is this?" she was confused.

I should probably check the name before I just answer the phone next time, she thought.

"Oh... uh, this is Isaac." He sounded dejected.

"Oh, hey... You're right. That was a dumb joke. What's up?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing really. I called to say sorry after you didn't reply. I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that. I can be a real dumbass, sometimes," he said.

She nodded, then remembered he couldn't see her.

"Well... now I feel like an idiot. Could I take you to dinner to make up for it?" he asked, after hearing silence.

Mari's eyebrows shot up. "What, like a date?"

He hesitated. "Well, uh, n-no, not a date... well, I mean, if you're uncomfortable with that, y'know... No, not a date," he sighed.

Her heart sank. There were two voices screaming on top of each other in her head and she could feel a tension headache coming on. She pinched the top of her nose. She started getting annoyed and her ears burned.

"Yeah, sure. Listen, I've got a headache coming on and I'm still driving. I'll have to talk to you later, k?" she snapped. Then she ended the call.

-----------

Isaac looked down at the phone in his hand. Good job, idiot, he berated himself. The moment you made a joke, you ended up upsetting somebody. Stupid! He kicked himself.