Replacement Therapy Ch. 02

I took Yolanda and the kids to the Sacramento Zoo on Saturday afternoon. I had cut the grass and trimmed the lawn and a couple of hedges in the morning. She had been paying a teenage boy to do it for her, but the results were haphazard, and he was proving to be unreliable. I was charging her only for lunch when I finished. At least she felt like she was paying something.

I returned to my condo, showered and changed before picking the family up in my car. It turned out to be another nice day, and the children were tired by the time we got back to their house. We had stopped for pizza along the way, with Yolanda insisting on splitting the cost with me. I had some cleaning and laundry to do at the condo on Sunday, so I wouldn't see them again until next weekend.

It was a Wednesday evening when there was an unexpected knock on my door. I opened it and saw a middle-aged woman I didn't recognize.

"Hello, are you Mr. Aaron Prentice?"

"Yes ... what can I do for you?"

"I'm Margaret McCarty. I'm Yolanda Michaels' mother. May I come in?"

"Uh ... yeah ... sure, come in," I stumbled. This I hadn't expected. I wondered if I was in trouble.

Mrs. McCarty sat in one of my very upright wing chairs. It seemed to suit her very erect posture.

"Mr. Prentice, I understand you've been helping my daughter around the house. I hope Yolanda thanked you properly for everything."

"Yes. She's a bit reluctant to accept my help, but ... yes ... she does thank me."

"I'm not surprised. Ryan's death was a heavy blow to her and she hasn't really been settled since then. You're the first person who seems to have been able to get through to her. I just wondered how you came to know her."

"Uh ... well ... to tell the truth ... she approached me. Her computer broke down and she was told I might be able to help." I didn't think Mrs. McCarty needed to know we had met in a bar.

"Yes, she showed me the computer you gave her. That was quite a generous gift, Mr. Prentice."

"Please, call me Aaron. And the laptop was surplus to my needs. It isn't the latest and greatest, but it is several steps above what she was using."

"And you can call me Meg. All my friends do," she smiled.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Meg McCarty continued.

"Then you finished the basement room. It looks wonderful, by the way."

"Yes ... all the tools and materials were already there. It was just a few hours work, no more."

"And the carpet and the children's bicycles?"

"Same thing. Just sitting around, not being used."

She was eyeing me, trying to judge something about me, I suppose.

"Uhhm, Meg, are you uncomfortable about my being involved with your daughter and her family?"

"I was. When my daughter started talking about Aaron did this, or Aaron did that, and it kept happening, I became suspicious. I'm a pretty good judge of character, but so far I don't see any ulterior motive here. I am curious, though. Why haven't you asked her for a date?"

"Uhhm, well, we have had a couple of dates I guess ... in a way."

"You mean taking the children to the park or the zoo?"

I nodded.

"That wasn't quite what I was thinking of. I've told Yolanda that I will always be available for baby-sitting duties whenever she needs me. My grandchildren are special to me, and on top of that, they're wonderful kids. I gather from what she has said, you think so too."

"Absolutely! I'll be the first to admit that I was using them to replace my own boys, but it didn't take long before I was thinking of them as two great kids who make their mother proud."

"So I hear. You've made two young people very happy, Aaron. You may not realize it, but they are starting to think of you in more important terms than just a friend of their mother's."

"Well, they stole my heart first. That's my only defense."

She smiled at me, and it was a friendly, open smile. There was no threat coming from Meg McCarty.

"I think you might be on the way to stealing their mother's heart too."

"You could have fooled me, Meg. I've been trying to get Yolanda to open up, but she's very protective ... very guarded. I've been afraid to ask her for a date for fear I'd push her even farther away."

"Go ahead and ask her. You might get a surprise. And don't worry ... I'll be there to look after the children. I work cheap," she grinned.

"Yeah ... that's another thing. Yolanda is obsessed with keeping within her budget. I understand why, but I she needs to give herself a break. She's so devoted to the children at the expense of herself."

"That's exactly right, and the only person that's likely to change that is you," she said pointing her finger toward me. "She refused to let me help her financially. Just the same, I know my daughter pretty well, and she wouldn't be talking about you every time I called if you hadn't made an impression on her."

"Well then, I guess it's up to me."

She smiled again and rose from the chair. "I have a feeling that you will be good for my daughter. She needs something good in her life. I hope you are it."

I walked to the door with her and opened it. "Thank you for coming, Meg. You've helped me make up my mind. It's time I made the first move. I guess I'll just have to hope for the best."

She turned and smiled once more, "It's nice to meet you, Aaron. I think my daughter would do very well to have you as a close friend."

With that she was gone, leaving me wondering just what had happened. Yolanda's mother was giving me approval to date her daughter. In fact, she was encouraging it. But what made her think that Yolanda would agree? That business about her mentioning me to her mother regularly caught me by surprise. Did I have a greater effect on her than I thought?

Thursday morning I awoke after a restless night of interrupted sleep. I had spent the time thinking about all the scenarios that might occur when I asked Yolanda for a date. I felt like I was reverting to my teenage years, frightened to death of rejection, uncertain how to approach a girl I was interested in. Worried that word would get out that I had been turned down. It didn't seem much different over twenty years later.

"Hi, Yolanda, it's Aaron. How are you?" I asked nervously when she picked up the phone.

"Fine ... I'm fine. How are you?"

"Good. Everything's good." I had run out the string. That was my opening, but I hadn't worked out where I went from here.

"What did you call about?" she asked after the long pause.

"Uhhm ... actually ... I was wondering ... maybe ... you and I ... well ... we could go out some time. You know ... to dinner or something." Jesus! That was pathetic. I was cringing as I waited for a response. Any response.

"Oh ... well ... that sounds nice. I'd have to make sure my mother could baby-sit for me ... but ... yes, I'd like that."

Holy shit! She said yes! "That's great ... really great. I was thinking maybe Saturday night. Would that be all right?"

"Yes. I'm sure mother would be happy to look after the children. What time?"

"Oh ... uhhm ... say seven o'clock? That wouldn't be too late, would it?"

"No," she giggled lightly, "that would be fine. I'll let you know if there's any problem, but you can pick me up at seven."

When I finally hung up, I felt like I was on drugs. My head was spinning, and I could feel the tension release in my chest. It was crazy how uptight I had been about asking a woman out on a date. I was thirty-seven years old and I was acting like I was thirteen. I needed to get a life.

I changed my mind three or four times about what I would wear. At first I thought maybe I would wear a suit. Then, thinking that would be too formal, I figured a sport coat and casual shirt. It must have taken me two or three tries to finally decide on a blazer, slacks, and an open-neck button-down dress shirt. I would have a tie tucked in my inside pocket, just in case. This date had become a serious deal.

When I arrived at the Michaels' door, I was greeted by the usual stampede of children's feet, followed by the struggle at the door. Deanna won this time.

"Hi Mr. Prentice," the two said almost in perfect unison.

"Hi Deanna, Hi Kirk. How are you tonight?"

"Mom's putting her clothes on," Kirk volunteered.

I couldn't help myself, I laughed, noticing that Meg McCarty was stifling one herself.

"Hello, Meg. How are you tonight?" I asked.

"I'm fine, Aaron. So nice you're taking Yolanda out to dinner tonight. I hope you enjoy yourselves. Don't feel rushed to get back here, either. I can look after things fine," she said with a wink.

"How come you are going out to supper? You could have had supper here, you know? Grandma did," Kirk announced.

"Uh, well, I thought it might be nice if your mom didn't have to cook and do the dishes tonight," I managed.

"Oh." That must have satisfied Kirk. Deanna was sitting beside her grandmother on the sofa and smiling. In fact, she was having a hard time suppressing a giggle.

"So, what's so funny, young lady," I asked.

"Mommy's going on a date with her boyfriend," she snickered.

"She is? I thought she was going out with me," I cried, feigning ignorance.

"No, silly. You're her boyfriend."

"I am?"

"Yes. You're the only one who comes to the house. And you help Mommy. You even have lunch with us. You must be her boyfriend," she announced with indisputable logic.

"Oh, I didn't know that," I said, looking sideways at Meg and noting her mirthful expression. "Well, I hope I'm dressed okay then."

"You have shiny shoes, just like my dad used to have," she said. "He was in the army, and he always had to have shiny shoes. I like shiny shoes."

"Me too, Deanna," I said with a big smile.

Yolanda made her entrance, and I was caught by surprise. She was dressed in a beautiful burgundy sheath dress that made sure everyone knew she was all female. The cleavage was noticeable, but not excessive. The hemline was just at the knees, the shoulders bare. Her hair seemed different, but I couldn't quite put my finger on the change.

She was wearing makeup for the first time since I had known her. A simple gold chain around her neck, small gold loop earrings, and a slim wristwatch were the only accessories. She looked spectacular.

"Wow," was my eloquent pronouncement.

"You look pretty, Mommy," Deanna said sincerely.

"Thank you, darling. And thank you for the 'Wow,' Aaron," she smiled.

"I have to ask. Is this one of your creations?" I asked in admiration.

"Yes. I take it you approve."

"Oh my. It is lovely. I think I should go home and change into something more formal."

She laughed. "No, you look very nice. I wasn't trying to upstage you."

"You two run along now or you'll be late for your reservation. Have a nice evening," Meg said, obviously trying to get us moving.

It was a typical warm spring evening in central California. There was no need for a jacket or wrap for Yolanda. I had made reservations at George's, a European restaurant that I frequented. The food was excellent, as long as you weren't afraid of garlic. I took a chance, but with Meg McCarty's advice, I knew it wasn't a big one.

Meg had called me after I made my date with her daughter and congratulated me on my quick action. Apparently, she had told Yolanda about her visit to my home, but not necessarily all the details. I was getting to like Meg more and more. She was my kind of gal.

Then again, so was Yolanda. For the first time in a long time, I was thinking of a woman I wanted to be involved with more intimately. Sex had reared its long-suppressed head. Two years of abstinence had caused my formerly normal male urges to hibernate, but a burgundy dress and a beautiful woman had prodded me into wakefulness.

I'm sure the food was wonderful. Yolanda said it was and I was satisfied she meant it. I don't remember. I was just as lost in her company as I was on the telephone when I asked her for this date. I had gone from being the white knight to something a little less shiny. My primal urges were once again coming to the fore. Yolanda Michaels was a babe!

I had been very careful to only have one glass of wine, since I was driving and I wanted to continue the evening.

"Yolanda, there's a nice place called the Carousel that features a traditional dance band on the weekend. Would you like to go there with me? I'm not a terrible dancer," I said, hoping I hadn't discouraged her.

"All right. I haven't been dancing in years. It will be nice to try again, but I warn you, I might be a little rusty," she smiled.

"No more than me. Let's go." We walked hand-in-hand to the car.

Yolanda loosened up quite a bit. She was relaxed and enjoying herself. Our conversation during dinner was pleasant and unforced. We talked a little about everything, and discovered what we had in common, which was more than I would have guessed. The only topic that was off-limits was her late husband, but I hadn't planned to bring him up anyway.

The Carousel was a large, circular convention center, broken up into sections for various events. Each weekend, a dance band was booked, and the public was welcome from eight o'clock through one in the morning. There was a bar served by attractively dressed waitresses. Georgia and I had been here few times, and we enjoyed it.

The typical music was swing and forties-fifties standards. It was aimed at older couples and didn't feature rock-and-roll. It was exactly what I wanted for Yolanda and myself. You could talk without being drowned out by the music, and the atmosphere was more intimate. I might not have had much to drink, but I was intoxicated by Yolanda.

This was a completely different woman than I had understood before tonight. She might have been unaware of her seductive charm, but no one else was. As I held her in my arms, I was being seduced ... willingly. We spent quite a lot of time on the dance floor, and as the evening progressed, she was dancing closer and closer to me.

"Thank you," she said quietly, as we danced slowly to a soft melody. "This is very nice. It's been so long." She didn't finish the thought.

"My pleasure. It's been just as nice for me. I think most of the men in this place are envious of me. You look so beautiful tonight. I feel very lucky."

She looked up at me and smiled. I had the urge to kiss her, but I held back, waiting until I was more confident that it wouldn't be rejected. She tucked her head back into me and we continued on slowly, barely moving in place. I was happy that she was in my arms.

All too soon, it was time to go. I was surprised that it was midnight. The time seemed to escape us so quickly. We drove back to her home in silence, both of us lost in our thoughts, I suppose. For me, it was about where this might go in the future. I wanted there to be a future for us. If I was falling in love with her, it was her fault. She was irresistible. It just took me a while to figure that out.

As we got to the front door, she turned to me.

"That was lovely, Aaron. Thank you," she smiled.

"Can we do this again?"

"I'd like to," she said, surprising me. "Good night." At that moment, she leaned into me and kissed me. A nice, gentle, full-on-the-lips kiss.

By the time I'd opened my eyes, she had opened the door and turned back to me.

"Call me."

Two words. That was enough. Just two simple words.

I turned, and in a giddy state, walked back down the stairs toward my car. A perfect evening. A perfect moment ... that kiss. Things were starting to go the way I hoped they would. I could feel the adrenalin pumping through my veins as I drove back to my condo.

I was still experiencing that euphoric state as I got out of my car. I remember a bright flash of light before I felt the incredible pain that followed. My head, my chest, my gut. Pain like nothing I'd ever experienced. I was losing consciousness as I slipped to the ground. What was happening to me? It was my last sentient thought.

To be continued...

Edited by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks for their thoroughness and helpful suggestions. Any errors are mine.