Rob and Several Ladies

I laid down on my bed, stared up at the ceiling and ran my relationship with Kathy through my mind. I tried to pin point something - anything - that would have shown me that Kathy didn't feel the way about me that I felt about her, but I couldn't see it. Maybe it was true. Maybe love was blind.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next day was the first day of class and luckily, at least for the first semester, I had no shared classes with Kathy. All my classes were morning classes and I'd taken them so I could work a full afternoon shift at the warehouse. That meant that I wouldn't be having lunch at the Student Union and if I stuck to my schedule and got the hell off campus as soon as classes were over I could avoid Kathy.

I'm sure that by now almost everyone has heard the saying that "Man plans and the Gods laugh." When my last class was over I beat feet to the parking lot only to find Kathy sitting in my car. I'd forgotten that I'd given her a set of keys so she could use the car while I was at work. I got in and said:

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"You ran away before I could explain myself to you and I didn't want to talk about it on the phone. You probably wouldn't have taken my call anyway. This seemed like the best way to get to you."

I was tempted to say "Why bother" but I kept my mouth shut.

"Just hear me out okay?'

I just sat there and silently looked at her.

"I don't want to get married now baby. I'm not saying no to you; I'm saying no to marriage. I haven't busted my butt to get a degree just to toss it into the trash can and become a wife and mother. I fully intend to use my degree Rob, but right now I have no idea where. When I start sending out resumes I have no idea what I might be offered. It could be east coast, west coast or down south somewhere. I couldn't just pack up and go if I were married.

"Think about it Rob. We get married, I get offered my dream job, but it is in New York, Boston or maybe Los Angeles and you say that you aren't going to move there. You already know what you will be doing. You are going to stay right here and go full-time at Boysen's. I might get a job in this area or I might not.

"Then there is the fact that I know you too well baby. I know you are going to want a family and you will start pressing me to give you kids and I'm going to have to tell you no. Again baby; I didn't bust my ass to get a degree and then not use it."

I sat, listened, and by the time she was done I could see where she was coming from and accept it, but it changed nothing. Whether our relationship had ended last night or would end with our graduation the fact remained that our relationship was over.

"Say something baby?"

"What's to say? You covered it all. We have no future."

I started the car, put it in gear and as soon as we started moving Kathy asked "What are you doing?"

"Since you are already in the car I'm giving you a ride to your apartment."

We drove in silence for a minute or two and then she said "We still have till schools over Rob."

"Right; and I can wake up every morning and know I'm one day closer to losing you. No thanks. Bottom line here is that I loved you enough to ask you to marry me and you don't care enough about me to choose me over a career. I have no interest in being second place in my lady's life."

She didn't say anything to that and that in itself said more than words could have. I pulled up in front of her apartment and waited for her to get out. She hesitated a bit and then said:

"I'm sorry Rob; I really am."

I said nothing and just waited for her to get out of the car. When she got out I drove away without looking back.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For the next month my life consisted of nothing but school and work. I did occasionally see Kathy around the campus, but never did talk with her. A couple of times she saw me and started to head towards me, but then caught herself and moved in another direction.

I passed up several chances to date because, quite frankly, I was tired of investing my time in girls that would either leave me hanging or hang me out to dry. Then one day I saw something that must have flipped a switch in my head and I started looking at girls again. The something? I saw Kathy walking with a guy and they were talking and laughing together. It was like a voice in my head said:

"She can move on so why can't you?"

For the rest of the term I dated some and got laid a time or two. At the start of my last semester my class in Management Decision Analysis was broken up into groups for another project. The group consisted of me, one other guy and three girls. I'd dated two of them the previous semester, but even though I'd seen the third around campus I didn't know her. Her name was Nancy, but she preferred to be called Nan. The group met twice a week after class in the library and after the third meeting the three girls and I started stopping at the Village Inn for coffee. For some reason or other Hank, the other guy, could never join us or maybe never wanted to).

One night Cyndi and Cora didn't join us and it was just Nan and me at VI. We had been talking about some stupid so called 'reality show' when suddenly Nan said:

"Both Cora and Cyndi say you are a fun date. When do I get my chance?"

I was sipping my coffee when she said it and I almost spit it out. I put the cup down and said "I beg your pardon?"

"Simple enough. I want to go out with you and I don't want to wait around for you to ask so I'm just putting it out there."

She as a good looking girl and I hadn't been out on a date in a while so I said "What time and where?"

I had a good time on our first two dates, but the third date is when things got interesting. The first two dates I received a goodnight kiss on the cheek, but on the third Nan hit me with:

"Every girl I've talked with who knows you says you are a pretty nice guy. Cora says you are pretty good between the sheets. Cyndi says "I'll never tell" but she is smiling when she says it. Samantha Stark (the first girl I dated after my break with Kathy) said she wished she could have kept you, but you were too leery of a relationship at the time. What I am getting at is that I'm a healthy female and I have certain needs I am looking for a friends with benefits relationship until the term is over. I have no interest in marriage. I just need to get laid on a regular basis. No strings attached. Your choice. If you are in let's do it. If you aren't this is our last date."

She loved it all. She gave great head, liked it in any position you could think of and a session couldn't end without doing anal at least once. Nan was the perfect woman for me at that stage of my life. I liked her a lot, but I didn't love her. We had some good times together and she never failed to drain me dry when we got together. I was almost sorry when graduation day came. We had one last night together the day we walked across the stage and got our sheepskins and then she left for Atlanta and I never heard from her again.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

At Boysen's I had been being groomed to take over from my boss when he retired. It was expected that he would retire the year after I graduated and that I would have that year to work with him before taking over. It didn't work out that way. I came in to work one Wednesday morning and found him dead on the floor of his office. He'd had a massive heart attack.

Suddenly I was up to my ears in a job I was only half prepared for. I was putting in ten or twelve hours a day for six and sometime seven days a week. All I was able to do was eat, sleep and go to work. It took a little over six months before I got it to where I was only putting in about fifty hours a week.

I started going out and meeting people and I met a few ladies that I got to know really well. One of those ladies was Nadia Spellman. We dated for a month before we fell into a rather torrid affair. The woman was a fuck Goddess. She wanted to make love all the time and I was going to say no? I was thinking of asking her to marry me when it was taken out of my hands.

"We have to talk Rob."

"Why Nadia? What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant."

A week later I carried my bride over the threshold of my apartment. The next six months were pure bliss. I had the life I wanted. A good job, a gorgeous wife, a sex life that would tire out a satyr and a child on the way. All that was missing was the house with a yard and a dog and cat, but we were working on that and had looked at a couple that were for sale.

In her seventh month Nadia fell down some stairs at work and it caused her to miscarry. Things were glum for a while with her and then she seemed to come out of it. The doctors had told us there didn't seem to be a reason why we couldn't try again, but Nadia let me know in no uncertain terms that she wouldn't be ready to try again any time soon.

When the doctor cleared her to have sex again she was back to her usual insatiable self. Another six months went by and then one afternoon I decided to surprise Nadia at work and take her to lunch. There was surprise and it was for both of us. When I walked unannounced into her office she was surprised to see me. I was surprised to see her on her knees sucking off one of her coworkers while he sat on the edge her desk.

"Excuse me; I should have knocked" I said and I turned and left.

The divorce was hassle free. I didn't want her anymore after seeing her on her knees and she obviously didn't want me. Turns out they had been fucking for months and she had intended to leave me anyway. I never asked any of the questions most guys would ask like "Why" and "What did I do wrong" because I really didn't care. Wages were comparable so no alimony. No assets to speak off except some savings that were split and we both kept our own cars. After we split it didn't take me long to decide that I probably wasn't the one who got her pregnant in the first place.

One day my boss called me into his office and asked if I would be interested in taking a promotion and transferring to Dayton. I had nothing holding me back so I said yes.

The first month was spent in getting acclimated to the job and the area. It was when I started checking out the night life that things got interesting. It was a Saturday night and I had been told the Starlight Lounge was 'a happening place' so I decided to check it out.

I'd been there about an hour and I'd dance with a few unescorted ladies and was considering making a move on the redhead when four girls came in and took a table near the back of the room. I couldn't believe my eyes. One of them was Kathy. What were the odds on that happening?

At the same time I recognized her she glanced my way and I saw the look of recognition come over her face. She turned, said something to the other three and then I had four sets of eyes looking over at me.

The polite thing for me to do would be to get up, go over and say hi, but the truth of the matter was that seeing Kathy instantly brought back the hurt she had laid on me way back when. I decided that my night was shot and I got up to leave. I was almost to the door when a hand grabbed my arm and a woman's voice said:

"Hey! Where are you going?"

I turned and saw one of the girls who had come in with Kathy.

"Need to get out of here" I said.

"She told us you would probably cut and run as soon as you saw her, but we want you to stay."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because Kat has told us so much about you over the last couple of years that we all feel we know you and we would like to get to know you better."

"Kathy talking about me? I doubt that."

"It's true. We've all heard about how she had the perfect guy and then got stupid and let him get away."

"She said that? Sure doesn't sound like the Kathy I knew."

"Believe it. So how about it? Stick around; it might be fun."

I had to admit to some curiosity so I said "Lead on sweetie."

"Sweetie?" she said as she pulled me towards her table. "She didn't tell us you had a silver tongue."

They had grabbed a chair from another table and made room for me. They must have had a lot of confidence in the girl they sent after me. Her name was Jaime by the way. She introduced me to the others at the table. There was Meg, Jan, "And of course you know Kathy." I shook hands with the first two, but only nodded at Kathy. They had arranged my seating to be between Jaime and Meg and directly across from Kathy. Kathy smiled at me and said:

"You're looking well Rob."

"Clean living."

Then Jaime said "We are in here quite often, but I don't believe we've ever seen you in here before."

"This is my first time. I only moved here two months ago."

Then they wanted to know why I'd moved there and I explained it. While I was speaking I noticed Jaime looking at the dance floor and drumming her fingers on the table in time to the music so I took her arm and asked:

"Should we give the floor a shot?"

She smiled at me and fed my line back to me.

"Lead on sweetie."

We stayed out on the floor for two numbers and in the pause between the two Jaime said "I know all the girls at the table really well and I know that Meg is going to take a shot at you. Kathy will want to, but I think she will wait to see what you will do."

"Why is that?"

"She'll want to see some indication that you still have an interest. She won't take a chance at being rebuffed."

"Why won't Jan?"

"She has a fiancé, but you can never tell; she might just want to trade up."

The band started the next song and it was a slow waltz so Jaime was able to continue.

"The reason I brought it up is that knowing what the others are likely to do I want to get there first. If you are even half of what Kathy made you out to be I want to get to know you."

"I have no idea of what she has been saying, but believe me; I'm nothing special and I know it."

"What do you have to lose in letting me find that out for myself?"

She had me there so I said "All I need is a number to call and the best time to do it."

"I'll see that you get it before we leave."

The song ended and the lead singer announced that it was time for the band to take a break and that they would be back in fifteen minutes. When we got back to the table the girls pumped me for information about my job, where I was living, how did I like the area and so on. Kathy just sat there and listened, but made no effort to get in on the conversation.

The band came back and Meg said "My turn" and got up and took my arm. I got up and we moved out onto the floor. It didn't take me long to figure out that if Jaime was right and Meg was going to take a shot at me Meg would be wasting her time. It was readily apparent that she was a heavy smoker. Her hair, clothes and breath stunk of cigarette smoke and that was a major turn off for me.

She did make a stab at it and asked me if I'd met any girls that I might like to date since moving to Dayton. It was an open invitation and I knew it, but she didn't get the response she was looking for. I told her I had no time for that and that most of my time was going to be spent learning my new job and I didn't expect to have any spare time for at least a couple of months.

We went back to the table and I had another drink before asking Jan to dance. She said yes and once on the floor she asked:

"Are you going to ask Kathy to dance?"

"Why ask me that? Aren't you going to throw yourself at me?"

"I probably would have if I didn't already have Jeff, but what about asking Kathy?"

"I don't know. She was pretty definite when she kicked me to the curb."

"That was then. She realized it was a big mistake and she has regretted it. I know that for a fact because for years I've heard her whine about throwing the best thing that ever happened to her away."

"I don't know if I can. It has been years and I've finally gotten over it. Don't think I want to go there again."

"I'm not suggesting that you get back together with her although I'd bet my life that is what she wants. It won't hurt to extend an olive branch to her. If you can't do that you might not want to come in here anymore since she is in here two or three times a week."

"Has she turned into an alcoholic?"

"Not at all. We work just down the street and a bunch of us usually top in here to wind down. Gives us a chance to blow off steam and disparage management."

As I walked Jan back to the table I was asking myself if I really wanted to take the chance of opening old wounds. Voices in my head were going back and forth on the idea with one voice saying "You are over it; it won't hurt you to be polite" and another voice was saying "Don't do it; you'll just get sucked in again."

I hadn't made up my mind as to what to do where Kathy was concerned, but it turned out not to matter. As soon as Jan took her seat Kathy stood up and said "Next dance is mine." I couldn't say "No thank you" without seeming like an asshole to the other girls and I didn't want that to happen. Not if I expected Jaime to say yes to a date.

Once we were on the dance floor Kathy said "I didn't wait for you to ask me, because you weren't going to ask me were you?"

"There was a debate taking place in my head on whether or not I should. Hadn't made up my mind yet when you stood up."

"Any chance you might have dinner with me sometime soon? I'd love to talk with you."

"Don't know about that Kathy. It took me a while to get over you. Don't know I want to go back there."

"I'm not asking for a date type date. Just two old friends sharing a meal and talking."

"I'll think some on it, but don't get your hopes up. I don't see where any good can come out of it, but I can see the possibility of some hurt and some pain coming for me coming out of us meeting."

The song ended and we went back to the table.

I danced twice more with each of the girls, even Kathy, and later on in the evening when I came out of the bathroom I found Kathy waiting for me.

"I have a feeling that you weren't going to ask so I decided that if it was going to happen it was going to have to be up to me."

She handed me a piece of paper and I looked at it and saw that it was a phone number. I was a half second from just dropping it on the floor and walking away from her, but then I thought there was really no need for me to be an asshole so I put the paper in my pocket and said:

"We'll see. No promises; we'll see."

I had one more drink and one last dance with Jaime and then announced that I was calling it a night. As I stood up to leave Jaime handed me a piece of paper and said:

"Call me."

I wasn't looking in Kathy's direction so I don't know how she took it, but I did see Jan and Meg. Jan smiled and Meg got a sour look on her face and then I capped it by asking:

"When would be a good time?"

"Tomorrow around noon. I usually sleep in after one of these nights."

"Talk to you then" I said and then I left.

As I pulled out of the parking lot I was wondering how Kathy had taken that exchange between Jaime and me. I was hoping that it felt like a kick in the teeth to her. Maybe she would know what I felt like when she gave me her kiss off back in school.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The next day at twelve-fifteen I gave Jaime a call and asked her to have dinner with me and she said yes and gave me directions to her place. When I picked her up I told her since I was fairly new in town she would have to pick where we were going. She gave me directions and we headed to Alphonse's.

On the drive over I asked her how things had gone after I left. She laughed and said "It was like we were at a party and you had dropped a turd in the punch bowl. Meg was pissed. She actually thought we should have done something like rock, paper and scissors to see who got to date you first. Kathy was pissed in a "How could you do this to me" kind of way." Jan didn't say anything; she just sat there and laughed at us."