Southbound Ch. 05-06

I approached a middle-aged woman who dressed professionally and looked reasonably prosperous.

"Hello, I'm Andy Andrews. I'll be moving to this area in a short time and I'm looking for a house."

I got a big smile as dollar signs flashed in her eyes. "Hello, I'm Sylvia Castro," she said extending her hand. "Why don't you come into the conference room and I can get some details from you."

For the next half-hour, I provided my musts, wants, and like-to-haves. I gave her my financial information and place of work. I was quite pleased with her approach. She didn't have any other agenda than to find a house that fit my specifications. She went over a map of both Livermore and Pleasanton and showed me the good areas and the not-so-desirable areas. Then she pinpointed the location of the houses that fit my budget and needs.

We narrowed the field down to six to begin with. The price range was between $350,000 and $450,000. She reminded me that my mortgage payments had a tax deductible component. Silvia did a good job of explaining what the tax system was, including the property taxes.

Leo had been particularly generous with my salary and it made it easier to contemplate buying a home. Even though I was still paying the remaining mortgage and taxes on my former home, I had adequate income to purchase a home here in California. If Carla was to sell our Langley home, we would split the equity and my voluntary obligation would come to an end.

We scheduled four tours on Saturday and two on Sunday afternoon. By late Sunday afternoon, I had seen one house that I liked and Sylvia assured me that it was in a good district. It was also at the top end of my budget. I wanted a second opinion. I pulled out my cell phone and called Fiona.

"Hi Fiona, it's Andy. I need some help from you," I said, hoping I hadn't disturbed her.

"Sure, Andy. What can I do?"

"I'm looking at a house in the vicinity of Broadmoor and Idlewild. Do you know the area?"

I could hear a low chuckle. "I should. I live about two blocks from there. What's the address?"

I gave it to her.

"I'll meet you there in five minutes."

"Great. I'd like your opinion."

"Sure thing, I'll be there shortly."

That was a break. She would know the neighbourhood. Sylvia had gone home and I could get an unvarnished opinion without any hype or pressure.

True to her word, Fiona appeared five minutes later with a young lady accompanying her. I guessed that this was her daughter.

"Andy, this is my daughter, Tina. Tina, this is Mr. Andrews, my boss."

"Hi, Mr. Andrews. I've been hearing a lot about you," she grinned.

"Oh, not all bad I hope."

"No ... nothing like that. As a matter of fact ..."

"Christina!" Fiona said in a warning voice. "Enough."

I looked at the young girl and saw a secret smile, then turned to her mother, who looked much more concerned.

"Which house were you looking at?" Fiona asked, breaking the silence.

I pointed across the street at a low ranch style home with a big tree in the front yard and an attached garage.

"Nice," she said. "Looks really well kept. These houses were built in the seventies. Have they updated the inside?"

"Yes. You can see the pictures on the realty website. It's got a new heat pump and a new roof. The kitchen is about three years old. All stainless steel appliances. Nice wood floors in many of the rooms. The bathrooms have all been redone. It's almost a new house."

"It's a good neighbourhood, Andy. Tina and I feel safe here and we're away from the heavy traffic zone."

"That's good to know. The price is at the upper end of my budget, but maybe I can make an offer and see if the owners will come down. It's been on the market for over six months."

"I don't know what your agent told you, but real estate is a tough sell these days. There are a lot of foreclosures and bank sales on the market. If you knock five to seven percent off the asking, you might get it without too much haggling."

"Thanks for the advice. If I decide to make an offer, I'll do just that. I want to do a little more looking, but I have to admit that this is a nice area. I've looked at two other houses in this area and they weren't as nice as this one. Of course, they weren't as expensive either," I noted.

"If you're all done for the day," Fiona said, "why don't you stop by the house. I can offer a cold beer or a glass of wine."

"That's very nice of you. Thank you. I'll take you up on the offer. I'll drive you there."

The two women got into my rental and we drove the two-and-a-half blocks to her house. When we arrived, I could see that it looked a lot like the one I had just shown them, including the big tree in the front yard and the attached garage.

"I wonder if these were built by the same contractor?"

"Probably," Fiona said. "He built most of this subdivision. Something like a hundred homes if I remember correctly."

"How long have you lived here?"

"Uhhm ... you were six when we bought this house, Tina, so it's been eleven years in April."

"You've done very well to provide a home for your daughter as a single parent. That couldn't have been easy."

"Mom worked her buns off," Tina said abruptly.

"Tina," Fiona reproved.

"Well you did, Mom. She nearly redid the whole inside of the house almost by herself, Mr. Andrews."

"I'm not surprised, Tina," I said in support. "Your mother is a high achievement person and is going to do very well in the future."

"Maybe she'll have time to find a boyfriend or even a husband," Tina said with a look of frustration.

"Christina, you're out of line," Fiona said, showing signs of an embarrassing blush.

The young girl turned to me and gave me a raised eyebrow before prancing out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Andy. She can be quite irritating at times."

"I didn't mind a bit, but then, I wasn't the object of her needle. She gave me the impression she's very proud of you."

"I know ... I'm lucky I guess. She is a good kid and I don't have to worry about her too much. No more than any mother does I guess. They grow up so fast these days that I almost wish I could slow it down."

"I've been thinking the very same thing about my sons. Our oldest, Neal, is going into his third year of college and Phil will be starting his first. It won't be very long before both will be out on their own and leading completely independent lives."

"You told me your youngest was living with his mother in your old home," Fiona said.

"Yes. My ex-wife decided she wanted something more out of her life. She found our life boring. Our divorce was final just before Christmas. We were married nearly twenty-three years. I'm still getting used to being on my own. This new job will help me keep my mind off the past for now."

"Boring? I find that hard to believe," she said with a shake of her head.

"What she was saying was that we found we had little in common among our interests. We co-existed for the sake of the children and when that became unnecessary, she decided to strike out on her own. It was a pretty painless divorce as divorces go. We still get along fairly well, just not together."

She nodded, but didn't probe further.

"So what are your interests?" she asked at length.

I shrugged. "I like to read. I'm more likely to pick a non-fiction book than fiction. I'm a football fan, a modest hockey fan, and a late-season baseball fan. I play golf, but not well. I walk and try to preserve some fitness at an exercise center. I pretty much did my knees in playing football and skiing. I'm fascinated by politics at all levels, but I would never in my lifetime run for office. I can eat almost anything except Brussels sprouts. I guess that about covers it."

"I guess it does," she laughed. "You forgot your shoe size."

"Ten," I chuckled in reply.

"So, who's your NFL team?"

"Seahawks, of course," I stated, almost indignantly.

"Oh no! Not another one."

"What about you?"

"Silver and black. Just win, baby. The Raaaay-duhs!"

"Talk about a lost cause," I harrumphed.

"You just wait," she taunted. "One of these drafts we're going to get a quarterback."

"Well, you could be right," I laughed. "You keep finishing last and the law of averages says you'll get one sooner or later."

"And your hockey team is the Canucks, I assume," she said.

"Naturally. And yours?"

"The Sharks."

"Makes sense," I shrugged. "So it's reasonable to assume you are a sports fan?"

"I am. We go to the Athletics games during the summer. They always put on a good show for the money. Football and hockey are too expensive right now."

"Yeah, that was the same up north. Football wasn't bad. The CFL isn't the NFL but it is entertaining. Hockey tickets are insane, though. We only have Single A baseball for now. We used to have a Triple A team back in the old days. A Baltimore Oriole farm team in the old Pacific Coast League."

"What's your handicap?" Fiona asked.

"Uhhm, I hate to admit it, but I'm about a twenty these days."

"Good, then we're about even," she said happily. "We should get a game one day."

"I'll have to remember to bring my clubs down on my next trip. They're still sitting in my garage gathering dust."

"Same here, but if you'd like to play, I'd be happy to join you."

"I'd like that. The weather here is a lot more conducive to playing at this time of the year."

"It gets far too hot in the middle of summer," she said.

"So your life isn't quite as empty as your daughter tried to portray," I grinned.

"Not quite," she said, giving me a strange look.

As I drove back to the hotel, I thought about Fiona. We had a lot in common. Much more than Carla and I ever did. She wasn't an employee, but an independent contractor. I couldn't see any reason not to date her other than if she wasn't interested. I was putting a lot of faith in her to make a big difference to the new plant. It was odd that I didn't have any concern that she couldn't do what she set out to do. She had success written all over her. I was lucky as hell that she was still around when I arrived. Loyalty to Lorne, I assumed.

My sex life had gone from slim to none in the space of the last six months. I found myself checking out any reasonably attractive woman I came in contact with during my travels. The Langley office staff was off limits and, to tell the truth, there wasn't anyone there who even remotely attracted my attention. I would often stop for a quick lunch at the food court in the mall and look over the various women that strolled by. It was a futile business, but at least that kept me interested in the female of the species.

I was on the verge of asking Fiona for a date. All I had to do was decide what kind of a date and then work up the necessary courage to actually ask her. So it came as a surprise when the whole issue was taken out of my hands by Fiona.

"Andy, would you like to have dinner with me this coming weekend? I'm a pretty good cook and I'm guessing you probably won't have anything special on."

"Uhhm, yes ... sure ... I'd like that. Thank you," I stammered in surprise.

"Great. How does Saturday at six sound?"

"It sounds fine. I'll look forward to it."

It was that simple. She had seized the initiative before I could. I shouldn't have been surprised when I thought about it. It was in keeping with her personality. She would consider, decide, and act. I was wearing a continuous smile for the rest of the day.

It wouldn't be polite to be late, so I arrived at the Alexander home just before six.

"Come in," Fiona smiled as she opened the door.

I handed her a bottle of wine and some flowers.

"You didn't need to do this, Andy, but thank you. They're very nice," she said, referring to the flowers.

"Old habits die hard."

"I'll open the wine and we can have a glass."

The dining room table was set for two I noticed.

"Is Tina out for the evening?"

"Yes. She subtly suggested we would want some privacy and decided to spend the night at her friend's house."

That left me speechless. Fiona must have thought I was struck dumb or something, but being who she was, she simply upped the ante.

"Do you have any objection to our having a relationship?"

I came as close as possible to snorting red wine through my nose. My eyes watered and I quickly found a cocktail napkin to stem the flow of wine from both my nose and my mouth. At that point, I began to cough and immediately reached for a napkin.

It took me a minute to get over the coughing spell. My vision was blurred, but I could still see Fiona grinning at my reaction and distress. When I finally managed to get myself under control, I wondered if she had forgotten what prompted my brief fit. Yeah, sure.

"So ... what do you think?" she said, now with a much more conspiratorial smirk.

"About what?" I asked, feigning memory loss.

"You know perfectly well I asked you if you had any objection to our having a relationship."

"Oh that," I mumbled, wondering just how to answer that very leading question.

She was willing to wait me out, so I couldn't expect her to try and lead me.

After a deep breath, and then to my own surprise, I told the truth.

"No ... I don't have any objection at all. I find you very attractive and we have a lot in common as we have both discovered. I don't have any hang up about dating someone who works for or with me. So ... there's your answer."

Fiona put her wine glass down, took mine out of my hand and placed it on the coffee table. Did I mention we were sitting near each other on a sofa? Well, she closed the distance, put a warm hand on my cheek and drew me in for our first kiss. It was a very nice first kiss.

"I hope you like my cooking," she murmured, her lips only a couple of inches from mine. "I'm going to feed you first, then we'll talk about other things."

I really wasn't ready for this conversation. "Okay," I finally managed before recovering. I was thinking about how nice the kiss was and how I'd like another. I closed the gap between us and kissed her again.

"I never kiss on the first date," she said as I withdrew the obligatory two inches.

I laughed. Not loudly, but enough to let her know I got the joke.

"If I eat too fast, you'll tell me to slow down, won't you?" I asked.

"Why would you eat too fast?" she said, probably guessing where I was going with this.

"To get to that talk about the 'other things.'"

"I'll make sure you eat properly and digest everything ... including my words," she smiled with a sultry look.

The meal was wonderful, whatever it was. Oh yeah, beef stroganoff. I wasn't concentrating. But it was very good and I complimented her several times. She was very talented in the kitchen as well.

We took care of washing the items that didn't go in the dishwasher. She washed and I dried. It was my usual response at home, so it made sense to continue here.

"You're a pretty domesticated guy, Andy."

"Housebroken and trained," I admitted. "I make the bed in the morning, I wash the floors once a week, and I don't leave the toilet seat up."

That got a quick laugh and a question. "Is that the Canadian way?"

"Oh hell no, my oldest son is a confirmed slob. I just don't choose to live that way. Call me anal, but that's me."

"Do you do windows?" she giggled.

"Now, to be perfectly honest, I don't do a very good job on windows or mirrors. My wife ... I mean ex-wife ... didn't think much of my window cleaning efforts. She claimed I always left streaks, even though I couldn't see them."

"Foolish woman," Fiona said, shaking her head.

We were sitting much closer on the sofa since we had returned. Now that the ice had been broken, we were a little less cautious about our conversation. Of course, Fiona had set the stage for that.

She was wearing a skirt and blouse outfit with some simple flats on her feet. The blouse was cream coloured and the skirt was navy blue. She showed only a hint of makeup, mostly around the eyes. I felt quite comfortable with her. I really didn't know much about her, but everything I learned made her that much more attractive. I liked strong women. Women with opinions. Women who were confident. Women who were in control of their life. Fiona was one of those women.

Her hand was between us, resting on the sofa cushion. I took a chance and covered it gently with my hand.

"Is it too soon for you, Andy?" she asked.

I didn't have to have the question explained. I knew exactly what she meant.

"No ... no it's not. My marriage had been failing for some time. It just took me a while to understand that it wasn't fixable. When she told me she had fallen out of love with me, I realized that I had fallen out of love with her as well. It was only a misplaced sense of responsibility that made me try and salvage it.

"You are a very appealing woman. More importantly, we have a great deal in common. I think that was a big factor in my marriage. We had so little in common. Without the boys, it would have been over much sooner, I think."

"You married young," she observed. "That might have been a reason."

"I'm sure it was. My mother often said, 'Marry in haste, repent at leisure.' I wasn't very mature back then, Fiona. I was just starting out on a career and wanted someone to share it with. And, of course, there was the sex. I don't think I really understood what I was in for until I was thirty. However, as badly as it turned out, both of us can take the blame. Both of us were anxious to get married."

"It's hard to imagine you as immature," she said. "You are so far from that now. I watched you when you made that speech to the employees when you announced that you were buying Statewide and were going to make it something much more modern. I didn't get the impression someone else wrote that for you. I thought you were pretty much speaking from the heart."

"I was, but remember, that was over twenty years later. Twenty years of growing up and facing reality. Leo was my mentor. He didn't just encourage me, he demanded I succeed. He made me try harder, reach higher, be better. I owe him for all the success I've had."

"Maybe, but you still had to do the work. He may have pushed, but you accomplished your goals. I like Leo too, but I don't know him like you do. As a matter of fact, I haven't met anyone in Flex-Tek that I don't like. That's pretty unusual."

I leaned toward her and kissed her again. I got a much more aggressive response. She wrapped her arms around me and our tongues collided. The kiss went on for some time until we broke apart, looking at each other intently.

"I want you, Andy. If I'm honest with myself, I've wanted you from the first time we talked. I've waited a long time for the right man to come along. My senses are telling me now is that time. I want you to make love to me. I want that very much. Do you want it too?

To Be Continued