Summer Surprise Pt. 01

******

The closer she got to the date of the cruise, the more nervous Dianne got.

"This is stupid," she said to Chloe. "I feel like I'm going to be throwing myself at him. That's not me."

"Nonsense, just remember you're going on this cruise because it's a sad day for you and you want to get out of your head. You're giving him a chance to notice you and talk to you, that's it. You don't even have to kiss him. Unhappy fellow meets an unhappy girl and the rest should flow naturally. You might not hit it off, though I think you will. I have a nose for this shit. Just wear something a little nicer than most students would. It might be nippy, especially on the water, so bring a sweater."

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Regardless of what happens with Matt, just have a good time. Good food, late spring day, nice cruise on the Father of Waters, what's not to enjoy? Don't look at it like a date, it's more like an opportunity to quit studying."

******

Matthew called Chloe the day before Memorial Day.

"Chloe, I can't go on this cruise. I just don't feel like going. I don't feel all that social."

"Matthew Sanders, you dumb shit. Don't you dare cancel on me. I put big bucks out for this cruise for you. It's non-refundable. You'd just be wasting my fucking money."

"I can pay you back. Elaine returned all the money I gave her."

"And do what? Go sit and brood in your room all day. I bought this for you to get you out of your apartment. You're pale, like Casper the fucking ghost, pale from sulking in your room all winter and spring. Even if you spend the entire cruise sitting on a bench staring out at the river like you usually do in your apartment, at least you'll be out in the fresh air and sunshine."

"At least come with me. I'll buy your ticket."

"You really want to hang around with your gay ex-girlfriend some more? Besides even if the boat isn't already fully booked, I have rehearsal on Memorial Day."

"For what? The college has already put on its last spring play?"

"I've got a one woman show opening next week at the La Crosse Community Theater for two weeks; written, directed, produced and starring your favorite artsy-fartsy ex, moi."

"Really? How come I don't know about it?"

"Because you're lost in your own little world and have been for the last six months. Do you even know the name of my current roommate? She's been here three months. Even your mother and sisters know who it is."

"Are you sleeping with her?"

"Roommate, not girlfriend."

Matt was silent for a while, thinking. "Rhianne, LeeAnn, something with N's in it."

"Wonderful! I've introduced you three times and you don't even remember her name. Is it any wonder you don't know about my one woman show. Go on the fucking day cruise and get your head on right. You're the poorest excuse for an ex-boyfriend I've ever had, and there were three before you."

"Was I the only one who found you making out with another girl?"

"Yeah, so what? Is that your excuse for why you're so miserable?"

"You know it isn't."

"Well, I got news for you, bub. Your love affair with Elaine ended when you found out she was your sister. That relationship ain't gonna be more, it can't be more, so get over it already. I'm sick of your disconsolate carcass. Your melancholy bullshit isn't cool. If you don't go on the 'River Queen' tomorrow, don't bother coming back here."

"Chloe!"

"You're bringing me down, Matt. You know me. Ever seen me without a smile on my face, a smart ass remark on my tongue, and dripping anything less than sunshine?

"No."

"Well, it's getting harder and harder to do. I'm sick and tired of trying to be the bright spot in your life. I need to get laid every time I see you just to get geared up for another day, and I don't have enough sex for that, I'm too busy. You seriously need to stop being the anchor dragging me down. Figure it out."

Chloe ended the call. That was one of the toughest phone calls she'd ever had. She hoped it worked like a kick in the pants and put him on that boat tomorrow. She was running out of ideas.

******

Matt stared at the phone in his hand. He thought about the last several months. Okay, he could admit he hadn't been pleasant company, maybe even a downer, but she couldn't be serious. Shit! He couldn't see a life without Chloe someplace in it. She was the best friend he'd ever had. She always went above and beyond what any other friend would do. He remembered her coming over to his apartment, stripping, and telling him he should fuck her. Who does that? Chloe, that's who.

She also wasn't wrong about being the only bright spot in his week. The days seemed like a gray fog swirling around him, broken a little by the ray of sunshine that was Chloe attempting to burst through the mists. Imagining days without that tiny spark was too much. He'd better be on that boat tomorrow or he might as well end his own life. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

******

Chloe informed Dianne that Matt had called and said he might not go.

"I told him to forget ever coming over again if he didn't go, but who knows."

"You wouldn't do it, would you?"

"It's damn hard to kick your brother out of your life and that's kinda what Matt is to me, but I needed to threaten him with something he might take seriously. Hopefully, that will do the trick, but be forewarned he might not show. What are you going to wear?"

"I've got this corduroy dress which might keep me warm enough, and I'll bring a cashmere sweater my husband gave me our last Christmas together."

"Where was he stationed?"

"Fort Bragg."

"Fairly big climate change. What made you come to La Crosse instead of staying in North Carolina?"

"Too many reminders of Robert. Too much army surrounding the base. Thought it would be good to have a complete change of scenery."

"You're going to be seeing some of the change in scenery tomorrow."

******

It was 51 outside when Dianne got up, warming to 55 by the time she got on the 'River Queen' at nine. It was scheduled to get up to 65 around two, so she wouldn't freeze, no matter what happened. She got on the boat early so she could see if Matt got on and where he went. She could search for him for a couple hours if she missed him.

Arriving at 9:45, Matt was one of the last passengers to board. She wasn't surprised when he walked directly past her without recognizing who she was. She followed behind him as he made his way to the second deck, back near the paddlewheel. The vast majority of the passengers were either on the top deck or near the front of the boat enjoying the view, which left them relatively secluded and isolated. Dianne decided this was an ideal place to become distressed; though, she struggled to decide how to go about it. She knew she had to appear distraught enough to make him think she needed rescue, but only to the level that led to talking as opposed to a 911 call.

Matt was just sitting and quietly staring out at the water, almost unmoving, as if his mind was drifting and unfocused. Suddenly an inkling of an idea occurred to Dianne. Without looking at him, she walked to the railing, swung her legs over it, and then stood staring out at the water as if she was contemplating jumping in. She hoped he'd notice before she began to look ridiculous or she accidentally fell in.

"Please don't jump in. I'd feel compelled to go in after you and the water's still pretty damn cold this time of the year."

Dianne closed her eyes in relief. She grabbed the vertical post she was poised near and turned to look at him.

"Shit! I didn't see you sitting there. I don't think I would have jumped, though I've certainly contemplated something like it the last year."

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" Matt said.

"You should. I'm Chloe's roommate, Dianne. You're Matt right."

"Dianne. I couldn't remember your name when Chloe asked me yesterday."

"Not surprising. You haven't paid much attention to me when you've come by."

"Mind telling me what you're doing standing on that side of railing? Better yet, how about coming back to this side."

"Could you help me. I don't want to slip by accident, since neither of us wants to get wet and cold. I don't want to ruin this sweater, either."

Matt stood up, stepped to the railing, and grabbed Dianne's arms in a strong grip. He held her firmly until she'd swung both legs back over the railing and had safely slid down to the deck.

"Thanks, Matt."

"Want to tell me now, about the railing, and the sweater too, while you're at it."

"I met my former husband, Robert, on Memorial Day, 2014. These days, I tend to get sad during our anniversaries. This sweater was one of the things he gave me our last Christmas together."

"Divorced now?"

"Widowed. IED in Afghanistan, January, 2017."

"Shit! I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"No reason you should. We haven't conversed much. Chloe recommended I take this cruise because she knew I had an anniversary coming up. I don't think I would have jumped, but I have had some bad thoughts about it on occasion."

"You want to talk about it?"

"Are you sure you want to listen? Listening to other people's problems isn't a great way to spend a nice day like this."

"It's okay. I didn't really want to come on this thing either."

Dianne sat beside Matt and began recounting the story of her marriage to Robert. She was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to talk to him and thoroughly enjoyed how he really paid attention as she described her brief marriage to a good man, whom she deeply loved, who died before she got to spend much time with him.

He made it easy to share her loving summation, which encompassed all the little things her husband had done to show his love and appreciation, as well as, the good-natured teasing he'd done every time he saw her, such as asking her which window her lover had just ducked out of.

As it turned out, she didn't have to fake any crying. Matt was such a good listener, asking all the right questions, that she ended up crying all over his sleeve as he cradled her, avidly listening as she talked. She shared stories about a lot of the things she hadn't spoken of with anyone else since Robert died, and it felt wonderful to unburden herself. They talked for hours, ate lunch, talking some more, ate dinner, and were still talking when the boat re-docked.

"I'm sorry I ruined your cruise, Matt. I'm sure you have your own problems too," Dianne said.

"You didn't ruin it. Actually, this is the best I've felt in a long time. I was so engrossed in listening to your problems, I finally forgot about all of my own issues and remembered that I am not the only person in the world who has difficulties. Would you mind if I walked you back to Chloe's? I have to thank her."

"What for?"

"For making me go on this cruise. I was ready to bail."

"No problem, we can both thank her. I need to thank her too, for pushing me to go and making sure you didn't bail. Who knows what could have happened if you weren't there."

Matt laughed. "Hopefully, nothing. Pretty ladies like yourself shouldn't be removing themselves from the gene pool. The human race is ugly enough as it is."

"You flatterer."

Matt took her hand and walked Dianne back to her apartment. Chloe was up rehearsing her lines when they arrived.

"You must have gone today since you're showing your ugly mug around my apartment again." Chloe said.

"Yes, and I want to thank you. Why didn't you tell me you had such a beautiful roommate?"

"What's her name?"

"Dianne."

"Oh, goody. Not Rhianne, or LeeAnn or whatever name you might have come up with that has N's in it."

Matt laughed again. "No, Dianne."

"She tried to hold a conversation with you the last time you were here. It was like talking to a fence post. Glad you finally figured out how to carry on a conversation again. Dianne, did he drool in his food or can he be let out in polite society again?"

"Matt was actually quite nice. He has a good shoulder to cry on."

"Congratulations, Matt. If Dianne thinks you're ready to rejoin society again, you must be getting better. Get out of here. We need to have some girl chat. Maybe I'll make out with her a little to see if she's a good kisser. Beat it."

"Thank you, Matt, for listening while I unloaded all the grief I'd built up, and for walking me home."

Dianne stood on her tiptoes and kissed Matt's forehead.

"Any chance I can talk to you more some other day?" Matt asked.

"Absolutely. I need to study the next few days, but I should be free next weekend. Give me a call."

"What's your number?"

"The same as Chloe's."

"Shit! Right. Duh. Roommates."

"You're embarrassing me, Matt," Chloe said. "I told Dianne you were my best friend. You want her to think I choose social retards for friends?"

"Right. Thanks, Dianne, Chloe. Talk to you both later."

As soon as Matt was gone, Chloe asked, "Well?"

"He has potential. I liked this version of Matt better than last week's."

"What damsel in distress move did you pull on him?"

"Standing on the outer edge of the railing like I was thinking about jumping."

"Good one. You weren't really, were you?"

"No. The first six months, the thought crossed my mind a few times, but I'm past it now. He really is a good listener."

"Yes he is. It's what makes him a good rescuer. He helped get me through my sexual identity crisis even though I was cheating on him with a girl. You can't beat it in a man. He listens as well as most women do. I'll see you tomorrow."

Dianne laughed. "Aren't you going to kiss me? See how well I kiss?"

Chloe looked at her for a few moments, then laughed. "You wish. Good night, Dianne."

"Good night, Chloe."

Chloe smiled and went into her room.

Dianne showered and got ready for bed. As she relaxed for sleep, she thought about Matt before she thought about Robert. It was the first time she could remember doing so since he died.

******

Matt called her on Thursday.

"I didn't wait too long to call did I? You haven't made other plans?"

"No plans. I haven't really dated or anything since, you know."

"Right, and you did say you'd be free on the weekend, so I hoped, Friday night, pizza and soda, or whatever."

"Pizza and soda sound fine."

"I'll swing by at 6:30 and walk you to my favorite joint."

"Cool. I hope you're not expecting much. I haven't dated for four years and I don't want you thinking I'm ready for more than pizza. Not yet."

"Yeah, I get that. Chloe would kill me if I pushed too hard."

"I admire the friendship you have. It's pretty amazing."

"It is. I'm lucky."

"I think she's lucky too. You seem like a good guy."

"I hope you continue to think that."

"We'll see how it plays out. I'm not expecting anything, so I can be pleasantly surprised, or mildly disappointed."

"I'd like to keep you in the pleasantly surprised column."

******

Matt came by at the appointed time and took Dianne to an old timey pizza place. It had the ambiance of a Mom and Pop store transplanted from New York, or maybe Italy, except everyone spoke Midwestern English. They served beer, but both Matt and Dianne decided to have soft drinks. They chatted about this and that, keeping things fairly light-hearted. Matt talked about his favorite books and movies, his education, and his plans for the future. Dianne talked about the classes she was currently taking, her life as a military wife, and her family residing in Georgia: one brother, younger; one sister, older; and both parents, still living. About midway through the meal, Matt brought up the topic of Robert.

"What made you decide to get married to Robert?"

"Because I couldn't imagine a life without him."

"You really loved the guy, didn't you?"

"Oh, yes."

"Do you think it's possible to love two guys that much?"

"I don't know. I'll tell you if I ever do." Dianne smiled at him.

Dianne offered to pay for half the meal when the bill came. "You don't have any more money than I do," she said.

"No. I got this. Maybe later we can split costs, but tonight is on me because this was something I wanted."

"Okay. Thanks."

They started to walk back to Dianne's. "Would you mind walking along the river for awhile?" Matt asked. "I'm not quite ready for the night to be over."

"Not at all. I could use the exercise."

As Matt steered her towards the river, Dianne looked at him and asked "Matt, is there anyone from your past, that was special, that you'd like to tell me about? I talked to you for hours about my husband, but you've never mentioned anyone."

Dianne wanted to know what he was willing to tell her about Elaine and what had happened. It didn't have to be tonight, but he would have to talk about it eventually. Plus, she had her own confession to make.

"I guess that's why I wanted more time to talk. There's something you need to know about me. I hope it doesn't affect how you look at me, but it wouldn't be right if I didn't tell you."

"Okay, I'm listening."

Matt told Dianne all about last year's Halloween surprise when he fucked and fell in love with his older sister before either of them realized who they were to each other.

"So, do you think I'm a sicko pervert? Are you disgusted now you know and don't want to have anything to do with me anymore?"

"Actually, I think it's a little sad. It's a little like losing Robert. She may not be dead, but she's gone in a way because you can't be with her anymore. I feel sorry for you both."

"Really?"

"Really. Do your mom and sister know?"

"No. After what happened with dad, it would have devastated mom to know. This firmly goes into the skeleton closet."

"I have my own confession to make."

"What's that?"

"I had absolutely no intention of jumping off the boat. I was trying to get your attention since you never seemed to notice me when you came over. Chloe told me you were a rescuer and you needed a damsel in distress to rescue. She told me to buy a ticket and get your attention somehow. Pretending I was thinking about jumping off the boat was the distressed damsel part."

"So none of that was real? Was all that stuff you told me about meeting Robert on Memorial Day also a lie?"

"No, it was all real, except for the suicide bit. I abandoned that idea eight months ago. That's when I decided to go to college and get on with my life. Believe me, that outpouring of my heart was one hundred percent genuine. I'm not a good enough actress to fake all that emotion, Chloe might be, but certainly not me."

"If I ignored you all the time, why did you want my attention?"

"Because every time I saw you, you were so sad. I understood that sadness, felt it often enough in my own life. Plus, when your Mom, Elaine and Beth came to bring your money, both Chloe and Elaine talked about you in such glowing terms, I wanted to meet that person, the person they both loved, not the sad sack who was stumbling around life waiting to die.

"Which brings up my second confession. I wondered why you were so miserable and Chloe told me the reason. I already knew about you and Elaine, but I figured you'd need to talk about it at some point. That would be a pretty weighty millstone to bring into a new relationship. I was actually surprised you told me on our first real date. I know how much it must have embarrassed you to admit that to me. I knew even before your family came. So when Elaine spoke so highly of you, I knew where she was coming from. Not just as a brother, but as a boyfriend. It made me curious about the boyfriend. Plus, if Chloe can remain so close to you even though you're an ex, it must make you pretty special. I had to find out."

"You didn't say anything to Mom or Beth, did you?"

"Not my place to say anything. I'm an outsider. It's for you to figure out, not me."

"So what kind of impression have you formed of me so far?"