Suspicion Ch. 05-06

At home, Kathy held on to me as I walked into the house, which by then I didn't really need, and made us a light lunch. She'd taken the day off from work, so she could take her time. After eating, she went upstairs with me, I took off most of my clothes, and lay down on the bed. Kathy took off everything except her panties and bra, and put on a light robe, and lay down with me, and just held me.

"Paul," she said in her most serious tone of voice, "Don't ever exclude me like that again. If anything serious happens to you...Oh,God, what if you'd been killed while I was..."

I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. I didn't complete her sentence with what I had been thinking — "if I'd been killed while you were off fucking your lover." There's some fodder for thought, eh?

What I actually said was,

"I don't make a habit of letting old ladies ram me at warp speed, This was the first time in the 20 years that we've known each other that I've been hurt enough to go to the hospital. So figure, you don't have to worry about me for another 20 years!" trying to cheer Kathy up a bit.

I was glad Kathy was feeling guilty about being with Karl, doing whatever, when I needed her. It made a point that could never be communicated without experiencing it. But it was an awfully painful way for me to teach Kathy an object lesson.

Oh yes, the little old lady? She was driving a 1972 Buick, with real metal bumpers, weighing about 2 tons. My car was totaled, hers had a scratched bumper and a broken headlight. She was uninjured. Well, I was glad for that.

Kathy and I both went back to work the next day. My head still hurt for a couple days.