Take a Chance

He chuckled, "We're going to eat lunch together and finish the talk that we started nearly a year ago."

"I'm not the same person I was a year ago. You helped give me confidence that I had been missing."

"I'm not the same person either. I'm no longer drowning."

He took her to Eureka 89 for lunch on the 89th floor of Eureka Tower. He had liked it when he and the girls ate there. It was posh without being totally pretentious. The views were amazing. Not knowing if she had ever been there, he hoped she liked it.

He said, "I brought my girls here during a two-week tour of Australia. Melbourne was our last stop, and we really enjoyed it. We splurged one night and ate here."

"You came here, to Australia?"

"I happened to know a lovely woman from Melbourne. I didn't get to see her, but I liked her town."

She asked, "Two girls? I thought you only had one."

"My daughter's best friend adopted me. They are both staying at my house for now since starting college."

She thought him lucky that in less than a year, he had gone from one daughter to two.

She asked, "You're no longer married?"

"Nope."

He told her about everything from the surprise he received when he got home early, through the girls' graduation, the trip to Australia, and their starting college. His work was going well, too.

She told him about her past year, her growth personally and professionally, and the new job offer.

She asked, "What now? Is this where you whisk me away to America and make me your woman?"

"Ha. Uh, no. It sounds like this is where I ask you if we can find an apartment together in Sydney while I look for a new job."

"You would do that for me? Move halfway around the world. What about your daughter, or, well, daughters?"

He replied, "They really liked Australia. They will come to visit us during their breaks. And maybe we can visit them from time to time."

She was quiet after that, thinking.

"What if the other is what I want? What if I want to be swept off my feet and taken to Austin? Could you make that happen, too?"

"I would do my best. They need lots of CPAs in Austin, so I'm sure you would have no trouble working if that's what you want. If you prefer to do something else, we can make that happen, too. As soon as your divorce is finalized, we'll have to start the immigration paperwork."

"You're serious?"

"I wouldn't be here if I weren't."

"Can you give me a few days to think? We probably shouldn't be seen together again until I tell Mike that we're finished, which I'll do today or tomorrow. Then can you and I talk some more?"

"Of course. I completely understand. I'll play at the airport for several more days just so nobody suspects anything. I think the airport has liked having me there, or at least the piano, which can play itself when I'm not there."

"I still cannot believe that you are here. Those billboards must have cost a small fortune."

"If we are able to give a relationship our best shot, it will have been worth every penny."

She said, "I should probably go. Can I have your cell phone number, and I'll call you in a couple of days?"

"Sure."

She stood to leave, and he squeezed her hand.

"Annie?"

She turned to look at him, still holding his hand.

"You're beautiful."

He welcomed the smile she gave him in reply. She had held that simple phrase inside her for months, drawing on it occasionally for strength. This time was different. She could allow herself to enjoy the feeling, not needing to secretly hide it away. This time, she could bask in the warmth of that statement, feeling the desire that he had for her, and she for him. This time, as she walked away from him, she could swish her ass and not feel guilty, nor concerned about how he might view it. This time, she felt good, confident, almost complete. This time, as she strode away, anyone that looked at her could see that she was glowing because that small spark she had carried for so long was now a roaring fire.

She told Mike later that afternoon that she was divorcing him. He only protested a little. Her shining star, which seemed to be shining brightly that afternoon, was making him appear dim by comparison.

She spent time talking with her mum and her manager, and then she needed to have THE discussion with Jerry.

* * * * *

Chapter 5

It took almost three years for Annie and Jerry to get where they truly wanted to be, but it was a great journey getting there.

Yet again, he was on the piano with a couple of girls singing for him as Annie approached. This time was a little different, though.

Upon further investigation, she and Jerry discovered that it would take a little time for her to immigrate to the US -- seven to thirteen months depending on if they applied for a fiancé visa or marriage visa. They decided that she would take the job in Sydney, committing to her company for two years, while they worked on the immigration paperwork. Jerry went with her to Sydney and worked with clients in Oceania and Southeast Asia while there.

They married in Melbourne, and Sara, Kelly, and his family flew in for the nuptials. Annie's friends couldn't believe that she and Jerry were the couple from the billboard. Annie's mum, a tough old boot if ever there was one, nearly cried the first time that Sara and Kelly called her Nanna.

Jerry had been able to work more from home, wherever that was because he stepped back from some of his responsibilities even though it meant the bonuses were not quite the same. The reason he could afford that was because many years earlier he had noticed that almost every company where he implemented a new system saw their productivity increase significantly within a year of completion.

Knowing that he and Linda were having problems, he had opened a few brokerage accounts overseas to stash a few bucks should their divorce turn ugly. He had used long term (12 months) stock options to 'bet' on the companies he had helped. The size of his company's billings to the client was large enough to show up in their financial statements, so the options he purchased couldn't be considered insider trading.

No, he didn't become a billionaire or a mega-millionaire, but he had enough saved that he could dictate more of his travel than he had in the past. If he were smart, he would be able to retire or cut back even more, in just five more years.

That worked out well because as soon as he and Annie talked about kids, they began trying and succeeding in having them. When she immigrated to the US, they already had one, Patrick, and a second one was on the way.

Having always wanted to travel, she and Jerry began making plans to do that, with their kids. The more the merrier.

She had no trouble finding a part-time accounting job in Austin. Jerry had kept his old house, which Sara and Kelly were still sharing while they attended college at UT. They loved Linda and Robert, but it was with Jerry that they felt most comfortable. They became fast friends with Annie and loved their little stepbrother.

It was Christmas Eve, and Annie was entering the music room with little Patrick on her hip. Her big belly, which contained the expected Anna, preceded her into the room. Jerry was playing, and her stepdaughters were singing beautifully. When she joined in, the three turned to smile at her. Mum was there, too, for the upcoming birth of Anna. She has been a happy visitor.

For Annie, it was the happiest she could remember being. Jerry, too. She was so thankful that she stepped forward that late night in Singapore to share a little Christmas cheer with the stranger playing the piano. She had been given, or maybe taken, a second chance. Jerry had done the same. This time it truly paid off.

* * * * *

The seed for this story was the idea of strangers meeting in an airport. My nephew told me about the piano at Changi because he played on it for a while. When he stood to leave, an elderly lady that had been listening to him asked him if he could play a couple more. Being the southern gentleman that he is, he obliged her request and then politely ran to catch his flight.

I've always liked the ships-passing in the night them, and this story is the result. Besides, I'm a hopeful romantic at heart...so sue me.

Thanks for sticking with this. I have many more that I'll be publishing over the next month or so (some are quite a bit longer). I hope to entertain you sufficiently for you to stick around and read, and hopefully enjoy. Your time and attention are some of the most valuable things you can give to someone. That you would share a little time on one of my stories is appreciated, always.

Want to read something that I thought was great? Check out Chasten's The Corner Table at Mickey's. It is a long story but an excellent one.