Third Time's the Charm

Lexington sent a courier down two weeks later. They needed a van. A 22-foot reticulated python is quite a load. Not just the length, but more than 400 pounds. Took three of us to load his carrier into the vehicle. The driver assured us he'd have plenty of help when he got there. He was going to drive overnight and make the delivery the next day.

The snakes he brought us were a mixed bag. The flying snake was beautiful but a little nervous, pretty normal for arboreal snakes. The carpet python was a five-footer, a very attractive black and gold pattern. The rock python was a fourteen-foot terror. May have been why they were willing to move her. Saying she didn't want to cooperate was a gross understatement. Clint and I had both been bitten before we got her into her enclosure. We were losing a wrestling match to her when Jeff hit her with a stun stick.

"Hey," Clint snapped, "we don't use those things on herps!"

"Sorry, sir," Jeff replied, "but she was totally out of control. You're both gonna need some stitches."

He was right. Our paramedics came in and immediately went to work cleaning and closing the wounds. It took eight sutures to close Clint's left forearm, six to repair my left hand. Worse yet, my thumb was compromised. By standard zoo protocols, I couldn't work hands-on with the snakes until the stitching came out. That meant I was restricted to the office again. Oh, well, at least I knew there would always be coffee around.

I pushed paper and answered phone calls for about ten days. Finally, Clint came in early one afternoon, poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down.

"You ready to get out of here for a bit?" he queried.

"I've been ready," I chuckled. "They still haven't removed our stitches, so I can't work hands on. You got something in mind?"

He shrugged. "Well, it's not going back to the herps, but we've got a middle school science class in here on a field trip. You wanna watch the house for a couple of hours? I'll take over in here."

That was okay by me. Anything that got me out of the office was just fine. I should have known it was too good to be true I walked down the corridor that led from the office to the back of the King Cobra enclosure. A right turn around the corner and through the door and I was in the main hallway.

There were kids everywhere staring at the snakes. They had several chaperones with them, most of whom were repeatedly cautioning the children not to tap on the glass. One boy asked a question about the Jameson's mamba. When I heard the teacher's voice answering him, I froze. I should have known; Millington Middle School.

"I'm not certain about that," she admitted. "There's Doctor Morris. Why don't you ask him?"

The student walked over and asked a surprisingly intelligent technical question about the differences between the Jameson's and the black and green mambas. We talked for several minutes. It was obvious that this child was a bit ahead of his classmates. He finally thanked me and scampered off to look at some of the other snakes.

When I looked up, she was standing there. It had been eight years, but she looked as pretty as I remembered. Her eyes were a bit darker, probably the shadows under them. Her normal smile was gone, too, replaced by a shy, nervous one.

"Hi, Glen."

"Hello, Carla. Your class?"

"Yes. This is our top science class."

"Yeah. The kid you sent to me was pretty sharp. Guess you should be getting back to them."

I started to turn away when she stopped me.

"Glen, please, could we get together for a cup of coffee or something?"

"Why? What could you possibly have to say to me?"

I saw her flinch at those words.

She looked down and the smile disappeared. "Please, Glen. Just a cup of coffee."

"Won't Mister Doctor object?"

She fought back a sob. I couldn't think of why, but this conversation seemed to be upsetting her. "No, he won't. We're divorced."

I'm not sure why I agreed to it, but she still had enough of a hold on me to make me want to know what had happened. "Perkins. Tonight. Seven." I turned and walked past her into the noise of the reptile house.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Okay, so you can't have children. That's why he divorced you?"

Carla shook her head, staring down into her coffee. Her voice was still subdued. It was obvious that she didn't like this conversation. "That was part of it. He really wanted a child, and I couldn't give him one. What made it worse was how bad I was in bed. I didn't love him, so I couldn't get emotionally involved. It made physical contact hard, even painful at times. I think that was what really drove him away."

"How long were the two of you actually married?"

"Just over five years. He finally gave up, and that was when he got his nurse pregnant. I think he married her last year."

"Did either of you fight the divorce?"

"No. We both wanted it. There weren't any attorneys involved."

My eyes narrowed slightly at that. I knew it was easy to get a divorce if neither party was contesting it, but how did you get a divorce without an attorney? That seemed strange to me. "Then, how did you get divorced?"

Carla picked up her spoon, stirring at the coffee as though she were trying to think. It looked like she was trying to fight down an unhappy memory, which I supposed was understandable in the circumstances. "He filed for a 'Mutual Consent' divorce. We just appeared in front of a Superior Court Judge. It was in his chambers, not in a courtroom."

That made sense, I guess. I picked up my cup and took a long sip. "I take it things went smoothly?"

She shrugged. "They would have if Mom hadn't decided she was going to 'represent' me. The moment the hearing started, she was yelling about adultery and demanding this and that. Phil's family is very wealthy. He was a doctor because he wanted to be, not because he needed the job. Doctors run in his family."

"And Mommy was hoping to tap in on the family fortune," I added cynically.

"Pretty much. The Judge finally had her removed from the room so that we could get the thing done."

That must have been interesting, I thought. The Judge probably had to threaten 'Mommy' with arrest before she would shut her mouth and leave. I chuckled softly but contained it before Carla got curious.

"Phil was very understanding and very generous. He told the Judge that, rather than have a court-ordered divorce settlement, he would like to propose the settlement. He said that he would buy me a home, a car, and give me a monthly stipend until I remarried. The Judge asked me if that was acceptable. It was actually a lot more than I would have asked for, so I just nodded. The Judge asked for some details then said he would enter the offer into judgement and finalize the proceedings. Then we were done. I got the actual documents about three months later."

The meeting was comfortable enough that I had offered to buy Carla a burger. She accepted. As we quietly munched on our meal, an interesting thought popped into my mind. "Your mom must have really gone off on you on the way home."

She shook her head. "She didn't get the chance. Phil drove me home after the hearing. But it wasn't to our old house. He took me to a new house in Raleigh, up on Davison drive. Pretty little three-bedroom ranch. He even had it fully furnished. It's beautiful. I was kind of embarrassed. I think Phil really loved me, but I couldn't return it."

"He afraid your mom was gonna create some kind of scandal?"

"I doubt it," she answered, chewing on a French fry. "His family can afford more lawyers than Mom can. They would have dragged it out until she couldn't afford it anymore. And they would have counter sued."

I chuckled again. I was almost starting to like Phil.

"When we pulled in, he handed me two sets of keys."

"Two?"

"Yes. One was for the house. The other was for the BMW sitting in the driveway."

Wow. He may have cheated on my companion, might even have married her under false pretenses, but he was certainly taking care of her. I had to give him credit for that.

Carla's head lowered, her eyes darkening and an almost frightened frown appearing on her face. When she spoke to me next, it was in a nervous, uncertain voice. "Glen, I told Mom that I want to start dating you again. She said she wants to meet with us first. Will you do that, please?"

I bridled immediately. I had hoped she was beyond this, but apparently not. "You still need Mommy's permission to date someone? You have to get her okay to meet me here tonight?"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Her shoulders looked like she was shivering. Once again, I wasn't impressed. "Glen, please. I don't like this either, but she is my mother. Do this for me, if only this once. Please?"

Finally, I gave in and agreed to the meeting. She said she would call to tell me where and when. I was okay with that. When I walked her out to her car, she looked like she was expecting a kiss. What she got was a handshake. I still wasn't feeling all that forgiving.

- - - - - - - - - -

Carla called the following evening. She gave me the time and place. It would be a couple of days, which was fine by me. In the meantime, Director Klein called me and Clint into a meeting.

"Millington Middle wants to enter into a mutual support agreement with us. They want us to provide instructors to them for zoology and herpetology presentations and to allow them to bring their classes in here for field trips. It's all entry level, of course, but they'll probably want each class level to have a visit once a quarter. The principal said they would do it in their auditorium, so it will only be one class per grade level each quarter. You think we can support that?"

Clint and I looked at each other, considering the idea. "It might be a good way to get Jeff into the public aspect, if only for this quarter," I suggested.

Both Clint and the Director nodded. Doctor Klein added a surprising comment. "That's a good idea. I'm thinking of extending his internship. He's doing a good job. Is he good enough to offer him an actual job here?"

"Yes," Clint replied. "He's got good sense and he's patient with the animals. Told me he wants to go on to MTS when he graduates from MSU."

The Director looked at me next. I didn't have anything to add, so I simply nodded."

"Alright. I'll talk to him later this week. I'll offer him the option of continuing the internship or accepting a fulltime position. I'm sure he'll let you know what he decides."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I met with Carla and Momzilla a few days later. It was at the same Perkins. Didn't take long for it to turn into a disaster.

"My daughter tells me that she wants to start dating you again," she began.

"That's what she told me," I acknowledged. "What exactly does it have to do with you?"

"She's my daughter."

"She's also an adult. And 'She' has a name. Last time I looked 'She' was Carla."

"You don't like me, do you?" her mother realized. How perceptive of her.

"Not in the least," I confirmed. "You cost me eight years of my life. You're not going to do it again."

"Well," she proclaimed, warming up to the task of scolding an errant suitor, "if you're going to have a relationship with my daughter, you're going to have to get a real job."

I looked at Carla. Her eyes had closed and she was shaking her head, her chin lowered toward her chest. She knew this was not going to end well.

"I'm the Associate Curator of Reptiles for the Memphis Zoo. What exactly do you call that?"

Mommy snorted, looking down her hooked nose at me. I wondered if she could see past the wart on the end of it. "A little boy playing with his pet snakes. That doesn't impress me."

"Why don't you come visit me there when you have the chance? I have a very friendly python who would love to give you a big hug. Maybe that would impress you." I stood up and looked down at Carla. I'd had enough of her mother.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

"Away from you, Bitch." My eyes turned to Carla. "Call me some time, if Mommy gives you permission."

"How dare you speak to me like that?"

"It's easy. It's also just about at your level. You should be able to understand it."

She started to turn red. I'm pretty sure it was anger, not embarrassment. "And you expect me to allow my daughter date you?"

"I don't give a shit what you do or don't allow. That's Carla's call, not yours. So far as I'm concerned, you can go fuck yourself." I turned around and walked out but squeezed Carla's shoulder as I walked past.

- - - - - - - - - -

Carla called the next morning while we were both at work.

I was still in a bad mood, but there wasn't any choice at work. The phones had to be answered. "Memphis Zoo, Reptile House. This is Glen. How may we help you?"

"Glen? Can I talk to you for just a minute. I'm between classes. I don't have a lot of time."

"What do you want?" I hissed. You're right, I was still being an ass.

"I just want to talk to you. Just us, alone. Could we please meet for dinner tonight?"

Somehow, it just wasn't that interesting an idea. Another confrontation with her mother would probably end any chance of getting back together. "Is she going to be there?"

"No. Just us. Please? How about the Denny's on Frasier Boulevard?"

That was a good location. About halfway between us, and nowhere near mommy.

"Okay. What time?"

"Seven?"

"Can you make it eight? I have a late afternoon meeting."

"That's fine, Glen. Thank you. I'll see you tonight."

I got there a little early, so I told the server that a young woman would be joining me, then ordered a cup of coffee. It gave me time to think, and that was something that I needed to do. I had to back off on Carla. Yes, I had reason to be irritated, but I was being cruel, and there was no reason for that.

I was still thinking when I heard her soft voice say "Hi."

"Hi, Carla. Sit down. Coffee?"

She smiled at me. "Yes, please. And thank you."

The server who had brought her to me was standing there waiting, so she immediately retrieved a pot of coffee and another cup. Bringing some cream and sugar, she handed us the menus.

"Take a look," I told Carla. "Dinner's on me."

"Glen, I really need to talk to you. I'm so sorry about what happened."

I shook my head. "Look at your menu. We'll talk after we order."

It didn't take long for us to decide and our server was very attentive. She took our orders and headed for the kitchen. I think Carla was a bit surprised that I ordered a big fried chicken salad.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing," I began. "I was kind of brutal. I guess your mom really tore into you when I left, didn't she."

Carla chuckled, which surprised me. "She tried. She didn't get much of a chance."

My head tilted as I considered that. "What do you mean?"

"She started telling me how uncouth you were and how you were unworthy of me. When she started telling me about a single attorney that she knew, it was obvious where she was going with it. I stood up and told her she should take your advice. When she asked me what I meant, I told her to fuck herself. Then I walked out. We aren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment."

"Ouch," I grimaced. "That must have gone over like a lead balloon."

"Probably. I don't know. Glen, I came here to talk about us, not her. I want to be yours again. Can we please start over?"

My coffee cup came to my lips as I sat back against the seat in the booth. This was what had worried me about accepting this date. I didn't know how to control my feelings or where to go with this. At this point, maybe honesty was the best policy.

"Carla, I still have feelings for you, but I don't know what they are. I gave you my heart and my life and you stepped on them. Do you really think I can trust you now?"

She looked down at her hands. After several long breaths, she sighed. I could see the light in her eyes dimming. I had hurt her again, but I didn't know what to do about it. Finally, she looked up at me. "I know, Glen. Believe me, I'm sorry. I never stopped loving you. That's one of the things that wrecked my marriage to Phil. He knew I didn't love him. It ate at him. Sex was torture. I just couldn't get into it. He knew it and it hurt him. After a while, he really started to resent it. I tried to love him, but I couldn't. I couldn't forget you."

It sounded flattering, but it also sounded somehow unreal. I wasn't about to tell her about Wanda. That would really have hurt her. But I didn't see any common ground left between us. How did we start over? Where did we start again? It didn't make any sense. Still, Carla's dejected look, the sadness in her voice, I couldn't shut them out. I did still have feelings for her and they were fighting to resurface. I didn't know if I wanted them again.

"Okay," I allowed, "I'll date you. But I'm not promising anything. I don't know where this is going to go, if anywhere. Can you accept that?"

"Of course," she sighed. "I'll accept anything if it means we can be together again."

"Don't read anything into it. We're not a couple, Carla. I don't know that we ever will be again. But I will take you out. What do you want to do, and how often?"

She didn't have to come up with an immediate answer as our food arrived. As we started to eat, the conversation lightened. By the time we ordered dessert, we were actually laughing. It wouldn't last long.

When we walked out to the parking lot, she reached to hug me. I stepped back. Again, I offered my hand. I saw the pain in her eyes but I just wasn't ready for anything more. We shook hands and I walked away.

- - - - - - - - - -

We started dating the following week, usually on Friday or Saturday evenings. Simple things; dinner, maybe a movie. She liked window shopping so I took her to the Raleigh/Frazier Mall and just walked around and looked at stores for three hours. We ate at the food court. She really enjoyed that evening.

It always went sour at the end. I was picking her up, so I didn't take her back to her car. I drove her home and then walked her to her door. I still didn't want any physical intimacy of any kind, so all I could offer her was a handshake.

Not sure when it was, maybe our sixth or seventh date. When we got to her door, I offered my hand again. She looked at it, looked up at me, then turned toward the door and burst into tears. Her sobs were too much for me. I reached out and put my hands on her arms just below the shoulders.

"Please, Kitten," I begged, "please don't cry." That was a serious mistake. 'Kitten' had been my pet name for her when we were first together. She spun into my arms and started crying hard. I didn't know what to do. I lifted her chin to make eye contact with her. "Please don't cry," I repeated.

Her lips were on mine before I could move. It stunned me. They tasted just as soft, just as sweet as they had eight years ago. I pulled her into a tight embrace, my lips pressing against hers. Before I knew what was happening, our tongues were dancing. I was completely overwhelmed. She owned me at that moment. When she opened the door and took my hand, I followed.

During our first years together, there had been no sex. She told me firmly that she wanted to save herself for our wedding night. It was frustrating but I could respect it. It was actually kind of sweet. That was one of the reasons that her marriage to Phil hurt so badly. The thought of her giving herself to another man was tortuous. Now, however, there were no such considerations to be observed.

I took her again and again that night. It wasn't aggressive and there was little variety. It was just two people desperately in love with each other. She wrapped her arms and legs around me, and we stayed like that for hours. The sensation of my cock gently sliding in and out of her was incredible. I couldn't stop.