Tom and Leah

"Will you be our coach next year?"

"Emma!" Leah exclaimed. "You shouldn't ask him something like that. He's only been here a few weeks and you've just met him today."

"But mom...."

"I'll tell you what," Tom said, "when March comes around, you ask me again and I'll give it some serious thought. Okay?"

"Great!" Emma exclaimed. "Thanks Tom!" she said before bounding back up the stairs with her sister trailing behind.

"Tom," Leah said quietly, "you really don't have to do that. There are parents who can be the coach."

"It might be fun," Tom explained. "Who knows? We'll see." He got up slowly from the chair, his knee creaking audibly. He winced from the pain. "That's another reason for retiring." He smiled wanly. "My knee is a lot older than thirty-six. Maybe sixty-six!"

He moved away from the chair as Leah went to the closet to retrieve his coat. While handing him his coat, she said, "Thank you for lunch. You were right. It was nice to be waited on instead of being the waitress." She helped him into the coat.

"I thought you might like that," he said, looking into her eyes. They reminded him of the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean. If he was not careful, he might get lost in them. Forcing himself to look away to search for his keys, he continued, "You've got really nice girls. I'm sure you're proud of them."

"Of course I am. I'd be crazy not to be." She looked at him thoughtfully. "You know, my invitation for lunch is good for next Sunday, too."

"I might just take you up on that." He looked at her and found her staring at him.

"I'd like that," she replied softly, not taking her eyes off him. The color of his soft brown eyes seemed to be getting lighter by the minute.

"I had a really good time this afternoon," he said, turning slightly towards her door, but still looking at her. "I guess I'll see you at the diner sometime this week."

"You better come in," she warned, "you're my best customer."

"I will," he smiled, breaking the slight tension that was starting to build. "See you later," he said as he grasped the door knob to let himself out.

Leah patted him lightly on the shoulder before reaching to hold the door open for him. "You be careful driving home, you hear?"

Tom nodded and slowly made his way down to his car. Once his car left the curb, Leah watched until he was out of sight and only the soft falling flakes could be seen.

IV.

Time went by slowly for Tom that early winter as he knew it would. Christmas came and went with a visit from his entire family. It was a festive day, one filled with laughter and tears and many memories. Even with over twenty people in his house, it never seemed crowded and everyone had a wonderful time. Tom got to know his nieces and nephews all over again and his siblings shared Christmas and other stories from years past. More than once, it was remarked to Tom how glad they were that he bought the old house and even more happy that he was home for good.

He did not visit the diner nearly as often as he would have liked. The Michigan winter was even more brutal than normal that year and he did not venture out unless it was absolutely necessary. Whenever there was a break in the weather and the roads were marginally passable, Tom would throw his pickup into four wheel drive and travel the six or seven miles into town.

A big smile from Leah greeted him on those days when he appeared and she found herself looking to the door whenever it opened in hopes of seeing him. Almost without fail, they would dine after church on Sunday, either at her house, in a restaurant, or on rare occasions, at his house. The girls seemed to enjoy the times at his house, especially after seeing the lake freeze over. They begged him unmercifully to let them ice skate on the lake, but he refused each time, telling them it was not safe no matter how cold it was. They especially liked the large stone fireplace that took up most of his west wall. He would fire it up specifically for them when they visited.

You could not really call Tom and Leah a couple, although they were never seen with anyone else and a lot of the townspeople assumed such. They had not had a real date, seeing each other only at the diner and at church. Each were happy with the way their relationship was going and they enjoyed the friendship they shared.

January turned to February and the weather seemed to let up just a bit. Warmer weather arrived, sending sunny temperatures in the thirties their way. The snow began to melt, while patches of ice broke on Thornapple Lake showing water around the shoreline. Once again, Tom became a regular guest at the café at lunch time. He usually ordered a sandwich and salad or the soup and salad, but sometimes at Leah's urging, he would order the special of the day. Once in a while, he would arrive later in the afternoon and walk her home, or drive her if the weather was inclement.

It was during these times when Leah began to wonder if it was possible for them to be a couple and date. She was trusting him and asking him advice about many things, from home repair to finance, among others. There were times when she sensed he wanted to ask her out, but he would remain silent and the opportunity would pass. This disappointed her more than she thought it would. She felt Tom treated her girls very well and they liked him, at least they said they did, so she did not think dating him would be a problem with them. The main thing was, she liked him very much and wanted to get to know him better, not just chit chat at the diner or with the girls on Sunday. She wanted a real date with him so she talk to him, really talk to him and enjoy an evening with him, just the two of them.

Another problem she faced was his money. Leah knew he was quite wealthy, although he never talked about it, and did not want to appear to be only interested in him for his money. On her list of priorities when it came to the masculine sex, money was way down the list and it always had been. She lived comfortably on her salary and her former husband had always been generous when it came to the kids, so money was never a big issue with her. But, she had read stories about athletes, their money, and females who tried to get to both. She wondered how many times he had been faced with that predicament, if ever.

"I don't know, mom," she fretted one night to her mother. "I'd really like to get to know Tom better, but I'm probably just some small town girl to him and he's probably not interested anyway."

"That's absurd and you know it," her mother replied. "He wouldn't visit you almost every day in the diner and meet you for lunch after church every Sunday if he wasn't interested. You know he's interested, so don't give me that crap."

Leah could only sigh and hope her mother was right.

A few days later, the phone rang in Tom's kitchen. He looked at it as if it were an alien sound. Tom rarely received phone calls, but if he did, they were always in the early morning or evening. It was about four-thirty in the afternoon and any call was highly unexpected.

Tom picked up on the third ring. "Hello. Tom Murphy's residence."

"Hi, Tom." It sounded like a young woman, but she spoke so low, he could barely hear her. There was a slight pause. "It's me, Emma."

"Well, hi Emma. This is a pleasant surprise. Is there something wrong? Is your mom okay?"

"Mom's okay," she whispered. "I just wanted to talk to you for a minute."

"Why are we whispering?" Tom asked.

"Mom's upstairs taking a nap. She has a headache and she would kill me if she knew I called you."

By now, Tom was clearly puzzled. "Alright Emma, what can I do for you?"

"Do you like my mom?" she asked point blank.

The question caught Tom off guard, but he recovered quickly. "Yes, I like your mom. She's very nice."

"She likes you, too."

"That's good to hear."

The was a pause on her end as she tried to think. She had rehearsed what she wanted to say, but now she was becoming nervous and tongue-tied. Emma knew her mom would skin her alive if she found out.

"Why haven't you asked her out if you like her?"

It was Tom's turn to think now. Where in the world did that come from? "Well, Emma," he said slowly, "it's not that easy."

"It isn't? If you like her and she likes you, it seems simple enough to me."

"How do yo know she would want to go out with me?"

"I heard her talking to grandma and she said so."

"She did?"

"Yes." That was great news to him.

"What about your dad?"

"What about him?"

"Don't you think there might be a problem? Would it upset him to know someone is dating your mom?"

"She's dated before and he doesn't care. He's married again, anyway."

"I didn't know that."

Emma looked towards the stairs and listened, but did not hear anything. She turned her focus back to Tom.

"I can't talk much longer," she whispered.

"Okay," he answered.

"Did you see in the church bulletin about the Valentine's dance on Saturday?"

"Yes, I saw it." The lights were beginning to come on in Tom's head. "And you think your mom would like to go to that with me?"

"I know she would. She loves to dance."

Tom thought about his three left feet and winced. How could he be a professional athlete, be smooth and graceful on the playing field, yet be a total klutz on the dance floor?

"She does, does she?" he asked, not too enthusiastically.

"Oh yeah, she and dad used to dance in the living room." There was a pause. "Well, you know, before they split up."

"Okay," Tom said flatly.

"I know she'd say yes," Emma said, almost pleading.

"I'll think about it," Tom replied, although he had already made up his mind.

Emma heard movement from above and panicked. "I gotta go, Tom. Bye."

The line went dead before Tom could reply. He hung up the phone, thought about what Emma had told him and smiled to himself. She was a sweet girl for telling him. It was Tuesday and he knew he would have to ask Leah the next day to give her enough time to find a sitter for the girls, although he figured her parents could do it. They lived in Coldwater, which was not too far away. They could always take them there before the dance.

He looked on his kitchen counter and found the church bulletin. It mentioned nothing about a meal except for refreshments, so Tom had to figure out a place to take her for dinner. There were numerous restaurants in town, but Tom felt something special was needed. After all, it would be their first real date if she accepted. He would have to research that.

Briefly, he thought about calling Leah and asking her right then and there, but Emma did say she had a headache and was resting. He did not want to disturb her if she was not feeling well. Besides, he did not want her to get suspicious and accuse Emma of something if he could help it. Tom really liked Emma and Christine and was looking forward to helping Emma with her softball in the spring, although he was not sure about coaching her team. He did not know if he would have the patience to coach that many girls. He truly wanted to take a year off and not do anything. Tom thought he earned that break. Still, the idea intrigued him to coach a team sometime in the future, be it baseball or softball. Truthfully, he thought coaching the boys high school team would be more his speed if the opportunity ever arose.

Tom put the bulletin aside and smiled. Leah's image popped into his head, seeing her open mouth laugh and sparkling eyes, her golden hair blowing in the crisp winter, air. He thought she looked better when it was down instead of being pulled up when she worked. In his mind, she was cute either way. She was trim, but not skinny and had that all-American, girl-next-door look about her. She was genuinely friendly and had a good sense of humor. Tom liked her from the start and that was the truth. The only thing he did not like was that he thought she was too strict with her girls, but he did not dare interfere or say anything. It was not his place.

The next day, Tom arrived at the diner a few minutes after one o'clock. It was mostly full, but he saw a couple of spots open at the counter where Leah normally worked. Her eyes brightened when she saw him come in and waited for him to get settled before walking over to him.

"Hey there, Tom, what can I get you today?"

Her eyes were bright and alert and Tom could get a faint whiff of whatever flower scented soap she used that morning.

"I think I hear a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and tomato soup calling me today," he grinned.

"Boy, you look like you're in a good mood today," she said as she scribbled down his order. "What's the occasion?"

Looking both ways, Tom put his index finger to his mouth. "It's a secret."

"Well, we wouldn't want to tell any secrets today, would we? Do you want tea to go along with that or do you want to go a little crazy and have a coke?"

"Tea is fine," he replied, smiling.

"Be right back with it," she replied, returning the smile.

"I'll be here."

In the few seconds that she was gone, Tom thought about how he was going to ask her to the dance. He still was not sure if he should be serious or not. They had been joking with each other more recently, but he did not know how much, if any, humor he should use.

"Okay, what's with the face?"

Leah's question startled Tom out of his thoughts. She placed his glass of tea in front of him.

"What?"

"First, you're being silly, now you've got this studious, serious face that couldn't crack a smile if the funniest joke was told."

"I do?"

"Yes, you do."

"I hadn't realized. That's pretty serious, isn't it?"

"Alright, alright, Tom," she laughed. "I've got other customers. Be back in a couple of minutes." She hurried to the other section.

Maybe he had not noticed the sweet sway of her hips beneath her skirt because he had not thought about dating her before, or maybe it was because he thought of her only as a good friend, but as she walked away, Tom could only admire her shapely derriere from afar.

Leah returned with his food a few minutes later and placed them in front of him. She also put a handful of saltine crackers near the bowl of soup.

"There you go, Tom. Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"Yes, there is," he replied.

She waited patiently for him to say more, but he was silent.

"Well, what is it?" she asked impatiently. She had other customers to worry about.

"Just say yes," he replied impassively.

"What?"

"Just say yes," he repeated.

"What are you talking about, Tom?"

"Just say yes. That's all I need."

"Okay, I'll play along," she said, a bit exasperated. "Yes."

"Good!" he exclaimed. "I'll pick you up at four-thirty." He went back to his meal as if nothing had transpired.

"Wait a minute! Whoa, back up the horse here. What's going on?" she demanded.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" He smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Silly me. You've just agreed to go with me to the Valentine's dance Saturday." He resumed taking a sip of tea.

"I did, did I? I might have to rethink this."

Inside, her mind was in a whirl. She had not been out dancing in ages. Her stomach churned from excitement as she tried to suppress a smile.

"I don't know," she continued, drumming the counter with her fingertips. "I might need to wash my hair or do the dishes Saturday. I might not have time to go to a dance."

"Gee, that's too bad," Tom replied. "I guess I'll just have to go alone and take my chances with whomever might show up and not have a date."

"I don't think so, Tom," Leah smiled finally, unable to suppress it any longer. "I'd really like to go to the dance with you."

"Good!" he exclaimed again, smiling. He thought for a second. "You won't have any trouble finding a sitter, will you?"

"No, not at all," she replied. "My mom's been aching to have them over for an evening. It should be no problem at all."

"It all set then," Tom said happily.

"I guess it is," Leah replied, wondering where this date would lead.

V.

Saturday could not come soon enough for Leah. It would have come even slower except for seeing that certain someone at the diner. For the first time since he arrived from St. Louis, Tom visited the diner every day and once came for breakfast, too.

"If you keep coming in," Leah remarked, "people will start talking."

"People will talk no matter what," he replied. "Let them talk."

He, too, felt the time drag. He had done almost everything he wanted to decorate the inside of the house. Tom would have to wait until warmer weather arrived in order to paint the interior. All other work to be done was to the exterior. He looked forward to eating at the diner and visiting Leah for that short time and hoped he was not wearing out his welcome. The smile on her face that greeted him when he opened the door indicated otherwise.

Not one to spend endless hours getting ready, Leah was showered, dressed, and ready to go by two o'clock. She ushered the girls into her car and drove them to her parents home with small suitcases in hand per orders from her mom.

"I want you to have a great time without having to look at your watch," she explained. "You can pick them up tomorrow."

"I don't want to trouble you," Leah protested.

"And I don't want you to cut short a good time. Now, don't argue."

Leah relented and packed an overnight suitcase for them. Deep down, she was extremely grateful for the gesture. If things did go well, she did not want to have to be driving after midnight to bring them home. Besides, her folks really did want them to stay since they did not get to see them as often as they would have liked.

Once she returned home, Leah changed into black dress slacks and a lime green blouse, its neckline allowing just a hint of cleavage. It was almost four-thirty by then, so she sprayed a small amount of perfume around her neck area before standing back from the mirror to check herself. She nodded her approval just as she heard the doorbell ring from below.

Tom waited on the porch nervously, rocking on his heels. All afternoon, he fretted over what to wear. He could not decide between wearing a suit or not. He did not want to overdress, yet he was afraid to come looking like a bum. It was unlike him to worry about such things, but this was different. Leah was different. It mattered what she thought about him and how she perceived him. On most of his previous dates, he would throw on some jeans and a suede jacket and not worry about it, but that would not do this time. He finally decided to dress in gray dress pants with a blue shirt and striped tie. Even though anyone would say he looked great, he still worried about what Leah would think.

Leah came to the door seconds later, her straight blonde hair lightly bouncing on her shoulders. She checked herself in the small mirror by the door before opening it.

Tom gave out a low whistle of appreciation when he saw her standing before him. "I think I should have asked you out a long time ago. You look beautiful!"

"Well, thank you," she replied, smiling broadly from the compliment. "You look darn good yourself. Come on in for a minute."

Leah stepped aside, opening the door wide as Tom entered. He shrugged off his black leather jacket and placed it on the chair in the living room.

"I'll be just a minute," she said as she mounted the stairs. When she reached the landing, she exhaled loudly. "Wow," she said softly to herself. She thought he looked incredibly handsome that afternoon. She gathered a few basic cosmetics and put them in her purse before descending the stairs for the final time.

"I'm all ready," she announced as she came to the living room once again.