Trains Ch. 01

They lay there for what seemed like hours, motionless and totally contented. Finally, he rolled off and lay next to her. They caressed each other's bodies and time seemed to stand still. Looking at him, Cris saw the same boy that she had once loved and wondered now why life went the way it did.

And then Peter's pager began to beep. Slowly, reluctantly, he got to his feet, found his pants, and looked at the pager. Matter-of-factly he told her, "It's my wife. Mind if I call her from here? We don't have caller ID."

Peter picked up the phone and dialed. Cris lay there motionless as Peter called up his wife and apologized for being late. He told her that he met an old friend and had gotten sidetracked. An uncomfortable silence ensued, followed by a bunch of "yes"s and "no"s until he put the phone down on the table and looked at her.

Meekly, he looked at her. Softly, he said, "My wife wants to know if you'll come to dinner."

Still basking in the afterglow, still floating in midair above her body, she saw the only woman in the room turn to Peter Symes and say "Sure, that would be nice."