Water Guy

"You still love Daddy?" she asked, her brain coming up with the only explanation it could find.

"Oh, honey! Of course I still love Daddy. I'll always love him."

"So you can never go on a date? Ever?" Kim asked, looking confused and on the verge of crying.

Laura went around the kitchen island and sat next to her daughter and put an arm around her.

"I can go on dates, sweetie. I'm just not sure this is a date. When I mentioned there was something you were forgetting, I meant the difference in how old we are."

"How old is Craig?" Kim asked.

"I don't know exactly, but I'm pretty sure he isn't even 30."

"So a man has to be at least 30?"

"It isn't an exact science, sweetie. It just has to be...close."

"How close?" Kim asked.

"I...I don't really know, honey. I guess maybe around five years or so?"

"But not ten?"

Laura wanted to say, "Right. Not ten," but the truth was she had no real justification to say that. It was just an arbitrary line base on a subjective opinion, and although she was entitled to her opinions, she felt like she needed a reason based on something more solid than 'because I said so' when it came to a topic like this.

"Can we talk about something else?" her mom said with a smile.

"Okay. I just really like Craig, and I want you to like him, too."

"Come here, Kimmy-Kim," her mom said as she hugged her daughter.

"I want you to be happy, Mom," Kim told her as they hugged.

"I am. I have you, right?"

"Well, you are stuck with me," Kim said, trying to be funny even though she didn't feel like it.

"That's true, but you're more than enough, honey!" her mom told her much too enthusiastically to be believable.

"Mom, you know what I mean, and that's not the same thing!" her daughter said, now on the verge of getting emotional.

Laura realized Kim didn't have the vocabulary or the experience to articulate her feelings, and deep down, she understood.

"Would it make you happy if we called this a date?" she asked, regretting the question as soon as she asked it.

Kim looked up at her and smiled happily again.

"That would be SO awesome!"

"Okay. We can call it a date, but you have to understand that doesn't mean there will be a second date. Got it?"

"Got it!" she said before hugging her mom again and telling her, "I love you so much!"

Laura told her she loved her, too, then said, "Okay, let's get dinner going, shall we?"

The rest of the evening, and late into the night, Laura kept trying to figure out why this was such a big deal to her. It was just a couple of hours with someone who really was a very nice guy, so why all the mental consternation? Was it all because of Kim? Was it due to not wanting her daughter to get hurt by letting her get even closer to Craig then having to tell her she'd never see him again? Or was there something deeper going on her subconscious mind wouldn't admit? And if so, what was it?

By Tuesday, Laura's mind relaxed. She and Kim both had half days, and then five full days off. She was feeling great when she went to pick Kim up from school, but within seconds of heading for home, Kim mentioned the camel farm.

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" she told her mom.

Laura had a sinking feeling followed by another huge wave on confusion.

"Yes. The camel farm," her mom replied, trying her best to smile.

"I told my teacher we're going, and she said she was excited to hear you have a date, Mom!" Kim said so happily it scared her mother.

"It's not a..."

She'd forgotten her deal to keep her daughter happy.

"Um...yes. I do have a date, huh?"

Laura tried changing the subject, but Kim kept coming back to Craig, helping him with the water purification system, how nice he was, and of course, the fact that he was hot.

Laura thought of the Matthew Broderick move Biloxi Blues in which he referred to the weather in Mississippi as 'Africa hot'. She laughed out loud when she thought of Craig being 'Yuma hot'.

"What's funny, Mom?" Kim asked.

"Oh. I was just thinking about an old movie. That's all," she said, only partially telling the truth.

By the time Craig showed up the next day, Laura's stomach was in knots. No matter how many times she told herself this wasn't really a date, and that it would be over in two or three hours, she couldn't let it go.

She'd taken a lot of time doing her hair and makeup, and as silly as it made her feel, she spent nearly 20 minutes debating what to wear—to the camel farm.

It was the coldest morning yet since early March with a morning low of 48 and expected daytime high of just 68. To Laura, that was cold, and she ended up wearing a pair of nice jeans and a pretty white sweater with a black scarf and a camel-colored coat along with her black gloves. She convinced herself the pearl earrings were nothing more than good taste as they went well with the outfit, and the fact that she avoided wearing any other jewelry almost made her believe it.

Kim chose jeans, too, as well as a pink sweater along with her pink coat , pink mittens and pink stocking hat.

Just then the doorbell rang, and Kim sprinted to the door hollering, "I'll get it!"

Laura's heart jumped when the bell rang, and she quickly assured herself that was because the loud noise startled her.

"What else could it have been?" she asked herself rhetorically.

Kim had already invited him in, and when Laura got to the foyer, he was standing there already laughing with her daughter. She saw him first and that's when that 'warm' feeling hit her again.

He was wearing a very nice-looking brown leather jacket with jeans and comfortable shoes that went quite nicely with everything he was wearing.

"Hi and good morning!" Laura said as she walked closer.

"Oh, my. You look incredible," Craig told her.

"What? This? It's just jeans and a jacket," she said, hoping that would pass muster.

"Okay. If you say so," he said with a smile as he admired the way she looked.

"And this little pink monster is cute as can be," he told Kim.

"You look very handsome," Kim told him, her cheeks quickly matching the color of her coat.

"Well, thank you m'lady," he replied with a bow.

Kim giggled then said, "You're funny!"

"So are we ready?" Craig asked.

"I just want to grab a thermos of cocoa I made, okay?" Laura told him. "I'll be right back."

"My mom's always cold," Kim told him. "But not me."

"Oh. So you wear a coat, gloves, a stocking hat, and a sweater when you're not cold?" Craig asked very seriously.

"Huh?" Kim asked back.

"Nothing. Just me thinking," he told her as he tried not to laugh at the puffy pink blob in front of him.

He saw Laura walking back toward them, and Craig felt a kind of 'warming' of his own. He was thankful it didn't go very far, but Laura looked so beautiful he knew there was no stopping Mother Nature from triggering that particular response.

"Okay. Now I'm ready," she said with a smile.

"Yay! We're going to the camel farm!" Kim said excitedly.

As they drove, Kim started in on facts she'd learned about camels with the adults saying, "Oh," or, "I see."

Before Craig could ask Laura a question, Kim started in on the tortoises.

"Did you know they don't drink water?"

Craig tried to answer, but Kim kept going.

"That's because they get all the water they need when they eat. Isn't that cool?"

Craig waited then when he had an opening said, "Yes. That's very cool."

"Someone is very chatty today," her mom said.

"I'm just so excited! You and Craig are on your first date, and that makes me very happy!"

Craig looked at Laura with big, wide eyes.

She shrugged then said, "It's a long story."

"Ah. Okay. For a minute there I thought this had turned into a date," he replied quietly with a smile.

"It is, silly!" Kim interjected having heard him.

"I like the way you think," Craig said to her as he looked at her in the mirror.

"Watch it, Buster," Laura said as she playfully whacked his arm with the back of her hand.

"Hey! What's with the early-morning assault?" he said, faux wincing from the 'pain'.

"You know," Laura told him, as she did her best not to smile.

"What? Our non-date date?" he said, intentionally stoking the flames.

"Keep that up and I can promise you there won't be a second!" Laura said with her own fake pomposity.

"So...there's a chance of second date. Now THAT is cool!" Craig said much too enthusiastically.

"Ha! Yeah, right," Laura said back.

"Where will you guys go on your second date?" Kim asked.

"Okay. That's it! No more date talk! Got it?" Laura said in a way that Kim thought might be serious but couldn't tell and that Craig knew wasn't.

"I'm growing on you, aren't I?" he said very quietly.

"Ha! Like...a fungus," Laura replied, using one of the oldest, corniest lines in the book.

"Fungus needs love too, you know," Craig told her with puppy dog eyes.

She tried not to look, and tried even harder not to laugh, but when he stuck his bottom lip out, she gave up.

When Kim heard her mom snort then laugh, she knew everything was okay and laughed, too.

Suddenly, the barren desert landscape seemed more beautiful than Laura could ever remember it. Sand and sage brush with the occasional cactus were the only scenery for miles, but it took on some kind of whole new meaning to her as they drove along in silence.

"Are you still cold?" Craig asked, interrupting her pleasant train of thought.

He'd turned the heater on, and it felt very nice in the car.

"No. I'm...I'm fine," she told him with a smile, as she realized she wasn't feeling the confusion anymore. All she felt was warmth, both from the heater and from somewhere deep inside her as she glanced over at the very handsome, very young man she was with.

When they arrived, Kim was so excited she was all over the place checking out as much as she could as fast as possible. That gave Craig time alone with Laura.

As they strolled along he said, "Mind if I ask how this non-date became a date?"

Laura laughed then said, "Oh, my. Well, it seems my daughter very much wants me to start dating again. And since you're only the second guy I've agreed to do anything with since losing my husband, she also seems to think we're dating and probably imagines we'll be married by Spring."

"So are we?" Craig asked.

Laura looked at him as if to say, "What are you talking about?" but didn't say anything.

"Dating. Are we dating?"

"What? No. Of course not," she said immediately and defensively.

"No? Okay. I was just wondering."

He smiled then said, "And maybe hoping."

Laura made another snorting noise then said, "Craig. Please, be serious."

"I was," he told her without the smile.

She stopped and turned toward him then said, "Really?"

"Yes. Really. I always thought you were very attractive, but until I got to know you a little, I never seriously thought about asking you out. But once I did, I found myself wanting to get to know you. So...yes. I was being serious."

Laura stood there and looked at him for a second or two then said, "You know why that can't happen, right?"

"No. Actually, I don't," Craig told her. "I mean, if you don't care for me personally or some other reason, then okay, I get that. I'm not everyone's cup of tea to be sure. But my gut tells me you and I...mesh. I think we have a lot in common in terms of values, and I know I make you laugh."

"Okay, that part is true. You do make me laugh. And while it seems like we share certain values, there's this one big elephant in the room you're pretending doesn't even exist."

"Elephant? Where you see a mountain, I see a molehill," Craig told her.

"A molehill? Craig, the difference in our ages isn't a couple of years. Or even a few."

He moved a little closer then quietly asked a question.

"If the difference was a few years, would that make a difference?"

"Well, yes. Of course it would. It would make a huge difference."

"So...you'd be willing to consider dating me if I was the same person with just one difference—the year I was born. Is that right?"

"You're...you're trying to minimize something very important," Laura told him.

"Or...I'm helping you realize I'd be the very same person even with a different date of birth. In every other way, I'd still be me."

He paused, and when Laura didn't answer, he asked, "Right?"

He saw her look away just as Kim hollered out, "You guys! Come on! Come see the tortoises!"

"Come on," Craig said with a smile. "I hear those guys aren't very fast, but they still win a lot of races."

Laura normally would have laughed, but the things he'd just told her shook her to her core. She still felt she was right, but she had to admit he had a point. People don't generally change beyond a certain age, and Craig was old enough that he would still be the same smart, funny, and yes—handsome—guy he was today in another ten years. And were he ten years older, she knew she'd not only hope for a second date, she'd probably even ask him if he was even remotely interested.

"Mom. Craig. Look how slow he's walking!" Kim said, pointing to a huge tortoise that was plodding along.

"Slow and steady wins the race, right?" Craig told her.

She'd heard the story before and laughed.

"Right! The speedy hare lost because he got distracted all the time, but the tortoise kept plodding along."

"Did you know they can live to be 150 years old?" Craig asked as he bent down beside Kim.

"Uh-huh. They live longer than anything else on earth," she told him.

"Well, they have one of the longest life spans, that's for sure. A lot longer than we humans."

"That's okay. Age doesn't really matter that much, right?" Kim said as though she'd been prompted.

"I uh, I think it's a lot more important to some people than it is to others," he replied as he looked up her mom and smiled.

As Laura looked down at him, it was as though she had some kind of an epiphany. In an instant, her brain asked her how long it might take to find someone Kim liked and respected as much as Craig. And from her standpoint, someone as friendly and likable and...handsome as him; someone who found her to be beautiful the way he told her he did, and who wanted to spend time with her.

As he stood up, the age difference still mattered, but its significance waned in the face of a growing stack of evidence to the contrary. Craig noticed her staring and asked her if she was okay.

"Oh, sure. I...I think maybe I was just looking at you from a different angle or something," she told him in a very different tone of voice.

Kim was bored with the tortoises and ran off to the next area and called for them to join her.

As they started walking, Craig said, "Sometimes all we need is a different perspective."

Laura looked over at him and he added, "You know. A different...angle."

He expected her to either turn away or dismiss his thought, but instead she said, "It's a little early to know for sure, but I think you might just be right."

"Hey, I'll take whatever I can get," he told her with a smile.

As they continued walking, he decided to see what would happen so he extended his elbow, and after giving him a funny look, she slid her arm into his.

"It's so quiet and peaceful out here," Laura said as they strolled along.

"And beautiful," he replied while looking into her eyes.

She knew he was referring to her, and although she wanted to downplay or even play off his comment, she squeezed his arm a little tighter but didn't say anything.

For the next hour or so, Kim ran ahead as they made their way around to every exhibit. They fed the camels and several other animals, but mostly Craig and Laura watched Kim having fun. She was Laura's little girl again, unaware of life away from the present moment, and that pleasant, unexpected surprise made her very happy.

But the bigger surprise was her change in attitude toward Craig. As they walked together she realized that as long as she didn't look at him, she had no idea what age he was. All she knew was he was a wonderful, intelligent guy who made her laugh and her daughter happy. So when, at one point, he reached for her hand, she let him hold it. It wasn't so much that she 'let him' in the sense of tolerating it, it was more that it was what she wanted as much as he did.

When they got to the next exhibit, they stopped to watch Kim throw out some feed, and when something made her laugh, it made Laura laugh, too. When she did, Craig looked at her, and this time, she looked back at him in a very different way. When she did, he put his arm around her her shoulder, and without hesitation, she put hers around his waist.

As Kim turned around to tell them whatever was on her mind, she saw them, and to her mom's great surprise and delight, she walked over to them and stood between them and put her arms around them both the best she could.

"Are you having fun, honey?" her mom asked.

"I'm just so happy, Mom," she told her.

When Kim pulled away, she looked up at her mom who said, "Yeah. Me, too, sweetie."

"Can I walk with you guys?" Kim asked.

"Of course," her mom said as she moved aside to let her in.

Kim reached up and took a hand from each one of them and said, "I'm glad we came here today."

This time, Laura looked over at Craig as she answered and said again, "Me, too."

On their way back, Laura kept sneaking looks at Craig hoping he wouldn't notice. She wasn't aware that her brain was trying to subconsciously make his youthful appearance match her new, overall impression of him.

A couple miles from her house, Laura asked, "Craig? Do you have plans for Thanksgiving?"

"No. Not really. I was going to watch football and maybe have a turkey sandwich," he told her without a smile. "Are you guys doing anything special?"

"No. My family is all back in Virginia. That's where Mike and I met. But no, we don't have any plans other than making dinner."

Craig didn't respond so Laura said, "I was wondering if you might like to maybe have Thanksgiving dinner with us."

Kim was suddenly fully aware of what was going on and before Craig could answer said, "Please, please, please say 'yes'!"

"Are you sure?" he asked—just to be sure.

Laura reached over and took his hand and quietly said, "I'm sure."

"In that case, I can't think of anything I'd like more," Craig told her just as quietly.

"I like football," Laura told him as he squeezed her hand and smiled.

"Oh, my goodness. Be still my beating heart!" he said with a laugh.

Laura squeezed his back and told him, "It's funny, but mine has been doing all kinds of crazy things since I, you know, looked at you from a different angle."

"Yeah? Then remind me to move around often, okay?" he told her.

Laura laughed, and for the first time since Mike was alive, she felt like she was alive again. And nothing said that more strongly than the way she felt when she momentarily wondered what it would be like to be with another man. Maybe even with a very handsome, very young man she no longer saw as just 'the water guy'.

Craig walked 'the girls' to the door and Laura asked if he wanted to come in.

"Yes, but I don't want to wear out my welcome. Especially if you're willing to have me back again so soon."

Kim tried to plead with him, but he bent down and promised he'd be back the next day.

"Okay," she said with a little bit of dejection.

"Can I have a hug?" Craig asked.

Kim's face lit up as she put her arms around him and squeezed him hard.

"Go on inside, honey. I'll be right there, okay?" her mom said.

"Okay, Mom!" she said happily as she went in and closed the door behind her.

Once they were alone, Craig looked around then at Laura and asked, "So...does this mean there'll be a second date?"

"Maybe," she said rather coyly.

"Maybe's okay," he told her as he reached for her hands. "Did you ever warm up today?"