Maggie...Is This Trip Really Necessary? (standard:romance, 5199 words)
Author: Bob Kain	Added: Sep 24 2000	Views/Reads: 4124/2710	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
I had known her what, two weeks? And now I was going to drive into a hurricane after her?

Maggie...Is This Trip Really Necessary? 

For the fifth time in the last two hours I listened as the phone I had
dialed rang and rang, with no answer.  It was unusual, to say the 
least, that a businesswoman would not have an answering machine in her 
home, but I had already figured out that Maggie Winters was anything 
but your usual woman. 

Ordinarily, I would have given up trying to reach someone after this
many unsuccessful attempts, and left it for another night.  In Maggie's 
case, it served only to increase my desire to speak with her.  It was 
nine fifteen at night.  I made a mental note to try again in a half 
hour, and went back to reading my newspaper while also watching Monday 
Night Football.  It had been almost fifteen years now since my divorce. 
 Loneliness showed it's ugly head from time to time, and I'd had to 
learn to deal with that.  But it never was a problem on Monday night.  
It was still a relief to turn on the game without someone asking me why 
we couldn't watch Murphy Brown once in a while. 

Nine forty-five, ten fifteen and ten forty-five brought only more
endless ringing of Maggie's phone.  It was getting awfully late to be 
calling someone, but I was becoming slightly obsessed with the desire 
to talk to her.  Now, to my chagrin, I found myself wondering if 
perhaps she was out with someone and was spending the night.   If she 
was, it certainly wasn't any of my business, and normally I wouldn't 
have cared.    I felt just a touch of fear at the realization that 
after only one meeting with this woman, the thought of her with another 
man could bring me to this little battle with jealousy.  Summoning a 
measure of extra resolve, I pushed that thought from my mind.   But, I 
decided to change the frequency of my calls to every fifteen minutes. 

Finally, at eleven fifteen, in the middle of the fifth ring, the phone
was picked up.  Mentally, I let out a sigh of relief.  A much bigger 
sigh than I would have liked, but I could only control so much. 

"Hello"?  Maggie's voice was even softer and more seductive on the phone
than it was in person, if that was possible. 

"Hi, Maggie, this is..." 

"Hi, Bob.   How are you?" 

"I'm just fine.  How did you know it was me?" 

"Oh, I recognized your voice.  It's very distinctive."   I paused for a
few seconds.   Long enough to let the tingle dissipate that was running 
up my spine. 

"Thank you.  I'm flattered that you remembered.  Listen, I'm sorry to be
calling so late.  But I really wanted to talk to you.  I've been trying 
to get you all night." 

"That's all right, I don't mind.  I'm happy to hear from you.  I'm home
most nights, but I went to a girlfriend's house tonight to watch the 
football game.  So, what were you so anxious to talk to me about?" 

All right, now, get a grip on yourself.  She's happy to hear from you. 
She was with a girlfriend, and she likes football.   There was no 
stopping the tingle now. 

"Well, I was hoping that you would have dinner with me tomorrow night,
if you aren't busy." 

"Bob, I'd love to have dinner with you."   Yes!  The tingle had found my
legs.  "But, I'm sorry, I can't tomorrow."  Being doused with a bucket 
of ice water couldn't have stopped that tingle any quicker.  "I have a 
softball game tomorrow evening." 

"Softball game?  You're on a softball team?" 

"Oh yes.  I'm the catcher."  My mind conjured up the image of the
elegant and beautiful woman that I had met last week.  Now, it tried to 
adjust that image by adorning it with a sweaty, grimy softball uniform, 
a catcher's mask, chest protector and shin guards.  It was no use.  I'd 
have to see it to believe it. 


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