A Couple of Years of Gardening (Chapter 5) (standard:romance, 2664 words) [5/10] show all parts
Author: kmr412002	Added: Dec 27 2006	Views/Reads: 2507/1896	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A courtship and marriage of a detective as told by his wife.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


“I don't like spending all my spare time thinking of you.  I don't like
missing you.  Maybe, I thought when we --” I hurriedly fill in the 
blanks, “That we would get past it and everything would go back to 
normal.” 

He appears in front of me and smiles softly and says, “Yea, Nina, but
how I feel about you, that is not normal.” 

“I know what you mean, Jack. But that doesn't really matter, does it?  I
give him a hug that lasts longer than I anticipate.  I back away 
intending to leave when he says, “Nina, I need to tell you something. 
Megan wants me to meet her family in the Hamptons and I thought it 
would be good time to get away. Nina, I wanted to let you know --.” 

“Jack, just relax. Have good time.  I hear that area of the country is
beautiful this time of year.”  I know I sound manically enthusiastic 
and	 I tense ready to cut him off again if he says my name that way 
again. 

I whirl around and nearly knock a tray out of a waiter's hand. Not one
of my smoother exits. 

I am helping Kate undress. As she is putting things away, she asks,
“What's with you and Jack?” 

I stop what I'm doing and say, “I don't know what you mean.” 

“I saw you dancing with him and I thought you looked pretty miserable. 
In fact, he looks miserable.”  She whirls around and says, “Did he do 
something?” 

“No, of course not. ” 

“Well, whatever happened—“ 

She freezes and looks at me sitting on the bed. She plops down beside me
and grins, “Nina, you're sleeping with him.” 

“No, Kate.” 

She continues to look at me, until I finally say, “Yes, once. But it was
nothing, we're were both pretty drunk and --.”  I shrug my shoulders. 

“Nina, I've known you for twenty years, and I've never seen you that
--.” There's a knock on the door. David is ready to go. 

Nina and David go to Martha's Vineyard for their honeymoon.  I agree to
house sit. That afternoon, I decide to take a run. I find the loudest 
grungiest rock band CD and put it in my player; anything to drown out 
the thoughts and questions that have been swirling around in my mind 
lately. On the way back home, I stop by a convenience store to pick up 
a pint of ice cream and some Tylenol for the headache I gave myself 
with the loud music. As I devour my ice cream in the guest bedroom, I 
congratulate myself on how well I'm handling this. As I sprawl across 
the bed, I fall asleep thinking, as if there were anything to handle. 

It's three a.m. when the phone rings. Jack. 

I say, “I thought you were in the Hamptons. Don't tell me you had to go
to work.” 

“No, it wasn't that.” 

There's silence. I ask, “Are you all right?” 

He clears his throat. “Yea, yea, I'm fine. It's just one moment, I'm
getting fitted for a tux in the Hamptons and the next thing I know I'm 
back at my place sitting here at home wondering if it was a good idea 
to call you. 

Now it's my turn to be at a loss for words. 

“Nina, tell me, was it a good idea?” 

“Yes, of course.” 

“That night, Nina, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't
given me a place to go.” 

“I'm sure that you would have been fine.” 

“I'm not so sure about that. Anyway, it's not just that night I've been
thinking about. It was that day in the park. I was giving my standard 
the-world-is-going-to-hell-in-a-hand basket speech.  Nina, am I crazy 
or did I see something?” 

“No, you're not crazy.”  I'm glad he can't see me. I feel heat creep
into my face. 

He clears his throat, “Anyway, my sister wants those pictures taken
soon. I understand kids change so fast.” 

I say, “Lots of things change fast. Don't they?” 

Jack arranges to pick me up at the airport to take me by his sister's
house. He calls shortly after my plane lands to let me know he won't 
make it in time, but he will meet me at her home, so I take a cab. 

Emily dresses her children, Gracie and Mamie, in little sundresses. She
introduces me to her husband, Bill. They have a beautiful backyard so I 
take the pictures of their girls in the garden. 

As we come inside, Emily mentions the approaching cold front and wants
to bring in her plants. Bill says he has to get to work and would do 
that later. I sit in the kitchen, noticing her staring out the backyard 
and wringing her hands as the weather got a little more threatening. 

She says, “I guess Jack is still at work. I'm sorry he's late.” 

I shrug, “Oh, I'm not surprised. His work is his life.” 

She sits at the table and drums her fingertips on the table. “It
shouldn't be. You know the family we grew up in was pretty unhappy. 
Jack and I had each other, but I wished for the kind of family I saw on 
TV and I was very fortunate to get something like that, but I feel 
guilty, Nina.” 

“Why?” 

“Because I should have wished that for Jack, too.” 

“Emily, maybe he is happy with what he has. He could be content with his
life.” 

The little corners of her mouth turn down and she gives me a look,
because she's too polite to tell me what an idiotic statement that is. 
I want to change the subject, so I say, “I'll bet, Emily, we could get 
those plants in ourselves. I'll be glad to help.” 

We begin lugging in what seemed innumerable potted plants onto the back
porch. The girls get the smaller ones while Emily and I bring in larger 
ones. The doorbell rings and Emily races inside. Grace and I attempt to 
get in one of the larger pots and only succeeded in tipping it over. As 
we laugh at our panicked attempt to fix the plant, I see Jack in the 
door. He smiles at us and Grace rushes up to hug him. 

He walks out to help me with the pot and continues helping me with the
remaining pots. As we work, Emily says she is going to make dinner; and 
insists that I stay. Just as we put the last pot on the porch, there is 
a loud clap of thunder and it pours. I stand on the porch peering 
through the screen taking in the smell of the rain, the soil, the 
approaching cold, and something else. It was all so intense, as if 
everything, and I know I will remember this moment forever. I know he 
is standing right behind me and I don't dare turn around. He puts his 
hand on my shoulder and whispers in my ear “There's no one to for you 
to save tonight.” 

I put my hand on his, and turn my head to look at him. He takes a deep
breath, “Except for me.”  I reel in that smirk that is about to run 
across my lips because I can see he is not just doing the routine 
flirt. Our lips barely touch before we hear the squeals of the girls as 
they race out on the porch to announce dinner is ready. 

I walk on ahead helping Emily set the table. Jack sits in the den with
Gracie and Mamie watching a video. He is relaxed and seems at ease 
here. His two nieces adore him and can not keep their eyes off him. 

As we eat, Emily asks about my work. I know this is coming and I hoped
it would come because it would give me the perfect opportunity to share 
the news. Now, I am not so sure. I say New York will probably hire 
someone to take my place, so I probably won't be coming up as often. I 
focus on Emily's dark eyes, pretending not to see Jack stop eating. 

Emily serves Mamie some more soup, “Oh that's too bad we won't be seeing
you for a while but I know you're probably ready to go home. When will 
you be leaving?” 

I purposefully look down at my plate. “Tomorrow morning.” 

“No you're not,” Jack says. At first I think he is teasing me, but those
solemn eyes tell me something else.  Emily looks at Jack and then me. 

“I'm sorry,” he says, throwing down his fork and going out to the
backyard porch. 

“What's wrong with Uncle Jack?” asked Grace. 

Emily says, “Uncle Jack might be tired.” 

“Well, he needs a nap.” 

Emily keeps her eyes on Grace's plate as she spoons more vegetables on
it. She talks in a tone so low, at first I think she's not speaking to 
me, but to herself. “We had a long tradition in our family when we were 
growing up. You never ever let anyone know how you feel. That way 
you'll be so safe and secure you won't even notice the person you care 
for walking out the door.” 

She looks out at the porch where Jack is standing and then looks back at
me. I say, “I don't get the feeling that's happening with your family. 
I see you with your daughters. They seem very happy. Your husband seems 
happy.” 

“My husband tells me sometimes I go into a cave and that at times he
feels he has to throw in a grenade to get me to come out. The longer 
we've been married, the less he's had to do that.” 

Emily stops to look at me and at Jack and then back at me. I finally get
a clue, and I excuse myself and walk outside. He has his back to me as 
I touch his arm, “Jack.” 

“Please let me talk. You don't know how hard this is for me.” 

“Jack, you don't have to say any—“ 

He held up his hand, “When I said you weren't getting on that plane, I
meant not until you hear this. I 'm tired of thinking of witty ways to 
run into you. I'm tired of thinking of the right words to make you see 
how much you mean to me. You've got to know how I feel.” 

“Jack, New York doesn't need me.” 

“What if I do?”  He takes my hand and repeats in a small voice, “What if
I do?” 

“Oh, Jack,” I try to laugh but it comes out like a gasp. I ask, “Why
would you say something like that?” 

“Maybe, because it's true. Maybe I think you're good for me.” 

“You sound like you've been debating that for a while. Anyway, you don't
know me well enough to say that.” 

He stares at me for a while. “I'd like to, Nina. I'd like to live behind
those eyes of yours for a little while and find out exactly what you 
see in me, what you hope to see.” 

“What if you find something you don't like?” 

“I don't think that's possible.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because I'm in love with you. I don't want you to get on another
goddamn plane without letting you know that. I'm in love with you, 
Nina.” 

My throat begins to ache and I say hoarsely, “Jack, maybe we should talk
about this later.”  Just then, Mamie wanders onto the porch. She points 
to her untied shoe. “Uncle, shoe.” 

He bends down to tie her shoe and then pats her knee. Just then, I know
it. I know as I was giving my heart away, I was feeling it break a 
little, too. 

It's pouring when we leave Emily's home and he puts his coat over our
heads as we head toward the car. When we reach the curb, he opens the 
door for me. I stop and stare at him as he makes his way to the 
driver's side.  I call across the car to him, “Jack, I don't want to go 
home.” 

He is about to get in the car when he says, “Where do you want to go?”
He freezes and shakes his head and gets back out and walks back around 
to me. I offer him the shelter of his coat as I look up at him, 


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