A Couple of Years of Gardening (Chapter 7) (standard:romance, 2564 words) [7/10] show all parts
Author: kmr412002	Added: Feb 26 2007	Views/Reads: 2373/1752	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The courtship and marriage of detective as told by his wife.

CHAPTER 7 

A few weeks before Christmas, Jack tells me that Emily has invited me to
Christmas dinner. I reserve a flight to take out of Atlanta on 
Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve morning, my cousin calls me. She tells me, 
she is leaving her husband today. Of all the relatives on my mother's 
side of the family, she was the only one that I kept in close contact 
with. I figure I can get a later flight and call Jack to let him know 
I'll be in tomorrow morning. He tells me New York is expecting to be 
snowed in. 

“Jack, I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have made plans.” 

I hear nothing on the phone. I say, “Please don't be mad. My mother's
side of the family pretty much disowned her when she married my father. 
Lucy was the only one who reached out to me.” 

“Nina, I'm not mad” 

I say, “It's scary how quickly things change. What disturbs me is how
quickly she has begun to hate him. She never says his name anymore, 
just refers to him as that S.O.B. or that bastard. God, Jack, she never 
says his name.” 

“Nina, I love you. You know that?  I miss you and I want you home with
me.” 

In a one last weak declaration of independence, I nearly say I am home,
but more and more this no longer true. Instead, I say, “Hey, Jack, 
you'll get some rest.” 

“Baby, you don't understand. My whole life, I feel like I've never
rested. I feel like I've been running my whole life. The only time I've 
found some peace, is that first night. It's like having you here makes 
the thoughts in my head slow down, makes the world go away for a little 
while.” 

There is a silence on the phone. I feel if I say anything, I will cry.
“You okay?” 

“I do love you,” I say hoping I don't sound too surprised. He speaks
very quietly, and I barely hear him. “Come home soon, Baby. I need you 
here.” 

When I crawl into bed, I think about the word “home.”  I spend more time
here than in New York, but I had come to regard Jack's loft as home. I 
was glad to see he thought the same way. 

At three, the phone rings.  Jack says, “Merry Christmas, Baby” 

“Merry Christmas, Jack.”  I sit up and look around my very quiet, very
lonely apartment. I sigh and say, “I wish I hadn't decided to stay 
here.  God, I wish you weren't so far away.” 

“Maybe you can get your wish.  I'm downstairs waiting for you to ring me
up.” 

I stumble through the living room to ring him in and then run downstairs
to meet him in a t-shirt and panties. I didn't care as I threw my arms 
around him. 

He looks at me and says, “I hope you don't greet all your visitors like
this.” 

“Only the ones that I'm crazy about. What happened with the airports?” 
I hug him again in case this is a crazy dream that will come to an end. 


I take his arm as we climb the stairs.  He says, “It wasn't as bad as
they thought it was going to be. A few flights were getting out. I was 
having dinner with Emily, Bill and the kids when the news comes on and 
says they've reopened the airports. Em is watching me stare at a plate 
full of food and asks me why I'm still here.  I went straight to JFK. I 
didn't even pack, and I don't have your gift.” 



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