"Something suddenly came up..."

Thursday, June 23, 2005, 1:30pm
Steve's office

I told Heather, the girl from the drycleaners, that I would call later in the week to make arrangements for Friday.

"Hellooo?"

She sounds younger than I remember. She almost sounds like a kid, for Christ's sake! A LITTLE kid!

"May I .... speak to Heather?"

"Hold on!"

I hear the plastic thunk of what sounds like a receiver hitting ceramic tile. "Mommy!" the voice says, faintly.

Holy shit! She's got a kid?

"Who's this?" It's the kid again.

"This is Steve."

"It's STEVE, mom."

Heather picks up. "Hi, Steve!"

"Hey! Do you have a minute?"

"Yes. Casey, go pick up your Play-Doh, honey."

"Mommeeee? Who's Steeeeeve?" I hear in the background.

"NOW."

"So how old is your daughter?"

"Six. Going on 25."

"Uh-huh."

"Didn't I tell you I had a daughter?"

"No."

I've been with maybe 2 or 3 moms before. It's not that I avoid them; it's just that I usually pursue young, unattached girls, and most of them have not had kids.

Heather doesn't seem like the type who would step out on a husband, so I'm guessing she's a single mom. She wasn't wearing a ring, that much I know. Having a child is a lot of work, as my brother reminds me all the time, and if she's a single mom, she probably has a full-time job as well, which all adds up to a very full plate for one woman. And a full plate means little time for a serious relationship, which means that she's starting to sound like a very good fuck buddy candidate!

"Yep, I have one daughter. And I should probably tell you something before we go out..."

"What's that?"

"Well, technically I'm still married," she says with a little laugh. "My divorce will be final in a week."

"I see."

"I mean, it's totally over. The only reason I even talk to him is because of Casey, and then it's just hello and goodbye."

"I understand."

"So you still wanna go out?"

"Sure!"

"So where're you taking me?"

"How about Annabelle's?"

"Ooooh, that seafood place? That sounds AWESOME!"

"Yep, that's the one. Can I pick you up tomorrow at 7:00?"

"OK!"

**********

3:00pm

Tim never did call me after that night, and I never called her. But I did say I would call, and my plan was to wait until at least today to contact her, if she hadn't already done so.

"Hello?"

"Tim!"

"Steve? Is that you?"

"Yeah! How are you, Tim?"

"I'm fine! Just trying to line up some more catering jobs. How ARE you?"

"Great! Pretty busy."

"Ohhh."

"Listen, I don't want to take you away from work. I was just wondering if you're free Saturday night."

"No, my cousin is getting married out of state. I'm gonna be gone from Saturday until late Sunday or Monday."

"Ah, bummer."

I wonder if she'll suggest tomorrow. And I wonder what I'll say if she does.

"How about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow..."

I could go out with Heather, and then meet Tim afterwards. No, too hectic. I'll be rushing Heather, and I don't want to do that on a first date. I suppose I could try to reschedule Heather, but there's no guarantee she'll be free on Saturday. Then again, anyone who says, "I haven't been on a date in months" probably doesn't have a full social calendar.

"Yeah, tomorrow!"

"OK."

"Can you come over around ten?"

"How about 10:30?" I don't want to be too agreeable, now.

"Sure!"

**********

4:00pm

"Heather, it's Steve. I have a small problem..."