TUESDAY TALES - GENTLE

 

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“Why don’t I send you a text every night. Would that do?”

He exhaled. A text, a cold, impersonal, don’t-bother-to-reply text. His shoulders sagged.

“Sure. Sure. Whatever works for you.” He refused to appear clingy.

“Could you sleep then?”

“Yeah. About coming for a visit.” He shut his eyes tight, praying for the right answer.

“You mean this weekend? That won’t work. A bunch of us are driving up the coast. Kind of an adventure. Then we’re going to write about the trip. Someone suggested a road trip film. But we’d experience it first.”

“And I can’t come?” His heart twisted.

“I suppose you could. But the rest of the team might feel kinda funny. You not being a writer and all. Like how would you contribute?”

“Pay for your hotel.”

Silence.

Words tumbled from her in a rush. “I know I’m running up a lot of extra expenses, but when I sell my first screenplay, I’ll pay you back.” 

“Sorry. That came out wrong. It’s not about the money. Fuck the money. I want you to have this experience. It’s not that at all. If I wouldn’t fit in, okay, then.”

“Maybe we could plan a weekend for just us? Say next month?”

“We could do that.” A month? Christ, I have to wait a month to get her for a weekend? Fuck.

“Why don’t you get on that? Text me a choice of two dates.”

“Clare, texting doesn’t work for me.”

“You know how to do it, right?”

“Of course, I know how. That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Patience wore thin.

“Hey, no need to get belligerent.”

“No need to get belligerent? You’re relegating me to a text buddy? And you don’t think I should object to that? I’m your husband, not some acquaintance.”

“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy, Terry. Please don’t make it any harder than it is.”

“Didn’t you have fun when we Skype’d?”

Silence. Then her voice, lower, more gentle than before. “Sure, I did. It was amazing. I could almost feel you touch me.”

“Me, too. So, let’s do it again.”

“I don’t know. My roommate is here all the time. She’s a giant pain in the ass.”

“Then go to a hotel. I’ll pay for it.”

“It’s just not a good time.”

“Why? Why isn’t it? It’s a great time for me. I love you, Clare. I miss you.”

“I know. One month down and five to go.”

“It seems like forever.”

“It’ll pass before you know it. Look, I’ve gotta run. Get the stuff about our weekend together and text it to me, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Love you, Terry. Love you to bits.”

“Love you, too.”

And then she was gone. 

Terry headed for the kitchen. There was an empty take-out food container on the counter. He heaved it against the wall. The noise woke Queenie who came running in, barking.

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