I watched as the girl, Amanda, bumped a girl's shoulder and caused her to drop her purse. I like to think of myself as an old soul, older than my twenty-eight years, and older than the thirty-nine I look. I had an affinity for helping out, so I closed the distance between me and the young woman and offered to give her a hand picking up her fallen possessions. She accepted, handing me her purse, and stopped to thank me. She then offered to do the same for me, but instead of picking up my belongings, she stopped me and looked me in the eyes.
"Maybe another time," she said, looking at me like I was something to eat. "I would like to offer a favor to you instead."
"What kind of favor?" I asked.
"I want you to come over to my house tonight. Dinner, drinks, and dessert. I will have a bath prepared for you, after which we might play a game of chess. Afterward, we'll dine on lobster, Champaign, and single-malt whiskey. We'll chat about anything and everything. Then we'll slip into my bed, and the rest will be my treat."
"Sounds like you're offering more than just a favor," I said.
"I am. Think about it and let me know," she replied, handing me a slip of paper with her address on it. "I'm Amanda, by the way. I've had my eye on you for a long time."
"I'm Gwen, and you're my type too, Amanda," I said, reluctantly accepting the paper and looking at it. "See you later."
"Don't be late."
"I'll try not to be," I said, catching the next boat back to the marina, where my car was parked.
After getting home, I took a quick shower and prepared to go out and pick up some food. Before I drove off, I called my parents and told them I would be spending the night at a friend's house. I knew they would be fine with it. My mother already knew my father very well and he was more than happy to meet Amanda.
Soon after I left, my mother received a call from my father.
"Hi, hon," I said, leaning back in the passenger seat, content for the first time in months.
"Hi there!"
"How's it going?"
"It's going great! Your father just interviewed for a job at the university. He says it's a huge career opportunity and says he doesn't believe in luck or serendipity, but the funny thing is that he sounds like he believes in that stuff. He heard about it through a friend, who told him to send his resume in, but also to make sure that they knew that he is looking for a job in the city."
"That sounds great!" I said, a happy smile on my face.
"It's a huge step forward for us, Gwen. It means winter won't be so bad and that maybe you can come down for Christmas this year."
"I'd love that. I miss you guys," I said. And it was the truth. I was very happy to be talking with them.
"I miss you also!"
We talked for a few more minutes. I told her I would be home by the time she got home from work and that she should freeze some ground meat, so she could make meatballs for dinner a few nights from now.
After we hung up, I headed back to AP Bio to see what Amanda had in mind for us, and to call and ask if it was alright with her that I cook dinner before I went over. Before I could get to her house, I got a call from Captain Farr 6, telling me that he needed a man on board immediately.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Big trouble. Some big ship was spotted a few miles offshore, trying to get in at noon. We don't know if they have weapons on board. We have to send a team. I'll be sending the rest of my crew to the marina and I'll come after you with the next shift."
"Okay...thanks, Captain. I'll go see Amanda and go see what she has in mind for us," I replied.
After I hung up, I called Amanda to see if she was at all interested in playing chess that night, and she was fine with it. I told her I was headed there already and then called Tracy, asking if she was home.
"Hey, Tracy! I called to see if you were home. Captain Farr 6 is sending someone over to pick me up. He said something about a big ship trying to break into the harbor line?"
There was a slight pause, which lead me to believe that my friend is in trouble.
"It's not me. Something is wrong with my father," she continued. "I have to go right now. We'll talk soon."
"Something is wrong with your dad?"
"He's at Mayo, performing surgery, right now. He had a stroke at the hospital. It's bad. I'm the only one he has."
"That's terrible," I replied, knowing that she was not joking and that this was very serious. "I can't believe he had another stroke. I hope he's okay. I'm sure your mother will be there to help soon."
"She's already there. I have to go. I'll have to call you back soon."
"Do you want me to call you later? I just got to Amanda's place and I'm about to head over," I said, wanting to see my friend and be there to comfort her.
"Thank you. I'm okay. I don't even know if I'll call you later. I'm going to cuddle up and watch a movie."
"Oh...okay...Call me when you decide to call again."
"I will," she continued, hanging up.
I arrived at Amanda's familiar neighborhood, looking for her house. I found it and drove down her street. It was a nice neighborhood. She lived in a three story house that had a front porch. It was well kept. The lawn was overgrown, but that was probably because much of the house was dark now. Her house had a second story deck that was covered with chairs and a hammock lounge.
There was a small fire pit in her front yard, where she had hung a hammock for shade. She was sitting on it, wearing a light blue dress with a teal and black cocktail top underneath. Her short blonde hair was sprayed straight and hung around her. She was a beautiful woman, who looked to be in her late twenties.
"Hey sis," I said to her, smiling.
"What are you doing?" she asked, waving her hand in front of her face, indicating it was too bright. She didn't notice that I was here.
"I'm here," I said. "Amanda, your sister is here."
"Oh, hi," she said, lifting her head from the hammock and putting her sunglasses down. "Hey, sis!"
"How's it going?" I said.
"Okay. How about you?"
"It's okay. I'm trying to get over the job switch," I said. "My mother posted something about it on Facebook."
"Yeah, my mom did too. I hope it works out. I'm not worried. I've been in the city enough to know that I can always get a job there."
"I know you can," I said. "Don't worry. Downtowns switch around like this all the time."
"That's not the only reason I'm upset," she said. She hugged her knees to her chest and looked away from me. "At least you are getting married to a great guy."
"Oh, AMANDA!" I said, getting up and kneeling next to the hammock. "Don't cry. I'm sorry. I'm so happy for you and so glad you found the great guy you deserve."
"That's why I have to tell you this now. I have to talk to you about it before it gets too late. I'm not getting married, Gwen. I'm getting married to my father."
"What? Why?"
"I don't know," she said softly.
"Amanda? Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay. I'm very hurt. I really thought things were good between us. He doesn't take good care of me or my mom anymore. I just realized that I love him and I thought it would be great. I don't know why. All I know is that I need him and he needs me."
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