SIX
To read this story from the beginning, please go HERE
This is a work of fiction based on a true story....
I sent out a mass message to everyone I knew:
I'm going to take at least a year off from having a serious relationship.
I'll take this time to focus on myself and my kids. And by golly, I'm going to enjoy!
As I grew stronger from being away from my ex-boyfriend, The Schmuck, I blocked him and his wife; that's when things got crazy.
One day as I went outside, The Schmuck's wife was parked in front of my house. I could hardly believe she'd found out where I lived! She stood from her white SUV and just stared at me with so much malice before getting in her gorgeous vehicle and driving off. All I could think was "Damn, she looked much taller than I'd imagined from her Facebook profile picture. I wouldn't want to brawl with her—the highest I could punch might be her boob!"
The fact that she'd found my house scared me more than I can describe because before blocking The Schmuck (and his schmucky wife), the last email I'd received from her had said:
I wish you'd disappear. Leave my husband alone.
Something stank in our small town. I wasn't messaging him at all—why did she think we were still in contact? I wondered if he'd made it look like I was messaging him, somehow? He'd done manipulative things like that to me—making terrible accusations about his wife that I eventually doubted were true. Why not make her hate me? I bet it took the blame off of him.
So I called the cops.
"I dated a married man," I confessed, like the cop was a judge and not just a regular officer. "I'm not proud of how things turned out, especially since I realized he was living with her, and then it still took me a month to completely get away."
"It's okay, Ma'am," the cop sounded honestly sad. "We get calls like this a lot. Now what's the trouble?"
"Well, his wife just showed up at my house. I don't even know how she found out where I live." So many emotions hit me that tears came to my eyes. Why was I going through this? I hadn't known he wasn't really getting divorced. I didn't WANT to know what it was like being the "other woman." After finding out, I really wasn't a fan of it.
"You may need to file a stalking injunction. Let me get their names and then I'll come over and file a report.… Hang on a sec…. All right, I've got my computer up. What are their names?"
I told him and for a moment it sounded as if he'd swallowed a golf ball. "I'll have to send someone else. I can't handle this case."
"What? Why?"
"Because…" He paused. "She's my cousin. And off the record, this isn't her husband's first affair. It's a good thing you got away; he's done this a lot. And as far as she goes, I would report this. You never know if all this has finally driven her crazy."
He ended up giving my number to another cop who called me shortly after. The whole time I remained shocked that The Schmuck's own in-laws had warned me about both him and his wife.
The next day I got a text from a number I'd never seen before:
Thanks for calling the cops! Now the entire family knows about the affair.
Karma in action IS kind of fun.
"Mark, how are you?" I called him shortly after.
"I'm better. A lot of the puppies died. But a few made it. At least the worst of it is over." His voice was tired, worn.
"Isn't it crazy how life can throw such curve balls?"
"It's what makes us stronger," he replied.
"I don't know how you've made it through all of that. It must have been terrible."
"Yeah, well…. I don't know how you've made it through everything that you have."
He was kind of a mysterious sort of guy—very intelligent, very deep. His personality and point of view continually impressed me. I couldn't wait to hear what he'd say next, or what strange argument he'd form when we were talking about why God did or didn't exist. "Mark, I'm really glad you're in my life. You make me want to be a better person, a better mother, a better friend."
That night as I snuggled in bed, the covers felt extra warm. I'd just kissed all of my kids "goodnight," and they hadn't given me as hard of a time as they normally did—that alone felt like Heaven.
But as I slept, I was shocked by a dream.
I talked to Mark. We'd had a bunch of wine, but instead of him sitting far away, he sat right next to where I rested. I yawned, getting ready to close my eyes. That's when he leaned down. "There's something I've wanted to tell you," he said. And in my dream, my breath caught in my chest.
Moonlight drifted through my front window and framed him perfectly. I could just make out his blue eyes and chiseled features. He looked down at me in a way he'd never done in real life. He seemed eager, passionate, resolved.
"Gina, I want to be with you, more than I've ever wanted anything. I want to grow old with you. Experience everything with you. Our friendship is amazing, but I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I want more."
Tears came to my eyes and I sat up so we faced each other, our hips touching, our faces only inches apart. His broad shoulders dwarfed my own, and the smell of his body so near to mine made my heart tremble. "Mark, I think I've loved you for such a long time. I've been fighting it."
I put my hand to his face, daring to touch his beard and cheek for the first time in my life. He kissed my wrist so tenderly, and the corners of his lips turned up with sudden mirth. I quickly put my hands back into my lap and looked at them shyly. When I dared to look up, he smiled and moved some hair from my face. Then, before I could even protest, he gently slid his calloused fingers up my neck and held my head in his calloused hand.
My heart raced, He pulled me closer, ever so slowly, and goose bumps rose all over my arms. I closed my eyes and just breathed him in. He smelled musky, like my favorite forest, or the mountains after the rain soaks into the refreshing moss. That's when he kissed me.
His full lips fit mine perfectly and I melted into his arms as he pulled me in, moving rhythmically like we were made for each other, and were always meant to be. He picked me up, his arms flexing as he set me on his lap. Our eyes met for time on end, then I hugged him and cried.
That's when the dream ended.
I shook my head. What kind of a dream was that? I didn't like Mark as more than a friend, yet I'd had a dream about kissing him? Oh, and that kiss—THAT was a good time. And the way he'd looked at me!
What if I thought about the dream the next time I saw him? I instantly blushed and pulled the covers close around my neck.
My eyes shut tight and I tried going back to sleep, but instead, I stayed awake feeling quite bewildered, wondering what the dream had meant.
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