I smiled and said, “Nice that someone here appreciates me. Last time I came, they tossed me out on account of I got a little rowdy. But it wasn’t my fault. It was a Jackson Pollack exhibit, and they know how he affects me. It was their fault for sending me the invitation in the first place.”
After a couple of hours of looking at the exhibit, we joined a few hundred other people in the main hall for the wine and cheese reception. Laura saved us a couple of seats on a small sofa in a corner, while I went for two glasses of Chardonnay and a plate of fancy crackers and cheese. Sitting beside her, sipping the wine, I felt a sense of contentment that hadn’t been there in a long time.
Suddenly, in a mock serious voice, Laura said, “So, Jeremy, how is it that a fine figure of a man like yourself hasn’t been lassoed yet by some pretty little filly?”
“Just lucky, I guess, ma’am,” I said, matching her tone. “What about you? Surely you’ve had countless marriage proposals.”
Fluttering her eyelids, she said, “Oh, I’m saving myself for Mr. Right, of course.”
We were both quiet for a minute. Then Laura said, “Angie says you’re the last of the great romantics. She also told me that you were looking for your split-apart. What’s that?”
“Oh, it’s from a movie called The Butcher’s Wife,” I said. “The idea is that when the world began, with that big explosion, all the atoms were split. If you’re extremely lucky, sometime during your life, you’ll meet the person whose existence began with the other part of your atom, your split-apart.”
“I love it,” she said. “It’s so romantic.” She just sat and looked at me for a moment. Then she said, “You’re a pretty neat guy, Jeremy.”
“Please,” I said. “I’ve been told that I blush easily.”
“So I see,” she said.
* * *
Later, after we left the museum, I drove her back home. She invited me up to her apartment, and once we were inside, she told me to make myself comfortable and excused herself for a minute, leaving me in her living room. I took off my sports coat and hung it over a chair in the dining room, which was adjacent to the living room. Looking around, I could see that the place was tastefully furnished, with all the pieces working together to form a whole that was more attractive than its individual parts would have indicated. When Laura returned, sans jacket, I complimented her on her decorating skills.
“Thanks,” she said, as she sat down next to me on the sofa. “It’s sort of a hobby. I love reading all the home decorating magazines and watching the shows on the subject. Some of what I have came from that, some from my own ideas.”
As she spoke, she crossed her legs, allowing her already-short skirt to ride even further up her thigh. I discovered that I was once again experiencing breathing problems.
“I had a great time tonight, Jeremy,” she said, and her voice seemed to have lowered an octave.
I put my right arm around her and said, “Me, too,” and kissed her. The kiss was gentle and sweet. Neither one of us rushed things, or pushed too hard, but when our lips parted, she suddenly sat upright, and there were tears in her eyes.
“Jeremy,” she said, “could we not . . . I mean, would it be okay if we just . . .oh, God, you must think I’m terrible.”
She had clasped her hands together in her lap, and I reached over and covered them with mine.
“Okay,” I told her. “Take a deep breath. When you feel like talking . . . if you feel like talking . . . I’ll be here to listen. Until then, how about if I just hold you?”
She leaned back and I put my arm around her again. We sat like that for several minutes before she spoke.
“It’s just that all this seems so familiar. A little over a year ago, I was dating a man, a man I thought was wonderful. Believe it or not, our first big date was also at a museum. We went to the Carnegie for a recital. Afterward, we came back here and made love, and over the next few months, our relationship seemed to be going so well. One night last fall, we went out for a special dinner. I was halfway expecting a ring that evening. Instead, David told me that he needed more space in his life. He wasn’t cruel about it, but he made it clear that we wouldn’t be seeing each other anymore. And now, tonight, sitting here with you, I just started reliving all of that. I thought I was completely over the whole thing, but . . .” She sat up again and looked at me. “God, I’m sorry, Jeremy. You must think I’m an awful tease. I invite you in, take off my jacket, sit down next to you and . . . well, you must think the worst of me.”
“Un-uh,” I said. “I think you’re wonderful, and I think David is an idiot. And as much as I want to make love to you right now, this isn’t the way it should happen. I don’t want David lurking around in your mind at that moment. Let’s just sit here for a while, okay? I like holding you. Then, later, I’ll leave, and whenever you’re ready to see me again, you call me. I said see me, Laura, not necessarily have sex with me. I just want to spend time with you.”
A while later, she saw me to her apartment door. I kissed her gently on the cheek and then stood in the hallway for a minute. She told me, “I know you’re not David. In so
