Longing to Belong - Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Birch Creek, October 2002
“I need your help,” Teaspoon whispered, keeping an eye on the door behind which he knew Lou was playing with little Frank Cain.
Sam and Emma exchanged a look and a smile. “Is this about the mysterious woman you keep hidden somewhere?”
Teaspoon shook his head. “Nothing mysterious about her. Her name’s Rachel… and well, we’ve kind of hit it off. I… I like her a lot, and I think she likes me too.” Teaspoon couldn’t help but blush, feeling exposed before his friends’ curious eyes.
It was true. He liked Rachel, and he knew he was falling for her… hard. They might not have known each other for long, but from the first time they had really clicked. After that first lunch together, Rachel had turned out for that magical hour every day, except for once when she had a call from her youngest son’s school and had to rush there to sort out the boy’s problem. Never before had Teaspoon looked forward to his lunchtime so much. It was a delight, and on weekend when they couldn’t meet, Teaspoon missed her with all his heart. So he treasured those moments together they had. During those encounters, they talked, exchanging anecdotes about their respective children and about themselves, and every single time Teaspoon found a new reason to fall in love with her more deeply. After lunch he always walked her to her car, and they spent some heavenly minutes kissing and cuddling. Lately they seemed to reach a silent agreement to rush through lunch so they could enjoy the more affectionate part of their relationship a bit longer, even settling inside the car to keep their intimacy from nosy passersby. However, that was not enough any more.
“I want to take her on a date… a proper date.”
“But there’s Lou.” Teaspoon nodded at Emma’s words, and the woman added, “You know she can stay here with us while you go a-courting.”
Teaspoon gave her a terse smile. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.” He paused for a beat, and then he said, “The thing is I don’t want Lou to know about Rachel… not yet. I still remember how she took it that time I went out with that woman you set me up with?”
“But Lou was much younger then. It’ll different now. And for the record, I didn’t set you up with that woman. I didn’t even know her!” Emma exclaimed.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.” Teaspoon kept silent for a bit as if trying to regroup. “I know Lou’s older now, but I have the hunch she won’t like it this time either, and I don’t want to upset her unnecessarily. Things might have to nothing between me and Rachel eventually.”
“So you need us to provide you with a smokescreen,” Sam remarked with lopsided grin.
Teaspoon nodded. Emma reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’m glad you’ve found someone, Teaspoon. If things work out with Rachel, it’ll be so good for Louise too. You’re doing a terrific job with that girl, but she also needs a mother… or someone who can somehow fill that vacuum.”
“It’s still early days,” Teaspoon corrected her.
“Of course. I know,” Emma replied. “And you can count on us. We’ll help you.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
That Saturday Teaspoon primped himself up in the only suit which he owned and had not worn in ages. Days before he had taken it to the dry-cleaner’s, and when Lou had asked him about it, he had made up a story about some bash for one of his colleagues due to retire soon that he’d be attending. That would give him another excuse for another date with Rachel.
Tonight Lou was at the Cains’. Emma had asked the girl if she could stay and keep an eye on three-year-old Frank and Baby Tommy while Sam and Emma entertained some guests at home. Lou had been overexcited as Emma had promised some pay for her babysitting, which naturally would come out of Teaspoon’s pocket. The girl was proud at having her first job so to speak. Teaspoon would never have allowed her to do this in other circumstances. He reckoned she was too young for that responsibility, but in this case, it was passable because Emma would be in the next room. Naturally, Emma wouldn’t have asked Lou to babysit even if the guests were indeed real. It was the excuse to get the girl out of the way so that Teaspoon could be free to go out with Rachel that night. Truth was Teaspoon hated to lie to his girl, but after thinking hard about the matter, he thought it was the best thing to do. He would taste the waters first, so to speak, before he had to tell her about Rachel.
In his suit Teaspoon felt uncomfortable and stiff. It was a nuisance, and the grip of the tie around his neck was killing him. However, all his pains were soon forgotten as he stepped into the restaurant he and Rachel had arranged to meet and he saw her. “You look beautiful,” he said, pecking her on the cheek. She was wearing a strapless, tight-fitting black dress that pronounced her curves, contrasting with her blemish-free pale skin.
“You don’t look half bad yourself,” she replied, playing down his compliment.
They were soon shown to their table. This was the restaurant Sam had recommended. Once the situation with Lou had been dealt with, Teaspoon had come across another difficulty: where to take Rachel. He had not been on a date in ages, and the last thing he wanted was to choose the wrong venue for their special night. Thankfully, Sam had suggested the place where he had proposed to Emma and where they faithfully went on their wedding anniversary. Teaspoon had to grant it to him. It was the right choice. The restaurant was beautifully decorated in pastels, and there was a nice, romantic feel in it. There was soft, instrumental music in the background, and the tables were tastefully dressed with red and green tablecloths and delicate candleholders in the shape of flowers.
“Isn’t this nice?” Rachel remarked as she took her seat and accepted the menu that the waiter handed her.
Teaspoon smiled and was about to speak when his cell phone started to beep. His face crimsoned in embarrassment. “Sorry. I should have turned this off.” A look at the lit screen showed it was from Sam’s home phone. “I’m afraid I got to take this,” he said, always jumping to conclusions when Lou was involved, and fearing that something might have happened to her. It was illogical as he had barely left her at the Cains’ a couple of hours ago. “Hello?”
“Dad!”
The high note in Lou’s voice clearly proved that things were fine. As his worry faded, a smile set on his lips. “Hey, honey! What’s up?”
“Just wanted to call and tell you everything’s going seamless. You looked a bit concerned when you dropped me off at Aunt Emma’s.”
Teaspoon chuckled. Lou knew him better than he gave her credit for. “I guess I was.”
“You shouldn’t have. I’m eleven, not a baby, dad. And Frank and Baby Tommy are good boys. They’re already sleeping, and Aunt Emma’s guests haven’t even turned up yet! Aunt Emma says I can have my dinner whenever I like, and the maybe watch a move or use her laptop in the living room. They’re having their dinner with their friends in the dining room. So I’ll only have to keep an ear out in case the boys wake up, especially the baby, so if that happens, I’ll have to tell her! You see? It’s all easy!”
“I’m glad, honey.”
“Um… dad, maybe… maybe I shouldn’t take the money for doing this. Maybe it’s not right.”
“If Aunt Emma thinks you deserve to be paid, then it’s her decision,” Teaspoon reply, fully aware that he could well spare himself the money if he went along with Lou’s reasoning. “You’re a reliable girl, and I’m sure Emma wouldn’t trust anybody with her sons, so that means you deserve some kind of reward.”
“Ok. Maybe you’re right,” Lou replied, smiling to herself. And as usual, her mind worked faster than her mouth, and no sooner had she dealt with the matter that had been worrying her, she was thinking about something else. “Are you home, dad? I can hear some music.”
Teaspoon glimpsed at Rachel, who was blatantly listened to his conversation. He coughed, and then he said, “Uh… no, I’m not home. I realized we’d run out of… of milk, and I’ve just nipped to the shop. The music… uh… it comes from Mr Yan’s radio.”
“But there were two bottles of milk in the fridge, dad! We bought them yesterday, remember?”
“Really?” Teaspoon replied, feigning ignorance and hating himself for being such a lousy liar.
The answer he got was her sonorous laughter. “Oh dad!” She kept laughing until she said she had to go, and then she hung up.
Teaspoon put the phone back into his jacket pocket before turning his eyes to Rachel. “Sorry about that.”
“You didn’t tell your daughter the truth about where you were going tonight?”
Teaspoon could hear the hurt and irritation in her accusing tone, and he knew he owed her an explanation. “I thought it was better this way.”
“Why?”
“You can call me overprotective, and you’d certainly hit the nail on the head. You see, Lou didn’t take it too well when once I went on a blind date. That was a few years ago, so it could be different now. Yet, I don’t’ want her to fret unnecessary if…”
“This thing between us doesn’t last,” Rachel completed the thought for him, and Teaspoon confirmed her words with a nod. “That’s what you think will happen? That we won’t last?”
“Rachel, from where I stand, I still find it difficult to believe that a beautiful woman like you wants to stick to a man like me.”
Rachel sighed and shook her head, but the veiled flattery got her to smile. “Teaspoon Hunter, do you think you can sweet-talk your way out of this? Then you’re wrong.”
Teaspoon reached across the table for her hand and kissed it. “Rachel, you know how I feel about you. Please let’s not argue on the first chance we have to enjoy some quality time together. I just want tonight to be perfect.”
“I only want to know where we both stand. If you think this is only a fling, then it’ll be a fling for me and I won’t invest my heart in it. But if… if it’s something more…”
“It’s not a fling,” he interrupted her. “It’s something more, and … that something more is what we have to work out on finding out.” He paused, smiled, and then added, “As for Lou, you know what she has gone through over the years, and it’s not been easy for her. At first sight, she seems to be a confident and self-assured girl. Yet, I know she’s more vulnerable and insecure than she lets on. So that’s why I need to tread carefully. Not because I’m not sure about us, but because I want to make sure she’s fine.”
“You know her better, evidently, but don’t you think she might feel a bit wounded when she finds out her dad hasn’t been straight with her?”
“This is just a little fib, and I don’t plan to conceal you for too long. She’ll understand.”
Rachel gave in to his reasoning and shrugged her shoulders. “If that’s how you feel… then there’s nothing else to say.”
Birch Creek, October 2002
“I need your help,” Teaspoon whispered, keeping an eye on the door behind which he knew Lou was playing with little Frank Cain.
Sam and Emma exchanged a look and a smile. “Is this about the mysterious woman you keep hidden somewhere?”
Teaspoon shook his head. “Nothing mysterious about her. Her name’s Rachel… and well, we’ve kind of hit it off. I… I like her a lot, and I think she likes me too.” Teaspoon couldn’t help but blush, feeling exposed before his friends’ curious eyes.
It was true. He liked Rachel, and he knew he was falling for her… hard. They might not have known each other for long, but from the first time they had really clicked. After that first lunch together, Rachel had turned out for that magical hour every day, except for once when she had a call from her youngest son’s school and had to rush there to sort out the boy’s problem. Never before had Teaspoon looked forward to his lunchtime so much. It was a delight, and on weekend when they couldn’t meet, Teaspoon missed her with all his heart. So he treasured those moments together they had. During those encounters, they talked, exchanging anecdotes about their respective children and about themselves, and every single time Teaspoon found a new reason to fall in love with her more deeply. After lunch he always walked her to her car, and they spent some heavenly minutes kissing and cuddling. Lately they seemed to reach a silent agreement to rush through lunch so they could enjoy the more affectionate part of their relationship a bit longer, even settling inside the car to keep their intimacy from nosy passersby. However, that was not enough any more.
“I want to take her on a date… a proper date.”
“But there’s Lou.” Teaspoon nodded at Emma’s words, and the woman added, “You know she can stay here with us while you go a-courting.”
Teaspoon gave her a terse smile. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.” He paused for a beat, and then he said, “The thing is I don’t want Lou to know about Rachel… not yet. I still remember how she took it that time I went out with that woman you set me up with?”
“But Lou was much younger then. It’ll different now. And for the record, I didn’t set you up with that woman. I didn’t even know her!” Emma exclaimed.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.” Teaspoon kept silent for a bit as if trying to regroup. “I know Lou’s older now, but I have the hunch she won’t like it this time either, and I don’t want to upset her unnecessarily. Things might have to nothing between me and Rachel eventually.”
“So you need us to provide you with a smokescreen,” Sam remarked with lopsided grin.
Teaspoon nodded. Emma reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’m glad you’ve found someone, Teaspoon. If things work out with Rachel, it’ll be so good for Louise too. You’re doing a terrific job with that girl, but she also needs a mother… or someone who can somehow fill that vacuum.”
“It’s still early days,” Teaspoon corrected her.
“Of course. I know,” Emma replied. “And you can count on us. We’ll help you.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
That Saturday Teaspoon primped himself up in the only suit which he owned and had not worn in ages. Days before he had taken it to the dry-cleaner’s, and when Lou had asked him about it, he had made up a story about some bash for one of his colleagues due to retire soon that he’d be attending. That would give him another excuse for another date with Rachel.
Tonight Lou was at the Cains’. Emma had asked the girl if she could stay and keep an eye on three-year-old Frank and Baby Tommy while Sam and Emma entertained some guests at home. Lou had been overexcited as Emma had promised some pay for her babysitting, which naturally would come out of Teaspoon’s pocket. The girl was proud at having her first job so to speak. Teaspoon would never have allowed her to do this in other circumstances. He reckoned she was too young for that responsibility, but in this case, it was passable because Emma would be in the next room. Naturally, Emma wouldn’t have asked Lou to babysit even if the guests were indeed real. It was the excuse to get the girl out of the way so that Teaspoon could be free to go out with Rachel that night. Truth was Teaspoon hated to lie to his girl, but after thinking hard about the matter, he thought it was the best thing to do. He would taste the waters first, so to speak, before he had to tell her about Rachel.
In his suit Teaspoon felt uncomfortable and stiff. It was a nuisance, and the grip of the tie around his neck was killing him. However, all his pains were soon forgotten as he stepped into the restaurant he and Rachel had arranged to meet and he saw her. “You look beautiful,” he said, pecking her on the cheek. She was wearing a strapless, tight-fitting black dress that pronounced her curves, contrasting with her blemish-free pale skin.
“You don’t look half bad yourself,” she replied, playing down his compliment.
They were soon shown to their table. This was the restaurant Sam had recommended. Once the situation with Lou had been dealt with, Teaspoon had come across another difficulty: where to take Rachel. He had not been on a date in ages, and the last thing he wanted was to choose the wrong venue for their special night. Thankfully, Sam had suggested the place where he had proposed to Emma and where they faithfully went on their wedding anniversary. Teaspoon had to grant it to him. It was the right choice. The restaurant was beautifully decorated in pastels, and there was a nice, romantic feel in it. There was soft, instrumental music in the background, and the tables were tastefully dressed with red and green tablecloths and delicate candleholders in the shape of flowers.
“Isn’t this nice?” Rachel remarked as she took her seat and accepted the menu that the waiter handed her.
Teaspoon smiled and was about to speak when his cell phone started to beep. His face crimsoned in embarrassment. “Sorry. I should have turned this off.” A look at the lit screen showed it was from Sam’s home phone. “I’m afraid I got to take this,” he said, always jumping to conclusions when Lou was involved, and fearing that something might have happened to her. It was illogical as he had barely left her at the Cains’ a couple of hours ago. “Hello?”
“Dad!”
The high note in Lou’s voice clearly proved that things were fine. As his worry faded, a smile set on his lips. “Hey, honey! What’s up?”
“Just wanted to call and tell you everything’s going seamless. You looked a bit concerned when you dropped me off at Aunt Emma’s.”
Teaspoon chuckled. Lou knew him better than he gave her credit for. “I guess I was.”
“You shouldn’t have. I’m eleven, not a baby, dad. And Frank and Baby Tommy are good boys. They’re already sleeping, and Aunt Emma’s guests haven’t even turned up yet! Aunt Emma says I can have my dinner whenever I like, and the maybe watch a move or use her laptop in the living room. They’re having their dinner with their friends in the dining room. So I’ll only have to keep an ear out in case the boys wake up, especially the baby, so if that happens, I’ll have to tell her! You see? It’s all easy!”
“I’m glad, honey.”
“Um… dad, maybe… maybe I shouldn’t take the money for doing this. Maybe it’s not right.”
“If Aunt Emma thinks you deserve to be paid, then it’s her decision,” Teaspoon reply, fully aware that he could well spare himself the money if he went along with Lou’s reasoning. “You’re a reliable girl, and I’m sure Emma wouldn’t trust anybody with her sons, so that means you deserve some kind of reward.”
“Ok. Maybe you’re right,” Lou replied, smiling to herself. And as usual, her mind worked faster than her mouth, and no sooner had she dealt with the matter that had been worrying her, she was thinking about something else. “Are you home, dad? I can hear some music.”
Teaspoon glimpsed at Rachel, who was blatantly listened to his conversation. He coughed, and then he said, “Uh… no, I’m not home. I realized we’d run out of… of milk, and I’ve just nipped to the shop. The music… uh… it comes from Mr Yan’s radio.”
“But there were two bottles of milk in the fridge, dad! We bought them yesterday, remember?”
“Really?” Teaspoon replied, feigning ignorance and hating himself for being such a lousy liar.
The answer he got was her sonorous laughter. “Oh dad!” She kept laughing until she said she had to go, and then she hung up.
Teaspoon put the phone back into his jacket pocket before turning his eyes to Rachel. “Sorry about that.”
“You didn’t tell your daughter the truth about where you were going tonight?”
Teaspoon could hear the hurt and irritation in her accusing tone, and he knew he owed her an explanation. “I thought it was better this way.”
“Why?”
“You can call me overprotective, and you’d certainly hit the nail on the head. You see, Lou didn’t take it too well when once I went on a blind date. That was a few years ago, so it could be different now. Yet, I don’t’ want her to fret unnecessary if…”
“This thing between us doesn’t last,” Rachel completed the thought for him, and Teaspoon confirmed her words with a nod. “That’s what you think will happen? That we won’t last?”
“Rachel, from where I stand, I still find it difficult to believe that a beautiful woman like you wants to stick to a man like me.”
Rachel sighed and shook her head, but the veiled flattery got her to smile. “Teaspoon Hunter, do you think you can sweet-talk your way out of this? Then you’re wrong.”
Teaspoon reached across the table for her hand and kissed it. “Rachel, you know how I feel about you. Please let’s not argue on the first chance we have to enjoy some quality time together. I just want tonight to be perfect.”
“I only want to know where we both stand. If you think this is only a fling, then it’ll be a fling for me and I won’t invest my heart in it. But if… if it’s something more…”
“It’s not a fling,” he interrupted her. “It’s something more, and … that something more is what we have to work out on finding out.” He paused, smiled, and then added, “As for Lou, you know what she has gone through over the years, and it’s not been easy for her. At first sight, she seems to be a confident and self-assured girl. Yet, I know she’s more vulnerable and insecure than she lets on. So that’s why I need to tread carefully. Not because I’m not sure about us, but because I want to make sure she’s fine.”
“You know her better, evidently, but don’t you think she might feel a bit wounded when she finds out her dad hasn’t been straight with her?”
“This is just a little fib, and I don’t plan to conceal you for too long. She’ll understand.”
Rachel gave in to his reasoning and shrugged her shoulders. “If that’s how you feel… then there’s nothing else to say.”