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I ran into my neighbor Jason at our community mailbox. He wore the same maroon sweatshirt I had seen him in a million times before. I wondered why he didn’t get his bushy brown hair cut and try to look more presentable. Maybe he could find a replacement mom for his two children if he worked a little harder.
“Weren’t you wearing that exact sweatshirt the last time I ran into you?” I teased, hoping he might take a hint and go clothes shopping.
“Nice to see you Samantha. You look stunning as always.”
I grinned before I could stop myself. He was probably being sarcastic. “Well, I make an effort you know.”
Even if he didn’t really look like a man who had recently been dumped by his wife, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. Maybe he was just putting on a brave face, the way I did with Cameron.
“How are you? I can’t remember the last time I saw you without the little red wagon you are always dragging your kids around in.”
“I’m fine. Grace and Andrew are at preschool. I don’t have to pick them up for a couple more hours.”
“How nice for you, a little down time.”
Jason thumbed through his mail. “Not really. Even with a housekeeper coming every other week, I spent most of my morning straightening up the downstairs and doing all the laundry. I was debating between vacuuming next or running out for a few errands.”
“Sounds like an exciting day.”
“Very.” He shrugged. “Feel like coming over for lunch instead? I have some tasty leftovers in the fridge.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. Jason and I weren’t friends. We’d never hung out before. “I’m flattered, but it’s only eleven. I’m not that hungry yet.”
“That’s okay, we’ll forget about lunch and I’ll make you a cup of tea. Come on, I haven’t seen you in a while, and I could use the company. It’ll give me an excuse to take it easy before I pick up the kids.” He shut his mail box and pulled out the key.
I removed a couple of flyers and some other junk mail while I considered my options. It would be nice to get caught up on all the Nora gossip. I heard she’d been calling Jason from Guam while I was out of town. “All right, but just a quick visit. I have a bunch of things I need to do too before I pick up my kids from school.”
Jason lived at the far end of the neighborhood in one of the smaller floor plans. I worried he could turn out to be someone I didn’t want to be friends with. After all, there must be something wrong with him if Nora had to leave the country to get away from him. Then I realized it wouldn’t be too difficult to avoid him in the future. I could enter the community from the opposite side of the neighborhood and not have to pass by his house. In the evenings, I was usually surrounded by my girlfriends or my children. He’d have a hard time catching me alone if I didn’t want him to.
“We’re here.” Jason smiled, pushing open the front door and giving his yellow lab, Max, a pet on the head. He waited for me to enter first. “After you my lady.”
I gave him a sideways glance. “You are too much, you know that?” I stepped inside and looked around, letting Max lick my ankle. To my surprise, his home was tidy and organized. It didn’t look like a place where a wife and mother of two had recently abandoned her family. The windows were smudge-free and bright, baskets full of organized toys lined the playroom, and I couldn’t find a single stray sock or dog bone on the floor. “Nice place you’ve got here Jason. I wasn’t expecting it to be so....orderly.”
“Did you think we were all drowning over here without Nora? Help,” he cried out in a mock voice of distress, throwing his hands in the air, “my wife has left me and I’m a frightened man who doesn’t know how to take care of anything on my own.”
I gave him a half smile. “Well, you never know.”
“We are doing just fine. Remember, I was a proud domestic engineer before I chased my wife away.” He walked to the back of the house and laid his mail on the kitchen counter. Max circled around and then plopped onto an area rug in the living room to take a nap.
“So it was you who chased the wife away? How did you manage that one?” I asked, pulling out a stool at the bar and taking a seat.
“Excellent question. I think I bored her to death.” Jason pulled out two mugs from the cupboard and filled them with steaming water from the instant hot water dispenser on his sink. “What type of tea would you like?”
“Do you have Earl Gray?”
“But of course. I think I’ll have that too.” He opened another cabinet and searched inside.
“Why do you think you bored her to death? Did she tell you that?”
He turned and set a cup and tea bag in front of me. “Here you go. Would you like some biscotti with that?”
“Sure, thanks.” I dipped my tea leaves in my cup. “Sugar too, please.”
“Real sugar or the fake stuff?”
“Real.”
“My kind of lady.” He nodded in approval. “No, my wife didn’t tell me she left me because I bored her. Nora felt trapped. She left me with everything, the kids, the house, the cars, the bank account. She calls the kids on the weekends and tells them she loves them. She tells me she loves me too. But she’s not coming back. Family life doesn’t suit her. Nora’s taking over her parents’ company out there and she plans to stay. The kids are going to visit her over the summer.”
“That’s pretty awful.”
“I agree.” Jason took a seat next to me and took a sip of his drink. “So how are things with you? I heard through the vast Kingston Court grapevine that Cameron moved out last week.”
I nodded. “You heard correctly. I too am a bit on the boring side I suppose. My husband didn’t run quite so far away though. He’s putting down stakes at the Ocean Air Villas down the road. Oh yeah, and he had the courtesy to wait until after the holidays to take off. That was kind of him.”
“Why did he leave?” Jason set down his cup and looked into my eyes like he genuinely cared.
It made me nervous. I pulled out my tea bag and spooned in some more sugar. I hadn’t told anyone besides my mother why Cameron left. I wasn’t ready for all the pathetic looks and mock sympathy, or for people to take pleasure in sharing the news with anyone who would listen. Samantha Chase lost her husband to a man. Samantha was such a pain in the ass, she turned Cameron against women for good. It gave me a knot in my lower back just thinking about it. “We’re just taking some time apart.”
“I see. Well, if you need a cooking buddy, I’m your man. I signed up for this great service that brings organic meats and vegetables straight to our door each week. There is more food around here than we can eat ourselves, and I’m a terrific chef. You could stop by some evening. I’ll cook, you can entertain the kids.”
It actually sounded like a nice idea. The past week had been especially lonely at meal time. I missed the adult conversation over the dinner table. “How about tonight?” I asked without even thinking. “I mean, if that isn’t too soon.”
“Tonight is great. I was thinking of making lamb chops and green beans, with a side of mashed red potatoes and gravy.” He stood up and perused his wine rack. “I also have a nice Cabernet Sauvignon for the grownups. The underage folks can drink apple juice or sparkling water.”
“Are you sure you’re straight?” I asked trying to sound playful. The last thing I needed in my life was another gay man. “That isn’t the real reason Nora left is it?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I most definitely like women. Although, life might have been a lot less complicated if I batted for the other team.”
“Not necessarily.” Gay men could be just as frustrating.
He leaned back against the sink and gave the matter some thought. “I guess you’re right. When your emotions are involved, things get complicated no matter what, don’t they?”