“Great. See you at home about five-thirty then. Love you.”
“Love you, too. Bye.” Leisa frowned in puzzlement as she hung up.
She glanced at a framed photo on her desk, taken last December at an anniversary party Lyn and Maddie had hosted to celebrate Nan and Leisa’s ten years together. After Lyn and Maddie, who had been together for fourteen years, Leisa and Nan were the next in longevity among their group of friends. During the dinner, one of their friends had toasted them as “the perfect couple.”
Leisa had thought of that evening several times over the past couple of months, as the distance between her and Nan had seemed to grow greater and greater. She wasn’t sure why or even how the chasm between them had developed. “I can see it, I can feel it, but I don’t know how to bridge it,” she longed to say – to whom? Maddie? That would go over great if and when Nan found out about it. Plus it felt weird to bring personal problems to work. Lyn? Maybe. Sometimes Lyn was easier to talk to since she didn’t have a history with Nan like Maddie did.
The night of the anniversary party, Nan had been more affectionate than she had been in a long time. When they got home, while Nan was taking Bronwyn out, Leisa lit candles in the bedroom, hoping to continue the romantic mood. When she emerged from the bathroom, Nan wasn’t upstairs. Leisa went to the hallway where she could hear the television downstairs. She closed her eyes, listening for a moment, then went to blow the candles out before climbing into bed.
“What’s going on?” Leisa whispered now, touching the photo.
When Leisa got home from work that evening, she was surprised to see the Mini already on the curb.
“Wow,” she murmured in surprise as she came in and smelled the aroma of pork chops cooking on the stove. Bronwyn raced to greet her, waggling her tailless rump and barking happily.
“It smells wonderful,” Leisa said appreciatively as she entered the kitchen and Nan turned to her for a kiss.
“Hungry?” Nan grinned.
“I’m starving,” Leisa answered. “What do you want me to do?”
“I’ve got all the food taken care of,” Nan said, turning back to the stove. “Why don’t you set the table and pour us some wine?”
Leisa’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Wine, too? What’s up? You haven’t fed me like this since you were trying to get me into bed.”
Nan laughed, and Leisa realized with a shock how long it had been since she’d heard that sound. She retrieved the corkscrew from a drawer and, with a small pang of guilt, realized that she had been so preoccupied with her grief for her mom and angst over the whole adoption thing that she hadn’t even wondered if Nan’s isolation was prompted by her own unhappiness.
“Well,” Nan was saying suggestively, “maybe my motives haven’t changed.”
“I can only wish,” Leisa shot back as she wriggled the cork out of the bottle. She closed her eyes. Please mean it.
While she poured the wine, Nan dished out pork chops, rice and green beans onto their plates. At the table, Leisa reached for Nan’s hand before they started to eat and said, “Thank you. This is really nice.”
Nan leaned over for a kiss. “You’re welcome.”
“How have you been?” Nan asked as they began eating. “I haven’t really been available to you much these past few weeks.”
“I know you’ve been busy at work,” Leisa said. “I’m doing okay.” She cut into her pork chop. “How about you? Difficult cases? Anything particularly troubling?”
“Oh, you know,” Nan replied vaguely, but Leisa was used to this. Nan could never discuss specifics. “I’m grateful for all the referrals, but I think I’m working too much.”
Leisa looked up at her. “Really? I haven’t heard you say that since we first got together.”
“I know. It’s easy to slide into the habit of thinking work is more important than it is.” Nan lowered her eyes to her plate. “There is something
“Love you, too. Bye.” Leisa frowned in puzzlement as she hung up.
She glanced at a framed photo on her desk, taken last December at an anniversary party Lyn and Maddie had hosted to celebrate Nan and Leisa’s ten years together. After Lyn and Maddie, who had been together for fourteen years, Leisa and Nan were the next in longevity among their group of friends. During the dinner, one of their friends had toasted them as “the perfect couple.”
Leisa had thought of that evening several times over the past couple of months, as the distance between her and Nan had seemed to grow greater and greater. She wasn’t sure why or even how the chasm between them had developed. “I can see it, I can feel it, but I don’t know how to bridge it,” she longed to say – to whom? Maddie? That would go over great if and when Nan found out about it. Plus it felt weird to bring personal problems to work. Lyn? Maybe. Sometimes Lyn was easier to talk to since she didn’t have a history with Nan like Maddie did.
The night of the anniversary party, Nan had been more affectionate than she had been in a long time. When they got home, while Nan was taking Bronwyn out, Leisa lit candles in the bedroom, hoping to continue the romantic mood. When she emerged from the bathroom, Nan wasn’t upstairs. Leisa went to the hallway where she could hear the television downstairs. She closed her eyes, listening for a moment, then went to blow the candles out before climbing into bed.
“What’s going on?” Leisa whispered now, touching the photo.
When Leisa got home from work that evening, she was surprised to see the Mini already on the curb.
“Wow,” she murmured in surprise as she came in and smelled the aroma of pork chops cooking on the stove. Bronwyn raced to greet her, waggling her tailless rump and barking happily.
“It smells wonderful,” Leisa said appreciatively as she entered the kitchen and Nan turned to her for a kiss.
“Hungry?” Nan grinned.
“I’m starving,” Leisa answered. “What do you want me to do?”
“I’ve got all the food taken care of,” Nan said, turning back to the stove. “Why don’t you set the table and pour us some wine?”
Leisa’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Wine, too? What’s up? You haven’t fed me like this since you were trying to get me into bed.”
Nan laughed, and Leisa realized with a shock how long it had been since she’d heard that sound. She retrieved the corkscrew from a drawer and, with a small pang of guilt, realized that she had been so preoccupied with her grief for her mom and angst over the whole adoption thing that she hadn’t even wondered if Nan’s isolation was prompted by her own unhappiness.
“Well,” Nan was saying suggestively, “maybe my motives haven’t changed.”
“I can only wish,” Leisa shot back as she wriggled the cork out of the bottle. She closed her eyes. Please mean it.
While she poured the wine, Nan dished out pork chops, rice and green beans onto their plates. At the table, Leisa reached for Nan’s hand before they started to eat and said, “Thank you. This is really nice.”
Nan leaned over for a kiss. “You’re welcome.”
“How have you been?” Nan asked as they began eating. “I haven’t really been available to you much these past few weeks.”
“I know you’ve been busy at work,” Leisa said. “I’m doing okay.” She cut into her pork chop. “How about you? Difficult cases? Anything particularly troubling?”
“Oh, you know,” Nan replied vaguely, but Leisa was used to this. Nan could never discuss specifics. “I’m grateful for all the referrals, but I think I’m working too much.”
Leisa looked up at her. “Really? I haven’t heard you say that since we first got together.”
“I know. It’s easy to slide into the habit of thinking work is more important than it is.” Nan lowered her eyes to her plate. “There is something
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