A House Divided Ch. 02

"Sounds like a good idea to me. I'm hungry too."

I started the barbeque and went into the kitchen and brought out the preparations. Pat volunteered to toss the salad and I pulled a bottle of Spanish Rioja and in a few minutes, our dinner was ready. Pat had a good appetite and happily, my Pork Satay was properly cooked and still moist. The sour cream red potato salad was a deli item and ready to serve. It was a warm evening in mid May and we were comfortable eating outside. After the meal, we sat and sipped the wine without talking much. It was very much the way Jo and I would have spent the same evening many times in the past. I felt a sense of comfort I hadn't felt in some time and I welcomed it.

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Jo hadn't been home since the second week after she left and it was now near the end of May. Memorial Day was a Monday and that would mean a long weekend. Surely she would be here then. On Sunday morning I called her apartment and wonder of wonders, she answered.

"Hi Jo, good morning." I said brightly.

"Hi Mark. Good to hear your voice. How is everyone?"

"We're all fine. I didn't expect to find you there. Are you OK?" I asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just getting ready to head to the airport this afternoon. Back to New York for a few days I'm afraid."

"I assume you'll be home here on Friday or Saturday morning?"

"I don't know, Mark. I'm not sure if I can make it." she said warily.

"Don't you give your people Memorial Day off?" I asked.

"Yes, of course. Oh, god, I didn't realize, that's next weekend. I'll have to see if I can get a flight. I'll let you know, Mark." she said hurriedly.

I found I was getting a bit irritated with her again. She had become so wrapped up in her job that she had once again forgotten her family. She could easily have flown from Minneapolis to New York today, but that apparently never entered her mind. I hadn't talked to her since Tuesday, but I doubted she would realize that. And now, she had made no plans to visit on the long weekend. Aside from the Fourth of July or Thanksgiving, one of the big holiday weekends of the year. Did she treat her employees as cavalierly as she did her family?

"Well, I hope you can. It would be a bit difficult to explain to Pete, Lindsay and our parents. I have planned a family day with both our folks on Sunday. With Monday as a holiday, you'd be able to stay for the whole day." I wanted her to understand that she was expected and had better make an effort to be here.

"I'll do my best, Mark. I'll get my secretary on it first thing tomorrow, I promise."

"OK, I'll wait to hear from you and naturally, we'll meet you at the airport." I wanted to put as much pressure on her as possible.

"What are you doing to keep busy?" she asked, trying to change the topic.

"I've got a couple of leads on the business. I'll be talking to them in the next week and then see what they have to offer and whether I think they're the right kind of people for my agency."

"Well, don't be too picky, Mark. Take the best offer and be done with it." she said offhandedly.

I was in danger of saying something I would regret and I figuratively bit my tongue. "I hear you." I said in a non-committal tone.

"Have you done anything about the house?" she asked.

"No, it's way too early for that. I expect it to sell very quickly, so there's no rush to put ourselves out of a home before we're ready to move." I wondered how she would react to the "out of a home" comment.

"I suppose you're right." she offered.

"How about you? Have you given any thought to where we'll live when we get to Chicago?" I couldn't resist this jab. I knew perfectly well she hadn't even thought about it, much less started looking.

"No, I've been too busy. I'll have to get on that soon." She wasn't very convincing. "How's Lindsay doing?" She was determined to change the topic again.

"She's fine around here. I'm afraid her problem is with you. I've talked to Pat Carver about it and she agrees."

"I got that impression. Well, there isn't much I can do about it from here. At least she's civil to you." she rationalized.

"Let's hope she gets over it when we're all together again."

"Yes, let's hope." She said in a resigned voice. "I've got to go now Mark. Say hi to the kids and tell them I love them. Love you too Mark."

"Me too, Jo. Take care and let me know when you'll be arriving."

That was the end of the conversation and I could only hope I had put enough pressure on her to make sure she was here this coming weekend.

Whether her secretary had to pull some strings or she just got lucky, I don't know, but despite the late booking on a major holiday weekend, Jo was able to get a flight from New York to Minneapolis on Friday afternoon. It probably helped that she was booking first class but I really didn't care. I was just glad she was coming home and would be here for at least three days. It had been weeks since we had been together and I was planning on some serious bedroom catching-up. I needed the morale boost as much as anything. I was getting irritated too easily and finding fault with too much.

On the spur of the moment, I contacted Sue Walters of Walters' Realty. Sue had pushed a lot of business my way and although we had never used an agent since we had bought the house, she was the first person I thought about. I asked her to come out and give me a ballpark estimate of our house's value and how long it would take to sell it. I had no intention of listing it, but I needed to have the information to short circuit any questions about my dragging my feet. That would come later. Sue dropped by late Tuesday afternoon and we walked around the outside of the house and then went through it room by room. She was very impressed with the work we had done on the nearly 100 year old house. She was full of compliments and admiration for out attention to detail. The basement had remained unfinished other than my workshop and a small wine cellar. The décor was period for the house and the restoration was faithful to the original design. The plumbing and wiring were totally updated as were the appliances. A separate three car garage with a breezeway to the house completed the design. It was set on a one acre lot with plenty of width between the neighbors. We fell in love with the house the first time we saw it and I've never changed my opinion. Apparently, Sue agreed with me.

"This is amazing, Mark. It's a gem. You can easily realize over $850,000 and more if you're patient. I wouldn't be surprised at a bidding war for it." she gushed. You'll pay a lot more in Chicago area for this quality.

"Well, considering we bought it for $135,000 twenty years ago, I guess it's been worth the work. Actually, I'm hoping I don't have to sell it, but time will tell." Again, I was stunned at the value of our property. Until Jo's promotion, we had never even thought about selling and I had no clue what the selling prices were for houses like ours in the Eden Prairie township. I was more determined than ever to hold onto this lovely place. Sue and I sat on the patio after I had offered her a glass of wine as a thank-you for the information. I was happy to have someone to talk to and Sue gave me lots of gossip on the neighborhood. I'm not sure I needed as much information as she had offered, but when she mentioned Pat Carver's name, I was paying full attention.

"Pat Carver is a regular at the fitness club I go to. The girls and I keep trying to fix her up with a date, but she's pretty reluctant. I think she's got her eye on someone, but I don't know who it is. For someone like me, that's a killer!" she laughed.

"She's a good neighbor. I've been using her advice dealing with my daughter. She's pretty upset with her mother being gone and Pat's gone through it herself with her daughter. She's been a big help." I said conversationally.

"Well, well! Maybe you're the guy she's got her eye on." she laughed.

"Now don't start that, Sue!" The last thing I need is the rumor mill working overtime with Jo in Chicago and me here. Pat and I are temporary single parents; or at least I am. We just compare notes." I offered as forcefully as I can.

"Relax, Mark. I'm just kidding. But I am keeping my eye on Pat, so beware!" she laughed again.

We spent a few more minutes chatting and then Sue excused herself and headed home to make dinner for her family. Once again I was grateful for the company. I headed back into the house and started to think about dinner. We had decided we would continue with our catering service, but would give them one day off a week when we either went out together or we got a Chinese take-out or the ever-popular pizza. We had jigged the menu a couple of times as we tried different things and in the end, we had twelve different meals with no repeaters. I was satisfied that our diet was fine and our breakfasts during the week were conventional and nutritional while the lunches I packed for Lindsay were as well. Pete was eating lunch in the High School Cafeteria and I assumed the food would be appropriate. He was never a junk-food junkie, so I wasn't particularly worried. I had figured out when they were due for their dental checkups and made sure all of us stayed with our semi-annual visits.

For this coming long weekend, I consulted with both sets of parents on what they thought we should do for the big Sunday meal. Happily, they suggested they look after that and consulted between themselves on the logistics of making it happen. Now that I knew for sure Jo would be here, all I had to do was make sure all the peripherals were looked after. If it was warm, we would eat outside since our deck was large enough that I could move the dining room table out there. If not, we would have dinner in the dining room as we normally would. I would look after the wine and I knew the likes and dislikes of our parents, so I would make sure I was prepared for them. When Thursday evening came along, I realized I was in a very good mood and excited about the forthcoming weekend. Jo would be home tomorrow and I would have a bed partner for at least three nights. That was a huge motivator for me. I had visited our local florist and ordered flowers for both the table and a couple of places in the house, including our bedroom. I wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

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When Jo appeared in the arrivals area I was surprised at her appearance. She was dressed in a black business suit with a knee length tight skirt and high heels. She wore a white blouse with a short black open jacket and aside from a wristwatch, ear studs and her wedding rings, was devoid of jewelry. Her appearance, to me, was severe. She looked slim, almost as if she had lost weight and her face was somewhat drawn, making her look tired. I thought I could detect a hint of dark circles under her eyes. She was walking slowly and when she saw us, she smiled and hurried to us. I hugged her to me and held her for some time. I finally released her, kissed her and looked at her with what I knew was a big smile. She turned to Lindsay and hugged her, although less aggressively. Pete gave her a kiss and a hug, but there was warmth toward both of them and it was good to see us all together again. I let the kids do the talking as we waited for the luggage and then headed out to the parking lot and our car. I wanted to get Jo home so that we could talk and I could rid myself of the sense of unease I felt about her appearance. As I drove, Jo told the kids about her travels and all the different places she had been in the last couple of months. Lindsay was upbeat and was clearly a different person than she had been toward her mother in her absence. I was delighted. It was a change I welcomed.

Jo's parents would be arriving on Saturday and staying in the spare bedroom for two nights. My folks were only a few minutes away and they would be here each of the three days. I was really looking forward to having everyone together. I wanted Jo to understand what she had been missing for the past weeks. She needed to get back in touch with all of us. That was my plan. Some plans work, some don't. I carried Jo's bag up to our bedroom and she quickly changed into t-shirt and shorts, just as she would have when we were together.

When she came down stairs, I poured her a glass of wine; just as I would have any late Friday afternoon. We walked out onto the patio deck and sat together.

"You look tired, Jo. I can see signs of strain. Are you alright?" I asked.

"I am tired. I've been on the go since the day I started and there doesn't seem to be any end to it." she admitted.

"You need to look after yourself love. You need to give yourself a break now and then. That's what this weekend is all about."

"I know. Every time I think I've can put my head up, something else comes along. It's never-ending so far." she sighed.

"Jo, you've been gone eight weeks and this is only the second time you've been home. Is that what your company demands of you or is it what you demand of yourself?" I was trying to keep my tone non-confrontational.

"Some of both Mark. They are very demanding and I guess I want to succeed at this, so I'm giving it all I've got." At least she was being honest with herself. That was a start, I thought.

I reached over for her hand and we held hands silently for a few minutes. When Lindsay walked out on the patio, I Iooked over my shoulder at her and saw her smile. I felt good about that. When I looked back at Jo, her eyes were closed and I thought she might have even fallen asleep. Her hand in mine was relaxed and she was home again and I felt better than I had in a long time.

The weekend was marvelous. Jo completely relaxed and was her old self again. We celebrated Memorial Day with a picnic in the nearby park with the kids and both sets of parents. It was just like the 'old days'. The weather was wonderful and warm and we just celebrated being together again. We made love each night and it was great. She was warm and loving and playful and I felt we were getting back in touch with each other after some tense times in the past two months. I hoped that this would remind her to stay in touch with us more regularly and also remind her of what she is missing when she is gone. We shed a few tears that last night together. Jo's never been a highly emotional woman, but I could sense she knew how important this contact was to us. When we drove to the airport on Monday night, we promised to work harder to stay in touch and to find the time to be together. On the drive home, I realized we never once talked about selling the business, the house or moving to Chicago. We had, I guess, chosen not to talk about the things which might reopen the wounds we had inflicted on each other.

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