Goerke's Corner Pt. 01

I sat back and gazed, "Okay, why should that matter? I think I lost something in the translation. Help me out."

She took my hand in hers and held the back of it to her upper chest. "What I'm trying to say is that I don't need someone to warm my bed. What I need Rob is the friend you were so long ago. I need to know that we're as tight now as we were then, or at least can work toward that. I need the same guy who listened to my rants and raves, my heartbreak stories, my love life, the good and bad times and never judged me. Is that guy still inside Rob? Or did he die along the way?"

I needed a minute before I answered. When that moment came I took a deep breath, exhaled, looked her in the eye and said.

"Yeah, he's still in there. To be honest I've never imagined you and me together. I do want a wife though. Now it's time for me to spill my can of beans. I don't think I'm too old to be a dad either. I know most women are done having babies by my age, maybe I can find someone younger and have a family."

A sly grin crossed her face, "I know just the woman. She's in her mid-thirties, divorced, has two girls, five and seven but wants more. That's why he left, he didn't like the responsibility of raising kids. The F-er up and left in the middle of the night. It took her months to find the scum bag and then she took him to the cleaners. She doesn't want another asshole like him, you're the kind of guy she's looking for."

"And what kind of guy is that?" I asked.

"You know. Mature, stable, loving, wanting to be a daddy and not a skirt chaser. Like I said, a guy like you."

It was my turn. "Sooooo, when do I get to meet this damsel in distress?"

Hilda held her finger up to stop me.

"First off, she's not a damsel in distress. She's a physical therapist with a thriving practice. Therin lies the problem Captain Jack, she lives almost 90 miles away and is currently overseas for another two months staying with relatives."

I gave her a look of wonderment and asked. "How is it you know so much about this woman and her family?"

Once again she grasped my hand, "Now don't go laughing or rolling your eyes or any of that other bull men do when they don't like what they're hearing."

She silently stared at me before saying, "Well? Is that a deal? No laughing?"

I ignored her admonishment and laughed anyway, "It's a deal. Spill woman. You've piqued my interest."

"You already know her, it's my baby sister Greta. After the brutal divorce was final, she decided to take the girls on a lengthy vacation and visit family in Germany. She had them enrolled in an international school although I'm not sure why. Our kids are bilingual. We taught them German as well as English from the very beginning. Anyway. Not being one to sit on her laurels she's doing home visits over there. Mostly elderly who can't get to a facility."

Ho Lee Shit. I wasn't ready for that bombshell. It did lead to my next question though.

"How can she have a thriving business if she isn't here?"

Hilda sat back with a smirk on her face. "Robert you're smarter than that. She has people working for her, other PT's. You might be interested to know that she has asked about you from time to time through the years. You didn't know it then, because she was several grades below us, but she had a mad crush on you. All she could talk about from the moment puberty started was Robbie Tillman. Or at least it seemed that way. Who knows Rob, maybe you'll be my brother-in-law."

It was time to put the brakes on, "Slow down girl. I think you're way ahead of me. To be honest I don't even remember what she looked like."

Standing and signaling to the girls it was time to leave, she bent towards me and spoke.

"Oh you'll like what you see, no question about that. Are you okay getting out of town on your own? I need to get the girls into bed."

I nodded. With a hug from her and the girls they were on their way.

• * * * *

Part two is done, edited and will be submitted two days after part one. How long it takes to be published is out of my hands.