Nine Million Bicycles

Paula needed a tissue, and she needed something more.

"Do you mind?" she asked, indicating she wanted to pick Connor up.

"No. Let me help you," Lake said.

"That's okay. I'll go lay him down, cover him up, then be right back."

She cradled the sweet boy in her arms, stood up, then carried him to Eileen's room then laid him on the bed. There was a folded blanket on the foot of it which she pulled up over him then kissed him on the cheek.

"Nite, nite, sweetie," she said having temporarily forgotten about her own sadness.

Paula stopped in the restroom and washed her face and cleaned up the mascara mess before returning to the couch.

"He's sound asleep and fine for now."

"I'll probably just leave him like that until we leave. He doesn't wet the bed anymore, and he zonks out like nobody's business."

Paula sat down where she'd been but pulled her legs up on the couch and turned toward Lake.

"I felt so bad for myself when I found out my husband fell in love with another woman, but compared to everything you've gone through, it seems...insignificant."

"Everything is relative, I suppose, but it doesn't lessen the heartache you went through," Lake told her sincerely.

He turned her way slightly, but Paula told him it was okay as she continued looking at him, knowing it was painful.

"Lake? Do you think things happen for a reason?" she asked after several moments of silence.

"I often wonder, but the truth is I don't know. I mean, what good could come of my friend dying in Afghanistan or my wife dying a horrible, painful death? How could your husband doing that to you be positive in any way?"

Lake's response was kind and gentle, and most of all honest, because he really didn't know.

"Do you?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, either, but how else can you explain you and I being here together? Like this."

"Like this?"

"Well, yes. I mean, look at us. We have so much in common yet so many things that are different."

"Other than our ages, what else is all that different?" he asked as he turned her way.

He winced, but he needed to look at her. Once the turn was complete, he pulled his legs up, too, and smiled at her.

"I...I can't really answer that," Paula said as they looked into each other's eyes.

"All I know is when I spoke to you the second time on the phone, I had this...feeling, this...premonition maybe. That...okay, this is gonna sound really out there, but...."

"No, go ahead," she replied, as she reached over and ran her fingernails through the hair on the side of his head.

"I remember thinking, I really am going to marry that woman—my Paula. Just like in the song."

"And now that you know me, you've come to your senses, right?" she asked with a smile.

"Actually, having met you and gotten to know, I feel even stronger about that," he told her very quietly.

"Maybe you see me as...safe. You know, a woman who's older and maybe less...needy or...."

Lake politely stopped her in mid-sentence.

"Stop. Paula, please. That's just not true. At all. I had no idea who you were, what you looked like, or how old you were when I called you. And when you agreed to meet me, I guess maybe I thought that might be a kind of...sign. Or something."

Lake laughed quietly then said, "Maybe I do believe things happen for a reason."

"So...what are you saying?" Paula asked as Lake stared into her eyes.

"I'm saying I really, really like you, Paula. I don't know about the marrying thing, but I'd like to find out if there's even a chance, because...."

"Because?"

"Because if there is, I don't want to take any chance of missing it."

Paula looked away briefly, then continued looking into Lake's eyes as she spoke.

"I guess I have two things to say. The first is how.... Maybe 'uneasy' is the word, I feel about the age difference. And the other would be that after having gotten to know you, I...I find myself crazy attracted to you. And while the physical is very, very nice, it's much more than that."

Lake smiled then told her, "That's almost exactly what I wanted to tell you. Except that the age difference doesn't bother me in the least."

"You're crazy attracted...to me?" she asked, a big smile and a small amount of disbelief on her face.

"Oh, trust me. You are SO hot!" he told her.

"I'd have to trust you, because otherwise that makes no sense to me," she told him as her eyes quickly darted back and forth between his. "At all."

"I'd very much like to show you how attracted I am to you, but you should know the other nerve damage I referred to can sometimes make that...challenging. I can be fully functional, but it can sometimes be rather frustrating."

"I'm not afraid of a challenge," Paula said just above a whisper, surprising herself even more as her entire body felt like it was on fire.

"And I'm not exactly...acrobatic...anymore, either."

"There are lots of ways to compensate," she said very sweetly.

"You may think I'm 71 rather than 31," Lake told her.

"I won't think anything unless you kiss me again," she said as she smiled and leaned his way.

Paula slid as close to him as she could then put her arms around him as they really kissed for the first time. It wasn't technically their first kiss, but it was their first passionate, romantic kiss, and within seconds, Paula's body responded the way it had at the restaurant, and to Lake's surprise, his began to react, too.

"So did you maybe want to find out what you might think?" Lake asked during a brief pause.

"There's nothing I'd rather do," Paula told him with another smile.

She stood up, offered him both hands, then said, "Come with me, old man."

Lake stood up, took her hand and walked to the bedroom where they made love for the first time.

"I thought you said you had nerve damage issues," she told him after it was over. "From my perspective, that was nothing less than amazing."

Lake laughed then told her he was amazed, too.

"I've never gotten so aroused or so hard so fast. I can only attribute that to my partner being unbelievably beautiful, sexy, and...arousing."

"Well, for your information, I've never been that...aroused...before, either. I was so wet I may have to change sheets," she shared with him as she rested her head on his chest. "Was anything painful?"

"Yes, but it was SO worth it," he told her.

"Maybe there is a reason we're together," Paula mused as she made little circles on his chest with her finger.

"All I know is I don't want this to end."

He moved his head indicating he wanted to look at her, so she raised hers up and smiled.

"Ever."

She moved closer and kissed him then said, "I wouldn't mind that...at all."

Lake pulled her to himself and kissed her again the way they'd kissed when they made love, but his plumbing wouldn't initially respond.

"No worries. And no hurry," Paula said as she slowly made her way to the 'problem area'.

"I have a possible remedy," she told him as she held the limp sausage in her hand.

She smiled again then lowered her head and took him in her mouth where she worked her magic until he slowly came to life again.

"See? All better!" she told him as she climbed on top and took him insider her.

"But I want to take care of you, too," he told her.

As she took him fully she moaned softly and said, "Mmmm. You're doing that quite nicely."

She rested her hands on either side of his head then began rocking back and forth until both of them came in another nicely-timed explosion of passion.

As she lay beside him she said, "You don't seem to have much of a...disability."

Lake laughed then explained he was considered 60% disabled by the VA.

"Most of that is from the sciatic nerve damage, but everything adds up on their little chart to 60%. Which, by the way, means I have income besides the piddly amount I make at KNOT. That isn't huge, either, but once I finish college, I should be able to support a family again."

Lake took in just over $1,500 a month, tax free, from the VA in addition to his 'jobette' and any GI Bill money left over after expenses.

"I'm not the least bit concerned about money, but if I was to say...fit into your calculations as part of a family some day, that wouldn't make me unhappy."

Lake laughed then told her, "That's high praise!"

Paula laughed then said, "No! I really, really like you, too, Lake."

She raised up to look at him then added, "Maybe even more than just...like."

He slowly rolled over, and in spite of the pain, said, "I feel exactly the same way about you, Paula."

"Then you must feel very happy."

Lake understood immediately and smiled.

"Again, I feel exactly the same way you do."

When she carried Connor outside when Lake left around midnight, both she and Lake knew their lives had changed forever, and the change was irrefutably for the good.

Paula was on such a high, she couldn't resist texting Eileen when she got back inside.

She smiled happily when she finished composing the short text."

"Well, I said 'yes'!"

She added a few smiley faces then hit send close to one in the morning.

A sleepy Eileen heard the sound and reached for her phone.

"WTF?" she said out loud using the letters and not the words.

"What do you mean you said 'yes'?" she texted back.

"To Lake. He asked me out and I said 'yes'."

Eileen sat up in bed and hit 'call Mom'.

"I didn't mean to wake you up, honey. I'm just so happy and so excited, I had to send you that text."

"Well, I'm awake and I want details," her daughter, who wasn't the least bit upset, told her. She was experiencing a mixture of happiness and curiosity and had to know.

Paula quickly recounted the phone calls, his playful 'I want to marry you' song, then how he called her and the way she ended up at his house.

"And that little boy of his! He is the sweetest child ever!"

"Connor, right?"

"Yes. Connor. What a polite little boy!"

Paula explained how he could keep himself entertained for hours.

"Mom, this is so exciting!"

"There's something else, too."

She'd taken a few pics of Lake and the little sleepyhead before they left, and sent a couple to Eileen.

"Oooh?" her daughter said, drawing the word out as she heard a 'ding'.

"Mom? Is this him? O...M...G...!"

"We not only kissed, we...kinda made out," her mom said.

"Mom! Seriously?"

"Yes. Why? Are you upset?"

"No! I'm...jealous! He is so hot!"

"He is very handsome."

"Wow. Go, Mom!" Eileen said cheerfully, now fully awake.

"Thanks, honey. I really am happy. And if you hadn't encouraged me to spread my wings, this never would have happened. None of it."

Eileen knew her mom and could tell there was something else.

"None of it? What aren't you telling me?"

There was a long pause before her mom said, "Well, women of my generation don't talk about such things."

Paula knew her daughter would understand without having to spell it out.

"Oh...my.... Mom? Are you...serious?"

Paula laughed then decided to come clean.

"Yes. I'm serious. And twice...as serious."

Now Eileen was stunned into silence.

"I...I don't even know what to say," Eileen finally replied.

"As long as you're not upset, you don't need to say anything."

"I am SO not upset, Mom. I really am happy for you."

"You don't think I've lost my mind? You know, seeing a man who's...31?"

"Not if he makes you happy. After what you've been through, you deserve some happiness."

"Thank you, Eye. That means everything to me."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, honey. Sorry for waking you up."

"No. I'm glad you did. I just hope I'll be able to call you one day with news this good."

"Just don't rush into it. You're 22, not almost 50."

Eileen laughed then told her mom goodnight.

Paula tried to sleep, but it was impossible. Her mind couldn't let go of all that had happened so quickly, and no matter how she looked at it, she could only see recent events in a positive light.

Even if this ended right then and there, it was still a pleasant, wonderful memory she would always cherish. But her brain also told her this wasn't going to end, and over the next several weeks she came to believe that with all her heart.

Lake sent flowers the next day along with a note that said, "My life has meaning again now that you're in it. With love, Lake."

Paula was exhausted, but she teared up when she read the note then sent Lake a text.

"The flowers are beautiful. I don't know how you got them here on a Sunday morning, but they're amazing. And just like last night, we feel exactly the same way. With all my love, Paula."

He texted her back saying, "I want to say something else, but it has to be said in person. When can I see you again? Love, Lake."

"Soon? Now? Anytime!" she replied.

When Lake showed up 20 minutes later, Paula's heart soared. She was still in her robe, her makeup was gone, and yet she didn't give any of that a second thought.

She met him outside again, and after kissing her hello, he took her inside and asked Connor to sit on the couch.

"Paula? I have to tell you this face to face," he said as he put his hands on her arms.

"Okay," she said sweetly as she waited.

He smiled at her then said, "Okay. Here goes. I hope you don't think I've lost my mind, but...I love you, Paula. I know it's fast, but I do. I love you, and I also know I'll always love you."

A tear fell followed by another as she said, "I love you, too, and I always will."

Lake smiled then quietly sang, "There are nine million bicycles in Beijing. And that's a fact, it's a thing we can't deny, like the fact that I will love you 'til I die."

Paula was crying openly as the man she loved softly kissed her again.

"See you tonight?" he said as the kiss ended.

"Yes. And every night if you like," she told him as she tried to get a hold on her emotions.

"I would like that. More than I can put in words."

"You just did put that in words," she told him. "That song says it all. I will love you to I die."

And Lake did love her until she died 32 years later. The two of them grew old together, and he never once saw his wife as anything but beautiful.

Paula didn't win the vacation contest, but she felt like she'd won the lottery when Lake proposed to her just two months later, right after her divorce was finalized.

He sang 'Hey Paula' to her at their wedding seven months later where Eileen served as her mom's Maid of Honor and Connor as his daddy's best man.

At their reception later that evening, they danced their first dance together as husband and wife to "Nine Million Bicycles."

Paula's heart was bursting as the song said, "There are six billion people in the world, but you're the one I love most of all."

That was true for Lake, too, who spent every day of those 32 years doing his best to show his beautiful wife how much he loved her while she gave back just as much, if not more, to the man who finally loved her like 'that'.

That was also true for their son, Connor, who grew up knowing he'd had the privilege of having a mother who gave birth to him and a mom who loved him, and his father, with all her heart.