Catherine 01: Tuesday's Lunch

Her deep breath, almost like a sigh just before, "Yes. I'll have the turkey and Swiss on whole wheat, with light mayo, and no pickle. And,... I'll have a diet Pepsi please." Her reading that off to me.

Okay, sounds good! But today is Tuesday where I see on the menu board, the special for today is tomato soup and grilled cheese. Hell, I think I grew up on tomato soup and grilled cheese, and that's still my go to meal. Especially now that I have to cook for myself. So, that's what I think I'll have; along with that diet Pepsi too.

"Bob! That was also my favorite lunch when I was a girl too. So, can I change my mind and have that too." She ask.

Of course you can! Oh, I see it comes with chips too, do you want them?

"Yes please." she says, " But I'll take them back to the office for later. Maybe even munch on them on the plane."

Okay, I'll be right back!

Then after giving our order to the girl behind the counter along with my name and the money to pay for it. An take the two cups she hands me to get our drinks from the beverage machine. But when I return to our table Catherine is just getting off her cell phone.

Then as I sit down she says, "Well, it looks like there will be, I hope, a short meeting after all."

Oh? Do you have to leave? Knowing I'm saying it with lot of deep disappointment in my voice.

"No Bob." she says. "But he's on his way. But it will take him a while to get from the airport, so we can still share lunch. Oh, what time do you have a time to be back?" she ask.

Today to soon Catherine. But today, I don't care if I'm late again. I'll just tell the instructor I fell into a man hole or something, and the fire department had to fish me out. Or..., as my heart races; I was kidnapped by a beautiful woman.

An with her shaking her head as she looks at me, "You're just full of it aren't you?" She tells me.

Full of what, as I try to avert those beautiful eyes again.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Very pointedly.

Yeah Catherine, sorry..., I'm..., ah, not usually this forward with women. I'm really..., I guess you could say..., a bit awkward when it comes to women. my embarrassment again.

"Awkward? I don't believe it for a minute! But, like I said, I do believe you're a very nice guy and I like you lot." She's telling me.

Thank you Catherine. I like you an awful lot too!

Her looking straight at me a moment before its, "I know it!" The tone of her voice carrying her feelings.

Oh. I'm that obvious, huh?

"Yes!" Where she's smiling and nodding her head up and down as she said it.

The counter guy calling my name breaks my guilty embarrassment once again as I get up to bring back our order.

An now that we've been sitting in silence for a minute eating our grilled cheese sandwiches while waiting for the soup to cool, Catherine, are you driving to the airport? My asking.

"No I'm not. But I did drive in today. My girlfriend, Sarah, is taking me to the airport. So I'll be leaving my car in my buildings underground parking garage; it'll be safe there. Plus I have to take an extra bag because of the length of time I'll be away. I'm pretty good at mixing and matching things so I don't look like I've worn the same outfits to many times. The only thing I'll have to launder is underwear. I do that in the hotel bathroom sink, they'll dry over night, so its no big deal doing it that way. Plus the places I'll be staying have a laundry and dry cleaning service; so that takes care of the outer things if need be. I just worry if it will always come back."

But while she's telling me all of this I've been looking at her trying to visualize her washing her undies in a hotel bathroom sink by hand, with that vision, are some skimpy, lacy things hanging in the shower. An that starts the play back in my mind, remembering how really nice her warm belly felt as she slid my hand down over it to the front of some, what felt to be, very shear skimpy panties! Then her slipping my hand inside of them to feel her bikini trimmed landing strip of soft pubic hair against my palm with thinking, I like a woman with a bit of pubic hair. Then it was down over her fat, smooth pubic mound, which nicely filled my hand, where my fingers were stroking her wet slippery clitoris. She has a nice one, large; easy to stroke between my fingers. Then it was my probing of her vagina, with her copious wetness slick on my fingers, wetting my hand inside those skimpy panties. And how she squeezed her arms around my waist, her hot breath down my neck, body trembling, her breast pressed hard into my back, as her teeth were biting into the collar of my new leather jacket, because she was trying to prevent what was building in her throat what her quivering body was trying to force out of her beautiful mouth!

But all of sudden I realize shes stopped talking and looking at me kind of strange.

So quickly saying, Well, when I've usually had to travel, what I have to ware looks just like every body else's. So there's no worry about mixing and matching outfits.

"So you travel a lot?" she ask,

Yeah Catherine, I've been to..., places, but none the tourist type for sure.

"Well." As she pauses to swallow a bite of her sandwich; "Our company books us into business class. But I use some my travel miles or pay for an upgrade to first class. It's just.., there's more room and fewer really bothersome seat mates."

Yeah..., I bet there are. Well Catherine, when I've traveled it was usually with a hundred or so bothersome seat mates all stuffed into the back of some big cargo plane, along with all our equipment. And usually not to sure where we were going until we got there. There's no amenities, maybe a box lunch, noisy, usually hot, and you can't sleep because the seats suck; they don't recline either. And it smells like what ever was riding in there before us.

At that she laughs with that gorgeous smile, "You poor thing. It's a shame they don't treat you guys better." She says

Yeah Catherine, it is. Except that last flight I was on. I did get a few amenities then.

"Oh! Where were you going then?" she ask,

Thinking I should let this stop right here. But her staring back at me waiting for an answer; I was coming back from Germany Catherine.

"On vacation Bob?"

No Catherine, med flight.

Her look turns serious, "And you were?"

Pausing first because I'm not sure I should say this, but her look is saying go on. So it's, Catherine, I was one of the patients that time.

After a very long pause where I see she's waiting for me to explain.

Catherine, I was returning home to spend a couple of additional weeks in the VA hospital here. I had already spent a few weeks in a hospital in Germany because they didn't want me to fly due of my unstable condition.

"Can I ask what happened?" She ask. Her look turning really serious now.

Hesitating once again before saying, Catherine..., I had blunt force trauma to my heart; bruised. My heart rhythm was all over the chart. So I was there while they tried to get it stabilized. It would be okay for awhile then go wacky again. They ended up putting in a temporary pace maker. Plus they were trying to clear up a lung infection from me almost drowning in a ditch full of shi..., filthy water.

Now more a look of concern than curiosity she ask, "Can I ask what caused that?"

Again I hesitate telling her. But she's still waiting for me to answer.

Catherine, I took a sniper round to the middle of my chest which knocked me backwards into a drainage ditch full of that shi... filled water. I inhaled some of that crappy water because I had the wind knocked out of me. And gasping for air; sucked some of it into my lungs.

"YOU were hit in the chest?" She ask surprised.

Yes.

"And..." Is herrobing for more.

And why I'm not dead?

"NO! Oh Dear God NO! It's just you look..." Her surprised.

Catherine..., I'm fine now. Like I said, they had to put in that temporary pacemaker. But I don't have that damn thing in my chest anymore; zapping me just because I burp, sneeze, hiccuped or far..., pass gas.

Which gets her laughing really hard, "I see your injury didn't put a hole in your sense of humor." She says.

I'm sorry Catherine. I'm a Marine, so I hang around with other Marines and..., well, those guys can be very crude.

"Yes I know! she says. "But I've been known to be crude now and then myself." She admits.

Really? You mean pretty women like you pass gas too?

"OH God NO! That's not what I meant." Raising her voice as she waves a hand at me like she could have smacked me if she could have reached me. As we both sit there laughing, sniffling with tears filling our eyes once more.

Finally our laughter stops with both of us wiping the tears from our eyes once again, with her, blowing her nose on a paper napkin, while giving me a dirty look.

Catherine, I was lucky that day. I had my vest on, a butt load of full ammunition magazines across my chest, and my issued pistol in a holster under that. All of that combined absorbed most of the impact so the round only bruised my breast bone but shocked my heart.

You'd never know I was almost..., the only mark seems to be a permanent small dark spot in the skin over the middle of my breast bone where the round stopped. I have some other..., scars, nicks, dings; bodily souvenirs, but nothing like that one could have been.

With her sitting there staring at me where I wonder if she's trying to figure out if I'm telling the truth. Or..., making it up, thinking..., what; trying to impress her?

No Catherine, that's not why I'm telling you that.

"Bob, what do you mean?" she ask.

It's nothing Catherine! And this time I'd like to change the subject?

"Sure Bob, anything you want except yesterday."

Now she has me laughing.

"Okay. What's the matter?" As she cocks her head to get a better look at me.

Nothing Catherine, just thoughts.

"And what were you thinking about? But please, my sides are still hurting."

Catherine, why is it women always want to know what men are thinking? My wife used to ask me that all the time and I would ask her, Why do you always want to know. And she would sweetly say, "I just want to know if you were thinking about me?"

"Well?" As Catherine looks straight at me, "And this time what were you thinking..., something about her..., or..., me?" Surprised at her asking that.

Pausing while I think, how in the hell do I answer that? God I don't want to put her off! But deciding take a chance anyway, Catherine, it was the latter!

With that, she tips her head slightly to the side at the same time, she's giving me a sly sweet smile.

Then glancing down at my watch; damn it!

For a few seconds she doesn't say anything until, "Is it that time?" She ask me.

Yes, I guess it is. Do you want me to get the rest of that packaged to take back to your office. Pointing to her unfinished lunch.

"No, why don't you take it. I'll get something to eat on the plane." she says.

Oh, that's right, they still feed the first class don't they. Knowing I sound sarcastic; I can be that, and at the wrong time too.

An with her look of annoyance, "Yes! They still feed the first class! Bob I do it because I can! But mostly because I can work if I want to, or get a little alone time to read, or just relax. Plus I usually don't have some bore constantly bugging with talk, or nod off leaning against my shoulder. Or never again, wake up to find some creep has pushed my skirt up, and has his hand up the inside of my thigh almost to my..."

WHAT Catherine? Louder than I wanted it to sound.

"Yes Bob, it happened! But he'll think twice about ever doing that to another woman because I about broke his damn fingers."

With that I glance down, looking at my right hand resting on my thigh, while wiggling my fingers thinking; how damn lucky they were.

Now it's, Catherine, I'm sorry! My sarcasm sometimes gets out followed by my foot getting stuck in my mouth. And I stick my foot in my mouth way to often. So yes, thank you, I'll take it with me. My refrigerator is so empty that when I open the door I can hear the echo from the light bulb hollering hello...hello, bouncing around inside.

Gets her laughing again, 'Bob you're...

What Catherine? My interrupting one more time.

"Bob you're so different. You're almost to good to be true." She tells me.

Now why would you say that, Catherine?

Not answering, but turning her head slowly side to side as if she's thinking until, "I'm not sure myself yet? But you are different from many other men I know." Her looking right at me.

Catherine, I was married for..., ten years? And it's still after almost, hell two and half years, that I'm still trying to adjust to this bachelor thing. And one of those things is grocery shopping; which is something I'm not very good with. My telling her.

House keeping? Well I lucked into a lady who was recommended by a neighbor. She charges me a hundred dollars every two weeks for a total of eight hours of house work, and the only way I know she's been there is the house is spotless, along with sarcastic notes left behind reminding me I forgot to get this or that again.

Where I see the way she's staring at me. Now, Catherine, why are you looking at me like that? Sally leaving me was all my fault!

An reaching over to take the tray with her half eaten sandwich and soup along with mine up to the counter to get them package for take out. An when I return to the table she's already standing next to my chair with her coat on waiting for me where she hands me my jacket. So while I'm putting it on, Thank you. And that's a very nice coat you're wearing too!

"Thank you!" She says. It's a really great all around coat and perfect for this time of year. It's warm, plus water resistant that way I don't need a rain coat either. So when traveling this time of year, all I need is this one." She says.

Then wraps her scarf around her neck, puts on her gloves, looks at me, "Well, I guess we better go." Her telling me.

An while heading to the door, I have to say Catherine, it sure looks good on you, almost as good as that leather jacket you had on..., But it's her giving me a "no, no." turning of her head, like a mother gives a misbehaving child, stops me from completing what I was going to say.

But still she's says, "Thank you!" Then with her showing me that beautiful smile once more; and me carrying the rest of our lunch in a plastic bag, we're out the door onto the sidewalk where I'm asking, Catherine, is it alright if I walk with you back to your building.

Certainly Bob, why wouldn't it be?" She ask.

Well Catherine, some of your co-workers might wonder, as you said; "Who's that "good looking guy" you were walking with?"

Turning her head to look at me, "Hey you, like I said, I often go to lunch with guys, usually it's just business. But this time was a real pleasure!" Her telling me.

Thank you Catherine, it was definitely a pleasure for me too! And dinner, lets call that two friends having, I hope, will be just as laugh filled as this lunch was.

"Me too Bob, I really enjoyed this! An honestly, I've really needed to meet someone like you." That surprising me.

Really Catherine? Replying, maybe a little to hopeful sounding in my voice,

"Yes Bob! But I also know what you're wondering. Yes, I'm married. But my husband and I lead practically two separate lives. And there's more to that then you could ever possibly imagine. But know this too! I don't go around letting strange men do what we did yesterday. Please believe me; I'm most certainly not that kind of woman! That was something I'm still trying to understand why I did it myself." Shaking her head slightly, like still unbelieving it.

Catherine, I'll be honest, I did have some thoughts about that. But I never had any ulterior reason for asking you to lunch or even dinner. I just wanted to get to know who you were. And Catherine, as for me, you're a perfect lady! Along with being a most beautiful lady for sure! And Catherine, know this too, I have nothing but the greatest respect for you. And what happened yesterday was one of the most incredible things I've ever experienced. If it wasn't for your teeth marks in the collar of this jacket, I would never have believed it happened.

With her looking back at me the whole time I said that I can see her cheeks turning pink again. Where it's, Catherine please, don't blush again. You just knock my socks off when you do that. You have nothing to be embarrassed about or maybe ashamed of; if you're feeling that too. Our secret is safe. I'm not the kind of guy who tells stories around the school yard.

An still looking at me a few seconds more before, "I never thought you were that kind either Bob." She says.

Then as we remain looking at each other, Thank you. Your trust means a lot to me! My honestly telling her.

But to soon we've reached the steps that lead up to the Plaza entrance to her building. Where we stop as I tell her, Thank you again Catherine Parker, for having lunch with me. And I hope you have a safe trip. And what ever else your there for goes well too.

And nodding her head slightly along with that beautiful smile "Thank you again, Bob Swaggart!" That smile melting me as I stand here.

Well Catherine Parker, you're most welcome! And I hope to see you again in three weeks.

Then my heart almost stops when she says, "I hope so too..., and call me..., please!"

Almost stuttering with, Well Catherine Parker if you're not going to be in your office for three weeks, I guess you'll have to check your office voice mail if I call to..., just say hello again.

"No Bob, here." She says, reaching into her purse, taking out a business card where she writes a number on the back then shows it to me, "That's my personal cellphone number." She's telling me. Then turns the card face up and circles another number with, "That's my business cellphone number, I always answer that. But you can call the one on the back," as she hands it to me. "It's always on too. But I don't always answer it right away depending on where I am. But I will call you back as soon as I can."

"An Bob, know this too, I don't give my personal cell phone number to every man I've met on a train." A sweet sly smile along with what she just said.

Stunned as I take the card from her at the same telling her, Thank you Catherine, and I promise I won't bug you.

"Baloney, call me." she says. "Oh, and how would I get in touch with you, if say I get back sooner than three weeks to see if that dinner date is still on."

Yeah, sure! I should be so lucky! Have you got another one of those cards. My asking for one.

With her handing me another one where I write my cell phone number on the back as I'm telling her, This is my cell phone number, and it's always on too. Because I always want to make sure my daughter can get me anytime, day or night.

I guess surprised with my saying that, "Bob, you have a daughter?" Her surprised sounding question.

Yes Catherine, she'll be ten in February..

"Wow, a daddy huh?"

Yes Catherine, I'm a daddy.

"Good, that's nice! I bet you're a great dad too." Her compliment.

Thank you, but I could have been better. But after saying that, I see the understanding in her eyes as she reaches out to squeeze my arm.

Then, with her still holding my arm, Catherine, that number, you can do the same; call it anytime too. And I don't tell everybody that either. Oh, and Catherine, please don't hand that one out. If someone were to call that number thinking it was you, they might not like the answer I give them.

Which has her laughing once more, "No, I'm putting this one in my wallet for safe keeping, and not back into my business card holder. But I won't need it, I've already memorized the number." She's telling me.

Yeah, sure you did!