Hero's Lament Ch. 01

He could see the imprint from where Kevin had grabbed her. "What was that about?"

"He was a mistake from my past. He wanted to rekindle something we never had in the first place and didn't want to take no for an answer."

"You okay?"

Nancy nodded with gratitude, thanked her boss again, and returned to her duties. It just wasn't her night, she thought; first the letter from the court and now Kevin...what next?

She didn't tell Tyler about the run-in with his nemesis. She wasn't sure what he'd do and didn't want him going after the jackass again. She just hoped she'd seen the last of him.

For the next month or so, things ran fairly smooth; then came the holidays. Tyler hadn't any plans for Thanksgiving. His folks lived half way across the country and Nancy was taking the kids to her parent's house. He wasn't much of a football fan but there was a British murder mystery marathon on PBS...hey, he told himself, it was better than nothing. He had also bought a turkey TV dinner for the occasion.

When Tyler returned the kids that prior weekend Nancy was waiting at the door. She braved the cold and ran out to the car with her arms wrapped around her body for warmth. She didn't want to take a chance of him driving off before she could talk to him.

When he saw her coming he rolled down the window of the car as the kids got out and ran into the house.

"Tyler, could you come in for just a minute. I wanted to ask you something but it's freezing out here," Nancy said between chattering teeth.

He followed her inside. The kids had already run up to their rooms to unpack. Nancy was hoping they'd still be downstairs. If she couldn't convince him she knew they could.

"Tyler, do you have any plans for Thanksgiving?"

"Ah, no-not really; I was thinking of driving up to my folks but I can't get Friday off and it's too far to make that round trip in one day."

"Well, my mom and dad wanted me to invite you to have dinner with us. They haven't seen you since..." she stopped. She didn't even want to think about that terrible day..."well, in a long time." She was hoping he'd accept. She still hadn't given up on getting him back and was praying a family holiday dinner might start him thinking.

He hesitated while thinking it over. It would sure be nice to spend the day with everyone. He wasn't really looking forward to being alone on Thanksgiving, but... but he didn't want to give anyone false hope or the idea that he and Nancy were somehow still a couple. Except for the kids, he had to separate himself from his former life. He needed to make a new start. He was about to decline when a high pitched, young voice altered his decision.

"Oh please, daddy, can you? Can you come with us to grandma and grandpa's?" LeAnn overheard her mother from the top of the stairs and was excited over the prospect of her dad joining them. She ran down the stairs and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I ah," he looked at his ex for help but she also had pleading eyes. "Are you sure it won't feel awkward for your folks? I don't want to spoil everyone's holiday."

"Don't be silly, Tyler, they miss you. They asked me to be sure to invite you," Nancy explained.

"Well, I...I guess it would okay," he relented.

"Yea," LeAnn called out while hugging her daddy.

Nancy was correct. Her parents welcomed Tyler as if he was their long-lost son. They fussed over him and made sure he had a second helping of turkey and dressing. It took a while but he finally started to relax and enjoy himself.

As he returned to his empty apartment that night, he poured himself a drink and sank down into one of the few items he took from the house, his favorite lounge chair. He took a sip of scotch and thought about everything he was walking away from. For the umpteenth time he wondered if he was doing the right thing. A lonely tear trickled from the corner of his eye.

As it always does, life seemed to speed up a little after turkey day. The first major snowfall made a fitting backdrop for the colored lights, wreaths, and big candy canes that adorned the streetlights, and shop windows. The Christmas season was in full swing. Many considered it to be the happiest, most joyous time of the year, but for members of a newly broken family, it could be downright depressing.

On the night before Christmas Eve, Nancy didn't get home until almost one in the morning. Thank God some of the stores stayed open until midnight, she thought as she slumped down on the couch. She'd had a good night at the restaurant. The plant workers were in a holiday mood which translated into some pretty hefty tips.

A week earlier her folks had given her a little money to buy the kids presents but they weren't rich either and the little they could spare didn't go very far. Nancy knew how badly LeAnn and Chris felt already, knowing their dad wouldn't be there when they opened their gifts. She didn't want to compound it by not having any gifts for them to open, so as soon as the restaurant closed she high-tailed it to the mall across the street and spent every penny she earned that night.

She was dead on her feet but she wouldn't let it keep her from making sure everything was wrapped by morning. It was a little after three when she slid the last of the presents under the tree.

Exhausted as she was, she needed a drink before going to bed. She poured herself a glass of wine and wandered back out to the living room to relax on the couch for a few minutes. As she admired her wrapping skills she remembered back to the previous year.

After spending half the night wrapping the gifts, she and Tyler took a break on the very same couch she was sitting on. Nancy closed her eyes and remembered the tender touch of his lips against hers. She laid her head back with a little sigh and could almost feel his loving kisses caressing her neck and gently nipping at her nipples. Her breathing quickened as she set her glass down and laid back to imagine they were his fingers working their way into her panties. She could feel his hot breath against her skin as she slowly pushed her finger inside the moistening gates of heaven.

Oh Tyler, I need you so," she whispered. Desperately she fantasized, trying to convince herself it was him making love to her but it was no use. Her finger was a poor substitute for the man she loved. Tears flooded her eyes and rolled down her cheeks as she gave up. She couldn't even get herself off.

Nancy sat back up and took a couple sips of wine as reality set back in. Her heart ached for her man. He always made her feel so special, like...like she was the only woman in the world; his love surrounded her, wrapping her in a warm, safe blanket.

It had been more than six months...six months since that terrible day and the pain hurt every bit as bad as it did then. I have to stop, she asserted. I have to stop torturing myself. She wiped away more tears and decided to call it a night. As Nancy laid her head on the pillow, again she silently called his name but there was no answer. Drop by drop, regret leaked from her eyes as she finally drifted to sleep.

The next two days were bitter-sweet. Nancy's dad and mom came over in the evening to join the festivities. On Christmas morning, Tyler picked up the kids and brought them to his apartment where they went through the ritual of opening presents for the second time. As excited as Chris and LeAnn were with all the great gifts, they both would have given everything they had to have their dad living with them again.

A week later, Nancy prepared some special treats and non-alcoholic eggnog. She and the kids would ring in the new year sitting in front of the TV, watching the Times Square ball drop, together. At the stroke of midnight her young man and darling daughter both hugged and kissed her before going up to bed. It wasn't hard to see behind their eyes and know what they were thinking. Nancy was thinking the same thing... another year...so what. What was there to look forward to?

Tyler had been invited to a New Year's Eve party, but try as his friends did, they just couldn't get him there. He simply told them it would be no fun without having someone to kiss at midnight. Instead, for the first time since forever, he stayed home and went to bed early—before eleven. He just wanted the damn holidays over with.

Both Tyler and Nancy got their wish. The holidays were depressing, especially for the kids, but they were finally over. By mid-January they were pretty much forgotten and replaced with the trials and tribulations of a cold Chicago winter.

Tyler was sitting in his office going over some reports when he heard his cell ring. That was unusual. During the day he rarely got any personal calls. He glanced at the clock on his desk as he dug the phone from his pocket and hit "connect" without looking at the display...

"DAD, DAD, LeAnn's been hit by a car," came his son's voice blubbering from the speaker.

Continued...