Remember Me?

She saw his truck and noticed the light was on in his office trailer. She pulled up next to it and noticed that Michelle Shuster's car was still there, too. She was Joel's administrative assistant and it made sense she would still be there, too. After all, doing paperwork only required electricity and a safe place. She got out of the car, smoothed her hair, and walked passed a large window. She glanced in then did a double take. Her heart stopped when she saw Michelle's arms around her husband and his hands on her waist. She felt like she might throw up but she was unable to move or think as she saw Joel lean down and kiss her. It wasn't a first-kiss kind of thing, either. It was long and deep and passionate.

Libby wasn't sure what possessed her but she slid her hand into her purse and gently removed her iPhone. She unlocked it, found 'camera' then 'video' then started recording. She kept recording until Joel's shirt hit the floor when she felt bile coming up so strong she had to retch. When she finished, she spat, put her phone away and made her way back to the car. She backed out and drove straight home in a heavy mental fog.

She sat there staring at the television for several hours until Keith finally got home. He knew things were bad around the house and just assumed this was more of the same. "Hey, Mom? I love you. You know that, right?"

She turned to her son and said, "Oh, honey. I love you, too. Don't ever doubt that, okay?"

Keith smiled and told her, "I'm going over to Connor's house for a while. See you later?"

Libby just nodded and then went back to staring at the blank TV screen. It was after 10pm when Joel finally got home and Libby had gone to bed and hour ago. She was wide awake and still sick with...that feeling as he crawled into bed after taking a shower to get rid of her scent. She thought that if he touched her she might lose it. But as always he just rolled over and went to sleep.

She didn't get out of bed the next morning and before he left, Joel had to come upstairs and start in on her. "Libby? Hey. It's bad enough you don't earn any money around here, but could at least drag your ass out of bed to make breakfast for your son?" She didn't reply and Joel got louder. "I'm talking to you, Libby!"

"Go to work and fuck your girlfriend," she said caustically.

"What?" was all he said. "What are you talking about?" His voice wasn't as steady as it had been.

"You should put curtains up on your trailer, Joel. You know, after you send the guys home."

There was a moment of silence before she heard his footsteps going down the stairs. Around nine o'clock, she drug herself out of bed and had a cup of coffee. She finally got showered and dressed then picked up the phone and dialed the third number on her list.

"Mom? Hi. I need to talk to you. Can I come over?"

Libby met Keith when he came home from school and sat him down to discuss what was going on. In his typically mature, thoughtful way, he told her he knew something was going on but didn't know it was this bad. She told him they were moving in with Grandma and Grandpa for a while assuring him he could still see his father whenever he wanted. Keith told her he wanted to wait until his dad got home and talk with him before packing up his things.

Libby realized she hadn't told Joel she was leaving yet, either and decided to take the easy way out and pick up the phone. When he answered she said, "I have a video of you and Michelle, Joel. So don't try and play hardball with me. I don't want anything but half of what we have. We'll figure out how to pay for college and deal with Erin when she gets out. But you and I are done. Hell, we were obviously done months ago, but this is to let you know I won't be there when you get home."

Joel didn't say a word. He just waited for her to stop talking then hung up the phone. Libby packed several suitcases and headed to Renton where she grew up and where her parents still lived. Keith decided he would stay with his dad so that he could stay in the same school but made it a point to spend the weekends with his mother and grandparents when he wasn't out with his friends or on a date. Libby hated having to agree with her son, but it really was unfair to pull him out of school in the middle of his senior year. So here she was back in the same house she grew up in, living all alone with her parents and wondering what in the world had gone so very wrong.

The holidays were wretched for her with Libby in jail and Keith feeling constantly torn between his parents and where he should spend his time. Libby was grateful for her parents' love and hospitality, but she'd never felt so alone in her entire life.

She was sitting in the big living of her parents' home one Saturday afternoon and found herself flipping through the channels when she saw someone bowling. She'd skipped right passed it then quickly went back. It was the first PBA event of the year called the DHC PBA Japan Invitational in Tokyo. Libby didn't recognize either player, but she was enjoying watching the first match. When one of the bowlers shut his opponent out in the ninth frame, she sat bolt upright when the announcer said, "Our winner will go on to meet Garrett Miller in the semi-final match. We'll be back with that right after these messages."

Libby sat there in stunned silence waiting for the commercials to end. When it did, they were back in Tokyo and there was Garrett standing next to the ball return getting ready to throw the first ball of the match. Libby's heart was racing as she saw him bend over and grab the same ball she'd seen him use at his home alley. She knew he was a good-looking guy, but he looked SO handsome on television she couldn't stop staring. His thick, dark hair framed his handsome face with the high cheekbones and...those eyes. Those gorgeous eyes with the long lashes. He was tall and lean but not thin. He looked very good to her.

She was completely unaware she was yelling loudly and cheering for him by the seventh frame when he was down by nine pins. When he rolled a strike, Libby stood up and screamed in delight.

"What in the world are you watching, dear?" her mother asked after hearing the scream.

"Mom! That's Garrett. The boy I used to babysit. Remember?"

Her mother sat and looked and then stared. "That's Garrett? That nice-looking young man is that chubby little boy with the terrible teeth? Oh, my goodness. I would have never guessed."

She told her mom how she ran into him by chance up in Seattle and that they'd bowled together a couple of times. "He was always such a sweet child. I felt so sorry for him, you know? His mother just let him eat sweets all day long." She watched him roll another strike and Libby screamed again. "Well, you'd never know it to look at him now."

Garrett stuck out and defeated his opponent 257 to 239 and moved onto the final match. Libby was on the edge of her seat each frame as she twisted and turned her body to will each shot into the pocket. When he struck, she screamed. When he made a spare she was sure he'd strike again the next frame. In the end, he lost by 12 pins, but finishing second in the first tournament of the year was a very worthy accomplishment.

Libby's heart was still pounding when she ran to grab her phone. She took several slow, deep breaths to calm herself as she typed: "Just watched you on TV in Tokyo. I was cheering for you the entire time. I so wanted you to win so bad but was very proud of you for your excellent finish. Oh—I took your advice wrt Joel. Found him at work with another woman so I'm back with my parents in Renton. PS: I miss our talks. Take care, Libby."

It was several hours before her phone chimed. In fact, she'd just fallen asleep. She picked it up off the nightstand and saw a text from Garrett: "Hey, gorgeous! I was so glad to hear from you. I'm on Tokyo time so I just saw your text. Thx for the congrats. I guess 2nd is better than nothing. So sorry about you and Joel. I miss our chats, too. I'm flying into SeaTac tomorrow on Delta. Would love to get together soon. G."

Libby set her phone down and smiled. She hadn't spoken to Garrett in over two months yet just that short text completely changed her outlook. For the first time since she found Joel with Michelle, Libby felt happy. Or at least hopeful. She was able to take a break from the constant self-flagellation over the mess she told herself she'd made of her life and think that maybe, just maybe, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Even then, she couldn't help but think about the old saying that said the light at the end of the tunnel was from a freight train set to run her over. Well, maybe it was but at least it wasn't completely dark in her world for at least a little while.

"Where are you going so early, sweetheart?" her mother asked the next morning.

It was 7:00am and Libby was already dressed and getting ready to leave the house.

"Do you have a job interview or something?" she asked after seeing how she was dressed.

"No, Mom. I'm meeting someone at the airport."

"Oh. Anyone I know?" she asked Libby.

"Can we talk about it later? His flight gets in at 8am and I don't want to be late."

"His? Oh, okay. Well, sure. That sounds fine, dear."

Libby had chosen a beautiful, long-sleeved off-white sweater with a short green skirt which fell to about four inches above her knees. She was also wearing full makeup which still wasn't all that much, but it did make her very pretty face look sensational even at 7:00 in the morning.

It was early January and only about 38 degrees outside. Fortunately it was neither raining nor snowing as she headed out toward the airport which wasn't much of a drive from her parents' home. Just hit the 405 and follow the signs.

Twenty minutes later she was off the freeway and and onto 518. She made a left turn and began looking for signs for Delta international parking. She took her parking ticket as she went through the gate and proceeded to the garage where she found a spot near an elevator. She made her way upstairs and began looking for a Delta terminal so she could find flight numbers and more importantly, the gate for the 8am arrival from Narita International Airport. Because it was an international flight, she'd have to meet him after he cleared customs and once she knew where to go, she headed directly there.

It was 7:48 when she arrived and there were quite a few people waiting outside of customs. Libby calmed herself and took off her coat hoping Garrett would both notice and appreciate what she'd worn. A part of her was energized with hope and excitement and another part was relentlessly castigating her for being foolish, silly, and unrealistic.

But Libby couldn't change the way she felt. It started the first time she'd seen him. It was innocent at first, but by the time she'd kissed him—in spite of her sadness and pain—she knew she was in love with him. She had no reason to believe he had any such feelings for her, but she had to make herself available and at least try. For all she knew, he could have met someone over the holidays or just as awful to contemplate, he might tell her she was a friend and nothing more. But all she could think of was 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' so here she was hoping to find a way into his heart the way he'd gotten into hers.

The plane landed at ten after eight and passengers began disembarking within five minutes of the accordion covering the exit door. It took another twenty minutes of so for the first passengers to exit customs. Libby waited patiently as people flowed passed her while others were met by loved ones who greeted their arriving friends with anything from pleasant smiles to romantic kisses.

Finally, she saw him at her spirits soared. Then they crashed as quickly as they'd risen when she saw him talking to some very attractive, much younger woman. She waited for him to get closer and she nearly cried when she saw the girl put her arm inside his. Even from 20 feet away, she could see the large wedding ring on her left hand. She nearly turned and ran away when he saw her.

"Libby? Is that you?" she heard him call out. The girl who was with him let go of his arm when Garrett broke away and walked over to her.

"Hi," she said trying to smile through her disappointment. "I wanted to surprise you." The cute young girl walked up and smiled as Libby said, "I...I didn't realize you were with someone, Garrett. I'm so..."

Just then a very nice-looking younger man carrying a little girl snuck up behind the pretty girl and said, "Welcome home, honey!" She turned around and threw her arms around them and kissed them both.

"We're not together, Libby. She's the PBA's liaison for the tournament in Tokyo. We sat together on the flight back but as you can see, she's very happily married."

Libby was looking down and feeling very silly as she exhaled deeply. "I don't know what I'm even doing here, Garrett and now I feel pretty ridiculous."

He set down his bag and jacket and said, "I can't help how you feel, but you look...wow! You look...amazing."

"I'm shamelessly transparent, aren't I?" she said as she finally looked up at him. "You mentioned one time you like sweaters and the last two times I..."

"Thank you," he said as he stepped closer. "That was really nice, but you don't have to wear or do anything special to impress me, Libby. Just seeing you is more than enough."

"Really?" she said shyly.

"Yes, really," he told her. "I know I pushed you away that last time...at the alley...when the power went out. I...I just couldn't tell you how I felt knowing you were...you know."

She raised her left hand slightly showing him her bare finger. "It was really hard to take it off. Even after I saw him with..."

"It's okay. We don't have to talk about that right now. There'll be plenty of time for that somewhere down the road. For now, I'm starving. I'm still on Tokyo time and... Do you think you could eat?" he asked her. "At 8:30 in the morning?"

"Truth be told I haven't eaten much of anything since...well, it's been a long time. So yes, I could definitely stand to eat something."

"Then may I buy you breakfast and myself dinner?"

"I'd like that...very much," she told him. He helped her with her coat, then picked up his bag as they headed for the parking garage.

"I took a taxi here so would it be too weird to have you drive us?" he asked.

Libby laughed and said, "I was wondering if I might need to follow you. I have to admit that never occurred to me. I'd be happy to drive."

Garrett opened her door even though she was driving. She thanked him and got in and started the car. "It almost feels warm here compared to Tokyo," he said when he sat down. "We had a little bit of snow the day of the tournament."

"Wow. I guess warm and cold are truly relative," she said as they drove toward the exit. Libby paid for her parking then asked, "Okay, where to?"

Garrett looked over at her said, "I know I just won a lot of money so I hope you won't think I'm cheap, but my favorite restaurant is IHOP. Would that be okay?"

"I love IHOP!" Libby said. "That sounds great and no, I won't think you're cheap," she said smiling back at him.

He hadn't stopped looking at her since he got in and Libby asked sweetly, "Are you staring at me?"

"I am," he told her. "I can't help it."

"Do I look that bad this early in the morning?" she said as she began wondering if maybe she looked as old as she often felt.

"Hardly," he said quietly. He reached out and gently brushed back her long, sandy-blonde hair and said, "You're still the most beautiful girl I know, Libby?"

Her spirits soared again at the compliment but it had been so long since anyone had told her something like that she wasn't sure what to make of it. "You mean for someone my age, right?"

"No, that's not what I mean at all."

"Then what do you mean?" she asked as she pulled into the airport IHOP.

Garrett waited for her to stop the car and put it in park before answering. "What I mean is exactly what I said. I've had a crush on you all my life. I just couldn't do anything about it when I was a boy and besides, I was such a roly-poly kid, I'd have never said anything even if I'd been older."

"You were adorable," she said looking over at him. "A little chubby, yes. But sweet and adorable."

"And then there was the age difference which, back then, was insurmountable."

"I'm still that much older than you now. You know that, right?"

"I do, but I don't care about that at all because now it doesn't matter. It's not only not insurmountable, it's meaningless. I only cared that you weren't available."

He held out his hand and Libby felt her heart pounding as she gave hers to him. "Libby? I've been in love with you forever. I know you'll think I'm crazy for saying that and maybe I am. I'm really jet lagged and my judgment may not be at its best, but my feelings have never changed."

Libby looked down at the steering wheel as they continued to hold hands. "I thought I just heard you say you're in love with me, but maybe I'm just projecting my feelings about you and only imagined you said that." She looked over at him with hopeful eyes and said, "Did you just say that, Garrett?"

"Of course I did, Libby. How could I not say it? I mean, look at you. You're so beautiful it kills me. But you're also the kindest, sweetest, most honest person I know and while you may not feel that way about me, I'm hopelessly optimistic and well, with enough time, maybe you could learn to love me, too. Or maybe you could at least try to want to feel that way about me."

"You mean fall in love with you?" she asked him.

"Well, yes. Eventually maybe. I mean, stranger things have happened, right?" he said hopefully.

"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to fall in love with you, Garrett."

He let go of her hand and said, "I know I don't have your level of education and I'm not a lawyer or a doctor, but I'm a decent guy, Libby, and you might just find..."

"Garrett?" she said interrupting him. She looked over at him and said, "I can't fall in love with you because that already happened."

It took him a second to comprehend what he'd just heard before saying, "Okay, now it's my turn to ask. Did you just say you already fell in love with me?"

"Yes," she said in a near whisper.

"Really?" he said leaning closer to her.

"Yes, really," she said leaning toward him.

"I had no idea heaven was the airport IHOP parking lot but I think I just died and went there."

Libby covered her face as she laughed out loud before Garrett reached over and turned it toward him. "I love you, Libby," he said as he kissed her for the first time.

Libby wanted the kiss to last forever but settled for several seconds. As their lips slowly parted she whispered, "I love you too, Garrett."

He kissed her again and as awkward as it was leaning over the gear shift, they kissed for a very long time. "Do they take orders to go?" she whispered.

"We can eat later at my house," he told her.

"You sure?" she asked him still whispering as their lips nearly touched.

"Positive. I've waited for this moment for years. I think I can wait a little while longer to eat. Can you please drive?" he asked her as he kissed her again.

The electricity built all the way to his home in West Seattle. They left everything but his bag in the car as the held hands walking up the sidewalk to the front door.

He opened it and said, "Would you mind?"

She shrieked as he scooped her up and carried her over the threshold. She laughed when he asked, "I didn't bang your head into the door, did I?"

She kissed him and said, "I wouldn't have noticed if you had."

He kicked the door shut behind them and said, "Would you like a tour of the house first?"

"Only if you can fit it in on the way to your bedroom," she said kissing him again.