The Loveable Resident Chapter Five

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(c) Copyright 2017, 2019

"CHAPTER FIVE

The Long Island Rail Road train to Manhattan left New Haven station at 9:05 a.m. on Saturday morning. It was a cold morning, gray and wet. Mike decided to forgo the umbrella. He wore an anorak over his wool sweater and the gray slacks that he favored over all his pants. There were a few cops in the train station, but none of them appeared to be interested in him. Mike kept a low profile. He took out the newspaper and studied it carefully while waiting to board the train.

The hum of the passengers that day seemed to reassure him. He hated the feeling that gripped his chest earlier that morning. None of the warm feelings he had from last night’s conversations with his mother and Lauren were present today.

Mike tried to distract his thoughts by studying the fleeting scenes outside the window as the train made its painstaking way to Manhattan. He stared at the gray buildings, the ramshackle houses that lined the train tracks. He imagined that he was one of the inhabitants of these houses. There but for the grace of God, he thought. Then he began to think of God. He cringed at the thought. It seemed hopeless to him. He felt like he was now walking on unholy ground. One false step, he thought.

Mike awoke with a start. He thought he heard the conductor announce the next station. He looked around and saw a young woman, a teenager, staring into space behind him. “What did he say?” Mike asked her.

She looked at him consideringly. “He said next stop was Grand Central Station.” Then she went back to staring into space.

“Thanks.” He pulled himself upright and stashed his newspaper aside.

Mike made it up to the street level of Manhattan with a sigh. It was a busy day in Little Italy today. The babel of tourist voices, the multicolored costumes of the street performers, and the blare of horns that erupted periodically as cabs and cars and buses competed to make it through the intersections of Manhattan all met him and gave his system a slight shock. The energy he felt was incredible as he walked through the streets of the city.

He arrived at Pellegrino’s at 11:18 a.m. The lunch crowd had not yet filled the place. He walked in and made his way into the interior of the Italian restaurant. The maître d’ glanced up and smiled at him in recognition. “Hello, Dr. Oates. Very good to see you today.”

“Hello, Dan, how are you?” Mike took his outstretched hand. “I need a table for two.”

“Please follow me,” Dan said with alacrity as he took two menus with him and headed into the main room.

Mike felt gratified when he was shown to a corner table, farther into the interior of the restaurant. “Thanks,” he said as he took his seat.

“You are most welcome.” Dan bowed. “Carlo will wait on you.”

Carlo, the waiter, came to the table with a smile on his face. “Can I get you anything while you wait for your friend?”

“No, we’ll order at the same time,” Mike replied.

The waiter nodded and disappeared.

The minutes passed by. Mike observed the other customers with a passing interest. He tried not to think beyond this part of the day. He knew he had to get back to New Haven later that day, pack his bag, and endure one more night in his apartment.

Just when he thought he had been stood up, Lauren came through the doors. Her face was flushed as though she had been running. Her hair was slightly tousled from the rain. Dan, the maitre d’, bowed slightly toward her as she approached him. With a flourish, Dan showed her to their table.

Lauren sat down without a thought. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

They smiled at each other. “I thought you’d stood me up,” he said lightly.

“No, I didn’t realize how much time it took to get here, even with a cab.” Her face was pale; her lips looked red as though they were bitten. He observed her shiny long dark hair that flowed over her shoulders. He decided he liked the effect.

Lauren removed her jacket and hung it over her chair. She wore a red sweater, dark-blue jeans, and desert boots. She didn’t wear any jewelry, except for a pair of small silver hoop earrings. Her purse was a small black wristlet.

Their waiter returned to take their order.

“What are you in New York for aside from the Jets game?” Mike asked.

“There’s a convention that I attended.”

“Which one?”

“The Trial Lawyers Convention.”

He was in the middle of putting his napkin over his knee. He glanced at her. “I didn’t know you were a trial lawyer.”

She smiled. “What type of lawyer did you think I was?”

“I don’t know. Patent law. Something like that.”

“No, I didn’t like chemistry.” She laughed. “Not like you, Mike.”

“Do you always get your clients off?”

She smiled. “Not always.”

“Really?” He leaned back to observe her, a serious look on his face.

“Sometimes, my clients deserve to serve time. I just try to make their jail time shorter.” Lauren nodded at him slightly. “It’s your turn. Do you always save your patients?”

“Always,” he replied smoothly. “At least, on the operating table.”

He regaled her with what he thought were amusing stories about being a medical resident. He liked to watch her face change expressions as he spoke.

Their meals arrived, and both fell silent as they tasted their food. Lauren played with her linguine with her fork. Mike looked up and saw the expression in her face. “Penny for your thoughts.”

She looked up. “Oh, I was just thinking of your mom.”

“My mom?”

“Yes. She called me two days ago, and we got to talking. I hadn’t heard from her much.” The look she gave him was gentle. “Your mom worries about you, Mike.”

“What do you mean by that?” he exclaimed, mystified.

“She wants us to date. She told me she thinks we should suit each other,” she said with a laugh.

“So she told me the other day.” Mike smiled ironically.

Lauren added hastily, “Not that it is a bad idea. But honestly, Mike, you must have a girlfriend back in New Haven?”

He paused before saying, “I have a few girlfriends.”

Lauren’s eyes widened. “Oh my.” Her voice faltered, and then she recovered, saying, “OK, so I should have known that.”

“And you must have a special someone,” he said tonelessly.

Lauren blushed. “No, I don’t. Not . . . not really,” she stammered.

“Oh, come on.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You? No special guy waiting at home?”

“No,” she said with an apologetic expression on her face.

“OK.”

“OK?” she echoed, her fine eyebrows lifted.

“Well, whatever Mom wants, I’m sure neither of us would be willing to accommodate her wishes.”

She sipped her wine for a moment.

They both said together, “Look, this is stupid—” They stopped short and then laughed at the same time.

“Mike, I recommend we have an enjoyable lunch, and I’ll call your mom and say it won’t work.”

He didn’t reply immediately. When he spoke, he asked, “What time does your flight leave for Columbus?”

She hid her surprise at the change in topic. “Eight in the morning.”

“I’d like to see you in Columbus. I’m driving there tonight.” At that very moment, without knowing why, Mike made the decision to leave that night.

“How long will you be staying there?”

“Not sure yet,” he replied truthfully.

“What, they’ll let you go on vacation indefinitely?”

“I’m thinking surgery isn’t what I thought it would be.” Mike’s voice was devoid of emotion.

“What will you do?” Skepticism laced her voice.

He raised his glass to his lips. “I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry about that, Mike. You always wanted to become a doctor.” She looked at him with sympathy in her eyes.

“Let’s not discuss it.” Mike’s voice sounded rough. “Maybe it’s not the doctor part. Maybe it’s the place. I’ve come to hate that hospital.”

“Then by all means, let’s continue the conversation in Columbus.” She lifted her glass in a subtle toast as her eyes held his with a hint of a promise.

They left Pellegrino’s an hour and a half later. As they walked away, Mike glanced back and saw a dark-coated figure emerge from Pellegrino’s. His face was slightly hidden under a fedora. Mike saw him touch his forefinger to his nose. A questioning look touched Mike’s eyes as he nodded in response.

He looked down the street at the oncoming traffic, and a cab materialized in front of them. Once they were seated inside the cab, Mike turned slightly toward Lauren who gave the cabdriver directions to her hotel.

They were silent as their cab made its way to her hotel, zigzagging and cutting in front of motorists. A cacophony of horns erupted as he changed lanes without signaling. Neither Mike nor Lauren seemed to notice.

Lauren’s arm brushed against his in the companionable silence. He took the opportunity to observe her as she watched the passing scenery. “Do you like New York City?”

“Yes.” She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. “Don’t you?”

“Not really. It’s crowded, polluted, and the people are loud.”

Lauren looked surprised. “Oh!” She nodded in comprehension. “You were never a loud person. I remember.”

He felt pleased at her remark. “You remember.”

“Yes.” She blushed and turned her face from him.

They arrived without incident, except that the cabbie braked suddenly, causing them to lurch forward. Mike’s arm shot out and prevented Lauren from hitting the front seat. She gasped and then instinctively relaxed beside him. Mike looked furiously at the cabdriver but forbore to keep his mouth shut. “You OK?” He gazed down at her upturned face.

“Sorry!” The cabbie shrugged.

“Let’s get out of here,” Mike said and opened the door. She stood next to him, looking at him with renewed interest as he paid the cabbie.

“You could have taken the cab back to Grand Central Station,” she said thoughtfully.

He watched the cab leave. “No, I don’t want to be a casualty just when I’ve decided to go home.” He smiled. “I’ll just walk from here.”

“Thanks for lunch, Mike. It was delicious.”

“My pleasure.” He gave her a small salute and turned toward the street. Without looking back, he knew that she was watching him as he walked away from her.

He was almost to the end of the far corner when he decided to retrace his steps. He didn’t see Lauren anywhere in the hotel, except when he caught a glimpse of her long hair swinging slightly as she walked toward the elevators. Mike followed her as she went inside one of them and kept himself behind the crowd. He watched her as they traveled up the floors. She stepped out at her floor. He waited a half second and then stepped out after her.

Lauren entered her hotel room and tossed her small wristlet aside, removing her jacket. She heard a tap on the door and asked, “Who is it?”

“Me.”

She opened the door. Mike was standing, looking at her enigmatically.

“Did . . . Did you need something?”

“Yes.” He walked in and closed the door. In one smooth movement, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her mouth hungrily. She tried to pull away, but it was too late for her. She responded before she knew it. His hand slipped under her shirt and undid her bra. His other hand slid between her bra and her breast, and she gasped against his mouth. She tried to move against him in shock. But the touch of his hand on her skin, her nipple, the way his tongue moved against hers took her mind off the reality of this wild move of his.

“Hush,” he said against her mouth.

“No, it’s not a good idea.”

“No, but it feels good, doesn’t it?” he said softly.

She softened against him, and this was her undoing. They staggered against the bed, and soon, he was undressing her, keeping her pinned down under him. Lauren was a captive in his magical and sensual attack. Soon they were moving against each other. She felt him between her thighs, and it was over before too long.

They made love many more times before midnight came. Lauren finally sat up and gasped. “I’m not going to make it to my flight in two hours.”

“I’m not going to apologize,” he said beside her.

She tried to put her clothes on and was so unsuccessful that she gave up. Lauren felt his hand on her shoulder, and then it was as though she was again out of her control.

At five o’clock, the alarm came on at the same time her cell phone rang. Lauren staggered out of bed and found her cell phone.

“Hello.” She made a face when she heard whose voice it was. “Hello, Dad. Yes, I won’t be coming home as soon as I thought.” She paused. “I . . . uh . . . I had an unexpected complication. No, nothing to worry about. I’ll find my way back to Columbus. I have all the information for the meeting tomorrow.”

She hung up and sat down, looking distracted. Mike got out of bed and slipped on his pants. “Your dad?”

“Yes.”

“I think you are the most exciting woman I’ve made love to.”

She glanced at him as she stood up and put her clothes back on. “Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?”

Mike uttered a silent oath and closed his eyes in regret. “I meant,” he said slowly, “that you and I need to see each other more. I want you.”

“Well, I don’t know about that. You and I have not seen each other in years. Years! What on earth possessed you to attack me?”

“I did not attack you. And you didn’t resist, did you?”

“You forced me into it,” she insisted, this time, looking more like she was going to cry.

He saw her eyes glimmer with tears and went to her, holding her close. “My God, I didn’t want you to cry. Lauren, I don’t know why I did it, but I wasn’t going to let you go without making you . . . making love to you.”

Lauren pushed him away. “Oh, Mike! Just go back to New Haven. I need to pack, fly back home, and get on with my life.”

“I’m going to go, but you need to promise me something.”

“What is that?” she retorted.

“I want to see you in Columbus.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you remember last night?”

“I mean, why do you want to see me there? Like an appointment?”

“A date.” He smiled. “A second date. This time, I will behave.”

She looked doubtfully at him. Her cell phone rang again. He took it away from her hand.

“Give that back!” She reached out for it.

“Not until you’ve said yes.”

Lauren reached for her cell phone, saying, “OK, OK. I can see you. How about Wednesday next week?”

“How about tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow? You said you would be driving—” She shook her head as if to focus. “OK, just give me the phone.”

He gave it to her and smiled down at her with a triumphant light in his eye. Lauren moved away, and he touched her elbow. She paused and let him pull her to him. “You and I are good together,” he said.

“Yeah, like I haven’t heard that before.”

“You know we are, Lauren.”

Her cell phone rang once again. He stepped away and gave her a salute. She said nothing to him and turned to talk on her phone. When she glanced back at him, he had disappeared."