I’m looking over the computer simulations on the project’s that been burning in my brain for over a week now when the door to my in-house lab opens, and Freida comes in. I look up, feeling the onset of a tension headache and glad for the distraction. It’s one of my drawbacks, when I get going I don’t care about taking care of my body until it’s in full rebellion. “Hey Freida, how’s it going?”

“Not that well,” Freida says, closing the door behind her and crossing the room to sit down across from me at my lab desk. “How’s the materials analysis?”

“It’s missing something,” I admit, talking while I check the live results of my latest tests. “I’m getting the efficiency I want on a small scale, but when the assembly grows over two hundred square feet, it’s dropping off dramatically. I have to determine if it’s a geometry thing or a materials thing. What brings you by, you say things aren’t going well. Su Lin?”

“Yes, Su Lin,” Freida says. “Things aren’t working out.”

“What’s going on?” I ask, rubbing at my temples. Goddamn headache, maybe it’s time to shut it down for a few hours and get a workout in, let my brain unwind long enough to get a reset in. “She’s been here a week now, I thought that her behavior’s improving.”

Freida rolls her eyes, reaching out and closing the screen on my laptop and making me look up in anger, she knows that’s one of those things that’ll piss me off. “What are you-”

“You told me when you semi-retired that you wanted me to be your devil’s advocate, although I think more than anything else you wanted me to be your conscience,” Freida says, leaning over and glaring at me. “Rick, I care about you, you know that. But I also know you well enough, been inside your inner circle long enough that I could never fall in love with you. That’s probably the reason why I’ve been successful at my damn job.”

“Probably,” I admit. “So what’s got you pissed off right now? Is she continuing to make mistakes? Or do you think she won’t be able to handle what I’m asking of her?”

Freida shakes her head, rolling her eyes. “Rick, what’s not working out isn’t Su Lin. She’s spent this past week busting her ass. And she’s strong too, I saw that the night she stood up to me and demanded at least one meal a day be in her own style. The other day she even went into the kitchen and taught Chef how to prepare her lunch in the Chinese style so that she could eat more comfortably.”

“Good,” I reply, encouraged. “Part of the rules and training I’ve been having you give her is to test how strong she is. I never intended to have her be a doormat.”

“Yeah well, that’s not what she thinks,” Freida counters. “She sees you for roughly two hours a day, half of that being dinner and the other half being sex before you’re out again. And during those dinners, all you do is point out the hundred little mistakes she makes. I hate to tell you also, but fucking a woman and then walking out so you can get a late night workout or run some materials tests is not exactly good for someone’s self esteem. Su Lin isn’t dropping the ball, Rick. You are.”

The vehemence in her words stops my counterargument in my mouth and I take a moment, thinking. Finally, I nod. “Okay. Point taken. So what should I do?”

“Well, how about for one, have a date with your wife?” Freida asks with a disbelieving laugh, like it’s the most obvious thing in the entire world. “Take a day, don’t come into the lab, and get to know Su Lin. You know her dossier like the back of your hand, but you don’t know her. And she doesn’t know you, other than I can tell that she’s… well physically you satisfy her.”

“Glad to know I’m not screwing up that part,” I comment sarcastically, making Freida glower. “What?”

“Stop treating her like a rent-a-womb or a cum dumpster,” Freida growls, personally offended I think. “All these lessons are supposed to make sure she’s strong enough and able to handle herself when your disease goes south, right? Well I can tell you right now, if you want her to be a good mother, or to even keep your baby, you better start giving her a reason beyond dollar signs. Because Su Lin’s got more self esteem and worth than that.”

Again, Freida’s gotten me, and I think before nodding to myself. “Okay. Arrange for Su Lin and I to have a day together, tell her about it.”

“Do it yourself,” Freida shoots back. When I lift an eyebrow, she shakes her head. “Rick, you need to ask her out on a date, not schedule it like a root canal.”

Sighing, I throw up my hands. “Okay, okay. Where is she now?”

“In the library, last I checked. She’s reading and working on her English. Which, by the way, you shouldn’t criticize her for. She’s got a slight accent, but considering that her English is a lot better than your foreign language skills, you’ve got no leg to stand on. All you know is how to bedroom talk in a few languages.”

I roll my eyes, Freida can be a major pain in the ass when she wants to be. But she’s right. Beyond knowing how to ask ‘wanna fuck?’ in a half dozen languages, I can barely ask where the bathroom is. “Okay. Then would you at least put together a nice date for us? A picnic by the lake would be nice.”

“And you two should do your morning workouts together,” Freida adds. “And dinner out. I know Mankato isn’t exactly fancy digs, but I’d stay out of the chopper for a while.”

“I don’t do morning workouts though, you know I’m stiff as a board in the morning,” I reply, making Freida laugh.

“Yeah well, maybe your morning stiffness might impress her still,” she teases me. “Tomorrow you can. Trust me, it’ll do you both good. Now go ask your wife out.”

* * *

I’m uncharacteristically nervous as I stretch and try to get some limberness in my body. I haven’t told Freida, but I suspect that my morning creakiness is a sign of my Trikala Syndrome. I’m too young to have age catching up with me, and as a younger man I practically jumped out of bed ready to rock. Now, my brain still works just fine, but don’t ask me to do anything physical before ten in the morning.

The door to the home gym opens, and Su Lin comes in, looking slightly shy as she closes the door behind her. I take a moment to admire the way she looks, she’s dressed not to impress but to work hard, in a form fitting tank top, simple white running shoes, and legging that, quite honestly, makes her backside look hot. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” I reply, coming over and taking her hands before giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for today.”

“What would you like to do today?” Su Lin asks, and I have to smile as she blushes slightly. “I know that your workouts are normally heavier than mine.”

“Not today,” I reply. “Freida’s told me that you have been doing lots of wushu and other gymnastic style work, I was thinking the same thing today. How about we do a little bit of yours, a little bit of mine, and just have some fun?”

Su Lin smiles, and I’m struck again at just how lovely she can be. We start our workout, and as we go I’m impressed with not only her skills, but how hard she works. Her wushu has given her incredible flexibility and balance, and as we switch up from exercise to exercise, I’m enjoying myself. We’re both smiling by the end of the hour even as we’re covered in sweat. “Wow.”

“You flatter,” Su Lin says, stopping when I shake my head. “Really?”

“Really. We could debate the effectiveness of your wushu versus my jiu-jitsu some other time, but from a purely visual aspect… yeah, wow.”

Su Lin smiles again, and I take the opportunity to lean in close and give her a kiss on the cheek. It makes her blush more deeply, and as I go back to my room to shower and change before breakfast, I think the day’s off to a wonderful beginning.

The morning proves me right, as Su Lin and I talk about a lot of things over a shared breakfast before progressing to a walk outside the house around the grounds of my estate. Nothing overly important, but instead we discuss our martial arts backgrounds for most of the morning. It’s refreshing to find that, rather than the dogmatic point of view that I had been expecting from Su Lin, instead she’s open minded and exploring, recognizing some of the shared ideas our two philosophies have while respecting the differences.

Our conversation, in fact, continues all the way to the lake I’d picked out for our destination. “So you are willing to accept that your style has no answer for multiple opponents?” Su Lin asks as we set the basket down and spread out the blanket. “Why not prepare for it?”

“Economy of time,” I reply with a shrug. “Same as your style dealing with grappling. I could counter why would you spend so much time worrying about open movements that involve lots of spinning and acrobatic maneuvers when a good, simple 1-2 would take care of most attackers?”

“But-” Su Lin starts, then chuckles. “I guess I see what you mean.” She looks around, taking a deep breath as she sits down, a smile on her face. “This is something I am still getting used to. I hope I never get tired of it.”

“Well, Minnesota is the land of a thousand lakes,” I comment. “If you get tired of this pond, I’ve got at least nine hundred and ninety nine more I can show you.”

Su Lin laughs, leaning back. “If you don’t mind, can we just lay here and relax?”

“Sure,” I reply, pulling her close. We lay back, rolling up the edge of the blanket some to give me a pillow so I can watch the lake while Su Lin lays her head on my chest. “Comfortable?”

“Getting there,” Su Lin says. “I’ve been dealing with a bit of agoraphobia. Beijing is so compact, everything paved and controlled. This estate… I’ve seen more trees and grass in the past week than I had in my entire life prior to coming here.”

“We’ll have to let you see more, when you’re ready,” I reply. “Maybe in the chopper.”

“You really do have a helicopter?” Su Lin asks. I chuckle and nod. “What kind?”

“A customized Agusta Westland,” I reply. “Not the fastest chopper in the sky, but I’ve been able to give it very long range. I can go all the way from here to New York without refueling if I want. Sometime we’ll have to do that.”

“Isn’t it easier to just take your airplane?”

I laugh, giving her shoulders a squeeze and stroking her hair. “Easier? Yes. But I like flying, and I didn’t want to go through the hassle of getting my heavy jet license, and having more than one personal jet just strikes me as arrogant.”

Su Lin laughs, snuggling up against me. “Well, I am glad to see you’re not that arrogant.”

I lean back, stroking Su Lin’s hair and just enjoying the warmth of the day. It has been too long since I took a day to just relax and remember that there’s more to the world than my work, my health, and my company. Even in semi-retirement, I maintain a lifestyle that doesn’t have a lot of leisure to it. “Hey, Su Lin?”

“Yes, Rick?”

I lift my head again, looking as she turns those beautiful green eyes that I first noticed when I saw her online profile up to me, her face questioning. I stroke her cheek, smiling. “I like when you challenge me. I’m a jerk a lot, but I’m not above admitting when I’m wrong. And I’ve been wrong this past week. I’m sorry.”

Su Lin smiles and slides up, stroking my face before kissing me. It’s the first kiss where she’s initiated things, and it’s thrilling in a way that none of our other kisses have been. I cup her face more as our kiss deepens, Su Lin crawling higher up on my body to kiss me more. I stroke her back gently, feeling the softness of her skin underneath the plain t-shirt she’s wearing before reaching down and cupping the firm curve of her ass, giving it a soft squeeze. She moans, and starts to roll onto her back to give me access between her legs, but before we can go further, a harsh ringing sound comes from the basket. “Shit.”

“What is it?” Su Lin gasps, and I can feel her heart hammering in her chest. “Must you take it?”

“Only two people have that number, and Freida knows that I’m not to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency,” I groan. Su Lin rolls off me and sits up, frustrated but not nearly as much as I am. My jeans feel way too tight around the crotch right now and I’m seriously tempted to throw my phone into the lake. Instead, I open the basket and pull out the offending piece of technology. “What?”

“Sorry to disturb your date,” Freida says apologetically, “but Harvey’s maneuvering around you, and there’s an RSVP that you need to answer to stop him.”

“What?” I ask, sighing.

“The Green Technology Initiative is hosting a fundraiser for a certain Senator from California who’s on the Armed Services Committee,” Freida says. “She’s getting an award from the group, and if you happen to make an appearance….”

“Understood. Make the right calls, and book me… excuse me, book us a hotel suite,” I say, glancing over at Su Lin. “I think it’d be a nice chance for Su Lin to see California, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Freida says. “So the date’s going well?”

“Goodbye, Freida,” I answer, hanging up with her chuckle in my ear. I put the phone away and turn to Su Lin, who’s looking at me with an expectant sparkle in her eyes. “So… how does a visit to California sound?”

Su Lin bites her lip, trying to hide a grin. “Can we get a chance to see Disneyland?”

I nod, and Su Lin gives me a very excited squeal before covering my face in kisses. “Thank you!”

I kiss her back before, guided by some childlike instinct that seems to have been awoken by her excitement over potentially going to Disneyland, I rub my thumbs along her ribs, tickling her. She laughs, pushing me away before scrambling to her feet and backing away, grinning. I get up, grinning at her. “What? That’s not a wushu technique?”

“No more than it is a jiu-jitsu technique!” she shoots back. “But… if you can catch me, maybe you can do it again.”

Quick as a rabbit Su Lin turns and takes off running. I chase her, both of us laughing and enjoying the warm air, the sunshine, and the freedom of just being together.

* * *

“I had a lovely day,” Su Lin says as I walk her to the door of her bedroom. “And pizza for dinner? Glorious.”

“It’s good to relax sometimes,” I admit, my hand resting on the curve of her lower back. “Today was one of the most fun I’ve had in a while.”

“Someday, you can tell me about the others,” Su Lun jokes. “Just edit out all the girls’ names.”

I laugh, pulling her close for another kiss. She kisses me back, reaching behind her for the knob of her bedroom door and opening it. She steps back, stopping after a moment when I don’t follow. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I reply, leaning against her door frame and smiling. “But Su Lin, I realize our… marriage and relationship is unusual. And there shouldn’t be anything about me coming in and us having sex. But… well, I guess I’m feeling a bit old fashioned, as twisted at that sounds right now. I think I’ll turn in myself, and we can say we had our first real date without us sleeping with each other.”

“But-” Su Lin says, then stops, smiling a little. “Okay. I guess I’m out of my window anyway. Rick, I do take having your baby very seriously though. Never doubt that.”

“I’ve never doubted that for a minute,” I answer, reaching across the threshold of her door and taking her hand. “Thank you for a wonderful date.”

Su Lin steps closer and kisses me again, standing on her tiptoes so that I don’t have to bend down at all. When she steps back, her eyes glance down at the bulge in my jeans, and she grins a little. “Well… I see I do have that effect on you even when we’re not trying to make a baby.”

“You do,” I admit, watching her sexy body. “I’ll see you in the morning? I’d like to make it a habit, even when I’m busy with work, to have breakfast with you as much as I can.”

“I’d like that too. Goodnight, Rick.”

“Goodnight, Su Lin. Sleep well.”

I close her door and head down to my bedroom. Stepping inside I take in the gigantic room, which is bigger than some people’s apartments, and the bed. I’ve never thought of the bed as too big before, I’m a pretty active sleeper who rolls all over the place since contracting Trikala Syndrome. But tonight… tonight I sort of wish I had someone to share that bed with me.

“We’ll see, won’t we?” I murmur to myself. “For now… let’s see what’s for breakfast in the morning.”