Chapter 15

Cam

It had been three days since Katie had come around to the house and I had waited for her every day like a dog that waits for its master to come home. I’d thought more about how I could have handled the whole situation much better than I had. It was me who should have been the more mature one in the conversation we had.

I had not taken her seriously to start with, and it was only at the time when she had become angry that I noticed she was deadly serious about what she had said. Each day I had sat and waited for her to come over. I now knew I had messed up. And each day, I realized I had screwed up more than I had thought about the previous day.

I had not decided if the relationship could go as far as Katie expected, but I knew it had a chance to progress to more than just a quick “fuck” every now and again. She was fantastic with Emmy, and she was good for me, and I enjoyed her company. But fuck, why did I mess up? I had known she would be trouble from the start and that I should stay away from her as much as possible.

Katie had said she was not a kid, but in her mind, she had an immature outlook and she was just at the wrong end of a ten-year age gap that made the whole thing seem okay. She would be much better off without me, and she needed to find a guy who was her own age or much closer to it than I was.

I bathed Emmy and got her into her nightclothes, when suddenly the phone rang. I wondered if it was Katie asking if she could come over.

“Hello,” I asked.

“Cam buddy, what you up to?” Owen asked.

“Oh, it’s you,” I replied in a sullen tone.

“Sound pleased to hear from me, don’t you!” he replied.

“Sorry Owen. I was just expecting someone else, that’s all.”

“Who is going to call you? I mean there is only me and, ah yes, you were waiting for Katie to call and you would have said, ‘come on over, sweet chick, and I will give you a piece of me,’” Owen said as he laughed.

“Nah, it’s nothing like that at all,” I replied quietly, trying not to give myself away.

“The tall guy sounds like he's down in the dumps. You want something to cheer you up?” Owen said in a light-hearted tone.

“What you got in mind? Normally when you ask me this sort of thing, I have to cover your back,” I replied cautiously.

“No, nothing like that, well not exactly. But I could do with your assistance with something,” Owen explained.

I had known Owen too long and he had seen too many women for me not to know how he behaved and what he thought, especially in our younger days. I was just waiting for him to come out with it, but knowing Owen, he would drag the conversation on for ages before he asked me.

“First things first, you still in the good books with Katie after a week?” he asked.

“As far as I know, everything is fine. Why do you ask?” I asked in a white lie.

“You said she would be up for sitting Emmy when you needed her, right?” he continued to say.

Come on Owen, spit it out.

“Yeah, she did say that. But it’s Friday night, so I’m not so sure if she’d be free,” I said, trying to put him off whatever he was going to ask.

“Well let’s say, she’s at home and she's available to sit with Emmy, yeah?” he asked excitedly.

“Hmm, Katie is at home on a Friday, and she's available. What is it you want to ask?” I said to Owen. I was becoming bored with his long-winded conversation.

“Well, you know the girl from the party? Um, the one I was chatting to by the pool?” Owen asked.

“Yeah, what about her? Has she got a kid that needs a sitter?” I asked jokingly.

“Don’t be stupid. Me and kids, bah. I mean, there is only Emmy I can tolerate her. And don’t get me wrong; I love kids, but I couldn’t eat a full one. I love that joke,” he added.

“Go on,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

“Fuck, I have forgotten where I was now; I laughed so much,” he sighed.

“The girl by the pool, you were telling me about her,” I explained.

I waited for Owen to spit it out. Generally, I would tell him to get his ass in gear and ask me, but I just had a lackluster feeling about me. I did not have the motivation to hurry him up. I found I was quite content listening to his dribble as it distracted me from thinking about Katie.

Owen went off on a tangent and explained all about the girl by the pool and how they had got on well. I heard him mumbling on about his impending divorce and how he should be able to do the same as his wife, and how it wouldn’t exactly be cheating on her if they had filed for divorce and she had already cheated on him.

I rested the phone on my shoulder and stood at the window and peered through the fine lace net toward the Admiral’s house. It stood there and towered above the others in the street. I started to laugh to myself as I pictured the Admiral as a fine king. As much as I giggled, my mind was still on Katie, and I wondered what she was doing in the house at that very moment.

“Cam, you there?” Owen yelled.

“Yeah, I’m here. I just had a bit of a cough,” I lied.

“Oh, it sounded like you were having a laughing fit,” Owen said, which made me giggle more.

“So as I was saying, do you think Katie would sit Emmy tonight?” he asked.

“If she's there, I can see no reason why not. She gets on well with Emmy and likes to keep her company,” I replied.

“That’s good, because you’re coming out with Debbie and me.”

I must have missed some part of his conversation that had some importance; I had no idea who Debbie was and then realized it was the girl by the pool.

“Three’s a crowd!” I replied.

“Geez, Cam, have you not listened to a word I have said?” he said. I started to giggle again.

“Karry, Debbie’s friend, the one I just told you about,” he said.

“I must have missed it when I coughed, sorry,” I replied.

“Tonight, I’m meeting Debbie and Karry needs a date, you know, nudge, nudge,” Owen said.

“God, Owen, you want me to bail you out, a blind date, shit,” I said.

“Oh, come on Cam, just like old times. You and me buddy, painting the town red,” Owen said in over excitement.

“And the plus side is, if it doesn’t work out with Karry, you will have Katie waiting at home for you. A win, win situation for you old friend,” Owen explained in his simplistic male chauvinistic way.

“I’m not sure. I’ve had a rough week,” I replied, lying again.

“Cam, you know I need you. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t. I could have had them both, but I’m not sure Debbie would appreciate that just yet,” Owen giggled. “So, you gonna be my wingman until then. We won’t be out too long, I promise you.”

I just wanted to hang up the phone, never mind say no to him. And saying no to Owen was nearly impossible; he would just beat you down with verbal bullshit until you were buried in it, and you finally surrendered.

“Why do you always ask at the most inappropriate of times for things like this? I’m not really in the mood to go out,” I said truthfully.

I’d told Katie I had not wanted a relationship, and now here was Owen, trying to fix me up with his new girl’s mate. I had a solitary life before, and now it had all gone to shit. I had gotten it from both sides. If it had not been Katie, it had been Owen. I must have done something terrible in my past life… yep probably.

I had started to wallow in self-pity and it felt good for a change. I could stay at home with my lovely kid and my life could be quiet and normal, no emotional interference or anything. It was simple. Go to work; go to the day-care and collect Emmy. Then watch her grow up, eat and then go to bed. I mean, what in the world could be better than this for a single dad?

I had now gone from a reclusive war hero to the savior of young girls. A fucking taxi driver when they had no money, and a serial voyeur every time she came to my house. And now, Owen wanted me to be a freaking gigolo and take his new girl’s friend out as part of the equation. My life as I knew it, had been screwed by the both of them.

I had never agreed to this sort of date, but I had never been able to tell Owen. He was my best buddy. I always believed that best friends help out when they can. I never wanted him to know this and to think it was too easy to get me to help him out, or he would be asking every other week. I had wanted to call Katie all week, but I had felt like a teenager who had just fallen in love. I was scared that I had scared her off and wouldn’t be able to express myself in a way that could make her understand that what I said was a good option for her.

I wanted to tell her not to go with the brainbox from college, but I wouldn’t lie to her and what she said had made perfect sense, in the real world. I got the impression that the world I was living in at the moment was very far from real.

I now had the perfect opportunity to contact Katie and see if she wanted to sit with Emmy for the evening. I knew she would love the chance, but that was before, and now I was not so damned sure how she would react toward me.

“Cam, come on, just this once, this girl means a lot to me. Fuck, it proves I haven’t lost it,” Owen muttered down the phone.

I so wanted to say no, but I had been defeated mentally. I had no strength to resist him anymore.

“Okay, Owen you win, where and when?” I asked.

“Cam, You’re a real lifesaver. Heh, see what I did there, life saver,” Owen said with a huge laugh and an overly-annoying squeal of excitement.

Owen explained he had arranged to meet Debbie and her friend at Dougherty’s Irish bar at 9 pm, and could I pick him up and drive as the last favor forever.

“Sure, I’m not in the mood for drinking anymore, so I don’t mind driving,” I said.

“I will meet you at 8.30 pm by the church. I don’t want the other half to know I’m going on a date. She might make it difficult with the divorce, if you know what I mean,” Owen explained.

I so wanted Katie to be busy, and I wouldn’t be able to find another sitter in time. I didn’t know what I wanted, and even when Owen finally let me think, I still didn’t know.

“Shit!”

“I do not promise anything, but I will let you know once I have heard from Katie. To let you know if she’s available tonight.” I explained to Owen.

“Right on buddy. But don’t leave it too late, or my whole plan will go to shit,” Owen said.

“Owen, you could never make a plan that could be followed perfectly from start to finish, ever since I have known you,” I replied with a laugh.

“Ha, get off the phone! Hurry up.”

I thought about Katie and wondered what she would say when I finally contacted her after three days of silence. I had no idea if she would be thankful and grateful that everything would stay the same. It could go the totally opposite way, and she could get upset that I had contacted her at home after the previous events. I was so confused. She might think I just called her because I needed her for something, rather than wanting her to come ‘round to be with me’.

Owen went off on his tangent again and explained what my blind date looked like and that she was a corporate lawyer who made an excellent living. He also made a point that she had a hot spot for Navy guys and would be all over me like a rash. But that was not something I was really interested in hearing, especially not today.

“Cam!” Owen said.

“Yeah, what is it?” I asked.

“You do realize you will be with a real woman who is your age, and you may have something in common,” he said laughing.

“You always have to see the funny side of everything,” I said, ready to hang up the phone.

Owen spent another few minutes telling me about his date, but I thought about Katie and what I would say to her if she decided to turn up and make herself available. She had every right to be angry with me, and I wanted to talk to her and put it right. But the longer it went on, the more difficult it could become.

Owen decided to end the conversation and re-iterated to reach church at 8.30 sharp and to wear something smart and uniform-like, so I did indeed look like a Navy type, alpha male.

“Owen!” I yelled.

“Yeah, what it is Cam?” he asked.

“Shut up, and I will see you later,” I said and I hung up the phone.