The Womanless Man
Continued, 8
L. Stewart Marsden
Go to previous installment . . .
* * * * *
“Come in! Come in, please!”
Stew was surprised and glad to see her. She stepped into the room.
“I was in the neighborhood, as they say, and thought I’d drop by to see how you’re doing. I hope you don’t mind.”
“God, no.”
She looked about for a place to sit. Stew pointed to the empty twin bed beside his.
“I’m sorry I don’t have a chair in this room.”
“I’m used to sitting on the edges of beds.”
“I suppose you are. Well! As you can see, I’m getting along.”
“I see that. And Ida has the situation well in hand, too?”
“Yes — she’s working out fine. But I hope to send her on her way soon.”
“Oh?”
“I don’t mean I’m going to fire her — because I’m better. I mean, it’s temporary, this home care situation.”
“Oh. True. But you agree it’s nice to have her here to help out.”
“Sure. Still, I’d rather be on my own as soon as possible. I like the independence. So, how are you?”
“Same old same old.”
“Brent asks about you whenever we talk.”
“I bet. He’s … one of a kind, he is.”
“Yep. But I like him. I know if he weren’t with Martha he’d be knocking on your door.”
“Martha? His wife?”
“Girlfriend. His wife died a few years ago.”
“Oh. Sad.”
“He seems to make do. Every chance he gets, if you ask him.”
“What about you?”
“What about me what?”
“Are you making do?”
“Depends what you mean. If you’re asking do I like my life, I’m very satisfied. If making do is code for something else, then all I got to say is there’s more to life.”
“You’re never lonely?”
“You know, if it was 400 years ago, that wouldn’t even be a question.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Men lived in the woods, hunted and trapped. They were gone from civilization for months. They knew how to be still, how to read the forests, how to listen.”
“A skill long-lost to most men,” she laughed.
“You know Daniel Boone moved every time he could see the smoke from a neighbor’s chimney. Thought they were too close.”
“Not sure that’s true.”
“The point is, men have lost being part of the wilderness. Take Brent.”
“You take him.”
“The man is very much into that. Guns and hunting. Sometimes he comes back from hunting with nothing, but does he care? Not a bit. It’s the experience.”
“That’s what we women do when we go shopping. It’s the experience!” she grinned.
It was a nice smile. She was pleasing to look at. Not matronly, like Mrs. McGuilicutty. Not young, either. He wondered how old Simone was. She wore her hair short, swept smartly about her face and head. Like a pixie cut. It was auburn, with a shock of white at the part. Her eyes were deep green — large and round. Her nose tipped slightly at the end, and her lips were moist and perfectly shaped.
“How old are you?” he heard himself ask. God, where did that come from?
“Just shy of sixty, if you have to know. Why?”
“No reason. You look a lot younger is all. I figured you were in your early fifties. I have a daughter who will turn fifty in a couple of years.”
“Ah. So how many children do you have?”
He gave his accustomed answer of “Five, that I know of,” as though fishing for a laugh. She laughed. “The truth is just five. And three grandchildren. And you?”
“One daughter. She’s forty-eight. And two grandchildren. They live in Colorado. Her husband is with the Air Force. He’s a career military guy. Don’t get to see them much. Every other Christmas. His folks live in California, and it’s easier for them to travel west. Plus it’s a lot closer than North Carolina. Still, you’d think with him being in the Air Force he could wrangle that more often.”
“And your husband?”
She looked down uncomfortably.
“I don’t mean to pry,” he said quickly.
“No. It isn’t like I haven’t asked you personal questions. Plus I have knowledge of your body — I’ve seen you naked!” she said in a loud whisper.
“That must have been a total shock!” he grinned.
“Truth is I wasn’t married. Alayna wasn’t part of the plan. She’s my daughter. I was young and foolish — you know, the stereotypical teenager who thought she knew what she wanted. Turns out he wasn’t so thrilled when I told him I was pregnant. He let me know fast it wasn’t his problem, and he went on his merry way. I think he became a judge out in east North Carolina somewhere. I’ve thought more than once about showing up around election time and spilling his past to the local news station.”
“But you are better than that.”
“Not much. There were times — what with a baby and kicked out of my home — I was ready to fold. So, long story short — I got my GED and then worked as a waitress while I went to community college.”
“Who kept your daughter?”
“My parents finally forgave me, and when they realized Alayna was not at fault, they helped out. In fact, I went back to live with them.”
“And here you are.”
“And here I am. Well, enough about me. How are your wounds healing? Want me to check?”
“So you are on the clock, then?”
“No! I thought you might like me to make sure everything is okay — no infections or anything. Put my nursing education to work.”
“Sure. But they’ve got me so pumped with drugs I don’t think anything could survive more than a few seconds.”
She stood and sat on the edge of his bed, and carefully lifted up his pajama top, revealing a large bandaged area. She put on a pair of latex gloves from a box on his bedstand that Mrs. McGuilicutty used when cleaning his wounds.
“Does this hurt?” she said as she lifted the edge of the bandage. He tensed a bit — partly because of the sting of adhesive pulling away from skin, but also at her touch. He could smell her nearness.
“No. It doesn’t hurt.”
She examined the area, and gently prodded with her fingers. “How about that?”
“Still fine. No pain.”
Ida walked in to observe. “That probably needs changing. There are more bandages and antiseptic on the dresser. Do either of you want a cup of tea?”
Both nodded. Simone crossed over to the dresser and gathered what she needed to change his bandaged area.
“Looks good, Stew. Have you been able to get up and walk? I know it’s difficult, but getting up is good for you.”
“I didn’t want to bother Mrs. McGuilicutty.”
“For chrissake, Stew! That’s why she’s here!”
“I know.”
“How about I come by tomorrow and take you to the Y? I’ll help you take a couple of laps in the gym, and we can talk to the trainer there as to what kind of exercises you can do that will help.”
“Wait — Simone, don’t you have better things to do?”
“Sure I do. But in your case, I’ll make an exception.”
* * *
“The beef stew will be ready soon,” said Mrs. McGuilicutty, sticking her head through a crack in the door. “I think Simone has a thing for you,” floated through the door as she closed it, and he could hear her humming on her way back to the kitchen.
His phone rang.
“What!?” he nearly shouted, seeing Brent’s name appear on his caller ID.
Brent chortled on the other end. “I love it when you talk to me that way!” he said. “So … I see Simone came to see you!”
“How do you know that? You can’t see my condo from yours.”
“I can when I walk the dogs and have my binoculars with me,” he laughed. “So see what I told you? She definitely has it for you, Stubie! And she’s a hottie! Good looking, nice legs, nice —”
Stew cut him off, “She just dropped by to see how I was doing is all. Being nice.”
“Yeah, but being nice for a reason. I’m telling you, Buddy. Carpe diem! You gotta strike when the iron’s hot. Get it while you can! Waste not, want not!”
“You’re full of it.”
“I know — but you love it! So when is your first date?”
“It’s not a date, but she’s gonna take me to the Y tomorrow to help me begin some rehab exercises.”
“That’s a date, Stubie.”
“No it’s not.”
“Okay then — a bet: ten dollars says after the gym she wants to take you out for a bite to eat.”
“Five.”
“Alright, you cheap bastard — five.”
“You’re on.”
“Gotta go, Stubie — me and Martha have a wild night planned. Plus I gotta go online to see what I can get for five dollars!”
* * * * *
Writing Odds n Ends 
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