Kayli Unknown

Chapter 24 - Bowling with Jim

Jim called in the morning. Short call. Would she like to go bowling that afternoon? Him, her, his two boys. She said "yes", and that pretty much ended the conversation. She spent the rest of the morning wondering why she had said "yes." Their last conversation had been on her driveway as he leaned against his truck and laced his boots – while they argued about Lisa. Such conversations were often the final conversation in a relationship. And it had certainly been a while since he had made any effort to contact her. It had certainly felt like they were done. They had been "done" several times before, but this time it seemed like they were really done.

So why say "yes"?

First, he had reached out. The guy was making an effort. There was much about him that really annoyed Kat, and that fight over Lisa had been well over the line. But. He was trying. That was worth something, wasn't it?

Second, he had invited her bowling. And it mattered. Not for the bowling. Not something she cared about. On a list of ways she would choose to enjoy a Sunday afternoon, bowling might make the list, but probably down on the third or fourth page. But. Jim bowled with his boys on Sunday. She was being invited to join them. Not a small thing. Since his divorce five years earlier, Jim had been cautious about the boys. Their parents might not be together any more, but they would not fight in front of the boys, nor would they bring anyone they were dating near the boys. No thoughts of – "this is your new mother (or father)." The boys had one mother. One father. Five years. Kat had spent an occasional afternoon with the boys, but the key word was "occasional." An invitation to bowl with Jim – and the boys – was a rare treasure. This invitation was about more than an afternoon together. It implied a different relationship.

Third, he had said he would pick her up. That meant she would not have to drive her minibus to Wausaukee, the minibus with the heater that produced no heat. More importantly, it might mean he intended to bring her back and spend the evening with her. She wanted that. She had to admit, she wanted that pretty badly. Sometimes the brain thinks, but hormones make the decisions.

She had the morning to get ready. Food. Could she feed him? She found her refrigerator was filled with leftovers from the gathering. Nice of the ladies. Thoughtful. Wine? One case had never been opened, and three bottles were left in the other. So, she could host him. And her? Her hair was long overdue for a trip to the Wausaukee Cut and Curl, but with some serious work with a comb, she got it to do mostly what she wanted it to do. Makeup? Some, carefully applied.

Bowling meant comfortable jeans, and she had a fairly new pair. Sweater? Yes, but she found a nice blouse to wear under it. Maybe if it got warm in the bowling alley, the sweater could come off. The blouse flowed to her hips, the material was some synthetic with a bit of sheen, the cut relaxed, but not too relaxed. It would show him what she wanted him to see. If he spent the evening, she had even more things he might like.

Kat was ready a full hour before his arrival time. She ate a quick lunch. Then she brushed her teeth again, and checked her hair again. Still time to wait. It wasn't like a first date. But it was the potential restart to their on again, off again relationship. Bowling with the boys. That implied many things, all of them important. She took a chair by the front windows, and watched.

He arrived early. Good sign. He was quickly out of his truck and strode to her door. When she came out, he hugged her – in front of his boys. Kat could see them staring out the back windows of his crew cab.

"I missed you." He held her. No quick kiss and a rush through the January air to the truck. He held her.

"I missed you too, Jim." She stood with her arms up on his shoulders, not sure what came next.