An Affair of the Heart

Chapter 5: Pet Names

Contact between Alex and me had been frequent enough that I felt relaxed and comfortable thinking of spending several hours with him. Still it had been nine months since we had seen one another so I was a bit nervous. My face felt flushed and my heart was beating faster than normal as I waited for Alex to arrive. A tingling feeling in the pit of my stomach told me something special was about to happen. I cannot say how I knew this was true, but I knew it beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Every woman I know has experienced this feeling at one time or another. Call it hormones, overactive imagination, "that time of the month", or whatever you will. I believe it is simply intuition, one of God's gifts to those of us who belong to the fairer sex. It helps to level the playing field of the centuries-old male-female dance and gives women an edge we sometimes desperately need. Unfortunately, the primitive, "Me Tarzan, you Jane" mentality does still exist in some segments of our society. Most women have experienced this firsthand in one form or another. From an overbearing father, a bossy uncle, a Neanderthal boss, or some other overly aggressive, chauvinistic male.

I spent a lot of time wondering what I would think, how I would feel when I saw Alex again. In the numerous emails and phone calls between Alex and me over the course of the last several months, we had learned a lot more about each other. We had gotten closer on a personal level which changed the nature of our friendship. We had gone from merely exchanging social pleasantries and meaningless chit-chat to something that felt deeper.

A new element had become part of that contact as well which made it even more personal. Alex began using what I can only describe as "pet names" for me during his phone calls. This created more familiarity and intimacy between us which secretly delighted me. Then these "pet names" began showing up in Alex's emails to me too. In our phone conversations when he was ready to tell me good-bye, when Alex called me by one of these names it became a kind of signal. After hearing several times on the phone, "Well, Lass..." or "Listen, woman...", or "Miss Lily Marie, I'm sorry but...", or "My dear Lily, it's time...", I knew Alex needed to wrap-up up our phone call. Even if he had to end the call rather quickly though, he never failed to say, "It's good to talk to you, Lily. I've always got time for you. Take care of yourself, stay well, and we'll talk again soon."

These personal exchanges began to feel like we were playing a game of hide-and-seek. Each time I had any contact with Alex, it felt like receiving a huge gift box filled with smaller and smaller boxes, each nestled inside the other. As each box is opened, another surprise with another new treasure is revealed. When Alex shared another insight into his personality, or revealed his thoughts on some personal issue important to him, he called it, "Just one more part of me for you to know, Lily Marie".

This delighted me. It also greatly increased my curiosity and desire to discover more about Alex. I wanted to know more and learn as much about him as he was willing to share with me. I could hardly wait for the next surprise that would reveal more of the man. The real Alex behind the smooth phrases, the flirting and teasing, and the charm he displayed so easily. As Alex became more candid and open with me, it became easier and easier for me to reveal more of myself to him. This felt risky in the beginning but quickly became something I was not only comfortable with but eager for the next chance to do more of. 

After several weeks of being in touch with Alex so often, our friendship really had become different. It felt deeper and more meaningful. At least this was how I felt about it. We live several hundred miles apart, so we could not physically spend time together while this dynamic between us continued to build. Perhaps because of this, my anticipation of that next revelation from Alex only made him more intriguing and exciting to me. My interest in pursuing this relationship became stronger and more intense. I wanted to know what this man might mean in my life and intended to pursue the relationship wherever it would lead.