“It’s really nasty out,” I thought to myself looking out at the day from my warm bed. Sleet was still falling in great sheets, the trees and other vegetation were coated in ice. Everything was grey. I looked at the clock and it said 11:37am. “Not bad. I got four hours of sleep. Enough to give the body and brain a rest without throwing off my sleep patterns.” I looked at my phone to check for missed calls or messages – there were none. I flung the covers aside as I got out of bed and slid my feet into my slippers, made the bed, then headed for the shower. “The person who had built this house designed it well,” I thought to myself as I got into the nice hot shower. The shower has a jetted shower panel with a massage function and I let out an audible sigh as the water massaged the long day I had at the hospital away. I looked at the large whirlpool tub through the glass and thought maybe I would use it later on…maybe.
After half an hour in the shower, I felt refreshed. I toweled off, put my robe on, and shaved and brushed my teeth. “Not too bad, I don’t look so tired anymore,” I thought as I looked at myself in the mirror. I grabbed a fresh pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a vest, put them on and headed to my office for my Skype session with James Henry. I placed the call and almost immediately he answered.
“Hello Daddy! I love you!” “I love you and miss you! How was your day?”
“It’s snowing here and we made snowmen, had a snowball fight and went sledding. Mummy made us cocoa when we came back inside. It was really good!”
“I am glad you had a good day. Snow is fun to play in.”
“Did you ever make a snowman when you were little, Daddy?”
“No, I never had the chance to but I am glad that you have.”
He frowned a bit and said, “Why didn’t you get to make a snowman?”
I had to think fast. I couldn’t tell him that I was never allowed to. That would make him sad, so I said, “There was never enough snow to make one when I was little. You are lucky!”
I thought about a story Katie told me last night about growing up in Alaska. “I know someone who grew up in Alaska where it is cold and has lots of snow. She told me about making a giant snowman with her brother and sister when she was a child. It was so big, it didn’t melt until July.”
“It must have been really big! Where is Alaska, Daddy?”
One of the things I had bought him for Christmas was a laptop. It was more functional to use for the Skype calls because when he would ask questions like that, I could send him a link that he could click on to show him things we were discussing in a new window. I quickly looked it up and sent a link. “Click on the link and you will see it.”
He opened the link and said, “Alaska is bigger than England and way up by the North Pole. Do they have polar bears there?”
“Yes they do, up in the far north of the state, there are grizzly bears in the south part.” “Did your friend ever see a polar bear?”
“Yes, she has. Lots of them.”
“Was she scared?”
“No. Polar bears don’t scare her.”
He smiled and said, “She must be very brave! I would be scared of a polar bear – they are big!”
I smiled at him and said, “I would be scared of one, too! And, yes, she is very brave and fearless.”
“She sounds like Merida in the movie! Has she seen any other cool animals?”
I thought back to some of the stories she told me last night and said, “Yes, she has also seen grizzly bears, wolverines, wolves, caribou, musk ox, emperor penguins, Adélie penguins, wandering albatross, leopard seals, kiwi birds, kangaroos, koala bears, killer whales, humpback whales and even a blue whale.” I could see his face light up while I was naming all the animals.
“WOW! Does she have pictures of them? Can we see her when I come to Texas?”
“Yes, she has lots of pictures and video of all the animals she has seen and if she is still here when you come, you can meet her and she will tell you stories about all the animals.”
“YAY! I can’t wait!” he cheered. Then he thought for a second and asked, “Why wouldn’t she be there when I come visit you, Daddy?”
I replied, “She is a pilot and flies all over the world. In fact, she just got back from Antarctica yesterday. She might have to go somewhere and not be here when you visit, but if she is here, I will take you to meet her.”
He got all excited again and said, “A pilot! Can she take me for an airplane ride?”
I replied, “When she is here, she flies helicopters. If she is, I will ask if she can take you for a ride in a helicopter.”
“You have the neatest friends, Daddy!”
I smiled and said, “Yes…Yes, I do.”
Louisa popped into the picture carrying a laundry basket and said, “Hello, Martin!”
I replied, “Good evening, Louisa! You look a bit tired.”
She smiled and laughed, “You try doing laundry for seven sometime!”
James Henry piped up excitedly, “Daddy has a new friend named Katie that has seen all kinds of animals and is very brave! She has seen polar bears and isn’t afraid of them! She is a pilot and I might get to go on a helicopter ride when I go visit Daddy!”
Louisa looked at me with a little twinkle in her eye. “A ‘friend’, eh?”
I looked at her and said, “Yes, she is just a friend.” I mentally added a ‘for the moment’ and smiled slightly.
Louisa knows me very well. She smiled mischievously and said, “It is good to know that you are making new ‘friends’, Martin! I am happy for you! Anyway, you two have been at this for about two hours and it is past James’ bedtime. I hate to break this up but we have to get up early tomorrow.”
I replied, “The time has really flown. I understand. Well, son, it is time for you to go to bed so I will say good night to you and have sweet dreams. I love you!”
“Good night, Daddy! Talk to you tomorrow! I love you!”
Louisa said, “Have a good afternoon, Martin!”
With that we both logged off.
“Coffee…I need coffee,” I thought to myself and headed to the kitchen to make some espresso. I took a sip and looked at the slip of paper on the counter with Katie’s phone number on it and looked at the handwriting. Interesting, very architectural. I picked up the phones and added the number to both the house phone and my mobile. Then I dialed it.
“Hello…” said a sleepy voice.
“Good afternoon, Katie! I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Oh..Hello, Martin! No, you didn’t wake me up. I have been up for a while and haven’t had any coffee yet. I don’t think I could handle any more coffee at the moment! How are you doing today?”
I replied, “I am very well! I really enjoyed last night and was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tonight. Not a ‘date’ kind of thing, just a casual dinner.”
She replied, “I would love to, but I don’t know what would be open. The whole city is basically shut down.”
I thought for a moment and said, “You could come over here. I am a fairly good cook and I have plenty of food.”
“Where do you live, Martin?” I gave her the address. “Oh, that isn’t far at all and I wouldn’t have to use an overpass to get there. They are all iced up and closed. What time?”
I thought and said, “Anytime you like. We can talk for a while and watch the sleet fall and then have some dinner.”
“Great! I could be there in an hour. I still need to take a shower and it’s a skating rink out there. How does that sound?”
I replied, “Excellent! I will see you soon!”
“I will call you right before I leave. Do you need me to bring anything or pick anything up – if the stores are open, that is?”
“No, I have everything we need. See you soon!”
“Goodbye, Martin, and see you soon!”
I ran around the house tidying things up while thinking of what to make for dinner. The phone rang, it was Don. “Oh, no!” I thought to myself, “I’m getting called in!” I answered the phone, “Hello, Don! How are things going for you today?”
He replied, “Fine, I’m enjoying a nice brandy by the fire and watching the storm outside. Was just calling to see how things are going over at your place.”
I sat down and said, “Don, I met her last night. She is real! She is coming over for dinner and will be calling soon to let me know she is leaving her house. I really like her!”
He replied, “WOW!” then said skeptically, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, same eyes, same voice, same hair, same hands, same laugh, same height, same body type. Her face is not beautiful but pretty. When I first saw it last night, I thought ‘she has an honest face’.”
I could hear him set down his glass. “OK, tell me all about it – the full who, what, where, when and why. I know you are waiting for her call, so if you have to go, I understand.”
I then proceeded to tell him the whole story.
When I finished, there was a moment of silence and then he said, “Well, my friend, it seems to appear that some dreams do come true. I am happy for you! You wouldn’t mind me popping over to meet her? I wouldn’t stay long.”
I replied, “No, not at all. I invited her over for conversation and dinner, not to ‘see my etchings’! Though if she would like to ‘see my etchings’ later on, I would not be opposed to it…”
Don laughed and said, “You dog! I’ll be right over unless a tree jumps in front of my car on the way!”
About ten minutes later the doorbell rang. It was Don.
“Come in and get out of the sleet! Let me take your coat.”
Don said, “I parked on the street so she can park in the driveway. Ye gods, is it slippery out there!”
I asked, “You want an espresso?”
“That would be fine.”
The phone rang as I was making the espressos. I picked it up and said, “Hello Katie! Are you on your way?”
She replied, “Should be there in less than five minutes.” “Good! You will see my car in the driveway. Just pull up next to it and be careful, it is rather slick. I don’t have any salt or sand to spread on it.”
She replied, “No problems! In fact, I think I may already be at your house. Yup, same blue Jag…”
I hung up the phone and said to Don, “She is here!” I ran to the door and opened it.
“Hello, Martin! Thanks for inviting me over!”
I replied, “It is nice to see you again, Katie! Please come in! May I take your coat?” I assisted her with her coat and hung it up.
She smiled and made a slight bow and said, “Thank you, sir!” She was wearing faded jeans, a grey Henley thermal underwear shirt with the top two buttons undone, a necklace with a small rectangular bluish-green stone on a fine white gold chain, a maroon tooled leather Ranger belt and black moccasin type shoes.
We walked into the living room and she said, “This is really beautiful. You have a very nice home!”
Don stood up as we walked in and her attention was drawn to him.
“I would like to introduce you to a colleague and old friend of mine, Dr. Donovan Kane.” We walked up to him and she shook his hand. “Don, may I introduce you to Katie O’Hara.”
They shook hands and Don said, “It is a pleasure to meet you!” She replied, “I have heard so much about you, sir!”
Don said, “Please just call me Don.”
She smiled and replied, “That works for me, Don!”
“Please make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink, Katie?”
Don said, “Martin makes a good espresso. I think he was a barista in a former life.”
She laughed, “That sounds wonderful. I think I’m finally ready for some.”
I walked to the kitchen to make the espresso leaving Don and Katie to talk. As I walked back to the living room, I heard the sounds of laughter.
Don was wiping a tear from his eye and said, “God, is that funny! Have you told that story to Martin?” She laughed and said, “Not yet, I didn’t want to scare him…”
“You gotta hear this, Martin, and I have to hear the rest of it! Can you start it from the beginning?”
“OK. I was working at McMurdo a couple years ago and somebody noticed there had not been a reported case of scurvy in Antarctica in 100 years. So they set up the ‘Scurvy Awareness Program’ with a contest to see if someone could contract scurvy. The grand prize for the first person who had a verified case of scurvy was 1 ounce of gold, 3 bottles of Flintstone’s Chewable Vitamin C tablets and a night of debauchery at the best ‘massage parlor’ in Christchurch, Punta Arenas or Hobart. Guinea pigs were not allowed to participate, just humans…”
It was a hilarious tale of corporate idiocy, government stupidity and sheer craziness. At the end of it, I asked her if she had participated and she said, “No. There are times when it is best to just sit back, grab a beer and enjoy the ‘floor show’. That was one of them. I also like my teeth.”
We talked for hours as the grey of the day gave way to night, the sleet turned into ice pellets.
Don looked at the clock above the fireplace and said, “Is it that late already? I only intended to stop by for a couple minutes but I have been really enjoying myself. I’d best be going.” I invited him to stay for dinner and he said, “Thank you, but I have dinner waiting for me at home.” He stood up and went over to her and said, “It was nice meeting you and hope to see you again soon!”
She replied, “I really enjoyed this afternoon. We must do this again sometime!”
I walked Don to the door and got his coat out of the closet. He looked at me and said, “I really like her, Martin! This one is exactly what the doctor ordered for you. One of the things you said to me that night on the patio was, and I quote ‘I want to be a person who gets jokes and laughs at them. I want to do things that I was never allowed to do as a child and had neither time nor inclination for as an adult. I want to take chances and do things that I would have never considered before.’ This one will help you do that and enjoy the process. Don’t screw it up!”
Martin & Katie 