Natalie (standard:romance, 8613 words)
Author: Kirk	Added: Mar 19 2006	Views/Reads: 3247/2289	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A story about a man that can find true love for everyone but himself, until she arrives.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


There sat an attractive woman that appeared to be 40ish, with long black
hair. She wore a black long sleeved shirt and a pair of blue jeans. She 
didn't seem to be with anyone, and was sipping a mug of coffee, minding 
her own business. 

"Wow, she's pretty. Who is she?" I asked, still looking like I wasn't
looking. 

"I don't know. She's been in here three nights this week. Never saw her
before in my life," said Rosie, much quieter than before. 

"You mean she's been here three times and you haven't talked to her? You
know your customer's grandkid's animal's names. Don't try to fool me." 

"Why don't you find out yourself," she said. "Now, what do you want?" 

"I'll have the meatloaf," I replied. 

She turned and hollered back into the kitchen, "One four day old
meatloaf dinner for Gene!" 

A couple of customers dropped their utensils with that sudden explosion
of verbiage coming from her. I watched her, (without looking like I was 
trying to watch her), for over an hour. I had finished eating and was 
drinking my fifth cup of coffee. The crowd at the counter had thinned 
to the point that the woman and I were the only two left. 

Rosie came over to me and asked, "You're very quiet tonight Gene. You
didn't even complain about the meatloaf. What's the matter?" 

"I've had a real bad week and today was down right horrible," I said. 

"Me too," said the woman at the other end of the counter, under her
breath. She didn't look in my direction; instead she just stared off 
into space. Then I saw a tear fall from her face. I don't think she 
intended for anyone to hear her. 

Rosie gave me the 'go talk to her!' look. I gave her the 'what am I
supposed to say?' look. She took a menu and hit me over the head. I 
took her advice and moved to the seat next to her. Another tear hit the 
counter. 

"HI, I'm Gene. Are you alright?" 

She stared a moment more, then wiped her face with a napkin. "I'm
Natalie. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to overhear you. I'm sorry that 
you've had such a bad week," she said, as another tear hit the counter. 
She hadn't looked at me yet. She was staring at her coffee cup. 

I looked back at Rosie and gave her the 'what do I do now?' look. She
answered by moving her fingers like a sock puppet's mouth, indicating 
that I should talk to her. 

"Ah, Natalie, that's a nice name. Ah, are you new in town?" I asked,
looking back at Rosie for ideas. She shrugged her shoulders. 

"Yes," she said, in a small voice. Another tear hit the counter. "Excuse
me," she said, as she got up and went to the ladies room. 

"She's done the same thing the last two nights she's been here. She sits
alone, orders dinner and then sits and cries," said Rosie. "That was 
the first time I heard her say anything other than what she wanted off 
the menu." 

Natalie came back out of the ladies room and sat back down on her stool.
She looked at me for the first time. "Sorry. My week was bad as well." 

"Tell me," I said. 

"No, it's not your problem." 

"Sometimes it helps if you talk to someone. Even if you don't know
them," I said, in a low tone. She looked at her hands and began to 
speak. 

"I moved here last weekend after transferring my job from Jersey. I was
seeing a man that I had met at work. He lived here and worked in the 
Philly office. I would see him when he traveled to the Jersey office, 
maybe once every two weeks. We had a fling. I was flattered because he 
was 20 years younger than me. It was against company rules, but we did 
it anyway. I wanted him to transfer to the Jersey office, but he said 
he would have to take a pay cut to do it. So, I surprised him this 
week, by transferring here. When he saw me in the office, he almost 
fainted. It seems he forgot to tell me one small detail about himself." 
She closed her eyes. "He's married. Now, I have a new apartment and no 
job. I got fired today for fraternizing, all because I was stupid, and 
moved here for a married man," she said, shaking her head. 

"Well, how were you supposed to know?' I asked. 

"I just should have. All the signs were there, I just ignored them," she
said. 

"Do you have a year's lease?" I asked, trying to get her to look at me. 

"No. It's month to month." 

"Well, you have a month to decide what to do. There's plenty of places
to work around here," I said, trying to cheer her up. 

"I can't live on $6.00 an hour." 

I looked at Rosie and she shrugged her shoulders. I had a lot of friends
in town and maybe it was time to cash in on some of the favors I was 
owed. "Look, Natalie, I may be able to help you in the job department. 
Why don't you meet me here for breakfast and then we can check out a 
few prospects? What do you think?" I said, still trying to see her 
eyes. 

"Why would you want to help me?" she asked, still looking at her hands. 

"Because I've had a real bad week, and I need to do this to get my mind
off of it," I answered. 

She turned her head and looked at me. Her eyes were a bit blue around
the edges and then all green. They had a haziness to them that can be 
best described as mist that you see hanging in a cool air over a warm 
and calm swamp. She had 'swampy' green eyes. She had smooth skin and 
appeared to have come from Latin ancestry. With her long black hair 
partially obscuring her face, and a slight hint of a smile, she 
reminded me of Mona Lisa. "What happened to you this week?" 

"Nothing like what happened to you. Don't even worry about me. In fact,
forget my week even existed. Let's concentrate on making yours better. 
Meet me here at nine tomorrow morning and I'll buy you breakfast," I 
said, patting her on her folded hands. 

I got up and paid for my meal. Rosie hugged me on the way out. "That's
the Gene I used to know," she said, as the door closed. 

* * * 

I realized while walking home, that my life didn't suck as bad as I
thought. There were always people with worse problems than I. When I 
reached my house, I could hear Jack barking and whining as I opened and 
closed the gate. I opened the door and was nearly flattened by him 
jumping on me. He could tell before I even opened the door that my mood 
had improved. I grabbed my phone book and started calling in favors. I 
had no intention of going out to breakfast with Natalie with nothing to 
offer her. I made about seven calls when I was satisfied with what I 
could present to her in the morning. I flipped on the TV and watched 
some comedies before heading to bed. 

* * * 

I returned to Rosie's diner in the morning about an hour early. I wanted
to talk to her first to see if anything was said after I left the night 
before. 

"She couldn't figure out why you were so concerned about her." She saw
my reaction. "Don't worry, I didn't tell her," she said. 

I breathed a sigh of relief. With that, Natalie came in the door. I
asked her to sit in a booth. 

"How are you doing today? Better I hope?" I asked, smiling. 

"I guess," she said. "What is it you want to tell me?" 

"Let's get something to eat first," I said. I waved Rosie over and gave
her my order. Natalie just wanted coffee and a Danish. 

"I don't understand why you want to help me. I don't have anything to
repay you with," she said, looking at me with those swampy eyes. 

"I'm not asking for anything. So, tell me about yourself," I said. 

"I was born and raised in Jersey. I was married before and have a few
kids that now have kids of their own. I've been divorced for about five 
years. I had just started dating when I met the 'married man'." 

"What was your job?" I asked. 

"I was an insurance adjuster. I've been doing it for years after my kids
were all able to go to school. I was making pretty good money too," she 
said. 

"Here yah go," said the waitress, as she placed our order on the table.
I added some sweetener to my coffee and decided it was time to talk 
turkey. 

"Okay, Natalie. I checked with some people that I know. They all have
businesses here in town and are looking for good people for key 
positions. Most deal in sales positions, but not all. The sales 
positions would make the most money, but you need to be a good 
salesperson, have the ability to oversee a sales work force, and keep 
them motivated," I said, sipping my coffee. 

"I'm not a salesman. I'm a better listener," she replied. 

"Okay, I have two other choices. One involves public service, and the
other, an apprenticeship," I said, looking at her face for any kind of 
reaction. 

"What's the public service job?" she asked. 

"They're looking for a new county clerk. It doesn't pay much, but the
benefits are great," I said, watching her. 

She wrinkled her nose at that. "What's the apprenticeship?" 

"Well, Rosie has been wanting to retire, but didn't want to turn her
diner over to just anyone. She wants to train the person from the 
ground up, and then sign it over when the apprentice was ready. She 
would take a simple steady income as payment for the diner until her 
death. None of her employees impress her. She's willing to give you a 
shot," I finished, hoping to get a positive reaction. 

"Why me?" she asked. 

"Because I asked her," I replied. 

"Because you asked her. Any other reason?" she asked, a bit skeptical. 

"Well, maybe, but that's not what's important right now. Do you want to
give it a try?" I asked. 

Rosie was standing behind the counter, listening as well as she could.
Natalie lowered her voice and asked, "How much would I make?" 

"Not enough for that apartment, but you could stay in the small
apartment in the back. So, you could live and work here, earning money 
with the goal to own it. Rosie had the room built for snow emergencies. 
It's been all fixed up, waiting for an apprentice. What do you say?" 

Natalie looked at Rosie. "What have you got to lose?" bellowed Rosie, on
the other side of the counter. 

"Okay," she said. "When do I start?" 

"How about Monday?" asked Rosie. 

"Thank you," Natalie said, as she went to hug Rosie over the counter. 

"Don't thank me, thank Gene," said Rosie, patting her on the back. Rosie
gave me a wink. 

* * * 

I stopped for dinner on Monday evening. Rosie and Natalie were talking
in the back by the cooks when Natalie noticed me and came over to the 
counter. 

"Gene, I really can't thank you enough. This is so interesting and I
know that I can do this. It's fun too. I'm getting to meet a lot of 
town people that may have taken years to get to know. Rosie's really 
great too," she said, almost gushing with happiness. 

"That's great," I said. 

"Uh, Gene, ah, do you think you may want to come back when we close?
Maybe we could talk and have some pie," asked Natalie, nervously. 

She wasn't looking at us, but I could tell that Rosie was waiting to
hear my answer just as much as Natalie, but she knew what was coming. 

"I appreciate the offer, but my dog gets upset if I'm not home in the
evening." It was a bad lie, but at least I did have a dog. 

Rosie's shoulders drooped and I saw her shake her head, ever so
slightly, as she walked to the back of the diner. Natalie just stared 
at me. I guess she didn't expect that answer from me. 

"Well, ah, okay. Maybe some other time," she said. She turned away and
walked back to the kitchen. 

I sat at the counter and waited. Eventually, Rosie came out and stood in
front of me with her arms crossed. 

"Are you ready to take my order?" I asked, knowing the answer. 

"NO!" she bellowed. "Look, I know you've been burned enough times in
your life, but God Almighty, that woman was just trying to get to know 
the man that may have saved her crumbling world!" 

"Rosie! She can hear you back there," I said. 

"No she can't. I sent her for a few supplies. I wanted to give you a
piece of my mind without her in earshot," she said, as the glasses 
rattled on the counter. 

"You know what will happen. It always does," I said. 

"Maybe not this time. Gene, she's a good person. Look what she did for
this married creep. It's not the ladies that burn you; it's you that 
burns you. This time, try to keep your mouth shut and things might work 
out." 

"Rosie..." I said. 

"If you're not back here when the diner closes, don't come back until
I'm dead. If you want something to eat, order it then. Now get out of 
here until either 8:00 or I croak!" she shouted, as she pointed at the 
door. 

I got up and headed to the door. I looked back over my shoulder and
Rosie was still pointing. 

I walked home. 

* * * 

I sat on the sofa watching TV with Jack's head on my lap. "Jack, what
should I do? I don't want to start something again with a woman and 
have it end like it always does." Jack opened his eyes and stared at 
me, and then he sneezed. "Of all people, Rosie should know. Natalie 
seems like a nice lady and she is attractive. If she has a sense of 
humor, I'm going to have a rough time ignoring her. What do I do, 
Jack?" 

Jack chose that moment to jump off the sofa and start barking at me.
That was usually his sign for me to let him out to do his business. I 
went to the door and opened it, but he wouldn't go out. I went outside 
myself and he followed, barking the whole time. 

"Is this your way of telling me to go?" 

He stood there wagging his tail. He was either telling me to go, or he
wanted to play. I got a ball and threw it across the yard. He didn't 
move. 

"Alright, I'll go." 

* * * 

I entered Rosie's at five of eight. Rosie saw me come in and she smiled.


"Natty, we have a late dinner guest!" she shouted. 

Natalie came out of the back and stopped in her tracks when she saw me. 

"You two go sit in a booth. I'll take care of Gene's order," said Rosie,
with much pleasure in her voice. 

Natalie took off her apron and walked over to the corner booth. Her long
black hair was braided and it was so long, she had to hold it aside or 
she would have sat on it. I sat across from her and tried not to look 
directly at those beautiful green eyes. 

"I'm glad you were able to come. Did you get a doggie sitter?" she
asked, with a small giggle. 

She's got a sense of humor. Now I knew she had all three things that I
look for in a woman; looks, personality, and a sense of humor. If I 
were going to stop this before it began, it would have to be tonight. 
Otherwise, Rosie knew full well what was going to happen. 

Rosie appeared out of the back with two glasses of red wine and set them
on the table. 

"What's this? You don't serve alcohol," I asked. 

"The diner is closed. I can dance naked if I want. This is from my
private stock. Try it," she said. We both took a sip. It was good. 
"I'll be out with the food in a minute," she said. 

"So, what kind of dog do you have?" asked Natalie. "Just an old mutt.
Jack's a good dog. In fact, he convinced me to come tonight." 

"Oh, he did, did he? I would have loved to have heard that
conversation," she said, giggling again. 

"Here we go!" said Rosie, as she set down a huge salad for Natalie and a
meatloaf plate for me. 

I looked at the meatloaf and put a fork in it to test it. 

"Don't worry, it's perfectly aged for you. It's the same one from last
week," she said, as she turned and headed to the front door. "Don't 
worry about doing the dishes. I'll get them in the morning. Have fun," 
she said, as she left and locked the door. 

"She's not serious about the meatloaf, is she?" I asked Natalie. 

"She made that after you left today. She knew you were coming back. She
tells me that she's known you for a long time. She says that you have 
the ability to help people in distress. Other than what you did for me, 
what does she mean?" she asked, looking at me with those green eyes. 

I rolled my eyes. Just how much did Rosie tell her? 

"I seem to have the ability to help people. I don't know where it comes
from. Whether it's finding a job, raising money, or matchmaking, I seem 
to be able to get things done for people. I stopped doing it a few 
years ago, though." 

"Why?" she asked, sipping her wine. 

"Let's just say that this ability of mine has a tendency to blow up in
my face. The last time was the worst of all. So I stopped, until I 
heard your story." 

"Well, I won't blow up in your face," she said, smiling. 

"That would be kind of messy," I said. 

We ate a bit without talking, and then Natalie said, "I'm glad you
came." She reached across the table and placed her hand on top of mine 
and gave it a squeeze. 

Clearly, there was now a fork in the road. One way was the way out. The
other was the road to a relationship. All I had to do, was either pull 
my hand back or... 

I closed my hand around hers. She smiled at me. 

Damn Jack! Damn Rosie! This better work out or I may never help anyone
ever again. 

We both ate with one hand while we held hands like little kids. Even
though we both were well into our middle age, her hand had managed to 
weather the ravages of time. She had long slim fingers that showed no 
hint of her age. Her skin was soft and warm to the touch. When we were 
done eating, she picked up the plates and took them to the kitchen. I 
stood and waited by the counter. As she placed the dishes in the sink, 
she looked at me out of the corner of her eye and said, "Would you like 
to see my stamp collection?" 

"You have your collection here, already?" 

"No, it's at my apartment." 

Oh boy. I might as well jump in with both feet. 

"Sure." 

She finished rinsing the dishes and we headed to her apartment. It was
only a short walk from the diner. She opened the door and invited me 
in. It was a small apartment and she had several boxes already packed, 
or she never unpacked them in the first place. She picked up a shoebox 
and an album and sat on the couch. I sat next to her as she explained 
the rarity of each type of stamp in her collection. I found myself 
looking less at the stamps and more at her lovely face. At one point 
she turned her head to me and caught me looking. 

"Do you like my stamps?" she asked, innocently. 

"Yes, very much," I said, after clearing my throat. 

The urge to kiss her was strong. I was busy controlling that urge when
she leaned toward me and kissed me instead. Her lips were soft and 
moist. It was a sweet kiss, the kind you used to give your first 
girlfriend, long before passion replaced first time love. When she 
pulled away, I stood and told her that I should go. 

"I'll come back tomorrow at closing again," I said, as I headed to the
door. "Thank you for showing me your collection." 

"Rosie was right about you," she said. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You are a gentleman." 

I shook my head and chuckled as I let myself out. 

While walking home, the conflict within began. My head was spinning with
all the 'do's and don'ts' and the 'what ifs'. All I knew at that moment 
was that I was attracted to her and that things were more than likely 
going to get very serious. It was the end result that I was afraid of. 

* * * 

When I got home from work on Tuesday, I jumped in the shower and
scrubbed myself silly. In the back of my mind, I was hoping that 
something was going to happen that night. I wasn't even sure what we 
were going to do. I put on extra clean clothes and shaved extra close. 
I wanted to cover all the bases in case something did happen. 

I arrived at closing and Rosie had some pasta ready for both of us.
Natalie was dressed in a pretty powder blue shirt and black slacks. Her 
long black hair was tied up in a large bun on her head. We sat in the 
same booth as the night before and we ate and chatted. 

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" I asked. 

She looked at me with her green eyes sparkling, and said, "You must have
something in mind." 

I didn't. I just wanted to see her again. "Not really," I said. 

"Why don't you introduce me to this dog you seem to have conversations
with?" she said, smiling. 

"If that's what you want, sure." 

"I can bring some leftovers for him," she said. 

"Oh, he'll love that, I'm sure." 

"I showed you mine, now you can show me yours," she said, giggling at
the pun. 

"What do you mean?" I chuckled back. 

"What ever it is that you do for fun or hobby." 

"Oh, well, you may not find it all that exciting," I replied. 

"Neither is stamp collecting." 

We finished eating and headed to my house. Jack was barking and
whimpering as soon as he heard my voice, as I talked with Natalie on 
the last leg of the walk. He greeted us at the gate and nearly knocked 
Natalie over trying to get her to pet him. The two of them hit it off 
right away. I gave her his bowl and she cut up the leftovers for him to 
eat. I usually don't give him regular food. I stick to his dry food 
diet to keep his teeth clean and to give him the proper nutrition. But, 
once in a while, he got some people food for a treat. He was in doggie 
heaven with assorted diner leftovers. 

"Well, it's official. You have a new friend for life," I said to
Natalie. 

"He doesn't seem big on conversation, Gene. When can we expect his
opinion of me?" 

Jack finished his treat and came out in the living room. He looked at
Natalie and barked once. 

"See, he just said 'Thank you'," I said. 

"Oh, you're welcome Jack," she said, as he jumped up on her. 

"I think he likes you," I said, stating the obvious. 

As she petted Jack, she asked, "What is your hobby?" 

I walked over to a three-inch binder and handed it to her. It was nearly
full. 

"I write romance stories," I said. "Some are kind of long, but most are
in the ten to fifteen page range. They are romantic in nature, although 
not graphic or explicit." 

She opened the binder and paged through it."There must be close to
thirty stories here. What inspires you to write?" she asked, flipping 
through the pages. 

"My life," I replied. 

"You mean these are true stories?" she asked, surprised. 

"Yes and no. Some are true to fact and some are a bit of a stretch." I
replied. 

"Have you published any of these?" she asked, landing on a story named
'Pearl'. 

"No. They're just for me, but you're free to read them." 

"Are they arranged in any kind of order?" 

"They are arranged earliest to latest in my life." 

She started to skim over some of the stories. She was silent for nearly
an hour when she finally spoke. 

"All these stories involve you helping a woman, falling in love and then
losing them to other men. Is that why you stopped helping people? Is 
that what you meant by having your ability blow up in you face?" she 
asked, looking at me with those green eyes. 

"Yeah," I replied. 

She went to the last story in the binder and started to read. She
stopped and went to the first story in the book and looked at the 
title. 

"Oh my God," she said, softly. 

The first and the last story each had the same title. 'Theresa'. 

When she finished the first story, she started to read the other. 

"Oh my God," she said, as tears rolled down her cheek. When she
finished, she closed the binder and wiped her face and blew her nose. 
"It happened to you twice with the same girl. Twenty five years apart, 
she dumped you for someone else." 

"I've helped an awful lot of people over the years. Most of the single
women I've helped also seem to like me and we wind up dating," I said, 
pointing to the book. "There are two details I leave out of the 
stories. One is, it's my fault that these women leave," I said, looking 
away from her. 

"What do you mean? Are you abusive?" she asked. 

"Hardly. One talent I have is matchmaking. When I meet people, I can
read them well for their perfect mate. All of these women in these 
stories left me because I pointed out men that were better suited for 
them than I. I'm never wrong, and that usually ends our relationship, 
no matter how far along it may be. At least I never got to the point of 
marrying and having a wife leave. Theresa's husband died in a car 
accident and she returned here. Like the story says, we hit it off 
again. We were three weeks away from marrying, when I met a guy that 
was perfect for her. I couldn't keep my mouth shut and introduced them 
to each other. She wound up marrying him and left town again. I stopped 
helping people, simply so I wouldn't get tempted to date and have it 
happen all over again." 

"What's the other detail?" Natalie asked. 

"Rosie is Theresa's mother." 

Her jaw dropped so far that it nearly hit the floor. 

"Rosie always liked me. I started dating Theresa after helping her get a
student loan for college. One afternoon after classes, we were sitting 
in the diner drinking shakes when I struck up a conversation with a new 
guy in town. I knew immediately that he was perfect for Theresa and 
introduced them to each other. I didn't want to do it, but it comes 
over me and I have no control over myself. After she dumped me, I 
thought Rosie was going to kill me. The only thing that stopped her was 
the fact that she knew how much it broke my heart to see Theresa walk 
out of my life. Since then she has been trying to play matchmaker for 
me. When Theresa came back to town, Rosie almost set the marriage date 
herself. Once again, right in front of Rosie, I introduced her daughter 
to someone that was perfect for her. When she left town, Rosie was so 
upset that she wouldn't even go to her own daughter's wedding. That was 
five years ago. I stopped helping people and I only went to the diner 
on rare occasions." 

She closed the binder and set it on the coffee table. "Why did you help
me?" 

"I don't know where it comes from, but when the urge hits, I find it
hard to resist. It's as if I receive a directive from somewhere and I 
have to try. The urge to help you was so strong that I couldn't stop 
myself. It was Rosie's idea that Theresa and I would take over the 
diner for her to retire. Of course that never happened, so she brought 
it up again that evening when I called her looking for ways to help 
you. She really wants to retire." 

"I know she does," said Natalie. "Is that why you wanted to baby sit
Jack instead of seeing me last night?" 

"Yes," I said, looking at my shoes. 

"Have you ever told any other of the women you've dated this story?" she
asked. 

"No." 

"Are you still interested in seeing me?" she asked, as she stood. 

I looked into her swampy green eyes. "Yes," I said, in a strong voice. 

Jack barked. 

"I think Jack agrees," Natalie said. 

"He hasn't steered me wrong about you yet," I said, as I put my arms
around her and kissed her. 

"Do you want to do this in front of Jack?" she asked, breathlessly. 

Jack was sitting there wagging his tail. 

"Jack, can we have some privacy?" I asked. 

He got up and walked into the den. 

"You two really do converse, don't you?" 

"Yeah, but he never laughs at my jokes." 

* * * 

Wednesday evening I arrived early and surprised Natalie in the back. I
put my arms around her waist and kissed her on the cheek, as she was 
stirring some soup. 

"Um," she moaned. "I hope that's you, Gene, otherwise I have to call the
cops." 

I turned her enough to kiss her. She dropped the ladle and it hit the
floor clanging. 

"What the hell is going on back here...?" said Rosie, as she came in
from the dining room, saw us, made a u-turn, and headed back out. 
"Nothing's wrong back there!" we heard her bellow from the dining room. 


"What are you making?" I asked. 

"Italian wedding soup," she replied. 

"It smells great!" 

"I made it for us, after the diner closes," she said, as she kissed me
again and got a new ladle. 

"Have you talked to your landlord yet?" I asked. 

"Yeah, he said that I could move out this week and he would refund all
of my money. All of it!" 

"Fancy that," I said. 

She turned and looked at me. "You made that happen, didn't you?" 

"He owed me one." 

She shook her head for a few seconds and then said, "You're like the
Godfather." 

"Nope. I just have a way of making people open their hearts and
wallets." 

"Thank you," she said, kissing me again. 

I went back out to the dining room and sat in a vacant booth. Most of
the customers were either finishing up or were gone. Rosie came over to 
the booth and sat down. 

"Natalie told me that you spilled the beans. I like her, Gene. She likes
you quite a bit as well. You're almost fifty now. Whether you know it 
or not, she's fifty-five. Both of you need to find someone to spend the 
rest of your lives with. I think together, you two fit the bill quite 
nicely." 

"Rosie, sooner or later it's going to happen. I'll introduce her to
someone else and she'll be gone. I can't even stop myself when it 
happens!" 

"Have faith," she said, as she got up and escorted the last few people
out. "Have a good evening," she said as she left. 

"Where's Rosie?" asked Natalie, as she carried out two bowls of soup. 

"She left already," I replied. "Do you want me to help you move your
things into storage?" 

"Oh, would you? That would be great!" she said, as she blew on her soup.


* * * 

That weekend, Rosie ran the diner and I helped Natalie move her things
into storage. I also helped her take a few things that she needed to 
the small room behind the diner. When we were done, she asked if I 
would mind if she tagged along with me to give some leftovers to Jack. 
I didn't mind. 

Jack was more excited to see her than me. Well, she did have the treats.
She got a good laugh watching him nearly inhale the food. I walked over 
to my computer and stopped the screen saver. There still was a story up 
on the screen that I had been working on the night before. Natalie 
noticed and peered over my shoulder. 

"What's that?" she asked. 

"Just another story I'm working on," I replied, trying to exit the
program. 

"Wait!" she said, stopping me. She scrolled up the screen and looked at
the title. "'Natalie'," she said. "I guess that I should be flattered 
that you would be compelled enough to write a story about me, but I'm a 
bit upset, because of the way your other stories always end. Is this 
your way of saying that you like me a lot?" 

I looked into her swampy green eyes and said, "Yes." 

She put her arms around my neck and said, "Maybe we can come up with a
new chapter for the story tonight," and kissed me. 

Jack barked, as he sat there wagging his tail. 

"Jack, some privacy please?" I asked. 

He got up and wandered into the den. 

"That's better, thanks Jack!" I yelled into the den. 

Woof! 

"You two are truly amazing," she said, looking into my eyes. 

"Sometimes I have to put my foot down because he likes to watch." 

She started laughing and kissed me again. "So, do you want to work on a
new chapter?" 

"Well, I only do that with woman I fall in love with." 

"Something tells me that you wouldn't be writing about me unless that
had already happened. That's another running theme in your stories." 
She paused and then said, "I've fallen in love with you too." She 
kissed me again. 

Woof! 

"I think Jack wants us to vacate the living room," I said. 

"Okay Jack, we're leaving," she said, leading me to my bedroom. She
closed the door behind us. 

We heard the TV come on in the living room. 

"What's that?" she asked, alarmed. 

"Oh, Jack likes to watch 'Animal Planet'," I replied. 

* * * 

I soon found myself with little on my mind other than Natalie. The
warning bells were still going off in my head, but I ignored them, 
hoping history wouldn't repeat itself. We continued to see each other 
every evening and she started going back to the diner afterward on 
fewer and fewer occasions. I never had a woman actually move in with 
me, but I asked her to. She said no, for reasons of her own. I guess 
she still wanted a bit of independence. 

Our courtship continued until the Holidays. I had been with Natalie
longer than any other woman and the alarm bells had gone silent. I was 
doing my Christmas shopping when I came upon the window of the local 
jeweler. They were having a diamond sale and they boasted free 
mountings on engagement rings. I had been thinking of popping the 
question for a few weeks, but had always stopped short. I entered the 
store and looked around. A very senior citizen came out of the back and 
said hello. I told him I was thinking about popping the question and 
wanted to have a look at some of his best stones. He asked me my name 
and I told him. 

"I can't help you," he said, and walked back into the back room. 

"What? I want to buy something!" 

"Go away!" he yelled from the back. 

I shook my head and left. Well, there was another jeweler the next town
over, but I didn't feel like driving over there at that moment. I 
walked my stuff home and went to the diner. 

* * * 

I looked for Natalie, but didn't see her. Rosie waved me over to the
counter. 

"I sent Natalie out to do her Christmas shopping. How did you do with
yours?" she asked. 

"Well, I was doing fine until I stopped at the jewelers. He wouldn't
wait on me. He threw me out." 

"Oh... You weren't looking for an engagement ring, were you?" she asked.


I looked around the diner to make sure no one was within earshot. "I'm
thinking of asking Natalie to marry me," I said, in a low tone. 

"What makes you think she'd marry you?" asked Rosie, very quietly. 

"Because we love each other," I whispered back. 

"Oh. I see. Mr. 'I don't want to get involved again' wants to get
married. What if she says no?" 

"I hope she doesn't, but I can't ask her without a ring," I said. 

"I'm glad Leo has a good memory. I told him to turn you away two months
ago," she said. "I'll be right back." She disappeared into the back and 
returned a moment later holding a box. 

"Remember this?" she said, as she opened the box. It contained a
beautiful diamond mounted on an equally beautiful ring. 

I remembered it perfectly. It was Rosie's engagement ring. She gave it
to me to give to Theresa almost 30 years before. When the marriage was 
called off, it went back to Rosie. I assumed that she had given it to 
the next fellow, trying to keep it in the family. 

"I want you to give this to Natalie. You are the closest thing I have to
family in this town and I love you both like my own kids," she said, in 
the lowest tone possible for her. 

"What about Theresa?" 

"She's broken both our hearts twice. She's not getting it." 

"I don't know what to say." 

"'Will you marry me?'" she said, as she placed the box in my hand.
"That's what you say." 

"Thank you, Rosie," I said. 

She patted me on the cheek and headed back into the kitchen. I headed
home, trying to figure out where and when to pop the question. 

* * * 

I wanted to pop the question on Christmas Eve, but Natalie was to visit
her daughters on the 24th and 25th. I decided on New Year's Eve being 
the day. 

She arrived at 8:30 and brought Jack more treats. She looked at the
dining room table all decked up with flowers and lit candles and said, 
"Wow!" 

"I don't cook big very often. I wanted to make it special," I said,
disappearing into the kitchen to check on the gravy. 

"What ever you've got going out there smells great," she said, petting
Jack. 

"Well, it's ready," I said, placing two glasses of wine on the table. I
went back to the kitchen and fixed two plates. I returned to the dining 
room and set the plates down on the table. I held her chair for her as 
she sat and I sat across from her, waiting for her to begin. 

I was nervous as hell. She must have picked up on it, because now and
then, she would ask me if something was wrong. I assured her that I was 
fine. We finished the meal and sat in front of the TV, waiting for the 
ball to drop. Around five of twelve, I decided to do it. Jack was 
sitting at my feet, wagging his tail. Natalie had her head on my 
shoulder, trying to stay awake the last five minutes. Dick Clark was 
yapping away on the tube as I dug through my pocket to find the box. I 
found it, opened it, and held it in my hand. 

"Nat," I said. 

"Hum?" she said, opening her eyes. 

"I have something to ask you," I said. 

She raised her head off my shoulder and asked, 

"What?" 

"The ball has started to move!" yelled Dick on the TV. 

"I've thought real hard about this and I know I'm making the right
decision." 

"10..." yelled Dick. 

"Nat." 

"9..." 

"Yes?" 

"8..." 

"Will" 

"7..." 

"You" 

"6..." 

"Marry" 

"5..." 

"Me?" 

"4..." 

"Oh!" 

"3..." 

"Gene" 

"2..." 

"Yes!" 

"1..." 

"Woof!" 

"Happy New Year!" yelled Dick. 

Natalie and I kissed as the neighborhood launched fireworks and banged
pots out on their porches. 

We made our own fireworks that night. 

* * * 

Natalie and I set the wedding for that spring. As the weeks passed and
we made the arrangements, we both noticed a change in Rosie. She didn't 
seem to have that same robust approach to life. She started coming in 
late and leaving early from the diner. About a week before the wedding, 
Natalie called me at work around noon. 

"Gene, Rosie didn't come in yet. I've called her place, but there's no
answer. I can't leave here. Can you go look in on her?" she asked. 

"I'll do it now. I was ready to go on lunch anyway," I replied. 

I drove to Rosie's apartment and knocked several times with no answer. I
started to panic. I went down to the super's apartment and told him the 
situation. He got his master key and opened Rosie's door. We found her 
on the floor of the bathroom. She had been brushing her teeth. I 
checked her for vital signs as the super called 911. She was still 
breathing. It seemed to take forever, but the rescue squad finally got 
there. They stabilized her and took her to Jefferson. I drove over to 
the diner and broke the news to Natalie. 

"What happened to her?" she asked, crying. 

"They're not sure. They think it was a heart attack." 

"I want to go see her," she said. 

"Not until later. She's not conscious anyway. We'll go over after the
diner closes." 

She made it through the day and we headed over as soon as we closed the
diner. 

* * * 

When the elevator doors opened, we knew we were on the right floor. We
could hear her all the way down the hall. 

Rosie was sitting up in bed with a dozen wires and IVs attached to her. 

"There you are! Tell these idiots to take these things off and let me
out of here!" she roared. 

Natalie went over and gave her a hug. I held her wired and IV'ed hand.
"Let the doctors find out what's wrong with you," I said. 

"They already know, but won't let me out! Nat, would you be a good girl
and find me another pillow. My back is killing me," she said. 

Natalie left the room looking for an orderly. A middle-aged man in a
white coat entered the room. "Mrs. McCloud," he began, "I'm Doctor Ben 
Jones. You're disturbing the other patients." 

"All the more reason to let me out!" she roared. 

"What's wrong with her, Doctor?" I asked, patting Rosie's hand. 

"Are you her son?" he asked. 

"Yes," lied Rosie. 

"Well, your Mother suffers from hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. This
morning it dropped dramatically and she lost consciousness. We got the 
sugar level back up and the only lasting effect is the lump on the back 
of her head. We want to keep her here a few days to run some other 
tests. According to her, she hasn't seen a doctor since Kennedy was in 
office. Being close to eighty should be reason enough for her wanting 
to be checked out," he said. 

"Ah, Mom? Maybe you should let the doctors check everything under the
hood," I said. 

"Don't you have something better to do, like going home to the wife?"
she asked the doctor. 

"I'm not married Mrs. McCloud, and even if I were, I'd still want you to
stay and get a full check up," replied the doctor. 

"I can't stay here. I have too many things to get ready for this
weekend," she said, referring to the wedding and reception, which she 
was catering herself. 

"How many days are we talking here?" I asked him. 

"Well, if everything is fine, then she'd be out by Tuesday," he said,
making a note on his chart. 

"That's still enough time Ros... uh Mom," I said, still petting her
hand. 

He began explaining the dangers of hypoglycemia to Rosie, when I felt
the hairs on the back of my neck start to go up. Natalie came back into 
the room with a pillow. I looked at her and then the doctor. I got 
goose bumps. Rosie saw it. She knew it was coming. 

"Natalie, I want you to meet Dr..." 

"NOOO!" bellowed Rosie, as she pulled her hand from mine and hit me
square in the jaw. "NO, NO, NO!" 

"What's going on?" asked Natalie and the Doctor in unison. 

I recovered and started again. "Natalie this is..." 

Natalie put her hand over my mouth and said, "I don't care who he is. I
love YOU Gene." 

"Doctor, could you excuse us for a moment, please?" asked Natalie. 

"Of course," he said, as he left the room. 

She removed her hand from my mouth. 

I started again, "Nat, that man is perf..." 

Her hand quickly covered my mouth again. 

"I don't care. You're perfect for me too," she said, as she replaced her
hand with her lips. 

That broke the spell. I no longer had the compulsion to introduce them
to each other. 

Rosie was shaking her hand from the pain. "God, you have a hard head!" 

"You've been telling me that for years," I said, as I interrupted our
kiss a moment. 

"I'm not like the other women in your stories, Gene. I'm not going
anywhere." 

"Get the doctor back in here. I think I broke something," said Rosie, as
she held out her swelling hand. 

* * * 

"I do," we both said, as Natalie and I became husband and wife. 

The wedding was held in my backyard in April on a beautiful spring day.
All of Natalie's children and grandchildren were there. A few friends 
of mine were there and, of course, Rosie. 

"Woof!" 

All right, all right. Jack was there too. 

Rosie had checked out okay except for the hypoglycemia, and the wrist
she broke on my chin. Natalie wound up doing most of the cooking for 
the reception, but she didn't mind. She looked at it as a labor of 
love. 

* * * 

We honeymooned in Italy. Natalie nursemaid me through the entire stay
there. 

Rosie finally retired, and if she takes good care of herself, she might
live to be 100. 

Jack now gets nightly doggie bags from the diner. 

At Natalie's insistence, I've begun helping people again. If I charged a
fee, I could retire from the day job. 

I don't know if I've been cured of finding Natalie's perfect mate or
not, but no one has caught my attention. It wouldn't matter anyway. 
I've written the final chapter of her story: 

'We Lived Happily Ever After...'


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