Mule, p.11
MULE, page 11
Jack felt sorry for her, losing her husband at such a young age, and raising a young boy all by herself. He knew that she was a legal secretary, and while she made good money, it wasn't much in terms of getting ahead. Her husband had left them with only a small amount of life insurance, and while they had owned a house together it had been heavily mortgaged. When money got tight this past year, Heather had been forced to sell the home with very little profit. The recession had eaten into any real equity they had gained over the years, so renting this basement apartment was all she could afford for now.
But she remained cheerful despite her circumstances, and Jack could easily tell that she was totally committed to her son. Josh was her life, and Jack wasn't surprised she agreed to buy him a dog. She knew it would make him happy, and that was all that was important to her. There was genuine love between mother and child, and Jack was envious of that kind of connection.
"Okay, Josh, time for bed. You have no school tomorrow and it's my day off, so we're going to do some things together. We'll make it a big day."
"Aw, can't I stay up a little bit longer? We have a special guest tonight!" Josh looked over at Jack, probably hoping for some reinforcement.
"No, young man. Off to bed."
"Can Buster sleep with me tonight?"
"Well, okay, we'll try it for tonight and see if he's okay in the room with you. But if he keeps you awake, you have to promise me you'll chase him out."
"I will, Mom. I promise." Josh ran over and gave his mother a big hug and kiss. Then he held out his hand to Jack like a little man, and Jack shook it. "I love you, Mom, and I love you too, Jack."
Jack could feel his eyes tearing up. Josh had never said this to him before and it felt nice to hear it. He ran off to bed with Buster following eagerly. Heather opened another bottle of wine and brought it over to the couch where Jack was sitting.
"Oh, I don't know if I can handle any more, Heather."
"Sure you can. This is a special occasion."
Jack quickly relented. "Okay, you've made your case." He held out his glass and Heather poured. She turned on the stereo and found some soft relaxing music, making the wine taste even better.
They spent the next two hours talking about their lives, loves, and careers. He had never told Heather before how he had lost his wife, and he could see some tears rolling down her cheeks as he told the story. It touched her, probably because of the violent way she had also lost her husband. She could relate to the sudden shock that Jack had felt.
They had, at the very least, this in common.
Jack began to realize how easy Heather was to talk to, and what a special person she seemed to be. Most of his time had been spent with just Josh, and the occasional casual conversation with Heather. This was the first time he and Heather had really shared with each other. He also figured the wine was helping both of them relax.
They were sitting there quietly enjoying the music and the wine, when Heather slowly leaned over and gently kissed his lips. "You're a very handsome man, Jack Howser."
Jack kissed her back in the same gentle way, and said, "You're not so bad yourself, Heather McIntosh."
They began necking like teenagers, and eventually Jack could feel Heather's fingers sliding down to his crotch. He responded by sliding his hand up her blouse, rubbing her breasts. She moaned appreciatively and deftly snapped open his jeans. In an instant her head disappeared and he could feel her tongue on his penis. It was his turn to moan.
Neither of them gave a second thought to the fact that they were in the living room and Josh could come wandering out at any moment. Reckless for sure, but this impulsive moment was one that was not going to be denied.
Jack's head was spinning. Part of his brain said this was wrong, that it was a conflict with his Big Buddy duties, and the other part said, "Fuck it, this is nice." He gave in to the latter. Jack gently shifted her prone to the couch, pushed up her skirt, and pulled down her panties. He entered her in one smooth motion. Her passion was frantic and Jack responded with his own. They were in sync and both were enjoying the closeness. Jack marveled at how passionate she was and how good she felt. Her skin was so soft, the softest he'd ever touched, and he felt an emotional intimacy with Heather that he hadn't felt with the other women he had dated. When he reached orgasm at virtually the same time Heather did, it was an ecstasy he hadn't felt since Susan.
He looked down at her and smiled. She smiled back in a lazy, relaxed sort of way, and stroked his face with her fingers. "That was nice," she said in a soft voice. "You should know that I haven't been with a man since Steven died. I must think you're pretty special."
"You're pretty special too, Heather." Jack meant it.
But in the back of Jack's mind, something was bothering him. He couldn't put his finger on it—a feeling of inevitability, or conflict—he wasn't quite sure.
But he was sure about one thing. He would see her this way again.
*****
There was a three-way call taking place between a man in Virginia, a man in Montana, and a woman in Calgary.
"He's got the dog staying with a mother and son that he seems to know. He must be getting nervous," the woman said.
"Pick up that damn dog and get this over with," snapped the Virginian. "We've wasted enough time on this already."
"Consider it done," the woman replied forcefully.
"And where are we on that Joplin lady?" the Virginian asked.
The man in Montana paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "We have a slight problem."
"What now?" the Virginian sighed with mounting anger.
"Our man's cell phone is missing. We think it fell out when he tumbled down the stairs at her house."
"All the field phones are disposable, they can't be traced."
"You're forgetting one thing," the Montanan said. "These phones have a call history."
"They're supposed to be erased every day."
"Well, he doesn't recall when he last erased it. And of course if he had known he was going to lose it falling down the stairs, he would have pushed delete on the way down."
"Spare me your typical sarcasm. Maybe you need to question your judgment as to the quality of operatives you hire for these spot jobs."
"He's a good man. He's done a lot of great work on special projects for us. This is not his fault."
The Virginian thought for a moment and then said calmly, "Try to get the phone back without drawing attention, and in the meantime as a precaution, instruct all field operatives who he could have phoned to erase their histories and throw their phones away. They should buy new ones, and then you can set up a new directory of numbers."
"That should deal with the problem. Then there's really no need to get the phone back—the history of numbers on it will be useless," replied the Montanan.
"Sure, but can we take that chance? What if this idiot phoned a land line?" "I doubt it. Our instructions were always very clear, but I see your point.
We'll get it back."
"And what are our new plans for getting access to Joplin's attic?" the Virginian asked.
"We're working on it. Trust me, we'll have a look at it in due course. We can't have any more violent encounters at that house. We were lucky the first time that nothing more developed from it, but we may not be that lucky the second time."
"No, we don't want attention. But we may have to eventually throw caution to the wind to get some answers." The Virginian's tone had become harsh again.
"I agree. Leave it with me." The Montanan grimaced as he hung up the phone. He thought that these relatively simple domestic tasks, where "being careful" was the most important thing, were a hell of a lot more difficult than dangerous overseas assignments where the rule of thumb was "no rules."
Chapter 8
Jack woke up the next morning with a headache and mixed feelings. He knew the pounding head was from the excessive amount of wine that he had consumed with Heather, but the mixed feelings were not as easily explained.
He had enjoyed himself with Heather, and found her extremely attractive. His relationship with her son made the affection even more intense, because he knew her as a caring mother, not just a caring lover. But he couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal—to his Big Buddy role, and the vulnerability of a mother who was going through a tough time. However, he knew he hadn't taken advantage of her—she had made the first move, after all. But he felt in his heart that he should have resisted. She shouldn't be just another roll in the hay. Heather was a classy lady who was warm-hearted and dedicated to her son. This was not his usual date.
He also couldn't deny his attraction to her. She was gorgeous, funny, and a pleasure to be with. They had experienced similar tragedies. And he couldn't stop thinking about her. He made up his mind in an instant. This would not be just another sex romp. He had to show her how he felt. He thought that maybe, just maybe, he was starting to snap out of the malaise he had been feeling since 2001.
Jack pulled out the phone book and looked for the closest florist. He would surprise her with some roses. And for Josh, he would pick up a book about Border collies from the pet shop. Yes, a nice surprise, rather than just phoning her with the cliché, "I had a nice time last night."
For the first time in a long time, Jack believed he was ready for a real relationship again.
*****
Heather was fixing Josh his breakfast and had just put a bowl down for Buster. She was thinking what a wonderful gift Buster was to her little family. Josh had never seemed happier, and Buster was probably exactly what he needed—a living being of his own to focus his attention on and care for. No better therapy.
And she thought of Jack.
She hadn't planned last night to unfold the way it did. It had just seemed right, and the wine had no doubt helped her make the move. Being with Jack in that way had been very nice. He was so gentle and seemed sincere. She felt a closeness that she hadn't felt since her husband. Perhaps it was the way Jack related to Josh? Or the genuine interest he had shown in their lives? He was also darn handsome and charismatic. She admitted to herself that it was hard to keep her hands off him, and had secretly wanted to be intimate with him for quite some time. She had finally found the right moment, and the courage to make it happen.
Well, now it was done. She had made the first move and she hoped that Jack didn't think less of her because of that. It was a concern to her that he might think she was easy, or slept around.
She pondered whether or not she should call him, and quickly decided against it. It was up to him. She was afraid to go too far out on a limb and scare him off. And she really didn't want to put herself too far out there only to be hurt. If he didn't call, then it had just been a pleasant evening between two adults and she would have to look at it that way.
Josh came out of his room for breakfast. He was not a morning person, and Heather always made an extra effort to be cheerful in the mornings to snap him awake. But since Buster had joined the family, he seemed to perk up much faster. Down he dropped to the floor for his morning wrestle with Buster, covering his clothes with dog hair.
"What's for breakfast, mom?" Josh asked eagerly.
"Pancakes and bacon. Does that meet with your approval?"
"Great! Can Buster have some of the bacon?"
"Only a wee bit. We have to be sure not to make him sick, and bacon is so greasy."
"Okay, Mom, just a wee bit. Do you hear that, boy? You're going to get a treat!"
Buster came bounding over to the kitchen table as Josh sat down, knowing that his master would come through for him.
Heather pulled up a chair and served out the pancakes and bacon, and of course a big jug of syrup. Some of the syrup spilled onto her jeans, and Buster put his tongue to work. Heather wasn't worried. This was her day off and she was glad that she wasn't wearing one of her work outfits. Buster could lick away.
"Mom, it was sure nice having Jack over last night. Can we do it again soon?"
"Well, that's up to Jack, I guess. He has his own life. He can't be over here all the time. But I agree, it was nice having him for dinner."
"He stayed for a while after I went to bed, didn't he?"
Heather gulped at this question, wondering how long Josh had been awake. "For a while, yes."
"Did you guys kiss?"
"Now, Josh, that's getting a bit personal, don't you think?"
"You're my mother, so it's not so personal. You'd want to know if I kissed a girl, wouldn't you?"
"That's different. You're just a boy, and you need guidance."
"Don't mothers need guidance too?"
Heather laughed and choked at the same time. The things that kids say.
"Yup, I suppose we do sometimes, Josh."
"Are you going to marry Jack?"
"Josh!" Heather exclaimed. "We hardly know each other!"
"Wouldn't that be fun though?" Josh gushed. "We would have two Border collies in the family, and I'd have a dad again, and, oh yeah, you'd have a husband!"
Heather got up and gave her son a hug, crying as she did. She wondered how often Josh thought about things like this, and for him to spout them out to her was heartwarming. A little boy's concept of a family was short and simple, and pretty nice.
"Sure Josh, it would be fun to be that way again, but life has a way of being more complicated than that sometimes. In the meantime, it's just you and me, kid."
"And Buster!" Josh added. "And Buster."
*****
Jack stopped at the florist and bought a couple dozen beautiful roses, a mixed variety of white, yellow, and red. The florist suggested adding some feathery green ferns and delicate Baby's Breath, to give it that romantic touch. Jack agreed, not really having a clue, but figuring this woman knew what she was talking about. Heather would love these, he thought. Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady. He pictured her putting these roses in a vase, her short black hair curling around her chin as she leaned over the vase, her lips lifting in that special smile she had with dimples blazing, looking up at him with affection. He longed to see that today. It was very important he see that today after last night. And very important that he be the first one to initiate contact again, rather than her. He wanted her to know how special last night was, and that he was not going to brush her off.
His next stop was the pet shop. Jack bought a nice glossy book about Border collies and how to care for them. Josh would appreciate this and, knowing Josh, he would probably get through it the same day. It had lots of neat pictures too and Jack knew that kids needed plenty of visuals to keep their attention. He recalled how eagerly Josh always skimmed through the Calgary Flames game-day programs, stopping at the pages with photos of the players.
Jack knew that today was Heather's day off, and Josh did not have to go to school due to the teachers' convention. Maybe they could all spend the day together.
*****
"So what are we going to do with ourselves today, Josh? We're both free as birds."
"How about the zoo? We haven't done that in a long time. And then maybe when we get back we can take Buster for a long hike in Fish Creek Park?"
"That sounds like a great plan. The park may still be a bit soggy though. Spring's just around the corner, but there's still a lot of snow and slush down in that valley."
"We can wear boots, and Buster doesn't care, he's a dog."
"All right then." Heather laughed. "Let's get dressed and get to the zoo.
Maybe we can beat the crowds."
Heather went to her bedroom to put on a change of clothes, something warmer for the zoo. As she was rustling through her closet, she heard a knock at the door. "Josh, could you get the door please?"
She heard the door open and then heard a man's voice. She hoped it was Jack. Josh called out, "Mom!"
Heather rushed out to the hall and saw two men, both dressed in suits and ties. One had brown hair and was carrying a briefcase, and the other, a blonde, had a duffle-bag slung over his shoulder. With her observant woman's eye, it occurred to her that each appeared to have some makeup on around the eyes and nose. "Hello, ma'am, sorry to disturb you. We're with the property management firm that manages the rentals in this house and others in the city," said the brown-haired man.
"Oh, hello. I'm all paid up in my rent."
"No, don't worry about that, Ms. McIntosh. You're always on time with your payments. We're here about another matter. We understand you now have a dog, and I can see him for myself now that I'm here." Buster was sitting at the man's feet, wagging his tail. The man bent over and petted him on the head. "Nice boy."
"We just got him a few days ago."
"Is he yours, or are you caring for him for a friend?"
"He's our dog. My son's actually."
The man reached into his briefcase, and brought out a sheet of paper.
"This is a copy of page ten from your lease, which states quite clearly that dogs are not allowed in this building; in fact, no pets at all." He showed Heather the page.
She put on her reading glasses and studied it closely. "I don't recall this clause being in my lease. I'm a legal secretary, so I read and prepare contracts for a living. Having a small boy who loves animals, I wouldn't have signed a lease that had a clause like this."
"Well, this is a page from the standard lease we use with all tenants," the man replied. "Perhaps you didn't read it as thoroughly as you thought."
"I'm flabbergasted," Heather exclaimed. " I'm usually not that careless. I need to read my actual signed lease, but unfortunately it's at my office downtown. Can we talk about this another day after I've had a chance to look at it?"
"I'm afraid not, ma'am. This clause in the lease gives us the power to act without delay." The brown-haired man shrugged, raised his arms and opened his palms as if to indicate that he had no choice in the matter. The blonde man nodded in agreement.
