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\lang2057\langfe1033\langnp2057\insrsid5642261 {\*\bkmkstart _Toc143679035}Chapter 5{\*\bkmkend _Toc143679035}
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\par The following morning Stan woke up, did the painkillers-and-water routine, and he slowly put himself together.
\par 
\par He\rquote d been very tired when he returned home the previous night and had fallen asleep the instant he hit the bed. This morning his thoughts kept replaying Denise\rquote s parting comment. His best friend was telling him, \'93You\rquote 
ve got to get over it sometime\'85 why not now?\'94 
\par 
\par \lquote Doesn\rquote t she know the pain I\rquote ve been going through? Doesn\rquote t she understand that I can\rquote t do that to Caron?\rquote  he thought.
\par 
\par On t
he verge of tears, he decided to try to cheer himself up with some breakfast, so he puttered around in his kitchen for a while, making toast and coffee. It allowed his body to continue on autopilot while beginning to think a little more rationally. The ca
ffeine and calories would help improve matters, too.
\par 
\par Maybe Denise }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 did}{\insrsid5642261  understand, he decided a little while later. Perhaps he should call her, talk about it, find out what she meant.
\par 
\par Talking, yes. It\rquote s what friends did. \lquote Umm\'85\rquote 
\par 
\par He realized that, despite their friendship, he\rquote d never called her at home. In fact, he didn\rquote t have her home phone number! After several moments of near panic he was able to remember her address and went to find a phone book.
\par 
\par }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 Bottomley, D.}{\insrsid5642261  wasn\rquote t there. She had an unlisted number. \lquote Shit!\rquote  
\par 
\par \lquote Elizabeth}{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 ,}{\insrsid5642261 \rquote  he thought. \lquote Elizabeth might have it.\rquote 
\par 
\par He }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 did}{\insrsid5642261  have Elizabeth\rquote s number; she\rquote d been to dinner with Caron and Stan several times before last November.
\par 
\par \'93Elizabeth? It\rquote s Stan.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Hello, Stan! What can I do for you?\'94 she replied into his ear.
\par 
\par \'93Um\'85 I was wondering, er, do you, um\'85 Do you have Denise\rquote s number?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Why, Stan, I thought you were phoning to ask about }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 me}{\insrsid5642261 ,\'94 she teased. Stan could only stammer in response, before she let him off the hook. \'93Sorry, Stan, I don\rquote t. I think Elaine migh
t, though, and I\rquote ve got }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 her}{\insrsid5642261  number. Do you want it?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Yes please, Elizabeth.\'94 She started to read it out to him, and he suddenly realized something, \'93Wait! I need to get a pen and paper.\'94 He heard a giggle from the other end as he grabbed for notepad and pen.
\par 
\par \'93Are you ready }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 now}{\insrsid5642261 ?\'94 she asked. He could }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 see}{\insrsid5642261  her  arched eyebrow.
\par 
\par \'93Yup!\'94 he said, with more confidence than he actually had.
\par 
\par She read out the number again, and he confirmed it back.
\par 
\par \'93Now,\'94 Elizabeth said, \'93What do you want to phone Denise for on a Saturday morning?\'94
\par 
\par He grimaced, and then realized Elizabeth }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 couldn\rquote t}{\insrsid5642261  see }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 his}{\insrsid5642261  expression. He said, \'93It\rquote s just something she said last night. I just wanted to chat with her.
\'94
\par 
\par \'93Can you tell me what it was she said, or is that a secret?\'94
\par 
\par \'93It was nothing much, I just want to chat. Cheers, Elizabeth, have a good weekend!\'94 He rang off before Elizabeth could ask any more, took a deep breath, and called Elaine.
\par 
\par The phone rang several times before being answered, somewhat sleepily.
\par 
\par \'93Hi, is that Elaine?\'94 Stan asked.
\par 
\par \'93No, it\rquote s not. Do you have a wrong number?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Oh. Wait, you\rquote re Susan, aren\rquote t you? This is Stan, from last night, I need a quick word with Elaine.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Oh, OK, Stan, but you seriously want to wait until later. We didn\rquote t get to bed until three, and well, we didn\rquote t sleep right away\'85\'94 He heard a giggle.
\par 
\par Stan apologised again, rang off, and waited. He put on some music \endash  a little light classical stuff for now, he couldn\rquote t deal with anything heavy \endash  read the paper, and chilled out.
\par 
\par He awoke with a start. The CD had finished, and the paper was on his lap, half unread. Blearily, he checked the time \endash  eleven thirty. \lquote The morning\rquote s gone already,\rquote  he thought, chuckling to himself, \lquote Best I ring Elaine.
\rquote  He dialled the number.
\par 
\par \'93Hello?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Hi Elaine, it\rquote s Stan. You awake this time?\'94
\par 
\par Elaine laughed into the phone and Stan thought he could hear another giggle in the background as well.
\par 
\par \'93Susan still with you, then?\'94 he asked, with a smile.
\par 
\par \'93Yes, she\rquote s right next to me. Do you want to know what we were doing?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Not }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 right}{\insrsid5642261  now, Elaine, I think that might be \lquote Too Much Information\rquote . Actually, I\rquote m trying to get hold of Denise. Elizabeth thought you might have her number.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Oh. Wait a moment.\'94 She did.
\par She read out a number to him, which he confirmed back off of his notepad. Stan thought that Elaine sounded a little sheepish \endash  or embarrassed?
\par 
\par \'93OK there, Elaine?\'94 he asked.
\par 
\par \'93Yeah, sure. I\rquote ll see you on Monday,\'94 she replied.
\par 
\par \'93Oh. Okay,\'93 he said, and they hung up.
\par 
\par \lquote What was THAT about,\rquote  he wondered.
\par 
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid5642261 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid5642261 - - - - - - - - - -
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\par He thought about what to ask Denise. Actually, he\rquote d been thinking about it a lot, without coming to any definite solution \endash 
 which bothered him. Stan hated talking to anyone without a definite plan of the conversation, beyond superficialities. \lquote A legacy of my childhood,\rquote  he thought.
\par 
\par Stan was an only child, and when he\rquote d qualified to attend one of the last grammar schools in the country he\rquote d been as happy as his parents. What he }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 hadn\rquote t}{\insrsid5642261 
 been expecting was that the single-sex aspect would affect him so much.
\par 
\par \lquote I sure as heck didn\rquote t learn much about}{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261  girls}{\insrsid5642261 . Caron had to chase me, else we\rquote d have never got together,\rquote  he thought.
\par 
\par He reflected for a moment on how Caron had set him up\'85
\par 
\par Emma Tilly. She\rquote d walked up to Stan, bold as brass, at work. She was a part time model, and used the \lquote model walk\rquote , with one foot crossing over the other.
\par 
\par She\rquote d gestured for Stan to stand up, measured herself off against him for height, and then walked off in the same fashion with a teasing look on her face. Stan was, of course, totally bemused, he hadn\rquote t a clue \endash  }{
\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 Emma}{\insrsid5642261  surely wasn\rquote t after }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 him?}{\insrsid5642261 
\par 
\par Later, Emma \lquote just happened\rquote  to be nearby when a tall, dark haired and slender young lady walked past, smiling at Stan. \'93That\rquote s my friend Caron, would you like her number?\'94 she\rquote d asked. Stan was na\'ef
ve and a very poor student of the female half of the species, but he wasn\rquote t unintelligent and had the sense to say \'93Yes please!\'94 They\rquote d gone on a date, and only three years later they were married.
\par 
\par \lquote But I still don\rquote t know how women think at all,\rquote  he thought. Normally, when it was a question to do with }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 people}{\insrsid5642261 , he\rquote d ask Elizabeth. This time, he didn\rquote 
t want to, for some reason. It seemed, well, }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 personal}{\insrsid5642261 .
\par 
\par Well. For good or ill, he\rquote d decided to ring Denise \endash  certainly he\rquote d be grilled by Elizabeth, and probably Elaine, on Monday \endash  so he\rquote d better get on with it. He glanced at the clock. After lunch. He\rquote 
d ring right after lunch. No, }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 Now}{\insrsid5642261 , else he\rquote d lose his nerve.
\par 
\par He dialled.
\par 
\par \'93Hello?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Hi Denise. Um, it\rquote s Stan. Er, I was wondering, sort of, erm, what, I mean, um, did you mean, last night?\'94 \lquote Christ! He\rquote d managed to say it, but }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 God}{\insrsid5642261 , what a poor delivery!\rquote 
\par 
\par There was a pause.
\par 
\par \'93What, specifically, Stan?\'94
\par 
\par Pause.
\par 
\par \'93Stan?\'94
\par 
\par He gathered his courage, and said,
\par 
\par \'93Denise, um, last night, uh, when we got to your place, you told me, basically, er, that I had to get over it sometime, why not now?\'94
\par 
\par There was silence at the other end, this time.
\par 
\par \'93Denise?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Stan,\'94 she said, almost too softly for him to hear, \'93you know what I meant, really. It\rquote s time, now. Caron\rquote s gone. You loved her, you love her still, I know, but you need to move on.\'94
\par 
\par Stan was silent.
\par 
\par \'93Stan?\'94 Denise asked.
\par 
\par Still, he couldn\rquote t speak.
\par 
\par \'93Stan, are you all right?\'94 Denise asked, with a hint of concern.
\par 
\par \'93Oh. Yes, I\rquote m OK. Um, I\rquote ll see you on Monday,\'94 he said, and hung up despite the fact that Denise was obviously trying to say some more.
\par 
\par }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 \lquote Shit!\rquote 
\par }{\insrsid5642261 
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid5642261 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid5642261 - - - - - - - - - -
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\par Over the weekend, Denise thought about Stan. She wondered whether he would see what she so desperately wanted him to see; that she was growing to love him and that it was all right for him to open up and start to love her back.
\par 
\par She was afraid, however; afraid of what that phone call meant but unable to bring herself to call him back. By Sunday afternoon Denise was going }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 nuts}{\insrsid5642261 . She needed to talk to someone, and soon.
\par 
\par \lquote Elaine. I could call Elaine.\rquote  It might be complicated though\'85
\par 
\par She dialled the number.
\par 
\par \'93Elaine? It\rquote s me, Denise,\'94 she said.
\par 
\par \'93Hi Denny, what can I do for you?\'94 came the reply.
\par 
\par \'93Laney, I need to talk to someone. Can I come around, please?\'94
\par 
\par There was a pause from the other end.
\par 
\par \'93Denny, I\rquote m not sure that\rquote s a good idea. Susan\rquote s here.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Please,\'94 Denise pleaded, \'93I really need to talk. I got a call from Stan yesterday.\'94
\par 
\par Denise waited. She could tell that Elaine had her hand over the microphone, and could hear muffled conversation.
\par 
\par \'93How about we meet up for a coffee in the High Street? }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 Iorio\rquote s}{\insrsid5642261 ?\'94 Elaine finally said.
\par 
\par \'93Sounds good. When?\'94 Denise answered, immediately.
\par 
\par \'93Give us about a half hour. Try to grab a booth, huh?\'94 Elaine said.
\par 
\par Denise agreed and rang off.
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid5642261 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid5642261 - - - - - - - - - -
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\par }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 Iorio\rquote s}{\insrsid5642261  was an old-style Italian coffee shop that had weathered the bad times and had now become newly favoured with the rise of coffee places like }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 Starbucks}{\insrsid5642261 
. As you walked in there was a long counter to your left, where Mr. Iorio always seemed to be genially smiling at his customers. It was now }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 young}{\insrsid5642261 
 Mr. Iorio, since the original owner had retired and passed the business on to his son. At the front and to the right were various tables, but at the back there were several booths where you could be reasonably private.
\par 
\par Denise got there quickly.
\par 
\par \'93Hey, Mr. Iorio,\'94 she called as she walked in.
\par 
\par \'93Hey, Denise, you know it\rquote s Tony to you,\'94 the owner said, looking her up and down. 
\par 
\par \'93You\rquote re looking }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 fine}{\insrsid5642261  today!\'94 he continued. He liked to put on a slightly lecherous act with Denise, though she knew he didn\rquote t mean it \endash  she\rquote 
d already met the beautiful spitfire he\rquote d married. He spoke with a faint Italian accent, although Denise knew he\rquote d lived in this town his whole life.
\par 
\par \'93Now, now, you know I\rquote m a good girl,\'94 she told him, smiling. She ordered a cappuccino and told him she\rquote d be in one of the booths, she had friends coming.
\par 
\par \'93That\rquote s nice. I\rquote ll bring your drink to you,\'94 he told her.
\par 
\par She grabbed one of the Sunday papers that were in the rack, and settled into a booth. Shortly afterwards, Tony brought her drink. He smiled at her, got a beaming one in return, and left her to her own devices.
\par 
\par Elaine and Susan arrived shortly afterwards. They ordered their drinks at the front counter, asked where Denise was and were directed to her booth.
\par 
\par \'93Thanks, Tony!\'94 called Elaine over her shoulder as she walked over to Denise. The two ladies settled down opposite her. They made small talk for a minute waiting for their coffees. After the drinks were delivered, Elaine got down to business.
\par 
\par \'93Bad news with Stan, hun?\'94 she asked, gently. Susan, next to her, had a sympathetic expression on her face.
\par 
\par \'93No. Well, yes, sort of. Um\'85 \'94
\par 
\par Denise thought for a moment.
\par 
\par \'93I told him, basically, that it was time he got over Caron. I don\rquote t think it went over very well,\'94 she eventually said. She related, fairly rapidly, the events in the cab, and the phone call yesterday.
\par 
\par \'93Denny, I thought you were more tactful than that!\'94 Elaine said. Susan had her hand over her mouth.
\par 
\par \'93Oh, Laney, I usually am. But I\rquote m so annoyed and impatient with him. He won\rquote t move-on at all!\'94
\par 
\par Elaine replied, quietly, \'93Denny, perhaps he simply isn\rquote t ready to move-on yet. Or, perhaps, he is, but not with }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 you}{\insrsid5642261 .\'94
\par 
\par Denise looked up, tears welling in her eyes.
\par 
\par \'93I know. I\rquote m so afraid that\rquote s true. I haven\rquote t faced it.\'94
\par 
\par Susan spoke up. \'93Denise, I only know what Elaine\rquote s told me. You two broke up because, well, you wanted a man, and then Elaine met me.\'94
\par 
\par Denise nodded, unable to speak.
\par 
\par \'93Well, are you sure that you\rquote re not hunting after the }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 wrong}{\insrsid5642261  man? I\rquote m not a great student of }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 men}{\insrsid5642261 , of course,\'94 she said over Elaine\rquote s snort, 
\'93but it seemed to me that you and Stan were friendly, but he was }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 only}{\insrsid5642261  friendly.\'94
\par 
\par \'93That\rquote s the }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 point}{\insrsid5642261 , I want }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 more}{\insrsid5642261  than just being friends!\'94 Denise broke in.
\par 
\par \'93I know that. You know that. I think }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 Stan}{\insrsid5642261  knows that. Maybe he doesn\rquote t want more, though. }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 That\rquote s}{\insrsid5642261  the point, Denise.\'94
\par 
\par Denise was silent for a moment. Then she started to cry, forlornly.
\par 
\par \'93Why is it I can\rquote t find anyone?\'94 she said, through her sobs.
\par 
\par \'93Oh, Denny, you will. You will. It\rquote s okay, you know you will,\'94 Elaine said, comfortingly. She looked at Susan to check if it was all right, then moved across and sat next to Denise, with her arm around her.
\par 
\par \'93Denny, it\rquote s fine. }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 You\rquote re}{\insrsid5642261  fine. You just need to look for someone else, that\rquote s all,\'94 Elaine soothed into Denise\rquote s ear.
\par 
\par \'93That\rquote s the way I saw it, too,\'94 Susan said. She followed up with \'93And no, you can\rquote t have Elaine back.\'94 She was smiling, but the smile didn\rquote t reach her eyes.
\par 
\par Denise looked up, her mouth open. She reached over for Susan\rquote s hand.
\par 
\par \'93Oh, no! Susan, Elaine, I wouldn\rquote t do that. I wouldn\rquote t!\'94
\par 
\par \'93I know you wouldn\rquote t, Denny,\'94 Elaine said, \'93Susan knows too, really. Don\rquote t you, Susan?\'94 Elaine looked at her partner meaningfully.
\par 
\par \'93Sorry. I can\rquote t help being a little jealous when I see my girl with her arm around someone else,\'94 Susan said, with a hint of remorse.
\par 
\par \'93God, there\rquote s no need to!\'94 Elaine said, somewhat more loudly.
\par 
\par Denise shook her head, extricated herself from Elaine\rquote s embrace, and said, \'93Stop it you two. I\rquote m }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 not}{\insrsid5642261  going to be the reason }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 you}{\insrsid5642261  break up.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Sorry,\'94 Susan said, \'93I just get so jealous sometimes. Elaine\rquote s so }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 pretty}{\insrsid5642261 .\'94
\par 
\par Elaine went back and sat sideways on Susan\rquote s lap, along the bench seat.
\par 
\par \'93Before you two kiss and make out, I mean, make up, can we get back to }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 my}{\insrsid5642261  problem for a minute?\'94 Denise said, with a smile breaking through her now slightly blotchy face.
\par 
\par Elaine looked over, chuckled, and grabbed a napkin. \'93Here, hun, dry your eyes, and go visit the Ladies room. While you sort yourself out, Susan and I can \lquote kiss and make out\rquote  as you put it, then we can all talk when you get back.\'94

\par 
\par Denise attempted a smile, failed and disappeared into the Ladies. She was there a while.
\par 
\par On her return, she found the other two glued together at the lips with Elaine\rquote s right hand caressing Susan\rquote s breast through her shirt. Both looked flushed.
\par 
\par \'93Ahem! I believe the term is \lquote Get a room!\rquote  \'94 Denise said with false severity, and then spoiled it completely by breaking into a laugh.
\par 
\par The other two broke their lip-lock, turned towards her and in unison told her, \'93Shut up!\'94 Both ladies had enormous smiles on their faces, however.
\par 
\par \'93Well, I\rquote m pleased to see you\rquote ve \lquote kissed and made out\rquote ,\'94 she said, her eyes twinkling. She sat down.
\par 
\par \'93You\rquote re looking better, Denny,\'94 Elaine said, gently.
\par 
\par \'93Well, I feel it, too, Laney,\'94 Denise confirmed. \'93I\rquote ve made the decision, Stan and I are friends, nothing more. If I get asked on a date on a Wednesday sometime, it\rquote ll come before Stan. If I meet a guy who really doesn\rquote 
t want me seeing a }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 man}{\insrsid5642261  for drinks each week, we\rquote ll discuss it, but Stan\rquote s going to have to realize that if he can\rquote t commit to more than a friendship with me, that it cuts both ways.
\par 
\par \'93Stan\rquote s a nice guy,\'94 she continued, \'93but there\rquote re plenty more nice ones out there!\'94
\par 
\par Well,\'94 Susan said brightly, \'93we might not be the best people to agree with you on that one!\'94
\par 
\par The three ladies burst into laughter, ordered more coffees, enjoyed their chat and, eventually, went home.
\par 
\par Denise was happy now. \lquote Honest, I\rquote m happy!\rquote  she told herself. \lquote }{\cs16\i\insrsid5642261 Honest!}{\insrsid5642261 \rquote 
\par 
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\par }}