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In a feeble attempt to get her mind off things, she turned on her bedside lamp so she could read a book. It had been almost two years since she moved had away from New York to New Hampshire, a year since Johnny had been released from jail and five months since she had sued him for a divorce. Her name was Lisa Miller, she had recently changed her name back to that from Lisa Miller-Johnson after she had divorced her husband. Everything she looked at always reminded her of Dave, her past lover who now lived in New York, three long hours away from her. The coffee pot because of his addiction to coffee, the stereo system because of his electronic hobby. She still loved him, she always had, always would. She felt tears stinging in her small dark eyes as she remembered him. But after awhile, she fell asleep and drifted into a dream of what it would have been like if they had never broken up."MATTHEW!" Dave yelled impatiently from his office. "Coming David!" Dave sat at his desk waiting for his fumbling but well-meaning employee to run into his office. "What-up?" "Matthew! I needed that report on my desk half an hour ago! What's taking you so long?" Dave asked, sounding very on-edge, more so then usual. "Well David, the baby-sitter just called and said that Mitt-Mitt wouldn't eat his lunch so I had to talk to Mitt-Mitt in order to work up his appetite and then Choo-Choo bit the baby-sitter so I" Dave interrupted him by saying, "Matthew I don't care just have the report here as soon as humanly possible. Okay?" "Sure thing boss!" Matthew replied and then skipped happily out of the room.
Actually, Dave wouldn't really have cared as much but today there was something inside him that didn't quite feel right. Dave had been feeling very grumpy for awhile and thought "What is wrong with me?"
He looked down at his desk and realized what it was. On his desk was a photograph of the old WNYX crew that had been taken at his birthday. It was a long time ago, almost six years since that picture had been taken and he missed them so much. Behind him on his shelf, was a picture of the late Bill McNeal. God he missed him, too.
He looked down at the picture of the crew when he saw in the picture that he had his arm around Lisa. It broke his heart to see any evidence of there past relationships but he had to have the picture out. Without it, it just wasn't right. It had been two years since he had last seen her, but those were troubled times for him. His one true love had married an evil homeless wino and all to quickly, she also moved to New Hampshire. As Dave sank lower and lower into a fit of depression, Dave's secretary came in," Uuhh, Mr. Nelson? Telephone call for you on line two. It's from a Mr. Jimmy James."
Dave's secretary was a short blond haired woman who always wore tight fitting but totally appropriate suits and wore red glasses that rested on her nose, which she frequently had to push up in order to see through them. She always wore her shoulder-length hair in a tight bun at the back of her head. Dave had gone out with her when she first started working at WNYX, but he broke it off after about two months after he realized that he was still in love with Lisa.
When Dave heard her say the name Jimmy James, his face lit up and he quickly said " I'll take it in here, Silvia"He picked up the phone and happily said "Hello Mr. James!" "Well, Dave, you sure are sounding as happy as a bullfrog sitting on his favorite log!" "I'm glad to here from you sir." He was so glad he was grinning from ear to ear. "Well likewise son! Oh! I got a hell of a surprise for you!" Mr. James proclaimed excitedly. " All us folks down here at WNHW miss you and Matthew like hell!Dave was overjoyed to hear that and smiled even more. "So" said Mr. James pausing to create suspense, "I'm sending a private jet out there so you two can come on over and spend a week with the whole gang!"
Dave thought to himself that it would be great to see everyone again since it had been two years but he thought about seeing Lisa and Johnny together and that made his heart sink."Well, sir, I'd love to but Matthew and I have a lot of work to do down here and I couldn't possibly leave the station because I am the head boss here so the office would be in complete chaos and," Mr. James interrupted, "Aaaaww hell son! Don't ya think that good ol' uncle Jimmy would have already thought of that? I got a replacement for ya already! And he's goin' out there today and you two are coming out here today so I've already taken care of everything so get packed boy and tell Matthew. It's gonna be a surprise to all the kids down here and Spaz is gonna be so excited! So see y'all in a couple of hours! Bye!" "Bye Mr. James." Dave hung up the phone and went to tell Matthew the good news.
Back in New Hampshire, Beth was sitting in the WNHX break-room chewing gum and thinking about the past. She thought about how she was always the first to know about Dave and Lisa's dates and how everyone always tried to think of schemes and plans together and how Bill once insulted the FCC on air. Just when she was about to cry, Joe came into the break room."Hey Beth! Hey, have you been thinking about Matthew and Dave cause I've been getting a weird feeling about them lately." Beth thought about what he had said then asked, "Like what? You think that something bad happened to them?" "Yah" he answered thoughtfully, "Maybe, those aliens I was telling you about have gotten to them and brain washed them and took them up to their space ship and performed weird experiments on them." "Oh, yeah!" Beth said sarcastically, " We better go up and save them Space-Man-Joe!" Beth rolled her eyes as Joe ran out of the room.
Lisa came into work late that day due to a restless sleep. She didn't look well because she had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was a complete mess! As Joe came running out of the break-room, he collided with Lisa which made her drop her briefcase, which popped open and scattered all her work all over the floor. She glumly looked down at the mess, sighed loudly and stooped down to pick it up."Woe! Sorry dude! You okay?" Joe asked, looking concerned, as he dropped to the floor to help her pick up her stuff. "Oh yah. It's okay. I'm fine, just a little tired." she replied.
When they were finished picking up all the papers that had fallen, Joe apologized again and walked away. Mr. James walked in with a smile plastered on to his face. Lisa walked up to him and said, " Good morning, Mr. James." in a voice of fake cheer.
Mr. James, immediately sensing her unhappiness, asked, "Awww, Lisa! Why the hell are you so gloomy? Something wrong, honey?"" Oh nothing, I just feel tired today." she replied solemnly. " Aww well I got a surprise that'll cheer you up in no time! You guys are gonna be so surprised!" And with that, he walked away.
Lisa thought to herself "What could it be? A pony? I've always liked ponies." then Lisa walked into her office to start some paperwork." I can't believe were going to New Hampshire I mean I am just so excited!" Matthew said with great enthusiasm. "I hope I don't get sick on the plane though. I seem to always get sick on planes."
Dave rolled his eyes as he listened to Matthew blather on and on as they both sat in the crowded airport. It brought back memories of when him and Bill were at the airport together. Ah, good times.
Dave was considerably quiet during the wait because for one thing, he wouldn't have been able to get a word in any ways with Matthew recollecting all his past plane trips and how he just loved plane food. And also partly because he was a little nervous about seeing Lisa again. He knew that the sight of Johnny would kill him. Just then, he heard Matthew say something about Lisa and jerked his head towards him. "What was that about Lisa?" he asked anxiously." Oh, just that I can't believe she divorced Johnny." Matthew said, slightly confused at Dave's sudden interest in the topic. " She.. uh.. she divorced Johnny?" He asked, a bit confused himself. " Oh, yeah. The whole thing just took a downward spiral after Johnny was let out of prison." Matthew said calmly. " Well, how did you find this out? No one's talked to me since they left." "Oh, I ran into Mr. James in a chat room and he told me that." This put Dave's mind at ease for the time being and then heard the speaker announce their flight. Dave said to Matthew "Well that's us! Let's go." Dave and Matthew got up form their seats and boarded their plane.
Everyone at WNHX we're going about their business when they heard a familiar cheerful voice come from the hallway "What-up all?""MATTHEW!" Beth squealed as she jumped up to hug him. He hugged her back and hugged everyone else, obviously pleased that everyone was so happy to see him. They were all secretly thinking to themselves "I knew Dave wouldn't come with Matthew." Beth asked Matthew, "Where's Dave? He didn't come, right? "Of course I came!"
Dave came walking into the office dressed casually for a change. He was dressed in a pair of normal slightly baggy jeans and a white T-shirt, and a brown leather jacket. His hands were in his pockets and he smiled uncertainly, not sure what their reaction would be. To his surprise and relief they all gave him the same welcome as Matthew, hugging him, saying Hi, asking him how he was and everything. He was so happy he thought he would cry.
Lisa was the most surprised and she couldn't help thinking that he looked utterly adorable in those clothes. She blushed when she realized what she was thinking. Quickly, she wiped the smile from her face and greeted Dave warmly. When she looked him in his warm blue eyes, she saw them twinkle and dance like a fire-fly in the black of night. He whispered to her, "I've missed you."She turned bright red and giggled girlishly and as quickly as her happiness showed, it turned back into the normal Lisa. Beth, noticing the flirting going on between Lisa and Dave, quickly dragged Lisa into the breakroom." What was that?" she asked smiling slyly. Lisa, obviously embarrassed answered quickly, " I was just greeting Dave the way the rest of you were. Can't I say hello to Dave too? I mean, I was just as surprised as you were. It's not like I still love David. I mean where did you get an idea like that? I'm tellin' you Beth, you sure do have a wild imagination!" Lisa was very frustrated with herself. Why couldn't she stop blabbering on like this? Beth, still smiling, added, "I meant that he was flirting with you! Couldn't you see it? He was like ' I missed you soooo much, Leesa Weesa.' I mean, he was so crooning over you! Like, duh!" Beth laughed and walked away, leaving Lisa to ponder what the meaning of all this was. " You got to fly in on Jimmy's private jet? Rip off! The rest of us had to fly in on measly 'First Class'. Unfair!" Joe said to Dave, disappointed that he didn't get to fly on a private jet. Matthew was telling Mr. James how his two cats had to stay with his Aunt Gertrude. " Oh yeah. But Aunt Gertrude is a real friendly old thing, the cats were a bit afraid of her when they first met her cause she's missing most of her teeth, and she talks really loud. But that was only because she accidently dropped her hearing aid into her soup and ate it. Cause you know how old ladies are!" Mr. James just kept on smiling and nodding, pretending he knew what Matthew was talking about.
Meanwhile, Joe had left Dave alone and Dave went to sit in the break room to try and get some peace and quiet. Beth walked past Dave on her way out of the break-room, smiling when she saw him heading towards where Lisa was pondering her life away."Oh! Lisa. I didn't know you were in here. Am I disturbing you?" Dave asked politely.
Lisa, who was staring at him dreamily snapped out of her daze and answered "Oh, no. I could use some company."
He sat down across from her and attempted to break the uncomfortable silence by saying, "Well, so how have things been going? You haven't been arrested lately, have you?" he gave her a quick boyish smile that made her blush then giggle. "Well" she started, "As you've probably already heard, Johnny and I divorced awhile ago." she tried to stay looking pleasant, but her smile partly faded thinking about it. "Yes. Actually, Matthew told me just before we boarded our plane." Dave gazed into her eyes, a look of concern sweeping over his face. "Are you alright?""Yes. I'm fine actually, it didn't hurt as much as you would think. I just lost interest in him and to tell you the truth, he turned into a jerk after about a month of us living together." She laughed then. Not in real humour, just in disbelief that she had fallen for Dave again so suddenly and how his smile and playful blue eyes had swept her off her feet so quickly. Why did she have all these feelings for him again? Sure. She had thought it was cute when he got mad and tried to act all tough, and she still thought it was cute to come into his office and see him hard at work on his computer. And she never really had ever gotten over him at all. "Lisa, um.. I don't really know how to tell you this, but seeing the crew wasn't the only reason I came down here." he looked at her nervously.
Lisa's heart was pounding. She looked up into his warm, bright eyes and saw the same twinkle she had seen earlier. "Lisa, what I wanna say is.. uh.. well, I uh, I think I'm still in love with you. Actually, no. I am still in love with you. I know it might sound strange but I was wondering…" she silenced him with a small soft kiss on his lips. She finished his sentence for him "If I wanted to give it another try?" She kissed him again, pulling away and giggling, looking back at him.
All of a sudden, as they were still in each other's arms, Beth walked in, seeing Dave and Lisa, looking not so surprised and saying more to herself then to anyone else "Ha, good times..." with a slight dreamy smile, she walked slowly out of the room.
Lisa, all at once thinking this might not be such a good idea, pulled away from Dave and told him "Maybe we shouldn't tell them." they immediately began arguing. They argued for about ten minutes and just when Lisa was about to storm out of the room, Dave grabbed her by the arm and kissed her. She collapsed in his arms, overpowered by his strong hold on her. Dave had never been so aggressive with her before. But it attracted her to him even more. When he let her go, he softly added, "I love you Lisa." then she melted and he had to drag her out of the break room."Well you two kids" Mr. James said happily, " looks like my plan worked!" "Plan???" Dave and Lisa both said at the same time. " Oh, hell yeah! I've been planning this scheme for months! Ya know we all watched it out here on my TV! Yeah! I had a camera hooked up in there and everything!" "Well, sir, I just have one thing to say!" Dave said, a smile forming on his lips. "Oh yeah, and what's that?" Mr. James asked. " Beth. Call up WNYX and tell them to find a new news director! Matthew and I are staying in New Hampshire!"
Everyone cheered and began congratulating Dave and Lisa on getting back together and talking and then Matthew yelled "Hey, guys! What about Mitt-Mitt and Choo-Choo?""Awww! That's already taken care of son! I got this big-ass plane to fly out there and get them! And don't worry, they'll be fine!"
Dave and Lisa were sitting in the park on a beautiful starry night, holding hands, gazing at the stars and Dave thought "Hmmmm… now might be a good time ya stupid idiot! You've been waiting for years to do this! Come on you numb-skull!""Lisa" he said timidly, "you know you mean the world to me right?" Lisa looked at him and nodded. " Well, do you remember when you wanted to have a baby and didn't want to get married?" She chuckled and nodded again. "And do you remember when you found out I was Canadian?" she laughed a bit more and nodded again. "Well, the point that I'm getting trying to get to is that, whenever I think of all the time we've spent together, even when we were fighting, I think to myself, that I wouldn't trade them for anything on earth."
He looked so sincere and sweet that Lisa felt tears swell up in her eyes."So what I'm getting at is, well, Lisa, will you marry me?" He knelt on one knee and opened the small velvet box in his hand. Inside lay a diamond ring, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen (except for his eyes). Tears of joy fell from her soft eyes as she looked into his hopeful, crystal blue eyes. "Yes! Of course I will, you silly little person!"
She laughed and kissed him then hugged him, then kissed him again. She was so happy, her knees were like jelly and she was care-free. For the first time in a long time, she felt young again.
Lisa and Dave were married two months later at Mr. James' greenhouse and lived happily ever after. |
