It was so fast.
He just gave up.
Jenn accepted my offer and is quitting her other job.
I asked her to give me the bill from her baby-sitter every week and I would use the receipt as some kind of business-related tax deduction. I haven't talked to a tax person about it, so I'm not sure if it's even legal, but I'll worry about that when the time comes.
Jenn's been very good to me. If you don't treat your people well and reward them for their hard work-- they'll disappear.
Too bad she doesn't have any money of her own. I could use a partner to defray some of the costs. She's good, honest and kind. I'd sign papers with her in a minute.
"Who is this?" Steve's voice sounded weird, flat and emotionless. For a second I thought I was talking to Barbra.
"It's Hugo. You sound awful. Are you okay?"
"I get these headaches, sometimes. I don't feel like myself when I have them."
"I'll let you go, then. I was just wondering if you wanted to go out to the movies. I still haven't seen 'Carrington' yet."
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"I understand. You're not feeling well and-"
"No, I mean forever."
I paused. "Forever?"
"This is a big mistake," he said, suddenly angry. "I can tell this is going in a direction I'm not interested in."
Where was he coming from-- Pluto? "Steve, look--"
"We talked about this. I told you I don't want to sleep with you. It would be wrong."
I paused a moment. Steve was handsome and, God knows, he had a brain. I would have slept with him if I felt that it would have gone anywhere, but I was perfectly happy with the friendship.
"Steve, listen to me. I'm more interested in just spending time with you. I've been working hard and I miss our time together. You feed my brain."
"You liar. You're too old for me! You're obsessed and it's making me uncomfortable."
I didn't recognize this person. "Maybe we should just take an extended break from each other," I said, coolly.
"If that's what you want."
Perhaps the Steve I'd known had been replaced by a pod person from 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers.' Or worse-- maybe he had become a Republican?
"I'm sorry that you're not feeling well. Call me when you're better."
"If I feel like it," he said and hung up.
