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By wistful Date: 2005 Jul 19 Comment on this Work [[2005.07.19.02.27.26809]] |
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Sheila took a sip of her tea, glancing over the rim at Char. Char was looking out the window, but her eyes were unfocused. "Can you remember the last time we were like this?", Sheila asked. Char's gaze focused on her teacup, as she swirled the dregs around. "I'm sorry, what was that? The last time we were like what? Having tea?" Sheila smiled. "That was last Thursday. Not that. The last time we were both single at the same time." Char's left eyebrow raised in dazed confusion, but was quickly furrowed with the right in concentration. "Well, let's see... when you got divorced, I was engaged to Tom. And then by the time that ended, you were living with Kyle... and when you guys split, I was dating John... gosh, I guess it was when we were in college." "Nope! It was high school. Junior year, actually. Because the summer after that, I met Roy." Sheila grinned triumphantly. "Oh that's right, Roy! How could I forget..." Char's eyes grew distant again. "Do you know the actual number?" Now it was Sheila's turn to be confused. "Number of what?" "The number of men you've loved", Char replied. Her eyes focused on Sheila. "Do you mean that in the biblical sense of 'knowing'? " Sheila asked with a wicked leer. "Are we talking the more liberal definition of sex, or the Clintonian version?" "No, that's too easy. I mean loved. The number of men you've really been in love with." Char persisted. Now Sheila's gaze turned to the air as she thought about this. "You know, that's a hard question, because I draw a distinction between loving people and being in love with them. I love a lot of people, and a lot of them are men. The human heart has an infinite capacity for love, don't you think? But *in* love...that has a certain sense of urgency, doesn't it ? A quality of uncontrollable need... A feeling that you'd do anything for that person, if only they would ask..." Sheila fell silent for a few moments, and then said "Three times" with a decisive nod. "Really? Only three?" Char was surprised, given Sheila's long and checkered past where men were concerned. Sheila smiled again. "Yep. Three. Of course, I could have fallen in love with a couple of others, if they had let me." "If they had let you? How does someone let you fall in love with them?" Char was bewildered. "Well, generally, I need some small clue that my love will be returned in kind. If not, why bother? I'm very practical about these things." Sheila poured a bit more Lady Grey into her cup. "Ha! If you were as practical as you claimed, you wouldn't have fallen in love at all" Char gestured with her empty cup, and Sheila refilled it. "Of course, you're right. After all I've seen, I'm still a hopeful romantic. " Sheila put down the pot and smelled her tea with a sigh. "Isn't the phrase 'hopeless romantic'? " Char said gently. "Who says I've given up hope?" Sheila replied. |