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Georgia knew the moment she said yes, she wasn't going to like the job very much, but she didn't have anything else lined up and didn't know where to start at lining something up. She was young and if something felt unfirmliar to her, she just didn't bother with it. Best to stay with what you know was her unsaid motto. She didn't even know it herself. There was alot she did not know about herself, but Georgia did know.
She was young and pretty and that is why he liked her, but she also had a certain way about her. He couldn't ever have a moment to think about her long enough at his office in Tampa because he was always interrupted by someone but he knew that if he could just have a moment alone it would be enough to tell her how he really felt, and he felt everything. So much at once, he didn't know when it happened, what day he fell in love with her but he did and it hurt. Lust is so much worse than love, because love you can pronounce it, you can scream it to the world, but longing, lust, only remains hidden. If it were to come out, he would only he the dirty old man who tried to cop a feel, but no he knew it was more than that. It was real. They could be happy together, he could picture it now, wrapped in her long blond hair he would hold her close in his arms, standing behind her he would hug he tightly as they ventured from a garden or a long shadowy forest. he would never hurt her, for he knew how much she happiness meant to him. Don't show it at the office, he always reminded himself. That and constantly looking up what young people liked to do. Movies, that is all he had come up with so far. Ah! Here she comes.
He adjusted his hair slightly and straightened his tie. "Hello, Georgia" he smiled upon her arrival. "Hello, Nolan I watched that film you suggested" "Oh, did you how did you like it", the film was Gone With the Wind, it as a classic. "I loved it, Scarlett O Hara's dresses were so pretty". He smiled, she collected the mail and then left. It wasn't all for nothing he knew that she was the only bright spot in his day. All these crazy insureds asking about their homes, and cars, and boats, tons of boats, they lived in Florida for crying out loud. No one ever asked him anything other than insurance questions, he had two kids, he had three divorces, not a peep about any of it. The kids were grown and the women were spread out over the U.S. but still, all work talk. Except for her, she chatted about anything. He could listen to her talk for hours, she could recite the telephone book and he would listen to her. He wished that she would come back. Something would happen to make her come back into his office, into life, Marry me. He thought. Just marry me.
She didn't like it very much, the work. She mostly answered phones and took the lunch order, reordered office supplies, and made coffee. Nothing else happened over than people coming and going, and as hard as she tried to feign interest in insurance policies she just couldn't, there was nothing to get excited about, a roof covered? A boat covered? it was all the same to her, and she was worried. What if this is what it is like for all my career aspirations? She thought to herself, what if this is just the way it is? Should I marry rich and forget college? It would be easy, living the rich life she saw so many other people livining. The town of Pasa was a wealthy one. If you knew where to look. But some of them were kooks, women who came in a spilled everything in there purse, men who demaned lesser premiums on their bills, these people could write a book about crazy. She noticed more than not, woman who lived near Brookhenge visitied Nolan in a tizzy, they would get dressed to the nines and be as sweet as they could to Nolan when he met with them. Why? She wondered. Where they trying to get something out of him? Money? Did they find him attractive? Maybe he wasn't a bad looking guy for his age, and she had seen pictures of him when he was younger, he was rather handsome. The cold October rain continued to fall outside, this morning there hadn't been much going on, maybe tomorrow something exciting could happen. She could only hope.
Gordon pulled up to the insurance agency in the cold drizzle of rain. It had been a long trip from New York but he knew as soon as he got his Father's estate setteled he could return to his home on Fifth Aveune with the splendor of a hard day done. He shook the drops off his tan raincoat and walked inside. He was delightfully suprised by the young receptionist sitting behind the tall desk. He could barely see her - petite and pretty - two words to describe someone he had only seen in his dreams. She looked up sheepishly trying to pry the person off the other end of a long telephone cord. "I'll be with you in one minute", she murmured. It was so soft he had to lean forward to hear her. Finally the call ended. "Hi, what can I help you with"? "Hi, I'm here to see Larry, it's about my dad's estate", "Can I ask your name" "Yes, Gordan Wallace". "Excellent, I'll let him know your hear". He smiled peeking over the desk. It was littered with candy wrappers, scribbeled notes, a fountain of ink pens, all different colors, splayed out benenth the wodden oak. He caught sight of a crystal necklace around her neck, it was small, but Gordon wondered if it had any real importance, a boyfriend maybe. He didn't dare talk to her, as unabashed as he was sometimes, he couldn't talk to her just yet. No, he had to find the perfect words to say, something that he couldn't ignore, even to her best abilities. He had swooned several woman, but one this young...hm. Say how old was she? His final question buzzed in his mind as he heard Larry. "Gordon, how are you"? He turned to see his insurance agent standing in white shirt with high waisted blue pants, a red tie stood out in the uniform. "Fine, Larry and you"? "Fine, hope the trip wasn't too much of a bother" "Oh no, not for you" Gordon turned to look at the receptionist once more. She glanced up, pulling her long blond hair to one side. Pretty.
"I know its wrong but like I am really angry at him - he obviously didn't care that he was late - like he is wasting my time - and he doesn't care" "Maybe you should tell Gordon how you feel" "He doesn't listen" "Yea, well he seems to listen to every word you say, all the drapes you picked out, all the colors you chose, why wouldn't he listen to this to"? Muffy smoked the last of her cigarette. "He just won't" he'll just get upset and leave. "And when has that ever happened"? "I don't know, maybe he won't argue with me, I just never know what to say when I get upset, Muffy, he is probably used to getting his way, being a big shot insurance vice president and that".
That night she came to bed and dressed modestly, he sat across from her in their large oak bed, he dressed in red boxer shorts and a white shirt, Gordy flipped through his golf magazine, his hair a mess of white and grey, he pushed his glasses up slightly, they struck the light of his frames in the soft glow of their bedroom. Georgia danced back and forth in a nervous slow sway, prepareing herself. "You want to read this after I'm through"? He offered. "Thought we could talk about something hun," "About what babe"?, "You told me you would be on time for the brunch thing" "Uhuh" He flipped another page. "Well, being half an hour late isn't really being on time, Gordy", she picked up their cat Priscilla and played with her hair nervously, she had never told Gordy anything about being on time or this or that. The magazine came down, "hun, you know, I tried to make it, it's just Johnson called and he pulled me in for lunch at the last minute, so I had to go, there is really no other way around it when you deal with Johnson", he gave a tight smile. She was fighting a losing battle. She put Priscilla down and reminded herself to breathe deeply. "Listen, you left me hanging in the wind, why, everyone is always asking where you are, you know I'm getting sick of covering for you". "You don't have to cover for me, just tell them I'm running late" "That is all I ever tell them Gordy", "Listen, if this is going to work I have to show everyone your committed to me", "When have I ever shown you that I'm not committed to you"? "Gordy, it DOESN'T look good, ok, I'm here at this event, telling people your going to show up, and then you just don't, and you didn't for the last event we had or the one before that, like I just can't go around telling people that same thing, or either support me and our relationship by showing up or you don't". "Who the hell are these people and what do they want, are you letting them change your mind about us, about what we have"? "it's not about them, it's about me, it's about what I want, it's about what I'm sacrificing right now to be with you, and you don't even have the decency to show up"! Gordy threw down the magazine, he put his hand to his temple. "I'm not going anywhere, if you can't see that than I think we have a big problem and you know what screw what your friends think". "Prove it then, be there and they are my friends because I want them to be my friends not because I pay them". Georgia stormed out of the bedroom, thinking twice about leaving Priscilla in there with him, she worried about his allergies. Gordy slumped in bed alone, left to think about where their relationship was truly going. - unfinished -
Let me know if I've gone too far. If she was going to grow up she had to face facts.
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