Gardens of Stone-Fiction part 2

Marie looked at Captain Ruis and asked, "When was the last time you saw the Colonel?"

"The week before I left for Afghanistan. I called him and we met for dinner. He told me that you were working late and that I had saved him from a lonely dinner." he answered smiling.
Marie bowed her head wondering how many lonely dinners she had left her Grand dad to eat. He never complained but somehow she now felt guilty.

Marie raised her head and smiled at the Captain, " I am sure that he was glad that you called then.  I know that he would be honored that you came here to pay your respects. Are you on your way somewhere?"

"No, why do you ask?" he started then remembered his Dress Blues. "Oh the uniform? That is out of respect for the Colonel." They stood awkwardly staring at each other not really knowing what to say now that the pleasantries were done. But neither willing to move away from the other. There was a strange attraction between them. Almost as if by being close to the same person that they should be close as well.

"Well it was very nice to meet you Captain." Marie said ending the silence and extending her hand. "Thank you for coming."



"Please call me Jack." He replied grasping her outstretched hand in his and holding it.
" Jack it is then" Marie replied still not removing her hand. They stood there, hands clasped, again allowing the silence to grow as each of them stalled for time. In the end it was Jack who let go of Marie's hand. He turned, placed his cover on his head and saluted the man who had been so good to him. Then he turned and addressed Marie as he tipped his hat, " Ma'am"  and walked away.

Marie watched him for several heartbeats and then turned back to her grandfather's grave. She popped the top of the beer and began pouring it on his grave.
 "Well Gramps, you never told me what a fine looking man Jack is. If you had maybe I would have shown up one of the thousand times you tried to throw us together." She shook her head at herself as the last drops left the can.

Empty now Marie set the can next to her Grand dads marker. She kneeled in the grass and began telling her Grandfather all that had happened in her life over the last month. Her ritual lasted an hour and afterward she felt relaxed. These sessions had become a form of therapy for her and she looked forward to them as much as she looked forward to meeting with her best friend. She rose dusted off the knees of her black pants and headed back to her car.  Time to go back to the empty house she had shared with her Granddad and get ready for the week to come.

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Two weeks later, Marie was finishing a budget report when her phone rang.  When she answered it was Janice in reception whispering consipirotially into the phone. "Marie, you didn't tell me you were seeing someone new." She accused.
" I'm not." Maire denied.
" Really? Then who is the hot guy at reception asking me to let you know that he is here for your lunch date?"
Marie racked her brain and studdered "For me? I don't have a date today or any day for that matter. Did you get the guys name?"
" He said his name is Jack Ruis,  I would call him  tall, dark and yummy. Get your butt down here 'cause you are going to lunch with this guy and then you are telling me what you have been hiding."
"Jack's HERE?" Marie exclaimed. She had thought of him several times since their meeting at the cemetery. But she had never imagined he would track her down. Much less at work."I am coming. Tell him I am coming." Marie finished hanging up the phone and tugging her purse from the drawer where she kept it during office hours. She headed for the elevator and the man waiting for her downstairs.

When the elevator doors opened there was Jack in the lobby.  He looked different in his civilian suit, his dark hair a little messy form the wind outside. Just then Jack looked up and saw her and his face broke into a wide smile showing his perfect white teeth in his tanned face. He reached out grabbed Marie's hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm saying "I hope you are hungry. I made reservations at this great place not too far from here."

Stunned Marie let Jack steer her out the door and up the block before she gathered her wits and asked "Did I forget something or did you just lie to the receptionist and tell her we had a date?"
"I didn't lie. We are now on our way to lunch. I hope that you will consider  this our first date as I would hate to tell our children that our first date was at a cemetery. It sounds kinda creepy." He finished smiling that killer smile again.
"But you never asked me if I wanted to go on a date with you. And how did we go from lunch to children with out even having our first kiss?"  Marie was trying to keep up with this beautiful maniac as he hustled down the block.
"So you want me to kiss you? Well I am not the kind of guy who usually kisses on the first date but for you I will make an exception." He said as he stopped abruptly in the middle of the side walk and pulled Marie into his arms and kissed her right there. Marie wasn't sure if she was more shocked by the fact that he had kissed her right there in front of God and everyone or the fact that her lips were still tingling after that quick but disturbing kiss. Jack let her go patted the hand that was still nestled in the crook of his arm and began pulling her along with him again as though the kiss had never happend.

It took a few feet for Marie to get her wits together but when she did she stopped dead in the street and in her most authoritative voice said "Hold it right there Marine. I have not agreed to go out with you or kiss you for that matter. What the hell do you think you are doing?"
Jack looked at her for a moment and then he grinned " Are you saying that you don't want to have lunch with me?"
" No. I am saying that I would prefer to be asked."
" I did ask. I came to your place of business and asked to have you join me for lunch. You came down to meet me in the lobby of your office and brought your purse leading me to believe that you were ready to leave. What part of this do I have wrong?"
"The part where I give you my phone number, tell you where I work, oh, and agree to go on a date with you at some point in the future."
"Lady, I am a Marine. I am an expert in locating my objective and going after it.  You were my objective and I have now retrieved you so that we can go on that date you admitted to wanting to have with me."

Exasperated and entertained all at the same time Marie replied with "Well since I was unaware that I was your objective, next time could you call first?"

" Does that mean you are ready to continue to our date?" Jack asked playfully.
"Yes." Marie answered smiling
"Then yes, next time I will call first but you will have to wait until the END of the date for a kiss. No more rushing things miss impatient." He smiled as they began walking toward the restaurant.

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