Coming Home part 2
Nora had an insightful flight to get Matthew.
Dorothy proved to be quite a knowledgeable flying companion.
Nora had a surprise waiting for her at the airport.
Bo continued to hold Nora tightly as he whispered the words over and over in her ear as he kissed her neck and cheek.
Bo: Welcome home…welcome home…
Nora held Bo and relished the emotions she was being wrapped in. She ran her fingers through Bo soft hair and took in every moment of the surprise reunion. Reunion. The word pounded in her head and made her drop her arms and pull back. Her head was taking over were her heart was letting her down.
Nora: Bo…(slightly pushing him back) Bo…
Bo: (pulling her tighter) No Red...don’t let go…don’t let go this time…
Nora: (pushing him a little harder) Bo…stop…(he backs up a bit and she is left speechless, his eyes are streaming tears) Where…where’s Matthew?
Bo: (wiping his eyes and trying to compose himself) He’s fine…he’s staying on at Vicki’s, you know how close he is with Ben.
He moves to hold her again but she puts her hand up.
Nora: I think we have a lot to talk about Bo…way more than I had expected.
Bo: You’re right…we do have a lot to talk about…wanna go have some coffee, maybe a sandwich?
Nora: I am hungry…ok…(looks at him curiously as he bends to pick up her travel bag and purse)
Bo: (handing her her purse) I know it’s a stretch, but trust me on this one, ok? Don’t panic and run…Matt’s fine. (pausing as they begin to walk) I asked Vicki and Ben to watch over him for a while. I needed time.
Nora: (a bit irritated at the last sentiment) Have you spent time with our son at all?
Bo: (looking at her confused) Huh? (then it registers, what she interpreted his last statement to mean) Oh God yes! Red, we were together the whole two weeks! I wouldn’t do that…how can you even think that?
They walk through the airport silently with Bo still carrying the travel bag, Nora still clueless as to what is going on. They head out the front terminal exit to a waiting limo. Bo instructs the driver to find to the nearest coffee shop.
In the limo, Bo makes many attempts to hold Nora’s hand but she conveniently has to look through her purse each time. In the silence, she tries to assess just what is going on.
Nora: (in her head) Got up…talked to Matt…he was excited about wearing a tuxedo…looking like his dad (she smiles outwardly and Bo catches it) got on the flight…met Dorothy…got off the plane…found Bo waiting in his tuxedo…takes me in his arms and kisses me like nothing had ever changed…Bo in his tuxedo…Bo…in…
She looks at him as he is staring at her.
Nora: Bo…you don’t have some secret wedding set up for us, do you?
Bo: What? (raising an eyebrow)
Nora: The tuxedo…the limo…I’m not going to walk into this (sarcastically) coffee shop…and be ambushed am I?
Bo: Red…(taking both her hands in his) as much as I would have loved to do that…no…this is not the time…we have so much to straighten out…maybe next week.
The limo pulls up to a small coffee shop in the heart of the city. They get out and the limo pulls away
Nora: Hey! My travel bag!
Bo: (taking her hand and pulling her towards the door) He’ll be back….do think I’d strand us in the middle of Pittsburgh? (pausing then trying to lighten things) On second thought, that might not be too bad…
They find a booth out of the beaten path and sit down. Soon after the waitress comes and they order a couple sandwiches and coffee. They sit in silence, Bo looking at Nora and Nora looking around the shop.
Bo: (reaching across the table and taking her hand) Am I making you uncomfortable?
Nora: I don’t think uncomfortable is the word…I think confused is the word…Bo…why are you here? (pausing and taking her hand back) I mean…what is going on? The airport… that kiss…I thought you were getting married today…where’s Melanie?
Bo: (Looking at the table as he fidgets with the utensils) she lied to me, Red.
Nora: What?
Bo: That whole story of the leukemia…she lied to me…she wasn’t sick…she wanted me to marry her as soon as possible, so she made it up…
Nora: (feeling bad for him) I’m sorry Bo…
Bo: I ended it…(half smiling) at the alter…and you weren’t even there.
Nora: How are you?
Bo: Me? (spinning the knife on the table) regarding her?…I guess still sore and numb…but after talking to Hank…I realize I’m not quite as numb as I ought to be…
Nora: And why’s that?
Bo: Because I do it to myself…
Nora: Huh?
The waitress brings the coffee and Bo begins to drink it. Nora watches as she pours tons of sugar in hers.
Nora: Since when do you drink your coffee black?
Bo: Since…(he grabs the sugar from her and begins to
pour) since you’re right…I don’t…I never liked
it black…and I never liked eating those oatmeal bars instead
of doughnuts…and I don’t like veggie burgers with fat
free cheese and fat free mayo…it’s not even American!
(he raises his voice a bit) And I like my chicken with the skin
on!
And a pizza should never ever have tofu! Tofu! (looking at the
customers at the counter that have turned to look at him) Tofu
isn’t even food! (looking at Nora) It’s some weird kind
of curd thing! Curds! She fed me curds!
Nora slumps a little and rubs her eyes. But on the same token, she cannot help but sputter out giggles at Bo’s rant. She had not seen him this animated since his favorite fishing poll took off down Llantano River.
Nora: Calm down…I think you on the verge of a coronary…
Bo: I have nothing in me that can cause a coronary! No cholesterol…no fat…no grease…nothing! Have you ever eaten meat substitute? Meat substitute!
Nora: Bo…
Bo: Do you know how bad I have been craving real food? Popcorn…Chinese…pizza…BURGERS!!
Nora: Bo…
Bo: My God…I have been living the life of some demented aerobic instructor from some obscure upstate gym!
Nora: (reaching across the table and touching his hand) BO!…Calm… down….
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
Bo: Sorry…(he looks to the counter and to the customers) sorry…(lifting his coffee cup) haven’t had any yet today…kinda edgy without it…(they turn around to their own lives as he sips)
Nora: Matthew said it was bad…but I had no idea it
was that bad…now, where were we?
(pausing and sipping her coffee) oh yes…you do it to yourself…
Bo: Yeah...I do…Nora…(taking her hand) I don’t even know how to begin…I mean…how does a chump apologize for hurting the most wonderful woman in the world?
Nora feels uncomfortable with where this is going. She definitely was not prepared for this today. She mentally readied herself for a whole different set of emotions…loosing him again to another woman…not hearing him profess what it seemed he was about to profess. She sat and listened…hoping their food would arrive soon.
Bo: Honey…since that day I made that stupid decision…that terrible horrible decision to walk away from you…my life has been falling apart…piece by piece…and each time I thought I was shoring it up…Lindsay…Melanie…all I was doing was, in reality, was furthering the damage…hurting you more…Matthew more…myself more…
Nora: Bo…really…we’ve gone over this so many times…
The waitress arrives with a tray and places a plate in front of each of them. Nora breaths a sigh of relief…a temporary pardon from opening the floodgates of her heart…she didn’t want it to happen here. If she was going to lose control… she wanted it to be in private…not even Bo there…
Nora: This looks great! I am starving!
Bo looks at her, a bit hurt that the sandwich seems more interesting to her than his heart felt confession. But he concedes to the sandwich and begins to eat. They make pleasant small talk about Matthew and the flight…but never once did Nora mention Dorothy…but every time she thought of Dorothy’s words, she looked at Bo and felt in her heart what Dorothy meant.
She tried to eat slowly to thwart off what she knew was inevitable. Bo watched her as she took the last bites of her sandwich. He looked like a five year old waiting for the go ahead to begin Christmas.
Nora: (wiping her mouth with a napkin) Bo…do you have to go to the bathroom?
Bo: No…
Nora: Now I see where Matthew gets it.
Bo: Red…(smiling) how have I made it all this time without you? Can you tell me?
Nora: No..Bo…Listen, I don’t know what is going on here…what you are looking for this all to prove, but I really want to see Matthew and take him home and get back to my life…
Bo: Red, that’s the thing…I don’t want you to leave…I want you to move back to Llanview…I want you back here with me. (he takes her hand and kisses it) please say you will…
Nora: Bo (takes her hand back) this is all so sudden…
Bo: I know you felt it…at the airport, I know you felt it too…that kiss, it’s still there…c’mon, you know it is…
Nora: (trying to think quickly before her heart takes over) listen, its not that easy…I have a life in Chicago…Matthew has a life there…school…his friends…my practice…
Bo: That shingle is moveable…Matthew has friends here…there still are schools in Llanview…(he gets up and moves into the booth with her and puts his arm around her shoulder) Nora…we can be better than ever…(he slowly moves his lips closer to hers) we can have it all and more (she closes her eyes as he begins to kiss her)
They sit in the booth kissing like teenagers for a few minutes before Nora speaks.
Nora: (placing her hand on his chest to hold him at a slight distance) I’m afraid Bo…
Bo: Of what?
Nora: Of you…of me…of us…Bo, I don’t know…
Bo: You don’t know what?
Nora: I don’t know if I can do you and me…round two…I mean…a few years back, I would have fallen at your feet…but now…I…
Bo: Nora…tell me this doesn’t mean anything…
He moves in and begins to kiss her. He turns slightly so he is completely facing her and brings his other hand up to her face. His heart is racing to the point where he is sure it will explode through his chest. He continues to press against her, pulling her almost on his lap. She doesn’t resist in the least, placing one hand behind his back and the other on his thigh. They remain in their embrace for several minutes.
Bo: Tell me that meant nothing to you…
Nora: (catching her breath) Bo…(touching his chest again) I don’t know what to think at this point…let me go get Matthew and then give me sometime…
Bo: Look me in the eye and promise me you are not going to run…please Nora…I need you…
Nora: Bo…yesterday you needed Melanie, a year ago, you needed Lindsay and before that you needed me…but what happens the next time I don’t live up to your expectations? What happens if for some reason I am forced to lie to you…I’m late coming home because I stopped to get a present for Matt…I don’t want you to know so I tell you I was working late…it’s a lie….
Bo: Come on…I am not that bad…
Nora: Bo…you dump woman for lying…
Bo: Ok…listen…it took me so long to realize this…actually, this is part of what Hank helped me to see…you lied to me…thank God it turned out for the best…but when you lied, it was because you loved me…you lied to save me…Lindsay and Melanie…they lied to benefit themselves…they didn’t do it for me, for us…they did it for themselves and now I see the difference….and if you want to buy Matt a present, I don’t care…I just want my life to stop falling apart…
Nora: Bo (she begins to cry) I need to think about this…it is a lot you are asking of me…right now…
Bo: (leaning in and whispering in her ear) don’t leave tonight…(kisses her on the cheek and lingers)
Nora: (closing her eyes and breathing deeply) I have no spare clothes…
Bo: We have stores in Pennsylvania…
Nora: I know that…
Bo: Stay…(kissing her again) please…
Nora: (sighing) ok…
To be continued….
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