The Pond's Reflection by Mary Alice Baluck

Author:Mary Alice Baluck [Baluck, Mary Alice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mary Alice Baluck
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

As usual, Froggy’s was packed. And as usual, Froggy greeted Fran with, “Good evening, Pretty Lady, and I see you brought Hank with you. How are you, Hank?”

“I’m well, Froggy, and you?”

“Good, good. Your parents got here about fifteen minutes ago, Fran, and I was just able to seat them. It’s been crazy here tonight. I’ll take you to their table.”

Hank had met Maureen and Dan at Froggy’s the night he had gone with Jim, then again at the wedding. They gave him a very warm greeting. Hank couldn’t help commenting on the fact that Froggy had remembered him after he had only been in there twice with Jim: once when they were to meet Pat, and once for the rehearsal dinner. He was quite impressed with his memory. Dan assured him that everyone that came into Froggy’s was special to Froggy, and that was why his business was so successful.

Maureen and Dan loved to play pinochle, and as soon as they got back to their house, they got right to it. Fran had told them that Hank had played while he was at Case, but she had never mentioned how brilliant he was. It was a very pleasant game as far as Fran and Hank were concerned. They won three to zip.

As they were leaving, Dan said, “You gave us a thrashing there, young man. I don’t think I’ve ever played against a better pinochle player.”

Hank shook his hand. “Thank you, Dan. It was a pleasure beating you.” Everyone laughed. “Seriously, I’ve had a very enjoyable evening, and I have to say, you also have a wonderful daughter.”

Needless to say, Maureen started praying again.

When Hank pulled into the drive, he got out and walked Fran to the door. He put his arms around her and kissed her softly. While she was still in his arms, he looked in her eyes and said, “Frannie, I love you. I think I started loving you the day Jim and I took your stove back. I don’t mean to make light of that day; I wasn’t aware of what had happened. And then you showed up at Froggy’s the night I was there with Jim. I know we haven’t spent that much time together, but I think of you all the times in between our meetings. I’ve never been in love before. I’ve always been too busy working, but now I’m enjoying my time with you so much. I actually feel happy, and that’s something new for me. It’s not that I was unhappy. I was content to work constantly.”

He stopped and gave a sigh of exasperation. “Listen to me. I’ve never felt this way or done this before. I’m making a mess of it. But I want you to know that I understand you’ve been through a very rough patch. I also know I love you, and I’ll allow this relationship to move as slowly as you want. I’ll take all my cues from you. If, within a reasonable length of time, you don’t end up feeling the same toward me, just let me know, and I’ll walk away.

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