There we sat, My wife and I...Both wondering, what have we let ourselves into...Our first parent evening... In walked the entourage, of teachers and members of P.T.A.... Staring across as they walked passed, some were big, some were small, while others looked rather intimidating... My wife looked at me, and whispered, home would have been a better place to be...Smiling I was still watching the parade go by...Second from the back was the lady with her long black hair and her olive skin... Seeing my smile, she smiled back at me... Friendly, friendly my heart said to me... But my head kept saying don't be silly... There they sat on the stage, looking down in our direction... The headmaster kept speaking, it seemed to go on for hours but that did not bother me, as much as my wife as the sight of the smiling lady, kept my heart pumping... Gathering speed.... Finally the rumbling came to an end and we were all invited for tea... My wife looked at me, and said, " We might as well stay for tea, it's the least they can do for boring me...
There we were all mulling around in the foyer, with tea cups in our hands, and the sound of chatting was rather deafening too ones ears...There my wife and I stood, chatting to one of my son's friends parents.... When over walked the Headmaster greeted us and said, nice to see new parents at the first meeting, hopefully it won't be the last, my wife smiled and said, maybe or maybe not...The Headmaster laughed, and said new member are always welcome, to join the P.T.A.... New ideas are welcome... At that moment the lady described earlier walked over to the Headmaster and said, I will be going as I have a fair distance to Alberton... Smiling at her, he said, see you in the morning... Must admit, seeing her from such close range, made my heart skip a beat... The Headmaster, looked at us both saying, hope to see you at the next meeting... My wife smiling, said, maybe, not me, but my hubby will be there... We greeted and left for home... and my wife saying while on the way home, " Never again will a meeting like this see me..." Laughing I said, was not as bad as you are making out to be..." Home we got...and the picture of the lady still very much in my head...Off to sleep went my wife and I... Dreaming and dreaming of the lady that I had seen... My heart kept longing to see one more glimpse, while my head kept replying, don't be silly... She must already be taken, just like me...
The years was flying by at a speed, and there were only two more P.T.A. meetings for the year... Time for the formation of a new committee... My wife seeing the notice asked, so are you going to stand... No I replied, just don't have the time with all my time been spent on my own liquor store... So to the meeting I went, offering my services for any function the school was arranging... After the meeting the Headmaster walked over to me, while I was sipping on my coffee, thanking me for offering my services... Little did I know who was heading the entertainment committee... Yes it was Teacher Coetzee... Over she came and the Headmaster introduced her to me, saying she will have plenty to do with me... Shaking hands, causing my heart to miss more than just a beat, I said, " Hopefully it will be fun... Smiling she answered, " Depending on the kind of service you will be supplying..." Laughing, I replied, " only the very best from me..." The Headmaster was quick to chirp in, " Any service will be better than the previous liquor store..." My coffee cup empty, I said good night and left for home... Arriving home my wife was quick to ask, " so did you stand for election... No I replied, but offered my store services to the school... Good for you she replied...
A few days had passed since the P.T.A. meeting, when I received a phone call from Teacher Coetzee, wanting to arrange a meeting between her and I to put forward what was required from me... The meeting was scheduled for the following afternoon... In she walked promptly at two thirty... The scheduled time..." This is what I expect from you, " she said, after first greeting me...The meeting lasted about half and hour, the small talk over, I offered her a cup of coffee...She was quick to reply, " I don't mix business with pleasure..." Up she stood and left the store... It was the first and only time I saw her in the store... All business was conducted over the phone... My ego rather deflated, as I really had a fancy for her...But knowing nothing could ever happen between the two of us, as we both had our careers to lo look after... We remained more like business colleges...
Surprise, surprise, Guess what, the empty house across the street had been sold... And the new owners or should I say owner moved in, while I was at work... As I arrived at home, my son rushed up to me and said, " Dad you won't believe who our new neighbor is..." No, who is it I asked... A teacher from our school... So into the house we went... Jokingly I said to him, " So now you will have to behave at all times..." Laughing he was quick to chirp, " She only rules me at school..." Watch your mouth Steve, my wife said... You respect all your elders... It wasn't long her and my wife became friends... Good friends, yes more like sister... Than friends, they were always chatting with each other... I would arrive home from work and our new neighbor Joanne would be sipping on a glass of red wine, chatting with my wife... Greeting was difficult for me as my heart would always miss a beat, as I knew how I felt towards Joanne....Knowing it was only me...
It was weekend and my brother and his wife and two sons we coming for a braai on Sunday... My wife looked at me on Sunday morning, and said, " You know who will also be joining us for the braai..." No I replied, Joanne from across the street... " Oh no I replied..." Don't you want her around, my wife replied... Just to bad I have invited her already, my wife said... There I stood thinking, how could she invite Joanne, if she knew how I felt about Joanne... It was just about noon, and I was preparing the fire and with a beer in my hand, when my wife walked out into the garden and said, Look who is here, it was Joanne... Leaving Joanne and I standing at the fire... I looked at her with a smile, and asked, so what will you be drinking... Taking my beer from my hand to take a sip...This will do she replied... Not very lady like I said, Joanne smiled and said, " Suppose a glass of wine will do..." No, no, I replied, will give you a more lady like drink... Into the house I went, returned with a Martini for Joanne... A drink my wife always enjoyed... Handing it to Joanne her face lit up, leaning over towards my ear she whispered, a real gentleman, knowing what a lady likes to drink...Flutter, flutter went my heart a real boost for my ego...There we stood chatting, her eyes hidden behind her sun glasses preventing me from seeing how she was feeling... There I stood, hoping she was not registering my reaction with her been around me... The rest of the guests, my brother and his family arrived... And the real fun began as my brother is a real comedy, laughter from beginning to end... Looking at the meat on the fire, and his wife, my wife and Joanne chatting on the patio... My brother shouted out, Joanne, how do you like your meat, as Billy knows how the other ladies like their meat... My wife was quick to shout out Watch you tongue, we have a new friend in our midst...Joanne was quick to reply, carry on nothing embarrasses me...So the banter carried on for the rest of the afternoon...The sun, setting on a fun afternoon... Everyone left for home, my wife and I sipping on our wine and my son playing with his friends... My wife looked at me and said... I feel sorry for Joanne, can't be nice living on her own... Still feeling the flutters in my heart...My wife asked, do you like her company... Hoping my wife had not sensed how I felt with Joanne around, I had to be very selective with my words when answering... A nice person to have around full of fun and witty...
A week had passed and it was my wife's birthday... A great wish of my wife is to receive flowers on that day... Waking up we cuddled like we did most morning... She left for work, and I took our son to school on my way to work... And on my way I stopped at the florist, which was owned by Frank a typical male florist... He looked at me and said, a bouquet for your lady.. Yes please I replied... Just leave it to me he said... So off to work I went... He delivered a fantastic bouquet to her work accompanied by a birthday card from me an my son... Arriving home and just wanting to see the bouquet, my son meets at the door and shouts out, wow dad you made Teacher cry when she saw mom's flowers... Her front door closed and hoping she did not here what my son had said...Into the house we walked... There was my wife and Joanne sipping on some champagne... My wife jumped into my arms kissing me frantically, her way of always thanking me for the flowers... There sat Joanne with a tear in the corner of her eye... Looking at me, almost making me get a tear in my eyes... She bloats out, Mr. Romantic, you surely know how to get to a lady's heart to beat... I have never been so lucky... After dinner Joanne left for home across the street... My wife and I sipping on the rest of the champagne, my wife looks at me and says..." I feel so sorry for Joanne, we must send her some flowers on her birthday... Off to bed we went, me with a lump in my throat still feeling sorry for Joanne...
The next afternoon I had a few hours to spare... Still with a fresh memory of Joanne's sad facial expression... Off to the florist next door to my store I went, bought two roses in a test tube... Thinking, how am I going to get them to her, with out her knowing, from whom or where they had come from... So home I went, lucky, lucky she was not home, placing them behind the security gate and with a card that I had bought a few week earlier addressed to the home owner placed into the mail box, back to work I went... Arriving home, there she found the two roses and in the mail box the mail...Wondering who had sent her the flowers... It was just past four and the phone rang, on answering the voice said, " How stupid can you be... and down went the phone...There I sat thinking, maybe it was rather silly and any body could have seen me... Wow what a fool I was, messed up another friendship... It was almost time for home, daily admin completed, the phone rings, thinking should I or not... I finally answer, and it is Joanne, and she said, " I need to see you..." Stuttering, " I ask when... She answers now... Stuttering, I said I am almost on my way home... I know she replies...Meet me in the parking lot of the water towers, we need to speak... More nervous than ever, I leave for home, with two bottles of wine... Into the parking lot I drive, parked away from the other cars... There I sit waiting, no Joanne, into the car park she drives at a speed, parking next to my car... Out of her car she jumps, looking like a person on a mission, into the passenger side of my car she jumps, looking extremely annoyed... She shouts out, how could you, any one could of seen you... What then...Staring back at Joanne, I start stuttering..." IIII aaaam sooooo Soorry..." Joanne burst out laughing grabbing me around the neck and said this is why I wanted to see you... Her lips tight against mine, we start to kiss... It turns in a half an hour of passionate kissing... What I had always been hoping for...Kissing and kissing and neither one of us wanting it to end, our lips parted from each other... Joanne staring into my eyes, grabbing hold of my hands, squeezing my hands, and her eyes starting to tear, and me also getting tears in my eyes... I asked Joanne, so how did you know it was me... I phone a friend of mine and asked if he had been around that afternoon, when he said no, I knew it could only be you... She gives me one more kiss, battling to get a word out of her mouth, she finally stumbles out the words, wish you were mine... There we sat both of us staring at each other, knowing we had feelings for each other... Slowly, slowly out of my car she climbed and into car she got, speeding on her way home....
To be continued...
