All of Me

Karen could only shake her head.

“Hey,” Melissa said. “How about we go out to dinner and celebrate your promotion with the four of us—you, me, Damian and Kyle? I know a great place.”

The last thing Karen needed or wanted right now was to see Damian. “Their schedule is pretty hectic for the next few days. And they’ll be leaving at the end of the week.”

“Oh, please. You can’t tell me Damian won’t make time to celebrate with his girlfriend.”

“Maybe we can do it later. Right now I have a ton of things to do, and so do they.”

Melissa opened her mouth to speak, and her cell rang. She glanced down at the display. “Karen, I have to take this. I’ll see you later.”

Karen nodded, grateful that she had been spared from sharing the details of their breakup. Melissa’s call took longer than expected, and Karen left before Melissa came back. Luckily, Melissa had to deal with a crisis at another school for the rest of the week, so they hadn’t been able to discuss the dinner again. It was a short reprieve, Karen knew. At this point, she would take anything she could get.

By the end of the week, not seeing or being with Damian had Karen out of sorts. He hadn’t called in three days. But why would he? Getting into her car Friday afternoon, she leaned against the headrest and let out a deep sigh. She missed his kisses and the way he made love to her, but mostly, she just missed sitting and talking with him. She dismissed the thoughts because they only made her feel worse.

Karen started the car and drove home. Once there, she kicked off her shoes, stretched out on the couch and massaged her temples, hoping to ease the tension. Finally, the week is over. Her cell rang, and her stomach clenched. She dug it out of her purse, checked the display and connected.

“Hey, Janae.”

“Karen? What’s wrong? Girl, you sound terrible.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Must be all those late nights with Damian,” Janae said with a giggle. “How is he?”

“I don’t know.”

Janae paused. “Ah...did I miss something? Last time I talked to you, didn’t you say he told you he loved you?”

“Yes.”

“Then what happened?”

“I got the job as principal.”

“What?” Janae shrieked. “Oh. My. God. That is fantastic! Wait. What does that have to do with Damian?”

“There’s no way this relationship is going to survive the distance between us for two or three years.”

“What are you talking about? You guys are already doing it.”

“Yeah, but as a teacher, I figured it would be easier to move around if I wanted to. Now...I can’t pass up this opportunity, and he’s not going to want to give up his job.”

“Did he ask you to turn it down?”

“Of course not, but I can’t ask him to sacrifice his career, either.”

“Did he say he wouldn’t?”

“No. He said we could talk about a compromise.”

“Then what’s the problem? From what you told me about that Vegas weekend, I think Damian is fully committed to the relationship. Give him a chance. I’m sure you both can figure something out. Have you talked to him since then?”

“No. He called once when I got home that day, but I let it go to voice mail.”

“I really think you should talk to him. Good men don’t grow on trees, and I wouldn’t be so quick to toss him over. I’m sure there’s no shortage of women looking for a man like him. How long is he going to be in town?”

“He leaves tomorrow.”

“Promise me you’ll talk to him if he calls.”

“We’ll see.”

“Don’t let him get on that plane without talking to him. You’ll regret it. Promise me, Karen.”

“Fine. I promise.” So what if her fingers were crossed. “I need to go lie down. My head is killing me.”

“All right. Keep me posted.”

“I will. Tell Terrence hello.”

“Okay.”

Karen ended the call and tossed the phone onto the table in front of her. She stretched out on the couch, closed her eyes and massaged her temples again. After about half an hour, she sat up and started toward the bathroom to get something for her head. The doorbell rang. Snatching the front door open, she found Damian standing there. She felt a sense of déjà vu.

“May I come in?” he asked.

She stepped aside. He brushed past her and went to the living room. She closed the door and took a moment to compose herself, then followed him.