I’d planned to let her stay in the house with her mother, but lately, I think my plans have changed, right along with my wants and needs.
MR. JARVIS
A s to our very first meeting, Darla-Sue had not too long been back from school and was settling in at home. One of the first things she started doing was going to the gym, never mind the state-of-the-art one on the first floor.
I didn’t complain as I figured she was trying to get out of the house and away from the mother she’d begged me to take in after she’d betrayed me. It’s no secret to me that I’d come to slightly dislike my daughter, not a lot, because, of course, I still loved her, but enough to make me aware of her every fault.
She hadn’t changed much from the hurtful, mean girl she’d become, only now she had a different audience. The girls she’d met at school that were of the same ilk as she. I stopped listening to her self-serving conversations a long time ago and had no interest in meeting this new friend that she’d met at the gym.
Apparently, this girl was someone who’d moved here not too long ago for a new job position, and she and Darla-Sue had struck up a friendship while on neighboring treadmills. When she insisted on bringing her home for dinner since her new friend was staying at an Airbnb while looking for a place to stay here in town, I was expecting more of the same.
So imagine my surprise when the conversation at dinner had been jovial and full of world knowledge instead of the usual nitpicking about things that didn’t concern her. She was articulate and pleasant, and her mannerisms weren’t those of someone who’d been spoilt rotten since birth.
Not only that, but she had an innocent blossoming beauty about her. It had been a while since my last foray onto the dating scene, and I was, in fact, not even looking. These days I was all about making money and staying ahead of the game since the pandemic had knocked out so many businesses around here.
I was happy to say I didn’t have to downsize and, in fact, had upped production after allowing more than half the staff to work from home. So, I was hitting my stride and doing what I love to do, making money and trying to be happy with my lot in life. Some of my friends think that I’m once bitten twice shy, but nothing could be further from the truth.
I’ve been turning away pussy since before I was married, during and after. It’s just that, past the age of about thirty-five, pussy stopped being what it used to be, and I had to settle into being a man. I don’t know; maybe it was having a kid so young; I’m only about twenty years older than my daughter, which makes me twenty years older than this one as well.
At forty-five, I wasn’t looking for anything. I’d made up my mind to seek out companionship when it was needed and no more. I’d got off scot-free with the last disaster of a marriage and wasn’t looking for anyone to even the score. But within a week of meeting Jenna, I found myself thinking differently.
Listening to her talk, recognizing a kindred spirit in one so young, had opened up something in me. Her passion about things that mattered and the way she tried to steer my daughter away from her more bullyish behavior made me want to be near her.
It was like reliving my youth just sitting and talking to her when she came around. I didn’t think about the age difference, and she didn’t seem to mind as our conversations grew longer and more intimate in a matter of days in that first week.
And then I met her, in my office building, the new project manager under one of my subordinates. “Mr. Jarvis, I didn’t know you worked here. Oh, oh my goodness, how could I be so dense? Of course, Jarvis, owner CEO.” She touched her forehead as she laughed at herself.
“Well, now that you know I’m here, don’t be a stranger.” I wasn’t sure if she took me seriously, so the very next day, I’d invited her up to my office for lunch. It quickly became the norm, and that’s where I got my first sight of her frugality. She’d bypass the more expensive options on the menu for something mid-range. Not too cheap, not too high, but I noticed it was always something she could afford.
You see, I’d learned a little bit about how she thinks from our conversations and knew that she was very independent-minded and liked to do things for herself. She didn’t believe in living above her means and seemed to frown on anything resembling a handout. So, in this new environment, away from the house and my daughter’s watchful eye, I got to see another side of her, and I liked it.