Mid-Life Crisis Diaries by Geraldine Solon

at her from the other side of the table full of hats. He picked up a black one with red tassels all the way around it. There were green and white designs running all up the large part of the sombrero, and gold balls hung from it, giving it beautiful movement as he lifted it toward his head. He smiled his goofiest smile, and Marsha laughed.
    “Hold it right there, please!” She fished her cell phone out of her purse and snapped a picture of him. He looked every bit that part of someone on vacation, and she was proud to call him hers. Or…well…whatever he was to her.
    They didn’t mention the missed phone call for the rest of their trip through the market, and instead spent their time enjoying each other’s company. Marsha decided that, although she still did love Blake very much, and did want to know what he wanted, that it could wait. After all, he’d waited days and days to contact her at all, so making him wait for a call back wasn’t really that mean. Hopefully, surely, he’d find something to keep him busy until this evening when she could return the call.
    It wasn’t until the car trip back toward her condo that Marsha approached the subject again. When what seemed an appropriate lull in the quiet presented itself, she put her hand on Andre’s arm and looked at him. One of the nice things about riding in the car with him was that he didn’t insist on there being music playing all the time. It was something she really appreciated since, if they were ever in the car together, Blake always wanted there to be music on. And he always turned it up loud enough to discourage a conversation, even if it was classical music. She’d just grown accustomed to having noise in the car at all times, and loved the fact that she and Andre could ride in silence and not feel strange about it.
    “I have a question for you, Andre.” She squeezed his arm lightly as a quiet sign to him that it was important. Somehow, she knew he would understand.
    “Anything, love,” he answered, turning toward her for a moment, pulling his brows together.
    “When I go to call Blake back,” she said this, and nothing else. She wasn’t even really sure what she wanted to say.
    “Mhmm…?” It was the sound of patience. And it told her to take all the time she needed to form her thought, that he wasn’t going anywhere. His face also let her know that he really did want to know what was on her mind.
    “I was just wondering if I could call Blake back before we eat dinner, tonight. And I know that I’m being pretty presumptuous in assuming that we’re eating dinner together. But let’s just say I’m being hopeful, in a desperate sort of way.” She smiled sheepishly, a little embarrassed that she’d admitted out loud how much she needed him in this moment.
    “Yes, of course we’re eating dinner together. I was just going to ask you if you had any plans for the rest of the evening.”
    Marsha laughed and shook her head, which made him smile.
    “Very good, then! You decide when you want to call him back, and I’ll give you your privacy wherever we are. If you want to talk about it beforehand or afterward, that’s wonderful. But if not, I respect your privacy. Because I would only assume you’d do the same for me.”
    “Yeah, of course I would. I really appreciate it. It’s just, the more I thought about going back to the condo after spending the day with you, and calling him…the more I hated the idea.” She rested her right arm on the armrest of the car and leaned her chin on her hand.
    “You don’t want to be alone,” he said as he pulled her hand down and wrapped it up in his. “That’s understandable. I’ll be here for you, whatever you need.”
    “Thanks,” Marsha sighed. “And when Layla comes calling, I’ll do the same for you. Promise.” Andre smiled at her genuinely, and shook her hand back and forth lightly. “Want to go for a swim before dinner?”
    “Love to,” Andre kissed the back of her hand and they