Paying for Yesterday
By
Jim Deep
 

We told ourselves that it wasn’t cheating. We had convinced each other that what we shared was special and only between ourselves and wasn’t hurting anybody else. We had also sworn that we hadn’t fallen in love with each other and that we were still being true in our other relationships. With our spouses. We hoped that we weren’t lying.

* * * *

I had met Cari’s husband, Ben, several years ago at a PTA function when a group of fathers were volunteered by their wives to set up a carnival for a fundraiser. We had to put together booths and games and set up a stage Friday night. There were five of us, but only one of the older men had ever done anything like that before. We spent a couple of hours of learning how to do what needed to be done, and about an hour of actually doing it.

Ben and I got to know each other pretty well while we fitted the pipes together and hung the draping off them, after we learned that the pipes fit through the end of the fabric better without the elbows on them. We finished the first part of the project and decided to go out to get hamburgers together before we came back and stacked and placed the prizes and all that. We even had to put water in the duck pond.

We talked about how Cari and Melody had gotten themselves on the committee for the fund raiser where they’d get to wear an ‘Event Committee’ ribbon for the day while we had to do most of the work. I said we’d be lucky if we got a free hot dog out of the deal. Ben laughed and said ‘the only way we’d get ‘em was to work in the kitchen and cook ‘em. I told him not to mention that around his wife unless he wanted to be drafted for that as well.

* * * *

Until exactly seven-twenty-two that Saturday morning, I had never met Cari that I could remember. And I am sure if I had ever laid eyes on her I’d have remembered. Especially since Ben had told me that she was an Oriental with dark red hair.

Melody had told me all about the ‘little firestorm’ half Korean and half Filipino woman that worked with her on the committee. From her descriptions and stories, I had gotten the impression that Cari was heavy-set but with boundless energy. But once I saw her I understood how I misunderstood everything and was glad I hadn’t said anything stupid to Ben the day before.

Melody and one of the other women were setting up a couple of the balloon games while I had been putting the finishing touches on another one.

Then I saw Cari come in with an armload of hot dog rolls followed by Ben with more buns and a bag of fixings. I asked if they needed a hand, and he nodded. I went out to their car, picked up more bags and carried them in. I met Ben on his way back out, and he thanked me for helping. I told him there was a bag in the car that had torn, and I couldn’t get it. He said he’d take care of it and went out.

I walked into the kitchen and got a good look at the woman I had only glimpsed earlier.

If she was over five feet tall I’m the Pope.

She had a nice figure, and considering she was the mother of two children in elementary school, she had a real nice figure.

Her hair wasn’t dark red; it was auburn.

But it was her eyes and smile that froze me in my tracks for a second. I had to take a deep breath before I could speak. When I did, I felt an electric spark travel the length of my spine.

I didn’t say anything stupid. I didn’t tell her how absolutely fantastically beautiful she was. I controlled myself and asked her where she wanted the ketchup.

Her first words to me are burned into my memory. I can hear every syllable. I can see her smile and the light in her eyes as she said it. I can see her hand and arm as she pointed to the counter. “Please, just put it anywhere.”

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