Louise was a teacher and when the kids don’t have to go to school the teachers get to stay home as well. I was just an ordinary wage slave with not nearly as much time off as my girlfriend. Louise often took off on her own or with some teacher friends to visit some faraway land or help build a school in a developing country. She was that kind of person. Just as I was suffering from a mild case of missing Claire, Louise left on a ten day trip to Haiti, leaving me to fend for myself while she was making the world a better place. I’m not proud of it but the first thing I did after waving goodbye to her at the airport was get stupidly drunk and call Claire. It’s not as if I needed an excuse because she was, after all, my landlady.

“Hey landlady, it’s your favourite tenant.”
“Hi Lee, how are you? Is everything OK with the apartment?”
“It’s fine. It’s a bit small for my taste but it will just have to do for now.”
“Are you drunk?”
“What? No! Are you?”
“It’s two in the afternoon on a Sunday, Lee. You know I don’t start until at least six. What’s your excuse?”
“I’m sorry. Am I disturbing you? Are you having brunch with Isabelle?”
“No, I’m at home catching up on some work. What are you doing?”
“I’m calling you. Obviously.”
“It sounds more like drunk dialing to me.”
“Yeah. So listen, do you want to have dinner tonight?”
“Erm, sure, is there anything in particular you want to talk about?”
“No, I just thought we could catch up. It’s been a while.”
“Indeed, it has. Will the lovely Louise be joining us?”
“Oh, no. Louise is away. She’s building a school. In Haiti. Can you believe that? What about Isabelle?”
“Well, that turned out to be more of a casual thing. It never really got serious.”
“She was too old for you, right?”
“Why don’t we discuss all this tonight, Lee. Come to my place around eight and try to sober up a bit before then.”
“I’m not drunk, Claire. No problem.”

After ending the conversation I passed out. I woke up a couple of hours later with a massive head ache, but not massive enough to match my shame. I thought about canceling, I considered not showing up, but in the end, I just wanted to see Claire. I brushed up, grabbed a bottle of Claire’s favourite red wine and went on my way. I thought about Louise on her plane to Haiti with all her big plans for the world but the closer I got to Claire’s building the less it meant. By the time I knocked on the door I was ready to jump Claire’s bones. I was nowhere near over her. I had masked my grief by launching myself into an easy affair with Louise but standing there in front of Claire’s front door, waiting for her to open it, I was slapped in the face with the truth I had been so expertly avoiding: I still loved Claire, more than anything, more than Louise.

As Claire invited me in I didn’t just offer her the usual polite pecks on the cheeks. I immediately went for the big prize and kissed her full on the lips. She was surprised and tried to protest while asking: “What the hell are you doing, Lee?” But I didn’t care. I didn’t want to talk, I just wanted to feel her lips and catch her tongue with mine. Her protests didn’t last very long. No dinner was had that night.

To be continued…