Free Donovan by Vanessa Stone Page A

which, I
realized quite to my surprise, was almost gone. I glanced down at the glass,
then up at him, but there was really nothing to say. He finished off his beer
and looked at me, eyebrows raised.
    "Another?"
    I thought
about it a moment and then shrugged. "Why the hell
not?" He wasn’t the only one burdened with regrets. His words had
caused me to take a good look at myself and my poor decisions of the past – and
present. Donovan caught Gina's attention and made a motion for two more beers.
Gina was quick to respond, and in moments had placed two new frosted mugs of
foaming beer on our table. She glanced pointedly at me. I made a slight gesture
with my head, indicating that I was fine, and, satisfied, she walked back to
the kitchen with our dirty glasses.
    "So,"
Donovan asked after taking a sip of his new beer. "What have you been
doing with yourself for the past eight years?"
    I took a
sip of my own beer and then looked out the window. "Working."
    "No
man in your life?"
    I glanced
at him, wondering if I should even answer that question. "Nothing
serious," I said shortly. "You?"
    For a
moment, a grin flashed across his features. "Man in my life?" He
shook his head. "No, no man in my life."
    I rolled
my eyes. "You know what I meant."
    He nodded.
"Yeah, I did. No meaningful relationships."
    "Where
have you been all these years?" I found myself asking, despite telling
myself not to even express any curiosity whatsoever.
    "I’ve
been living in New York City," he replied.
    "Doing
what?" I asked.
    "I
own and manage a few gyms,” he said.
    I sat
back, surprised. I don't know what I had expected him to be doing all this
time, but a gym owner was not it. "They have gyms in New York City?"
I asked, only slightly tongue-in-cheek.
    He nodded.
"It took me a while, but I've done okay for myself."
    I didn't
want to appear too interested, so I nodded and left it at that. "Things
are pretty much the same around here as they've always been," I said.
"But that suits me just fine. Once in a while I go down to Amarillo, but I
prefer it here."
    He nodded.
"I'd forgotten how quiet and tranquil it is out here. In New York City,
everyone's always coming or going, twenty-four hours a day. It's never
quiet."
    I continued
to sip my beer, more than aware that he had failed to broach the topic I most
wanted answers for. Why hadn’t he kept in touch? Each of us made small talk,
neither one of us wanting to broach more serious topics of discussion. Finally,
as I neared the end of my second beer, I started to feel a little woozy. "Shit,
I don't think I should drive home." I glared at him accusingly.
    "Not
to worry," he said. "I'll take you."
    I shook my
head. "No, you won't. I'll just have to get something to eat and drink
some coffee before I head out." I suddenly remembered my excuse.
"Either that, or I'll just hang out here to help Gina."
    "No
need," he said. "Let me take you home."
    I shook my
head. "Dates are supposed to start and end here," I said. He stared
at me for several moments, and then finished off his own beer.  
    "Have
it your way."
    "What's
that supposed to mean?" I said, his comment raising my hackles.
"Since when has anything ever been my way?"
    "Memphis,
I didn't mean anything by that—"
    I don't
know if it was the beer that had gotten to my head, or my irritation with him,
but all of a sudden, my mouth was gushing and I couldn't seem to shut it.
"Give me one good reason why you never came back to visit your family… to
visit me!"
    "Memphis,
I—"
    "You
don't have a good reason, do you?" I challenged. I couldn't stop now even
if I had wanted to. "No, you just up and left, and wrote us all out of
your life without so much as a good-bye!"
    "Memphis,
I understand where you're coming from, but—"
    I couldn't
take it. Choking back a sob from the sudden rush of emotions that overwhelmed
me, I stood, jostling the table as I did so. The pain, the hurt, the
humiliation, and most of all, the sadness of my lost relationship with