Lane Stark: After Dark

Lane Stark: After Dark

Darkness began too seep into the car window as we sped along, the chauffeur and I.

He had been sent to pick me up to bring me back to Lane's house.

The house itself was situated at the top of a very long winding driveway. The driveway was so long that I had, in the past, used it as a track: it was two miles long.

When we pulled up, night had fallen with a great silence. 

The door was opened for me and I was helped out and brought to the front door, which was immediately opened by the butler, a very attractive bald black man by the name of Jones.

"Hello, Jones."

"Madame."

"You can call me Hilda."

"Madame, right this way."

I sighed. One could never argue with a classically trained English butler. Even if he had grown up in Detroit.

Lane was in the study, sipping a sifter of cognac, wearing his robe and pajamas.

"Ah, Jones. Very good."

"Will sir be requiring anything else this evening?"

"Nope. Go on out, Jonesy."

Jones sniffed and departed.

"Hey sweetie!" I gave him a kiss, which was not returned in the usual passionate manner. "Uh, what's wrong?"

"Hilda. I have brought you out here today because, " he paused, "well."

"Out with it."

"I have to break up with you."

I was stunned. 

"You see, I just don't want to be in a relationship right now."

"What?"

"I said,"

"I heard what you said." I was confused. And a little hurt. The last two weekends we had spent together had been sublime. He had made love to me like-well, like he really loved me.

"It's just that, I'm so busy with work.  You know, the practice. And the book I'm writing." He paused meaningfully. "And I just can't handle the responsibility of it all."

"I see."

"But, maybe in three weeks or so, things will be looking up?"

At this point, I was furious. 

I turned and I left.

I found Adams and had him drive me back home.

And then, I made my way out of this universe and into the one where I live with the Captain. It was there that I made my way over to Agnes's house to cry upon her shoulder.

Agnes had met Lane at a few of his parties, so she knew him.

When I arrived, she was a bit surprised to see me without him.

"Where's Lane?"

"He broke up with me."

"I knew it!" Her eyes flashed fire. "I knew he would break your heart."

"Oh Agnes," I sobbed freely.

"Come on in." She ushered me into the kitchen. "Tea?"

I blinked out a few tears and grabbed a tissue, blew my nose and nodded.

Over tea we discussed the relative merits of having a boyfriend in my own world.

It was true, the Captain and I, while happy together, can only be together in his world. I needed someone for my own world.

"Well, you know, you are so much prettier than that dentist!" Agnes exclaimed. "And, you know, men often have a hard time with that."

I just shook my head. I knew that Lane Stark, my millionaire dentist was the only man for me, but there was no way to convince him of that.

He had told me that it was the best sex he had ever had in his entire life, but that his practice and the book he was writing we all encompassing and that he didn't want a relationship. 

"Who gives up the best sex of their life?" Agnes said.

I just shrugged.

Later when I spoke to my neighbor about it, she mentioned that he was falling hard and running scared.

I didn't know what to think.

The next time I saw him at the book club, I wondered why he was even there. Why had he come? He knew I would be there. But when I got up close to him, he looked at me as if he had driven 400 miles just to see me. 

I ignored him and chatted with Brian, a veritable doppleganger for my old friend Andy. 

And later, when I left, I hugged him and kissed his neck near his ear. Brian, in the vain hope of snagging me, trailed after.

I wondered if Lane would ever call me again.