Let It Beatle

Love, Love Me Dude-5

It turned out that Leonard Novak was indeed a good fit—not that Maury hadn’t been great as well. Leonard learned quickly, was good with the guests and very reliable. The only issue was…He wasn’t Maury Landrum.

I slapped myself mentally every day for being so stupid. I’d let Wheeler, the man I’d thought I’d put out of my mind and heart years ago, ruin my life, and the reality of him and the truth of the friendship I’d thought we had—all of which had been overblown in my head with teenage angst—had caused me to lose something that had been in front of me all along.

Leonard, Sheila, and I dealt with the busy season as best we could. Whenever I went into town to get groceries, I stopped by Maury’s new job, just to see him. He was usually hard at work helping customers, so conversation was impossible.

I found myself thinking about him all the time, and it was driving me nuts. I tried talking to Sheila about him, but all she’d tell me was that Maury was loving his new job, and things were really great for them now, with his guaranteed steady income. That made me feel about ten inches tall.

To complicate things, Wheeler Ridley had setup his gym over the summer months, the renovation not taking as long as I’d thought it would. He opened to the public in September, and the locals were delighted to have a new place to work through their frustrations, or that third latte.

Wheeler kept asking me out, and I kept saying no. It just wasn’t going to happen. I told him he’d be better served sowing his oats in someone else’s ass. He’d thought that was funny. Moron.

By November, the cooler weather had arrived, and the pace slowed down to a crawl everywhere. I thanked Leonard and Sheila for their hard work, and said I’d see them in the spring. Leonard shook my hand and left. He’d lined up a job at the grocery store. Good for him.

Sheila hugged me and invited me over for Thanksgiving dinner later in the month. I told her I’d think about it. When they were both gone, I went for a long walk on the beach. The motel had no occupants, and it was unlikely that anyone would call in. I forwarded calls to my cell phone, though, just in case.

A bit of fog had come on shore, so it was gray and bleak. I was lost in thought, remembering my brief encounter with Maury as we’d almost bumped into each other on the sidewalk yesterday.

He’d been surprised to see me, but had offered a quick hello and a brief smile before asking how things were going at the motel. He looked really good, the bright green turtleneck he wore the perfect foil for his blond tresses.

“Slow,” I’d replied, “since it’s that time of year, as you know.”

“That’s right. Yeah.”

We’d gone on like that, awkward and stilted until Maury had said he needed to get home, and I let him go. I watched him walk away, the black slacks he wore hugging his ass in the best way possible. I didn’t know how to get us back to the easy friendship we used to have. And maybe more.

I decided it would be best not to go to Thanksgiving dinner at the Landrums. Not that I couldn’t leave the motel for a few hours, but I felt easier in my mind if I was around. Perhaps that made me compulsive. Or a coward.

Truth? I wasn’t sure I could face family cheer if it meant more stilted conversations with Maury. I should just leave it alone.