Until It's Time For You To Go

Chapter One

Mike Nesmith felt the wind blow through his long, dark hair, carrying
away the worries and pressures of his life as he navigated his prized
Harley along a mountain road. He was on his way to spend some time
alone with only his thoughts for company. Although he loved Micky,
Peter and Davy like the brothers he never had and always wanted he
had had enough of them for a while. It seemed all he ever did was
break up petty arguments, answer stupid questions, worry about how to
pay the bills and worry about when and where to play a gig.

Well, he had told them they could worry about all that themselves.
He packed a bag, made a phone call and here he was on a road to a
mountain resort, only a days ride from home. He was going to spend
some time alone in his cabin, which he had reserved for ten days with
money he had saved for a rainy day, and maybe write a song or two,
something he hadn't done for a long time.

The setting sun was streaking the sky red, orange and yellow as Mike
steered his bike into an empty space in front of The Blue Sky
Mountain Lodge. The late spring air was cooler than at home and he
was grateful for the denim jacket he had put on. Pulling it closer
to him and adjusting the green wool hat perched on his head, Mike
entered the large log building.

"Good evening, sir. How may I help you?" a cheerful, middle-aged
woman said from behind a large, wooden counter.

"I have a reservation, Mike Nesmith," he answered, leaning his tall,
lanky frame on his right elbow, crossing his left foot over his other
ankle.

From his position, he could see the entire room. The fireplace was
made of stone and there was a bearskin and an elk head on the wall.
A woven rug with Indian markings rested on the floor in front of the
fireplace. Two sofas sat facing each other, a table between them.
Magazines about nature, fishing and hunting were strewn about the
table. In the corner were a few small tables and a counter where
they served breakfast each morning. In the opposite corner was a
huge wooden staircase leading to the rooms in the lodge. He had
reserved a cabin instead of a room to insure having the most privacy
possible.

"Yes, Mr. Nesmith. I have your reservation right here."

The woman pushed the registration book to him with a pen and asked
him to sign his name, which he did. She then gave him the key.

"You have cabin twelve. Last one in the row."

He took the key from her, returned her smile and said a quiet thank
you.

"Enjoy your stay. Remember, we serve a breakfast of pastries, coffee
and juice every morning between six and nine," the woman said to him
as he walked to the door.

"Okay," he said, stopping just before he opened the door and went
into the cool evening. He stood just a moment on the sidewalk,
looking around, then went to his bike to take his belongings to cabin
twelve.

Amanda Watson steered her practical Pontiac along a mountain road
toward The Blue Sky Mountain Lodge. Being a lawyer meant she had to
drive something practical or so her boss said.

"We can't have you scaring away potential clients," he had said.

She'd rather be driving a convertible but maybe someday she would
make that wish come true. After all, she'd made her wish to be a
lawyer come true. It wasn't easy getting to that point when everyone
around her felt a woman's place was at home taking care of a husband
and a houseful of children. She even took a lot of flack for being
thirty years old and not married. Her colleagues didn't think it was
right, but she was happy and content. Besides, wasn't that all that
mattered?

The lodge came into view just ahead and Amanda gave a sigh of
relief. The next ten days would be restful and free of worry,
something she was looking forward to.

She pulled her car into a space next to a sharp looking Harley-
Davidson motorcycle. Turning off the engine, she looked over the
bike trying to picture what the rider must look like. Just then she
noticed a young man exit the building and head for the bike.

Definitely not what she had imagined, she thought as she took in the
tall, slim denim clad young man with cowboy boots on his feet and a
green wool hat on his head. No, much better than what she had
imagined, she thought looking him up and down. Very cute.

Amanda opened her door and stepped out as Mike climbed on his bike.
They smiled at each other and then went their separate ways.

Chapter Two

After a restful night's sleep, Mike made his way to the main building
for a light breakfast. He picked up a newspaper from the counter and
got a cup of coffee and a doughnut and sat down at the only empty
table. After a quick scan of the room, he opened the paper and the
whole world faded from his conscience.

"Excuse me," he heard from beside him a few minutes later. He looked
up to see a woman standing there holding a cup of coffee and a pastry.

"Yes," he answered.

"May I share your table? The others seem to be full," she asked,
nodding her head in the direction of the other tables.

Mike turned and looked then pulled his paper closer to him, making
room at the table.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

She smiled and thanked him. Mike watched as she sat across from
him. She wasn't drop-dead gorgeous but she certainly wasn't ugly.
Her eyes were a sky blue, her dark brown hair pulled back from her
face with a white cloth headband and she was wearing black pants and
a white, long sleeved shirt.

Amanda looked up at Mike as she tore a piece off her pastry and
popped it in her mouth. He smiled and took a sip of his coffee.

"I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Mike. Weren't you in the
car parked next to my bike last night?" He remembered seeing her but
was curious if she remembered.

"Hello, Mike. I'm Amanda and yes, I'm the one that parked next to
that amazing bike. It is really very nice." She took a sip of juice.

Mike folded his paper and set it aside. So far, he liked this woman.

"Are you here alone?" he asked, hoping she was.

"Yes, I'm here alone, getting away from it all." She smiled and
looked around the room watching as the people came and went. "How
about you?"

"Yeah, me, too." Mike took another sip of coffee, finished his
doughnut and contemplated asking more questions.

"So," he asked. "Where are you from?"

"Sacramento. How about you?"

"I'm from Texas but I live in Malibu right now."

Amanda wiped her hands on her napkin.

"I thought I heard a southern accent. I've been to Dallas and
Houston. Very nice places."

"That's where I'm from, Dallas for the most part although I have
lived in Houston, too." Mike finished his cup of coffee.

Amanda drank the rest of her juice. "Well, I should get back to my
cabin. I want to get unpacked. I didn't do it last night." They
stood up from the table.

"Let me walk you back. I think we are right next to each other. I
saw your car parked at the cabin beside mine." He picked up his
coffee cup and then took hers from her.

"I'll put these up," he said then walked to the counter while Amanda
took her sweater from the coat rack near the door.

She watched him, admiring his kindness and thoughtfulness as well as
how good he looked in his jeans and black western shirt. He grabbed
his denim jacket from the back of his chair as he went by and then
helped Amanda put on her sweater.

"Thank you," she said and smiled at him.

He smiled back and held the door open for her. They walked quietly
back to their cabins.

"Well, thanks for the company. Maybe we'll see each other again,"
Amanda said when they stopped in front of her cabin.

"Maybe," he agreed.

The next morning, Mike came into the lodge for breakfast and noticed
Amanda sitting alone at the same table they had shared the day
before. He poured a cup of coffee and made his way to her.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked.

Amanda looked up with a smile on her face.

"I was saving it for you."

He smiled and sat down across from her.

"So, what did you do yesterday?" he asked.

"I just lay around, watched a little TV and was just basically lazy."

Mike laughed. "Sounds like my day.

He took a sip of coffee and watched Amanda take a bite of the pastry
in front of her. He debated whether to ask her something or not then
finally put down his cup and asked.

"Would you be interested in doing something with me today?"

She looked up at him, surprised and a bit pleased.

"What did you have in mind?"

Mike shrugged. "I don't know. Take a motorcycle ride, maybe go into
town, see what it's like."

Her eyes lit up at the thought of riding a motorcycle with the wind
blowing her hair, something she'd always secretly wanted to do.

"I'd love to. It sounds like fun," she answered.

When they finished breakfast, they each went to their cabin to get
ready to go and met outside at Mike's bike.

"Ready?" Mike asked when Amanda walked up.

"Yes." She could hardly stand still from being so anxious.

Mike climbed on the black leather seat and Amanda climbed on behind
him. As he started the engine, she wrapped her arms around his waist
and they were off to town

Chapter Three

When Amanda and Mike arrived in town, they spent the morning looking
in the little shops at woodcarvings, souvenirs, shirts and caps and
every other thing that was for sale. They finally settled down for
lunch in a little sandwich shop and made small talk. When lunch was
over, Amanda asked Mike if he would be interested in having dinner in
her cabin. He agreed and after stopping at a grocery store for food,
they went back to the resort.

Right on time, Mike knocked on her door.

"Hi," she said as she opened the door. She stepped aside and watched
him walk in the room. He was dressed just like he had been earlier
in jeans and boots but had changed into a blue shirt. He took off
his denim jacket and placed it over the back of the couch.

"Dinner smells good," he said smiling at her as she went to the
kitchen, saying thank you. She had changed into a light blue mini
dress, her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail with a blue scarf.
Mike laughed quietly when he noticed she had no shoes on.

"Aren't your feet cold?"

Amanda turned to him from stirring the ingredients of a pan on the
stove.

"No, I'm used to going without shoes. I hate shoes," she said making
a face.

He laughed and went to stand in front of the fireplace. She had
started a fire earlier and it was now filling the room with warmth
which he was thankful for. He was cold and the fire felt good.

"Dinner's ready," Amanda announced as she sat a serving bowl on the
table. They sat down and enjoyed small talk while they ate a nice
dinner of lasagna and salad. After dinner, Mike opened a bottle of
wine and poured them each a glass, taking them to the sofa.

Amanda came to the sofa and sat down after she cleared the table.

"I'll clean the dishes up later," she said, taking her glass of wine
from Mike. "So, tell me. What is it you do in Malibu? Are you a
college student?"

"No, I went to San Antonio to college for almost two years before I
decided it wasn't for me. That's when I came out here to
California. Been here three years now."

Amanda took in the information while watching Mike take a drink of
his wine.

"That makes you about twenty-three, right?" Amanda asked as she ran
her finger around the edge of her glass.

Mike watched her for a moment before answering.

"Yeah, I'm twenty-three."

"You look older." She looked up and smiled at him.

Mike wasn't sure what was going through her mind when she found out
his age.

"Why did you leave Texas?" she asked.

Mike was still wondering about the last question but didn't say
anything about it.

"I wanted to play music so I came out here. This is where you get
discovered, where the record people look for talent. I met three
guys shortly after I got here and we've been friends ever since. We
have a band called The Monkees. We play in local clubs. One day
we'll be on the radio though. Keep your ears open for us." He
looked at her and she saw the determined look in his eyes and knew
his dream would come true.

"I hope you'll play me some music before you leave," Amanda said.

Mike gave this some thought and then answered.

"I will." He didn't know just what it was about her but he wanted to
play her every song he knew.

"How about you? What do you do back in Sacramento?" Mike asked.

Amanda sat her glass down on the table beside the sofa.

"I am a lawyer."

Mike looked up from his drink. He never would have guessed that
occupation.

Amanda noticed the surprised look on his face and went on.

"My father is a lawyer also. When most kids were hanging out at the
malt shop during the summer, I was working in Dad's office typing
depositions or looking up statistics in law books. I sat in
courtrooms all summer just watching him argue cases. Everything from
grand theft auto to child endangerment and armed robbery. It
intrigued me and I knew I had to be a part of it too."

Mike listened intently. She was a lawyer which was not an easy thing
for a woman to be in this day and age, he thought. The more he found
out about her, the more he wanted to know. He was falling for her
and he knew it was a dead end if he let it happen. He did not fit in
her world and she did not fit in his. They were incompatible and she
was an older woman. That made him uncomfortable just thinking about
it. But the more he thought about it, the more he wanted her. It
was a no win situation.

Mike stood up and sat his glass down on the table.

"I've got to go. It's getting late," he explained putting his coat
on and making his way to the door. If he didn't put some distance
between the two of them, he might not get out of there before sunrise.

"Oh, okay," Amanda answered, oblivious to what Mike was feeling. "I
guess I'll see you some other time."

She followed him to the door.

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll cross paths again." He opened the door and
turned back to her, looking at her face. "Goodnight." Then he
turned and hurried back to his cabin.

Amanda stood in the doorway watching him till he was inside. She
shut the door, wondering what had come over him.

When Mike got inside his cabin, he shut the door and leaned against
it, closing his eyes. He had to try to put the thoughts he was
having about Amanda out of his head. What was with him? He hadn't
come up here to fall for some chick. But she was not some 'chick',
he told himself. She was an independent woman with a career. The
kind of woman who knew what she wanted and it didn't matter if the
world told her she couldn't have it. She would tell the world to go
to hell and she got it anyway. The kind of girl I could love, he
thought with a chuckle at the joke he'd just told himself. He knew
he'd written that song for a reason.

Mike stood up from the door and went to get ready for bed. When he
finally got to bed and went to sleep, he had a fitful night, dreaming
of Amanda.

Chapter Four

The next morning, Mike stopped by Amanda's cabin to walk her to
breakfast. He didn't feel like saying much and they walked in
companionable silence to the lodge. When they got their food and
looked around for a table, they noticed the same table they had used
the last two days was empty.

Mike laughed as they sat down their plates and cups. "This is
getting to be a habit. Does this thing have our names on it?"

Amanda laughed, too and sat down. Mike took the paper he was
carrying out from under his arm and started thumbing through the
pages.

When Amanda had eaten most of her pastry, she asked if she could have
the crossword puzzle.

"Yeah, sure," Mike answered as he turned pages to find it.

"Do you have a pen?" she asked taking the section of paper he held
out to her.

Patting his shirt pocket, he said, "No, I don't."

"I'll get one from the front desk." She hurried to the desk and
back. Smiling and holding a pen up for him to see, she sat back down
and started reading clues and filling in blanks.

Mike watched in fascination as she read clues, tapped her lips with
the pen and then wrote down letters as if there was no one else in
the room with her.

"A twelve-letter word for indiscriminate, starts with M," she said
aloud, mostly to herself.

Mike opened his mouth to say he had no idea when she jumped a bit.

"Oh!" She started writing again. "Multifarious."

Multi-what? Mike thought. That was a new one to him. He sat there
looking at her in awe.

"Done," she announced, sitting the pen on the table and looking up at
him with a big smile. She toned down her smile when she saw the look
on his face and explained.

"I do the crossword puzzle every morning. I have since I was about
fifteen. I guess I've gotten rather good at it. I make it a
challenge to see how fast I can get it done.

"I see," Mike said, impressed with the fact that she did it so fast
and in pen. Looking over the puzzle, it seemed she even had the
answers right.

"Well, I should go now. I have some things I want to do today," she
said as she stood from the table, wanting to get away from the
strange feeling that was enveloping her at the moment. She wasn't
sure what it was but she knew it had something to do with the way
Mike was looking at her right then. There seemed to be some sort of
attraction in his eyes and it made her uncomfortable to think about
it now.

"Thanks for the company. I'm sure I'll see you again."

"Yeah, I'm sure you will," he agreed, being a gentleman and standing
as she did.

"Goodbye," she said and quickly left.

"Bye," he answered, watching her hasty retreat.

Amanda went back to her cabin and pulled out the journal she had been
keeping since she was ten. When she was done with that, she pulled
out her sketchbook and pencils. She had always been an artist but it
was just a hobby. It didn't fit into her life as a lawyer so she
never sketched much. Since she was in the mountains, she had decided
she would take advantage of the quiet, beautiful scenery.

Staying on the path, Amanda came to a fallen log and sat down,
opening her book and starting a sketch of the surrounding woods. She
stopped when she heard what sounded like a guitar close by. She rose
quietly from her perch so as not to disturb whoever was playing and
walked toward the music. Suddenly a man's voice joined the guitar
and Amanda stopped for a moment to listen.

I know that voice, she thought. Following the music once again, she
moved some foliage and saw him.

"Mike," she whispered. He was sitting on a boulder, singing to
nature with more emotion than she had seen in any other singer before.

"There's a certain something in the way; You looked at me and said
you'd stay; That let me know that I was out of line," he sang.

Amanda sat down quietly where she could still see him but he couldn't
see her and opened her sketchbook. By the time he had another song
done, she had a rough sketch of him and left before he could find out
she was there.

As soon as she got back to her cabin, she finished the picture while
the scene was still fresh in her mind.

Mike thought he heard something as he finished a song he had been
working on and turned toward the noise. Looking all around him, he
couldn't find anything or anyone and decided it must have been an
animal. After two more songs, he hung his guitar over his shoulder
and headed back to his cabin.

Amanda spent that evening working on more pictures of Mike, sketching
them from memory. When she finished, she thumbed back through the
four pictures she had done and thought to herself how silly that
was. She was acting like a schoolgirl drawing pictures of the cute
guy in math class. She shook her head, shut the book and went to get
ready for bed.

As she brushed her teeth and hair, she tried to pinpoint what it was
about Mike that kept pulling her in. He was a very nice young man.
Young man, she thought. Very young. She shouldn't even be
entertaining those thoughts about someone so young. He was a
musician; someone without a nine-to-five-bring-home-a-steady-paycheck
job. That was not what she was looking for in a man. And he rode a
Harley. Although that did intrigue her, it wasn't what she wanted
for her life.

Slipping under the blanket that covered the bed, Amanda had another
thought about Mike. He was every bit a gentleman. He had been
nothing but nice and polite to her the entire time she had known
him. And he looked so good in his jeans and boots. She couldn't
count how many times since she'd met him she had sneaked a peek at
his backside in those jeans.

She sighed heavily at the naughty thoughts that went through her
head. She resolved to put that out of her brain and go to sleep as
she snapped off the lamp. But her dreams refused to cooperate as she
tossed and turned in bed, visions of Mike filling her night.

Chapter Five

The next morning when Mike went out to go to breakfast, he met Amanda
in front of his cabin.

"Good morning," he said with a smile.

"Good morning. I was just on my way to see if you would like some
company for breakfast." She turned and fell in step beside him.

"I'd love some," he answered quietly. They walked side by side to
the lodge and after breakfast Mike suggested they take a walk. They
came to the same fallen log Amanda had used as a seat the day before
and both sat down. Neither said a word as they listened to nature do
the talking as the birds chirped overhead and squirrels chattered to
each other.

Even though Mike and Amanda didn't say a word, they didn't feel as
though they needed to. They were comfortable enough with each other
and they were both lost in their own thoughts, trying to sort out
what it was they were feeling.

Finally, Mike broke the silence. "Would you like to come back to my
cabin and listen to some music?"

Amanda looked into his dark brown eyes and answered him. "Yes, that
sounds nice."

Mike sat on the hearth of the fireplace, his guitar across his lap.
He sang some of the songs he had written and Amanda was enjoying it.
He was a talented young man and she knew it was just a matter of time
before the rest of the world knew it too.

"There's a certain something in the way you looked at me and said
you'd stay that let me know that I was out of line," Mike sang.

Amanda closed her eyes and imagined him sitting on the boulder in the
woods just as she had found him the day before.

"So if in the end we should go both our separate ways I know the
lesson I've learned here is worth it all." Mike finished the song
and looked up at Amanda. She was sitting on the couch, eyes closed
listening intently to his singing and he fought the urge to go to her
and take her in his arms and kiss her all over.

Opening her eyes, Amanda said, "I have a confession to make."

"Oh, really? Do I want to hear it?" he teased.

"I found you in the woods yesterday and listened to you sing that
song. It's the most beautiful song I've ever heard. Where did you
find it?"

He smiled slightly and answered, "You were spying on me?"

"Not exactly. I went for a walk and found you there. I didn't want
to disturb you. You sing and play beautifully," she said.

Mike looked down at the floor. He never was good at taking a
compliment. "Thank you. And, you could say, I found the song in my
head. I wrote it," he said, sitting his guitar down against the wall.

Amanda just stared at him for a moment, impressed with the fact that
such an emotional song had come from such a young man. A young man
that she was finding very attractive and more appealing with every
new detail she learned.

"Well, it's beautiful," she finally said.

They sat and watched one another for a few more moments then Amanda
suggested they have lunch.

"Okay, but," Mike said as he went to the refrigerator, opening the
door. "We won't find anything here."

"No problem," Amanda said, standing up from the couch. "We can go to
my cabin. I still have enough for sandwiches."

They ate a nice quiet lunch then turned on the television to find
something to watch. Finding an old movie, Mike and Amanda settled on
opposite ends of the couch. After a few moments, Mike got up for a
drink and noticed Amanda fast asleep. He took the blanket that was
draped over the back of the couch and gently placed it over her
sleeping form.

He couldn't resist running his fingertips over the soft, smooth skin
of her cheek. She stirred, startling him, but she didn't wake and he
took his hand away so as not to get caught. He watched her a moment
longer then started for the kitchen for a drink when he noticed her
sketchbook on the table.

Checking her once more to make sure she was still asleep, he picked
up the book and opened it. The first few pictures were sketches of
beautiful mountain scenery and then Mike turned the page and saw his
own face staring back at him. He was momentarily shocked but then
the accuracy and detailed artwork impressed him. Every detail was
perfect right down to the snaps on his shirt and the shape of his
fingers. There were four pictures, one of them a picture of him
sitting in the woods playing his guitar and singing like he had been
doing the day before.

Mike looked at Amanda again then closed the book and returned it to
where he had found it. As he poured himself a drink, he couldn't
stop thinking about the sketches and how perfect they were and what
had made her want to sketch him. Did he inspire her like she
inspired him? Her sketches were like his music and he had been
working on a song inspired by her.

He sat down again on the couch, looking at her once more smiling
slightly then resting his head in his hand, closed his eyes.

Minutes later, Amanda stirred on the couch and opened her eyes
noticing Mike at the other end, eyes closed, his head resting on his
hand as he propped his elbow on the arm of the couch. She moved
slowly, trying not to wake him.

"You're finally awake," Mike said not moving a muscle. He opened his
eyes and looked at her.

"Sorry I woke you," she said adjusting the blanket around her and
sitting up.

"You didn't. I wasn't asleep. Just resting and thinking."

"Oh? About what?" Amanda asked.

"Thinking about asking you if you would like to go out tonight.
Maybe catch a movie and have dinner," he said as he sat up and turned
her direction.

Amanda smiled, trying not to seem like an anxious schoolgirl. She
wanted nothing more than to spend as much time with him as possible.

"Yes, that sounds very nice," she answered.

Later that evening, Mike knocked on Amanda's door.

"Coming," she said, clipping an earring on her ear and heading to the
door.

Opening the door, her heart skipped a beat. He stood there smiling
at her, his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, his head tilted
slightly downward. He looked so handsome and so young. She looked
him up and down, taking in his black jeans and boots, white button
down shirt, black tie and black suit jacket.

Finally, she found her voice. "You look very nice. Black seems to
be your color."

"Thanks," he said, his eyes looking into her soul.

"Come in." Amanda stepped aside and he walked in leaving a waft of
wonderful smelling cologne in his wake. She thought she just might
faint away right then.

"You look mighty nice yourself," he said turning around to watch her
shut the door and go to the couch to put her shoes on. She was
wearing a nice long sleeved black and white striped dress with a
black belt accentuating her slim waist and a round scoop neckline
showing her long neck. Her shoulder length hair was combed out
straight and shiny.

"Thanks. Luckily I packed something to dress up in."

"Well, I didn't," Mike laughed. "I had to go shopping today for a
jacket and tie."

Amanda picked her sweater up from the couch. "You didn't have to do
that. We could have made it a casual affair. I didn't even think of
that."

Mike took her sweater and helped her into it. "Don't worry. I
needed them anyway."

She looked at him, not really believing. "Here are my keys. We can
take my car."

Mike took the keys she held out to him and they went to the car.

They went to a small, cozy restaurant for a nice meal and then to a
movie theater to see an old Cary Grant movie.

When they arrived back at the cabins, Mike walked Amanda to her door.

"I had a wonderful time, Mike," she said to him as he stood in front
of her almost close enough to feel his breath.

"Me, too."

He looked in her sparkling blue eyes and closed the gap between
them. Leaning closer to her, he brushed his lips against hers,
testing her. When she did not pull away, he kissed her again, a long
gentle kiss. Every inch of her skin tingled at his touch as he moved
his hands across her back, pulling her to him. She wrapped her arms
around his neck and he moved his to hold her face in his hands,
rubbing her cheeks with his thumbs.

Finally, he pulled away from her and looking in her eyes said, "I
should go now."

Amanda nodded and he continued. "I'll see you at breakfast."

He stepped off the small porch and Amanda watched as he walked the
short distance to his cabin and disappeared inside.

Chapter Six

The next morning, Amanda sat in the laundromat in town waiting for
her laundry and thinking. At breakfast, she had asked Mike to join
her for dinner that evening. She wanted to spend as much time as
possible with him and after the kiss he gave her last night, she
thought he did too. He was becoming a very good friend to her and
she had toyed with the idea of taking it further. But there was
always the nagging thought in her head that in five days they would
part, going different directions not only geographically but also in
life.

He would go back to Malibu and the life of a musician, never knowing
when or if he will work again, always chasing stardom. She would go
back to Sacramento and her routine life of up at six, at the office
by eight, home by seven, paperwork till ten and bed at eleven. It
sounded boring but it was the life she loved. And she knew Mike
would not fit in her life and she would not fit in his. That
certainly didn't stop her from dreaming though. She had dreamt of
Mike the last three nights and her common sense seemed to be fighting
a losing battle against those dreams.

She gathered her clean laundry, put it into her car and was off to
the grocery store to prepare for the night's dinner.

Mike sat on his bed strumming his guitar trying to work out a melody
for a song he had been thinking of the past couple of days. Ever
since he and Amanda had started doing things together, he couldn't
get her off his mind and with thoughts of her came this song.

"I'm not a dream, I'm not an angel, I'm a man," he sang while playing
the tune softly on his guitar. "You're not a queen, You're just a
woman, so hold my hand."

He stopped singing and continued playing as he thought of Amanda. He
knew he shouldn't even think about being anything but her friend but
he had an overwhelming urge to take their relationship to the next
level. She was different than the women he usually met.

He laughed at that thought. He could hardly call them women. They
were just girls, usually college students that were either working
their way through college as waitresses or retail clerks or getting
by on daddy's money. These girls always flocked around the band and
hung out at the beach. His other three friends loved the attention
from the girls, but Mike was not comfortable with it. He wanted to
meet a woman with a mission in life, a purpose for being there.
Amanda seemed to fit the bill, but he knew it was not to be.

Mike sat his guitar on the bed and stood up. It was lunchtime and he
was hungry. There was no food in his cabin and he gave some serious
thought to going to Amanda's to see if she had food. Finally, he
decided against that and went into town to find something to eat and
maybe keep himself busy for the afternoon, making evening come faster.

"Come in," Amanda called from the kitchenette after hearing a knock
on the door.

"Hi," Mike said, stepping inside and making his way to her. "I come
bearing gifts."

She looked in his direction to see him holding a bottle of wine. It
was not an expensive wine, but not a cheap bottle either and she was
sure it had cost him more than he really had to spend.

"You shouldn't have done that. This vacation is costing you an awful
lot; new clothes and a bottle of wine," she teased as she chopped
vegetables for a salad.

"It's worth it," he replied, leaning against the sink his arms folded
across his chest.

She looked at him as he looked in her eyes and she was frozen in
place for a moment like a deer caught in headlights. In that one
small sentence and in his gaze, she knew without a doubt that he had
been feeling the same things she was. Quickly, she turned back to
her salad, trying to act as normal as possible.

Mike watched as Amanda turned her back to him. She felt it too, he
thought to himself. Her reaction and the look in her eyes had
confirmed it.

After an awkward silence, he stepped up next to her and tapped her
left shoulder. When she turned to see what he wanted, he snatched a
carrot from her right side.

Amanda turned back around to see him standing there, grinning
mischievously and she had to smile.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he mumbled, obviously with his mouthful. They both burst
into a fit of laughter, relieving the tension of moments before.
When they finally settled down, Amanda went back to chopping lettuce
for a salad.

"What are we having for dinner? It smells good," Mike asked, quickly
grabbing another carrot and popping it in his mouth before Amanda
could say anything.

She gave him what she hoped was a disapproving look and then answered
his question.

"We are having lemon pepper chicken, steamed rice and salad, if you
quit eating it before it's done."

"What about dessert?" he said, ignoring her last comment.

"Apple pie and vanilla ice cream."

"Man, that sounds good. We certainly don't eat like that at home,"
he replied.

Amanda scooped the lettuce up and put it in a bowl.

"Maybe you need to find someone to cook for you, or..." She looked at
him with a twinkle in her eye. "Someone to teach you how to make a
few easy dishes."

Mike thought about that for a moment. "Hmm. That sounds like it
could be fun. Do you happen to know someone who could teach me?"

Amanda smiled at the twinkle that thought seemed to bring to his
eyes.

"I just might," she said as she sat the salad on the table.

They sat down at the table, which was set as elegantly as it could be
with the items in the cabin. She had purchased candles in town and
they were now lit in the center of the table. The only other light
in the room came from the light above the counter making the
candlelight cast a very romantic glow around the table. Amanda found
it hard to concentrate on eating as the light cast shadows on Mike's
face making him look even more mysterious and attractive.

When they finished the meal, they cleared the dishes from the table
and Amanda ran water in the sink. She was almost finished with the
dishes when Mike brought some more to her.

"Here's the last of them," he said reaching around her and sitting
them in the sink.

"Thank you," she said, struggling to keep her mind on washing the
dishes. He was not moving from behind her and it was making her
anxious and nervous.

Mike stood behind her wanting to reach out and touch her soft, shiny
hair and feel it under his fingertips, to bury his face in it, smell
it's sweet fragrance that he could just get a sample of from where he
stood. He wanted to run his fingers up and down her back like he had
the night before when they kissed. He licked his lips at the thought
of the kiss and sharing another with her.

But instead, he moved from behind her and went to the fireplace. As
in his cabin, there was a radio on the shelf and he turned it on and
began turning the dial searching for music. He stopped when he found
The Beatles singing `I Wanna Hold Your Hand'.

"The Beatles. Is that the kind of music you play with your band?"
she asked, walking to stand beside him.

"Yeah. Rock and Roll."

"Well, I can't say that I have gotten into the whole rock and roll
scene," Amanda said.

"Really? What kind of music do you prefer?"

"I like Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and I really like the big band
music," she answered.

Mike nodded his head. He never liked that music. Just goes to show
how much difference there is between us, he thought. He reached back
to the radio and turned the dial again, stopping once more when he
heard Moonlight Serenade.

Turning back to Amanda, he asked, "Would you like to dance?"

The question took her by surprise, but she took his outstretched hand
and stepped closer to him. He brought his other hand to the small of
her back sending a tingle through her entire body. He pulled her
close enough to him that she could feel his body against hers, his
warm breath on her neck.

As they moved slowly together as one to the music, Amanda became more
comfortable and put her head on his shoulder closing her eyes and
nestling her nose near his neck. He smelled so good and she found
herself getting lost in the moment, playing with the ends of his long
hair, something she'd never experienced before. No man she'd ever
gone with had hair that touched his collar like Mike's. He was a
rebel compared to the men she knew. They were all three-piece suits,
expensive wine and country clubs. Mike was certainly a breath of
badly needed fresh air.

I'm using him, she thought to herself. That is not fair and it's not
like me. But, she thought, he was using her, too. They both knew
that in just a few short days this would all be over and they would
never be able to see each other again.

They danced silently until the song was over and then Mike whispered
in her ear. "I want you."

Amanda didn't know what to do. She was torn between taking his hand
and dragging him to the bedroom or running the opposite direction
alone. She pulled back and looked at his face. He was dead serious
and waiting for her to say something.

"I, I want you, too. But I'm not sure we should do that. I mean we
don't really know each other and, well, I, I just don't jump into bed
with every guy I meet. I'm not that kind of girl." The words
spilled quickly out of her mouth and she knew everything she had said
was a flimsy excuse for not letting things happen but it was what had
come to mind.

Mike thought he knew what her hesitation was.

"How many men have you been with?"

Amanda looked at him in shock. "What? How dare you ask me a
question like that."

She wiggled out of his arms and went to stand in front of the
fireplace, wrapping her arms around herself as if for comfort.

"I'm asking because I think it's important," he said from very close
behind her.

Amanda watched the fire crackle in front of her. He had a right to
know if he was going to be with her.

"One. I've only been with one man," she said, almost in a whisper,
as if she was ashamed of the fact.

"What happened?" He knew something must have happened to make a
strong, independent woman like her act like a scared teenager.

"I was in college, my first year. This boy was interested in me and
we started dating. He always wanted to have sex. I wanted to wait
for marriage, but after four months of wearing me down, I finally
gave in to him. He got what he wanted and dumped me the next week.
I've dated some since then but mostly I've just concentrated on my
education and my career," she explained as a tear rolled down her
cheek.

Mike turned her to face him and pulled her into a gentle, caring hug.

"I wouldn't hurt you," he said as he softly stroked her hair and let
her cry.

It felt so good to finally talk about it with someone. She held on
tight to him and when she was done crying, she said, "But you will
leave me, too."

"Yes, but we both know that is going to happen. We have five days
left together. Let's love each other that long."

Amanda looked in his eyes. If she agreed to this, she could have the
best five days of her life and memories to last a lifetime. If she
didn't, this would be the last time she would ever see him and she
would always wonder what could have been. She would regret it
forever.

"Okay."

His eyes were kind and understanding and she felt as if she could
drown in the deep brown pools. He held his hand out to her and she
took it. As they crossed the room, Mike turned out the light and
turned off the radio then they went through the bedroom door. Amanda
didn't know what to expect, but she knew he would take care of her
and with that thought in mind, she relaxed and let him take her to
places she'd never been before.

Chapter Seven

Amanda rolled over onto her side, snuggling down into the covers
trying to find warmth. For some reason she didn't understand in her
half asleep state, she had become cold. As she lay there and became
more alert she realized why she had gotten cold. Reaching to the
space beside her, she found that Mike was not there. Opening her
eyes, she could see the clock beside the bed in the light coming from
the window. Three o'clock. Looking through the bedroom door, Amanda
saw Mike standing at the sliding glass doors, wearing only his jeans,
the light from the full moon illuminating his face. She could see he
was deep in thought.

She felt for something to put on and found Mike's black western shirt
he'd been wearing. She climbed out from under the covers and slipped
the shirt on, taking in its scent as she snapped a few of the pearl
snaps.

"Mike," she said quietly as she walked into the room, not wanting to
startle him.

He turned and smiled when he saw her step into the moonlight.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked.

"Thinking." He took her hand and pulled her close.

"About what?" she asked as she looked in his eyes.

"Things."

"I'm not going to get an answer, am I?" She smiled at him, slightly
amused at his vague answer.

Mike only smiled back and hugged her to him.

"You look good in my shirt," he whispered in her ear making her knees
weak.

He turned her around to face the door, her back against his chest,
his arms wrapped around her.

"Look outside," he said in her ear.

Amanda looked outside to see a thin blanket of newly fallen snow
covering the ground and big snowflakes still falling.

"It's snowing! How beautiful," she exclaimed.

They stood quietly watching the snow fall, Amanda wrapped in Mike's
arms.

"Are you okay with our situation here?" he asked, breaking the
silence after a few moments.

"Yes, Mike. I am. I know we will be parting ways at the end of the
week. I won't ask how or why and I won't ask forever of you. I know
it's not possible. I'll just love you now and we'll make a space in
our lives for each other until it's time to go."

Mike was surprised by her answer and was quiet for a moment. The
words she said were beautiful and they fit so well with the
situation. And, he thought, they would work in the song he had been
working on. He gave her a hug and kissed her temple, then released
her and held out his hand.

"It's late. Let's get some sleep."

The next morning when Amanda awoke, the clock beside the bed read
nine-thirty. Too late for breakfast, she thought.

Mike was still asleep next to her lying on his stomach, his hair a
mess and falling into his eyes, his arm dangling off the side of the
bed. He looked so young and cute that Amanda had to smile.

She got up and showered then came back to find him still asleep.

"Mike," she said, gently nudging him. "Time to get up."

"Leave me alone, Micky," he mumbled, his eyes still closed.

Amanda laughed and tried again. "Mike, it's time to get up."

He finally opened his eyes to see her smiling down at him.

"I just called you Micky, didn't I?" he asked.

"Yes, you did. One of your roommates?"

"Yeah," Mike smiled. "I share a bedroom with him. He's always
bothering me. Sorry."

Mike sat up and ran his fingers through his unruly hair. "You're a
lot better looking than him."

Amanda laughed. "Thank you, I think."

Mike got up and went into the bathroom as Amanda went to the kitchen.

"How about some apple pie for breakfast?"

"Sounds good," he answered from the bathroom.

When Amanda had two pieces of pie on plates, Mike came into the room
dressed in his jeans, black western shirt, un tucked and no boots. He
had combed his thick hair and he had an overnight growth of beard.

"I'll have to go back to my cabin and shower and shave," he said
taking the plate she held out to him.

"You should let it grow," she said as she ran her fingers across his
face. "You'd look good with a beard."

He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her
palm. "Maybe one of these days."

They ate their pie then Mike went to clean up and Amanda cleaned up
the kitchen. Within half an hour, he was back.

"Hey, let's play in the snow. It's warming up out there and it won't
be long before it's melted," he suggested.

"Okay," Amanda said, slipping her shoes and sweater on.

They went outside and started building a snowman when the children
from the cabin next door came out to play. The young boy and girl
watched Mike and Amanda for a while and Amanda asked them to come and
help.

"What are your names?" she asked them.

The boy answered, "I'm Jake, and this is my sister, Maggie."

"Well, hello Jake and Maggie. I'm Amanda and this is my friend
Mike," she told them as Mike smiled and gave them a small wave.
Amanda chuckled when she noticed that Maggie couldn't keep her eyes
off Mike.

"How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen, she just turned thirteen," Jake answered.

The foursome worked on their creation finding two twigs for arms,
rocks for eyes and Mike contributed his green hat for the top of the
snowman's head. Mike whispered something in Jake's ear then Amanda
and Maggie were surprised by two snowballs in the face. Before long
a full-fledged snowball fight was underway, the girls squealing and
the boys laughing.

Finally, when everyone was tired, Amanda suggested they go to her
cabin and have some hot chocolate. She went with the children to ask
their parent's permission and Mike went to the cabin to warm the milk.

In a few minutes, Amanda and the kids were back and they all sat down
at the table. They talked, laughed and joked for almost an hour.
When Jake and Maggie left, Amanda and Mike sat on the couch, side by
side.

"That was fun," she said leaning her head on the back of the couch.

"Yeah, it was," Mike agreed as he, too, leaned his head back against
the couch. "You're really good with kids."

Amanda chuckled a little. "I guess it comes naturally. I've never
been around kids much."

She watched as he leaned his head back on the couch.

"You were pretty good with them yourself," she said.

He only smiled and they fell silent for a few minutes.

"Do you want kids some day?" he suddenly asked.

"Yes, I do. But I'm going to have to hurry. I'm not getting any
younger."

Mike looked at her. "Just how old are you?"

She turned her body to face him and answered, "I turned thirty about
three months ago. My clock is ticking; very loudly, I might add."

"Don't worry. You'll find Mr. Right, you'll get married and you'll
have a houseful of kids," he told her patting her knee that was
across his leg.

She smiled back at him, wishing he were Mr. Right. "You're sweet.
How about you? Do you want kids some day?"

"Sure. I suppose most every body does. I just haven't given it much
thought. I guess I'll think about finding the right woman first,
then maybe we'll have kids. Who knows?"

Amanda smiled, patted his leg and got up from the couch.

"That just goes to show just how young you really are. Not even
thinking about a family yet."

Mike watched as she went to the refrigerator and started taking
things out for lunch. She was right. Having a family was the
furthest thing from his mind. He was concentrating on his career,
hoping to make a name for himself in the music business. He wasn't
ready to think about settling down.

~~~~~~~~~~

After a lazy afternoon and a light dinner, Mike decided it was time
to go back to his cabin. They had not discussed staying together and
although he wanted to, he wasn't going to be the one to approach the
subject.

As they were sitting on the couch watching television, Amanda wrapped
comfortably in Mike's arms, he gave her a squeeze.

"I should be getting back to my cabin," he said.

Amanda tightened her grip on his arm.

"No," she said. "Don't go. Stay with me the rest of the week.
Please."

He closed his eyes and pushed his face against her hair. How could
he go anywhere? He would be leaving soon enough.

"I'd love to stay. Come with me to get my things."

Amanda nodded and they got up from the couch, walked hand in hand to
his cabin and gathered his things. It didn't take long since he
hadn't brought much and what he brought, he hadn't unpacked. Mike
handed Amanda his bag and grabbed his guitar then they went back to
her cabin.

Chapter Eight

Amanda woke the next morning to Mike gently running his fingers
through her hair and the sound of rain softly and steadily falling
outside.

"Morning, Mandy," he said with a smile.

"Good morning, Michael. I thought I dreamed you called me that."

"No, it was definitely not a dream." He pulled her into a tight hug.

"I like it. No one has ever called me that. My parent's wouldn't
hear of it," she explained, hugging him back.

"We won't tell them," he teased.

He untangled himself from her arms and went to the bathroom. Amanda
got up, too, and slipped into her warm terry cloth robe. As she went
into the kitchen, a notebook on the table caught her eye. Sitting
down, she opened it to find page after page of what seemed to be
beautiful poetry about lost love and finding love.

Mike walked through the bedroom door and saw her reading his book.
He said a quick thank you that he hadn't written his new song in that
book. He walked up behind her and asked, "What did you find?"

"A treasure," she answered without looking up from the book. "I had
no idea you were a poet."

He chuckled. "A songwriter."

She turned to look at him. "These are songs? Where's the music?"

He pulled out a chair, turned it around and straddled it putting his
chin on his hands on the back of it.

"I can't read music which means I can't write it either, so I write
down the words, keep the melody in my head and have my friend, Peter,
write the music down when I play it for him. He's a very talented
musician, plays just about every instrument you can think of-piano,
guitar, banjo."

Amanda noticed as he talked about his friend the expression on his
face showed just how much he loved and admired him. He was proud of
the young man he called a friend.

"So, there is Micky and Peter. Who is the third one?"

"Davy. He stands about so tall," he said holding his hand at the
height Davy would stand if he was there. "He's English and girls go
crazy for him for some reason. He's a good guy, a very good friend."

"What is Micky like?"

"Oh, he's a clown," Mike laughed. "He's always playing a prank on
someone or telling silly jokes but when it comes right down to it,
he's my best friend. He and I have a bond that I don't have with
Davy and Peter. I don't know why." Mike was quiet then.

Amanda was impressed with the way he talked about his friends and the
look it brought to his face. She could tell they meant a great deal
to him.

"What are their places in your band?"

"Peter plays bass and keyboards, Micky plays drums and Davy plays the
tambourine and maracas. I play guitar. Micky and Davy take turns
singing lead and Peter and I usually just stay in the background," he
answered.

"That's a shame. You have a wonderful voice. You should be in the
front once in a while." She turned back to the book and read a few
more songs.

Mike watched her, thinking about what she had said. No one had ever
bothered to tell him how they felt about his singing. It felt good
to know that someone liked what he did.

Amanda gently closed the book and stood up.

"I'll go get cleaned up and we'll go get some breakfast."

~~~~~~~~~~

After breakfast, Mike stood at the window watching the rain fall.

"I guess we stay inside today. It doesn't look like it's going to
let up any."

"Play some of those songs in that notebook for me," Amanda suggested
from her spot on the couch.

Mike picked up his guitar and sat on the edge of the couch beside
Amanda. She listened intently to each song.

"You are such a talented artist," she said when he finally finished.

Mike smiled at her. "Speaking of artists, I have a confession to
make. The other day when you were asleep on the couch, I found your
sketchbook and looked through the pictures. You, Mandy, are a very
talented artist yourself."

"Oh, my," she said smiling and covering her face with her
hands. "How embarrassing."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about. They were great sketches."

"But they were all of you," she said still embarrassed.

"They were?" he asked in mock surprise. "I didn't notice that."

They both laughed and she swatted him on the arm.

"Seriously, they were really very good," he said.

"Thank you. It's always been a hobby of mine. There's never really
been a place for it in my life," she explained.

Mike started strumming his guitar again and said, "You need to change
that."

He started to sing. "You and I travel to the beat of a different
drum."

Amanda listened to his beautiful voice and closed her eyes thinking
about what he'd said. Maybe she would paint a picture and do
something with it. It would make her very happy to have others
enjoying something that brought her so much joy.

~~~~~~~~~~

Later that day, Amanda suggested that Mike learn to cook a simple,
easy meal so he could cook for his roommates once he was back home.

"It's one of the easiest things to make," Amanda said as she brought
out the ingredients for spaghetti. She pulled out the recipe card
she had brought knowing she would be cooking. "All you have to do is
follow the directions on this card."

Mike picked it up and read it then put it back on the counter.

"You're sure it's that easy?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Amanda answered as she found a pan to cook in. Then
she sat a cake mix on the counter.

"And, we will need dessert."

"You want me to make dessert, too?" he questioned.

"Of course. All you do is add an egg and water. It's very simple."

They worked easily together, adding things to the pan on the stove
and then mixing the cake. There was a knock at the door and Amanda
and Mike looked at each other then she went to the door.

"Hello," a young man said when she opened the door. "Miss Watson?"

"Yes," Amanda said, puzzled.

"You have a phone message. A Mr. Robert Owen needs you to call him
ASAP," the young man said, handing her a small slip of paper.

Amanda took the paper and looked it over. "Thank you."

She shut the door and sat on the couch to slip her shoes on.

"My boss," she said in answer to Mike's questioning look. "He
probably can't find his stapler. He couldn't find his head if it
weren't attached to his neck."

She stood up and grabbed her sweater. "Just follow the directions
on the box and stir the sauce one or two more times. I'll be back as
soon as I can."

In less than half an hour, Amanda was back.

"Did he find his stapler?" Mike asked when she shut the door.

She chuckled and took off her shoes and sweater. "He couldn't find a
deposition we took two weeks ago. How's the cooking going?"

She came around the counter and tasted the sauce. "Mmm. I think
it's going pretty good."

Mike smiled and set the table. "We'll see when we eat it."

"That was very good," Amanda said when they had finished the
spaghetti. "You get an A for your first cooking assignment."

"Thanks, but I think you'd better taste the cake before you say
that. It's baked but it has no frosting yet."

Amanda got up from the table with her dishes. "I'll help with that."

Mike stood up and took his dishes to the sink. He found a small bowl
to mix the frosting in and then gathered the ingredients. He mixed
it according to the instructions on the box while Amanda washed the
dishes.

"Does this look right?" he asked.

Amanda dried her hands and turned to look.

"Yes, it looks good." She reached into the drawer and brought out a
knife. "You'll need to spread it on the cake now."

He took the knife from her and dipped it in the bowl then spread the
frosting on the cake. He then got an ornery look on his face and the
next dip of frosting went on her nose.

"Hey!" Amanda exclaimed trying to wipe it off her nose. She dipped
her finger in the bowl and returned the favor and before long she was
squealing as she tried to cover him in frosting and he was spreading
it everywhere he could reach. They both had frosting on their faces,
arms and necks.

Finally, when the bowl was empty and Mike and Amanda were sitting on
the floor, leaning against the cabinets, the frosting war was over.

"I can't believe we did that," Amanda said, looking at Mike's
frosting covered face.

"Me either." He wiped at his face and looked at her.

"You have some frosting right here," he said reaching to put his
fingertip on her neck just below her ear. "Let me get it off for
you."

He leaned closer and placed his lips where his finger had been,
kissing the spot on her neck. She closed her eyes and tilted her
head back, enjoying his kiss. He gently laid her down on the floor
and kept kissing her neck, then her throat and then her lips.

An hour later they were lying in each other's arms, Mike in only his
unbuttoned, unzipped jeans and Amanda in only Mike's shirt. She was
using his arm as a pillow, running her fingers across his chest.

"Well, I have to say I've never had that much fun cleaning up a mess
in the kitchen," Amanda said.

"I've never had that much fun cleaning up anything." Mike gave her a
squeeze and kissed her cheek.

Amanda kissed his chest and then his lips. "We should get ourselves
cleaned up now."

Mike stood up and held out his hands to help her up. Holding her
hand and leading her to the bedroom, he had a thought.

"We could save time and clean up together."

Amanda surprised him and giggled then tugged on his hand and took the
lead as they went through the bedroom door.

Chapter Nine

"How about a trip into town?" Mike asked as he and Amanda walked back
to her cabin after breakfast the next morning.

"Okay. I have something I need to do in town and I need to do
laundry one more time before I go home."

When she said that, she felt a sadness come over her. She knew it
was coming but saying it out loud made it seem so final.

Mike felt it too and cursed to himself. He knew they were parting
and there was nothing either of them could do about it. If either of
them were to give up their life and career to be with the other, no
one would be happy and they would come to resent each other.

"Yeah, me too," he finally said.

They gathered laundry and went into town. Mike parked the car in
front of the laundromat and turned to Amanda.

"Why don't we each go take care of our errands then meet back here to
do laundry," he suggested.

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea," Amanda said as she reached for
the door handle.

"Mandy."

As she turned to answer, Mike leaned close to her and kissed her lips.

"I'll see you later," he said as they pulled away from the kiss.

They each got out of the car, Mike crossing the street to a music
store. He made his way to a small desk in the back of the store.

"Hello. May I help you?" asked the man sitting behind the desk.

"Yeah. I'd like to use your recording booth."

Mike had been planning this for the last two days. He had written a
song for Amanda and wanted to give it to her. The best way to do
that, he had decided, was to record it. Fortunately, the music store
had a small recording booth to make your own records.

Mike filled out the paper the man had given him and was now seated in
the booth, tuning the acoustic guitar that had been provided.

"Ready when you are, Mr. Nesmith," the man said into the intercom.

Mike nodded at the man and started the intro to his song. Within two
hours, he had recorded two songs onto a small record and had taken it
to the drugstore to have it gift-wrapped. The lady at the counter
wrapped it in pretty white paper with blue stripes then tied a blue
ribbon around it. She then carefully placed it in a brown bag so
Amanda could not see it.

Mike sifted through the change in his pocket and found the correct
change to pay her. The record had taken all the cash he had left.
Luckily, his bike had enough gas to get him home and he could handle
driving straight home with out stopping for food.

Taking his package, he made his way back across the street to the
laundromat. Even though he was broke now, he was happy. He wouldn't
have changed anything he'd done in the last few days.

Amanda entered the art supply store a few doors down from the
laundromat and went to the framing department.

"I need to have this picture matted and framed," Amanda said pulling
out her sketch from a big, brown envelope.

The woman took the picture and looked at it. "This is very good.
Did you do this?"

Amanda blushed slightly. "Yes, I did."

"He's a very handsome young man. Is he your husband?" the woman
asked, smiling.

The question took Amanda by surprise. "Um, no. No, he's not. He's
just a friend."

In a short time the picture was framed and wrapped in brown paper
with a yellow bow tied around it. The woman slipped it in a bag and
handed it to Amanda.

"Thank you for stopping in."

Amanda smiled and left the store making her way back to the car just
as Mike was taking the laundry out.

"Hi, there. Need some help washing clothes?" she asked cheerfully as
she carefully put her package in the back seat.

"Hi," he answered. "Help sounds nice."

She followed him inside and together they sorted and washed clothes.
Before long, the laundry was cleaned, folded and back in the car.

"How about lunch?" Amanda asked as they stood beside the car.

Mike looked down at the ground, not wanting to admit he didn't have
any money.

"My treat," Amanda quickly suggested when she realized what was wrong.

"No, I can't let you pay for my lunch."

"I insist. After all, you've gone through a lot of money on this
trip."

Mike looked into her pleading blue eyes. How could he say no to
her? Besides, he was starving.

"Okay," he finally said and they drove to a nice little place they
had passed on the way into town. The food was good and they enjoyed
each other's company.

As they were leaving, Amanda saw a photo booth and grabbed Mike's
arm, dragging him to stand in front of it.

"Let's get our picture taken. We can get four shots for a quarter,"
she said excitedly.

Again, he looked in those blue eyes and couldn't say no. They sat
down, pulled the curtain shut and she dropped a coin into the slot.
In a short time, they were back outside the booth, Amanda holding a
strip of pictures in her hand.

"You take a good picture," Mike said, looking over her shoulder.

"So do you," Amanda answered. She then tore the strip of paper in
half and handed Mike two pictures. "Here. Keep these to remember
me."

Mike looked at the pictures in his hand and then back at her. "I
won't need these to remember you, but I'll take them," he said,
holding the pictures to his heart.

Amanda smiled. She knew the feeling too well.

"I know," she whispered, taking his hand.

When they were back at the cabin, Amanda took the laundry to the
bedroom to put it away. Mike stood in the doorway watching her, then
quietly came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. He
kissed her neck and she turned around in his arms to face him and
kissed his lips. Mike gently eased her down on the bed. She pulled
away from him and took his face in her hands.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm trying to memorize what you look like. I want to remember you
for the rest of my life," she answered looking into his dark eyes.

He leaned down and kissed her again. "I know I'll remember you.
You've got a place in my heart forever, Mandy."

"And you have a place in mine forever, too, Michael."

Chapter Ten

Mike and Amanda walked quietly along the sidewalk back to her cabin
after breakfast. They had hardly spoken a word between them since
getting up that morning, both deep in thought about the fact that
this was their last full day together.

"Let's take a walk," Amanda suggested suddenly.

Mike looked at her and nodded as they started across the parking lot
to the wooded path.

As they walked side by side, the late morning sun warming the air
around them, Amanda linked her arm with his.

"What will you remember about these past few days?"

Mike thought for a moment, took a deep breath and stopped to look at
the creek beside the path. Finally, he spoke. "I'll always remember
meeting a woman who showed me that every female I meet won't be a
giggly, daddy's girl and I might actually be able to find a woman I
can have an intelligent conversation with."

After a few moments of silence as Amanda took that information in, he
turned to her and asked, "And you? What will you remember?"

"I'll always remember the man who taught me how to love someone. I
never really knew how to give myself to someone so completely that it
made me happy. For that, I will always be grateful."

Amanda turned back to face him to find that Mike had been watching
her while she was talking. She smiled a small smile and he returned
it. They fell silent again, watching the water ripple over the rocks
in the bottom of the stream.

"You want to know something else?" he quietly asked as he turned to
look at her.

"What?" she whispered.

"Even though I know we'll never see each other again after we leave
here, I'm happy. It's hard to explain, but I'm not sad that we have
to go our separate ways. Well, yeah, I am sad, but, oh, I said it
was hard to explain," he said, disgusted with himself that he
couldn't express what he felt.

Amanda laughed softly at how unlike himself he was at that moment.
He had been so self confident and articulate since she met him and
now he was standing here in front of her stumbling over words and not
able to get a single thought out of his head.

"I know what you mean," she said. "I feel it too. It's like we were
destined to be here, to meet each other. As if we each had something
to teach the other." She gave his arm a slight squeeze. "I
understand."

Mike watched her face as she talked, stopping on her eyes. He looked
deep into the sky blue orbs and saw something that made him believe
that she did understand. He pulled her into a hug and wrapped his
long arms around her, burying his face in her hair. She was so much
like him yet so different. He would never regret meeting her.

"Let's go back to the cabin," he said after a few silent moments. "I
have something to show you."

When they walked in the door, Mike told Amanda to sit down and he
went into the bedroom for his guitar. She watched as he came back
and sat next to her on the edge of the couch, resting the guitar on
his lap.

"I wrote something for you," he said as he played the opening chords
to a song. He then started singing beautiful, slow, emotion filled
words.

"I'm not a dream, I'm not an angel, I'm a man. You're not a queen,
you're a woman, so hold my hand. We'll make a space in the lives we
both had planned; And here we'll stay until it's time for you to go."

Amanda watched him as he sang, his eyes closed as he felt every word.

"Yes, we're different, worlds apart, we're not the same. We laughed
and played at the start as in a game. You could have stayed outside
my heart, but in you came. So here you'll stay until its time for
you to go."

She hung on every word and tears stung her eyes. Mike still had his
eyes closed and Amanda thought it looked as though his eyelashes were
glistening with unshed tears.

"Don't ask why of me, don't ask how of me, don't ask forever of me,
love me now."

Mike opened his eyes and looked down at his fingers then turned his
gaze to Amanda. A tear escaped from the corner of her eye and she
saw that she had been right about his eyelashes glistening.

"This love of mine had no beginning it has no end. I was an oak, now
I'm a willow and I can bend. And though I'll never in my life see
you again. Still I will stay until it's time for you to go."

A sob caught in Amanda's throat as she listened to his words and
watched a single tear roll down his cheek, yet he was able to sing
the whole song without faltering.

When the last note finally faded into the silence, Mike turned to
Amanda.

"That was the most beautiful song I've ever heard," she said
softly. "You wrote that about us, didn't you?"

He kept his eyes on hers and simply nodded.

Amanda reached to his face and wiped away the second tear that was
making it's way down his face. He took her hand and kissed her palm
as he put his guitar down beside the couch. He pulled her to him and
hugged her tightly, Amanda melting into his hug and crying softly.

Mike fought to keep his emotions in check and for a moment he thought
about staying with her for the rest of his life. He could learn to
adapt to her lifestyle. He could find a job and just play music for
his own enjoyment as long as Amanda was by his side forever.

"Oh, Michael," she said as she tried to stop crying. "I love you."

She had told herself she would not say that to him but she couldn't
stop herself. "I'll love you forever."

He held her tighter when he heard what she said.

"I love you, too. I always will," he whispered.

His mind came up with another plan and without thinking, he blurted
it out.

"Stay with me."

He pushed her away enough to see her face.

"You could stay with me and the guys. The rent's cheap and the house
is okay. You could get a job somewhere in Malibu. They need lawyers
everywhere."

He was talking fast and thinking little as he sat in front of her
coming up with what he thought where wonderful ideas.

"Wait, wait, Mike," Amanda said, holding her hands in front of him to
try to stop his endless chatter. "You know that won't work."

His face fell as reality came back to him.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," he apologized.

To Amanda, he looked like a little boy who was just told he had to
stay home and couldn't go with Dad on this fishing trip. Her heart
went out to him and she felt as though she was to blame for making
him feel that way.

"Don't apologize. I understand." She stood and went to stand in
front of the fireplace, suddenly feeling very cold. "I should
apologize to you. I wasn't going to tell you I loved you because to
me saying I love you means there is a commitment and we both know we
can't do that. But the words just tumbled right out of my mouth
before I could stop them. I'm sorry."

Mike went to stand behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I know. But, I do love you and I always will. I also know that we
can't be together. If either of us leaves our life for the other,
we'll regret it and eventually resent the other for it." He
chuckled. "I was just thinking earlier about staying with you."

He pulled her into a hug. "You've made me lose my mind and that's a
good thing."

She laughed and hugged him back. They stood like that for a while
and then finally Amanda looked up at Mike and smiled.

"Well, we still have half a day to spend together. What shall we
do?"

Amanda packed a picnic lunch when they finally decided what to do
with their day and they spread a blanket on the ground next to the
stream. After eating and cleaning up the mess, Amanda leaned her
back against a tree trunk while Mike rested his head in her lap.

"This was a good idea," she said, running her fingers absently
through Mike's long hair.

"A good way to clean out the fridge," he joked. He lay there a while
longer enjoying her fingers in his hair then he got up and walked to
the water's edge.

As he stood there watching the clear water, Amanda took her
sketchbook out of the bag she had brought and started sketching him.
The scene was one she couldn't pass up. From where she sat she saw
his profile against the beautiful green of the trees and the white of
the rocks in the stream. The sun made the water sparkle like
diamonds and she would have sketched the birds chirping if she could.

As she was shading in her picture, he came and sat down beside her
and watched.

"You know, you are a very good artist," he said. "You should really
do something with your talent."

She kept working and answered. "Maybe someday I will. No one has
ever encouraged me like you do. They always tell me the pictures are
nice, but I should concentrate on law. It will pay the bills."

"That's too bad. I don't believe a person should keep an artistic
talent hidden," Mike said thoughtfully.

Amanda stopped working and looked at him. "You are right. I will
take more time for my art."

He smiled and leaned closer to give her a kiss on the lips. She
returned the kiss, her artwork forgotten.

When evening rolled around, Mike and Amanda were cuddled on the couch.

"Will you play that song for me again?" Amanda asked quietly. "It's
so beautiful. I don't want to forget it."

"Sure," he said, then kissed her forehead. "And I promise you will
remember it."

He got up and went to the bedroom to get his guitar and Amanda
followed. They sat on the bed and Mike played and sang the song one
more time. Amanda listened carefully, crying as before and Mike sang
each word with deep emotion.

Chapter Eleven

Gradually night turned to day and Mike woke with Amanda in his arms.
He felt her gentle, warm breath on his bare chest each time she
exhaled. It was comforting to him as he thought of leaving after
breakfast. The feeling of uncertainty came over him as he wondered
how he would go on without her, but he knew he had no choice.

"Good morning," Amanda said as she stirred and woke.

Mike only hugged her tight, not trusting his voice if he tried to
talk. She melted into his hug, understanding why he was quiet. She
felt it, too.

"I guess we should go get some breakfast. We shouldn't travel on
empty stomachs." She sat up slightly so she could see his
face. "Especially you since you are driving straight home with no
stops."

"I guess so," he finally answered. He would rather stay in bed and
never move again if it would mean staying with her but he was being
unrealistic.

Amanda picked up her robe and got up making her way into the
bathroom. Mike could hear her getting ready for her day and he got
up, too, finding his jeans and a shirt then zipping his bag to go
home. Home, he thought. Back to the beach and his music. And back
to his friends. Suddenly he missed them terribly; Micky's silliness,
Davy's charm and Peter's gentleness. He wished he could take Amanda
back with him and introduce her to them.

Mike sat down on the bed after slipping on his jeans and shirt. He
wouldn't tell the guys about her. It was better that they never knew
about her. They would only feel sorry for him and probably try to
cheer him up with all kinds of silly ideas. He didn't think he could
survive a cheering up from them, so he would keep Amanda as his own
little secret.

Amanda came out of the bathroom dressed and freshened up.

"Your turn," she said as happily as she could. She watched Mike go
into the bathroom and sat down on the bed, her happy face becoming
sad. I have to be strong, she thought. I can't break down about
this. She wished she could take him to her home, maybe introduce him
to some of her friends. She shook her head. That would never do.
They would not approve and he would only end up getting hurt. She
would keep him to herself and never tell anyone about him. That was
the only way to protect him.

They had breakfast with very little conversation. But they did catch
one looking at the other many times and by the time they were
finished eating, they were laughing about it.

"We should take pictures," Mike said as they were walking back to the
cabin. "Oh, wait. We already did."

They both laughed and he pulled her to him, his arm around her
shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his waist and they walked the
rest of the way like that.

Mike helped Amanda load her bags into the trunk of her car.

"Is that everything?"

Amanda looked around the cabin from the front door. "I think so."

He closed the trunk and went inside. His bag and his guitar were
waiting for him beside the door along with the brown shopping bag
that Amanda's gift was in. He picked it up and went to where she was
standing at the table, looking at a paper.

"Mandy, I have something for you," he said as he stepped to her side.

She turned and saw him take a small, flat item wrapped in blue and
white paper with a blue bow out of the bag he was holding. He handed
it to her and she gently took it in her hand looking up at him with
questioning eyes.

"Go ahead. Open it." He smiled and nodded to the gift.

She looked down at it again and slowly and carefully tore the paper
off. She found a small record with a plain white paper cover. There
was a hand written note.

`For Mandy, I'll never forget you. All my love, forever. Michael.'

Amanda ran her fingers gently over the words, tears stinging her
eyes. She then read the title of the song-'Until It's Time For You
To Go`. It was the song he had written for them. Turning the record
over, she found another song-'Nine Times Blue'.

"What song is this?" she asked as she ran her fingers over the song
title.

"It's the song you caught me singing in the woods, the one you said
was beautiful."

Amanda nodded her head in understanding.

"Thank you, Michael. Now I will have something to remember this time
with you forever."

She looked up at him and a tear escaped from her eye.

"I have something for you, too." She wiped the tear away and went to
the couch where her handbag and another shopping bag were. She
slipped an item wrapped in brown paper with a yellow bow out of the
bag and handed it to him.

Mike took the gift and opened it to find Amanda and himself staring
back at him. A sketch he had not seen before was in a beautiful wood
frame behind glass. He ran his fingers over the frame.

"I've never seen this one."

"I kept it hidden," she explained.

"How did you do this? I mean, we never sat down together to be your
model." He was surprised at the picture of he and Amanda sitting
close together as if they had been posing for a portrait.

"I used my imagination." She watched him as he looked the picture
over trying not to miss a detail.

"Thank you," he finally said, looking up from the picture into
Amanda's eyes. He gave her a hug and then kissed her.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Mike announced it was
time to go.

"I know. I just don't want to go," she said holing on to him.

"I don't either, but we both know we have to." He gave her another
hug and kiss then pushed her away slightly, looking at her
face. "I'll never forget you."

"And I'll never forget you," Amanda answered, tears gathering in her
eyes.

They kissed once more; a long, passionate kiss. One meant to be
remembered forever. Quietly and reluctantly, Amanda went to her car
and slid behind the steering wheel. Mike shut the door for her and
bent down to see her through the window. She rolled it down and held
her hand out to him.

"I guess this is goodbye," she said as he took her hand.

"Yeah, I guess it is. But who knows what the future holds. We just
might meet again someday." He smiled and kissed her hand.

"Maybe," Amanda agreed as she turned the key to start the engine.
She turned back to him with tear filled eyes trying to maintain a
sense of control. "You take care of yourself and good luck with your
music."

"Thanks," Mike said. "Good luck with your artwork." He looked at
her for a few moments.

"You take care of yourself, too." He then leaned inside the car to
kiss her again.

"Goodbye," Mike said softly when he stood back up.

Amanda didn't even try to stop the tears that threatened to
fall. "Goodbye."

She wiped at the tears and put the car into gear. With a small wave
and a sad, sweet smile, she guided the car out of the parking space
and into the driveway.

Mike watched as her car slowly rounded a corner and was out of
sight. He stood for a moment watching where her car had been and
chuckled to himself as he thought about something Mr. Schneider said
when he or his friends pulled his string. It is better to have loved
and lost than to never have loved at all. He never knew how true
that was till now.

He turned and went into the cabin picking up his guitar and his bag.
The picture Amanda had given him lay on top of the bag and he gently
picked it up. As he looked at her smiling face next to his, a tear
fell on the glass. He carefully wiped it away, slipped the picture
into his bag and took them to his bike to secure them for the ride
home. He was better off having known Amanda even if it was for just
ten days out of a lifetime. Everything would work out just fine for
both of them, he was sure of it.

After a quick check to make sure everything would ride safely, he sat
on the black leather seat, adjusted his hat and started the engine.
With one last look at the cabin, he expertly guided the bike down the
driveway to the highway and toward home, his thoughts full of Amanda
and what his future might hold.

EPILOGUE

Thirty years later...

"That was a good show, guys," Micky said to Peter, Davy and Mike as
they entered the small restaurant and bar in the lobby of the hotel
they were staying in while they were in San Francisco. The Monkees
were at the last stop on a reunion tour. In the late sixties, after
Mike had spent the week at the cabin, they had been approached by a
recording agent and had been signed to a deal. The next ten years
they had toured and recorded a string of hit records. In 1977, they
called it quits and went their separate ways until last year. Their
record company suggested they do a reunion tour since people were
very interested in nostalgia. The tour had been a success and they
were glad to be done.

"Yeah, but I think I'm too old for this anymore," Mike said as he
dropped into a booth in the corner.

The others laughed and agreed. The waitress came by and took
everyone's order. They talked about the concert and what had gone
wrong and what had gone right.

Mike looked up just in time to see a woman in a business suit enter
the room. For a moment, he didn't think about her and then she
turned enough for him to see her face. He stared, memories flooding
his mind. It was her; Amanda. Even after thirty years he knew it
was her.

"Mike?" Micky had noticed he stopped joining in the
conversation. "Are you all right?"

"What?" Mike asked as he slowly turned his head away from her.

"You seem like you are a thousand miles away." Peter said, looking
in the direction Mike had been looking.

"I have to go do something. I'll be back later," Mike said, getting
up from the table. The other's looked at him strangely, then went
back to their conversation.

Mike went to the table the woman was seated at and tapped her on the
arm.

"Mandy?"

She turned at the sound of the nickname only one person had called
her.

"Mike?" A smile spread across her face. "Have a seat."

"How are you?" he asked, pulling out the chair across from her and
sitting.

Amanda looked at him. She was sure she would never see him again
after they had parted ways at the mountain cabins so very long ago.
Now he was sitting here in front of her, still looking just as good
as he had then. He was even still wearing blue jeans and boots, but
the dark hair was now short and gray and a gray beard covered his
face.

"I'm just fine. How about you?" she asked.

"I'm good too." To him, she looked so wonderful, dressed as a lawyer
would be in a blue business suit, her now short brown hair combed
straight just barely skimming her collar. "I thought we'd never see
each other again. I still have the picture you gave me. I keep it
in a safe place, in a drawer in my dresser."

Amanda smiled and sipped her drink. "I had your record transferred
over the years to cassette then to a cd. I listen to it at least
once a year, on the anniversary of when we met." She didn't tell him
she kept the original record along with the pictures they had taken
in the picture booth and the sketches she'd done in a carved wooden
box under her bed. She looked up at him. "I listened for it on the
radio over the years."

He kept his eyes on her face. "It was only meant for your ears, no
one else's. I never played it for anyone."

Amanda smiled and looked down at her drink. Mike telling her that
made her want to cry. She apparently meant a great deal to him all
those years ago. The waitress came by to take their order, but
neither of them placed one.

"Are you still practicing law?" he asked, after the waitress had gone.

"Yes, I am. I'm Jim Davis' attorney, the state senator. We are here
for a campaign stop. How about you? Are you still singing?"

Mike took the drink he had brought to the table with him and drank
some before he answered.

"Yes and no. We are here for a reunion tour. We hadn't sung
together for almost twenty years and some record exec thought we
should go out again. Ride the nostalgia wave," he explained,
smiling.

Amanda laughed. "It seems the older I get, the more I am interested
in it too."

"You're still just as beautiful as the day I met you," he quietly
said, looking in her eyes.

She noticed his eyes were still the same dark brown depths that a
person could get lost in although she could see the years in them.

"Thank you," she whispered. "You are still a handsome man. I see
you took my advise and let the beard grow." She smiled with a
twinkle in her eye as he smiled at her and nodded slightly.

"What have you been up to the past thirty years?"

Mike chuckled. "Well, not long after we met, our group was signed to
a record company and we went on tour and had some hit records."

"I know that part. I was at one of the concerts."

"You were? Why didn't you come backstage to see me?" Mike asked,
surprised.

"I didn't think it would be a good idea. After all, we were from two
different worlds and I didn't want to make it any harder for you or
me to cut our ties. I only went because it was close to where I was
at the time and I was curious to see and hear your group," Amanda
explained.

Mike nodded his head in understanding. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Very much." Amanda smiled, taking a sip of her drink. "How about
your personal life? I see you are wearing a ring." She pointed to
his left hand.

Mike looked down at his ring and then up at her with a smile.

"Yes, I've been married for twenty-one years to a wonderful woman and
we have four children."

"Are they here with you?" she asked.

"No. We live in Phoenix and the three younger kids are still in
school. So, Kris stayed home with them. I miss them, though. I
wish they could have come," Mike explained.

"How old are your kids?"

"Alan is nineteen, a freshman at the University of Arizona; Daniel is
sixteen, a sophomore in high school; Dana is fourteen, an eighth
grader and then the baby, Abby, is seven and in second grade. She
was our little surprise."

Amanda smiled as she listened to him tell her about his family. She
could tell he was very proud of them all and loved them dearly.

"I met Kris not long after you and I met. All the girls I had been
meeting were so young and most of them still in college, but then she
came along. She was a freelance photographer and she came to a
concert to take pictures for a magazine article." He took out his
wallet and opened it up to show Amanda the family picture he had
tucked inside.

"She's a beautiful woman and your children are beautiful, too,"
Amanda commented.

"What about you? I see a ring on your finger, too," he said, smiling
and pointing to her finger as he put his wallet away.

Amanda smiled. "Yes, I am married also. I have been for almost
twenty-five years. All the men I was meeting seemed to be so career-
minded and when I met you, I realized that I needed someone creative
and artistic. I met Jack at a party I happened to attend with a
girlfriend of mine. He is an author. A few of his books have been
on the best-sellers list. We hit it off right away, dated for a
while then got married. I have even done the cover art for a few of
his books."

Mike could tell by the way she looked as she told him her story that
she was happy and content. That made him happy and he smiled at her.

"Do you have children?" he asked.

"I have only two children, a boy and a girl. Jonathan is twenty-
three. He is in law school and Elizabeth is twenty-two, married and
has a one-year old daughter."

"You're a grandmother! How wonderful that must be," Mike exclaimed.

"I love it," Amanda answered. "I get to spoil her rotten and then
send her back to her parents."

They both laughed and looked at each other.

"It is certainly good to see you. I'm glad life has been good to
you." Mike said to her with sincerity.

"It has. I'm glad it has been good to you, too. You certainly
deserved it." Amanda took another drink and looked up at him.

"So did you, Mandy."

She smiled again. "You are the only person in my life to call me
that. I have never let anyone else give me that nickname. It was
reserved for only you."

Mike didn't know what to say about that, so he just smiled at her.
She looked past him and smiled to someone. He turned around and saw
a distinguished looking man with salt and pepper hair coming toward
their table.

"Jack, you finally made it," Amanda said to the man as he approached
them. "I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. This is Michael
Nesmith. Michael, this is my husband, Jack Miller."

They shook hands and said hello to each other.

"It's nice to meet you, Michael. How long have you known Amanda? I
don't remember her mentioning your name, but then I am getting older
and they say the first thing to go is the memory," Jack said,
chuckling.

Mike smiled at the little joke. He liked this man. He was very
friendly and congenial.

"I met her thirty years ago but we went down two different roads in
life and lost touch, " Mike answered.

"And this is the first time in thirty years you've seen each other?
That is something." Jack looked at Amanda. "See, there was a reason
for coming here."

Mike looked confused and Jack went on to explain.

"Amanda didn't want to come on this trip but I insisted. She's been
cooped up in the house way too long since her accident."

"Accident?" Mike asked.

"Yes, she didn't tell you? Well, she had a rather bad car accident
about six months ago but she's all better now and I told her she
would feel even better if she started getting out again."

"I'm glad you listened to your husband," Mike said.

"Me, too." She looked at Mike and smiled.

"We need to go now, honey," Jack said reaching his hand out to her.

"Yes, I suppose we do," Amanda answered, taking his hand and standing.

Mike stood also and held his hand out to her.

"It was very nice to see you again," he said.

Instead of taking his hand, Amanda reached her arms out to him and
hugged him tightly.

"It was nice to see you, too," she said.

Mike closed his eyes and hugged her back, pulling away after a
moment. Jack put his hand on her back and smiled at Mike.

"It was nice to meet you. I hope it's not another thirty years
before we see you again," Jack said, shaking Mike's hand.

"Me, too," he answered. "Take care of yourselves and enjoy that
grandbaby."

"We will," Amanda said as they started walking away. "Good bye,
Michael."

He waved and said, "Goodbye, Mandy."

They smiled and he watched them exit the room. Mike stood there for
a few moments, letting thoughts run through his head. He wouldn't
trade the ten days they had spent together for anything in the
world. Knowing her had made him a better person, had made him think
differently from then on. It had helped shape him into the man Kris
had met and fallen in love with.

Mike smiled as he thought of Kris. She was his soul mate, his one
true love. Amanda had been an important part of his life, but she
was in the past. Kris was the present. He made his way to the back
of the room where the phones were, dialed the numbers and waited for
an answer.

"Hello," a voice finally said.

"Hi, babe. How are you?"

"Mike! Are you all right? You don't usually call this late," Kris
asked with a hint of concern.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to call and see how you were." He felt
silly for calling her now. He had just acted on impulse, which was
something he didn't normally do, but he just had to hear her voice.

"Well, I'm doing fine. Will you still be home the day after
tomorrow?"

"Yes. We should be." There was a moment of awkward silence and then
Mike said, "Kris, I love you."

Kris hesitated, trying to make sense of such a strange call coming
from him.   "I love you, too, Mike."

Mike smiled at the sound of her voice. He just needed to hear her
say those words. He asked about the kids, said goodbye and went back
to the table with his friends.

"Hey, where did you go?" Micky asked as Mike sat back down.

"To see an old friend," Mike answered and joined the rest of them in
conversation.

THE END