A Crawling Romance

CHAPTER 1

A three-night stop in Chicago and then back on the train to Boston was Harvey Chadwick's plan. He had been visiting his sister in LA after roaming the world for two years following his wife Sophia's death in a car accident only three months after their marriage.

The 30-year-old computer systems troubleshooter had long lost his grief and when reaching his parent's home in Boston Harvey planned to find another lively lady and settle down again. His mom reckoned she had three lined-up although they didn't know it.

Harvey was an MS graduate from UIC so was familiar with Chicago and decided to track down some old girlfriends. Bad luck. The first three he contacted were married, two said they never wanted to see him again (lesbians...or women of good taste he wondered) and hyperactive Dr Midge Main who'd been capable of leaving him almost legless was engaged in field research in Fiji according to her mother and, divorced again, had taken her two children with her. Wow, he thought, doesn't one's personal little world change?

Walking the streets on Day 1 after those phone calls with nothing else better to do, Harvey dropped into Atrium Mall on Randolph and entered the Bonjour Cafe for a bite although it was only 11:30. The curvy young thing who'd entered just ahead of him and was waiting to be served, back on to him, absent-mindedly lifted her short skirt and scratched her ass while looking at the selection. A great ass and the pouch of her blue thong appeared well filled.

She turned, sighted Harvey with his mouth open. She dropped her skirt as if shot and turned her burning face to the counter and ordered Caesar salad and black coffee.

Harvey ordered a hot roasted turkey sandwich and black coffee. He went to the table where the young woman sat alone and said, "Is this chair taken?"

She looked at the other empty tables nearby and squeaked, "No."

"May I join you?"

With her voice a little more under control she said he could please himself.

"You're the only person I know in Chicago. I arrived last night from LA."

"But you don't know me."

"I'm Harvey Chadwick. Tell me your name and I will know you."

She hesitated.

"Look, it's okay. I've been caught scratching my balls and the sky didn't fall in. Believe me, it's okay."

She tossed her short blonde curls. Her blue eyes glanced at his green eyes and away again. "I'd rather we didn't talk about THAT."

"Do you normal censor conversation?"

She lightly labeled him a weirdo although volunteered he didn't look like one. He laughed but lost that smile when she said, "Are you attempting to pick me up?"

"That's a nice thought but I'm sure your answer would be no. My guess is you're an office manager and are taking early lunch. However I suppose you could be interested in me after work."

"You suppose too much. God you have a nerve."

A waitress arrived and poured coffee.

Briefly eyeing the departing butt and legs, Harvey asked, "What's your name? I suppose you don't care to be called Blondie?"

"Freya -- Freya Macdonald and you supposed correctly. I'm taking early lunch because my computer has expired. Our contract technician will try to get to me within an hour or two."

"Want me to take a look at it Freya?"

Freya's face flamed and Harvey could only think she'd assumed he meant her butt. He delivered his best consultant's smile and said, "I meant your computer. I work as a computer troubleshooter for big corporations."

"Oh, I thought..."

"Your butt, perhaps some other time. What is the name of your IT manager?"

"Mrs Wilks."

"Age thirty-four and named Sarah?"

Freya's face hardened. "You said you didn't know anyone in Chicago."

Unabashed Harvey said that was a pickup line and he didn't deserve to be crucified for attempting to date her.

"You unnerve me. I bet you live here."

Harvey reached into the back pocket of his jeans and tossed Freya his train reservations -- LA to Chicago and Chicago to Boston.

Freya looked at the document, colored and apologized.

"Why apologize. You were defensive, not knowing if I were a lovely gentleman or a serial molester."

Wearing a wee smile Freya said, "Y-you not, are you?"

"A gentleman, of course not. But neither do I harm women. My mission in life is to enhance them."

That earned Harvey a curious look and against noise coming from the street Freya blurted, "God you are complex."

Harvey grinned as if having received a compliment and they sat a little awkwardly and as if on cue their meals arrived to step up their association a notch. They chatted amicably and after finishing her salad Freya rose and said, "It's goodbye then."

Running some options through his mind Harvey said, "Sit and I'll be finished in a moment. I'm not allowing your cute ass to walk out of my life. Sarah was one of my part-time junior tutors at UIC. She'll kiss me and allow me to work on your computer."

"Why would Sarah kiss you?"

"She rather fancied me and guessed what?"

"God, you like to shock don't you?" Freya said, sitting down.

Sarah sighted Harvey and shouted "Ohmigod" and obviously holding herself back walked up to him slowly and pecked his cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the café in the mall and conversationally said to this young woman was she having early lunch because she had no work to do. Freya then told me about her computer problem. I'm here to fix it."

"Company policy does not allow..."

"Since when have you obeyed rules and regulations to the letter?" He turned to Freya and said, "When I was at UIC in my second year I took a fancy..."

"Freya," Sarah almost shrieked. "Take Harvey to your computer. If anyone can fix it he can."

Harvey had no diagnostic discs and other testing equipment with him so made an intelligent guess. Noticing all the laptops were identical he said, "Freya go to Sarah and ask for a motherboard out of store please."

Sarah returned with the board in sealed foil. After swapping the boards Harvey booted the computer and it fired. He executed a full back-up, reinstalled Windows and handed the computer over to Freya. Within a few minutes she said it appeared to be working perfectly and she'd not found anything missing.

She said without embarrassment, "You're a darling."

"Well you better take Harvey to dinner this evening," Sarah said, arriving alongside Freya. "You are just his type, young and succulent but tell him it's just dinner. Harvey, Freya has had a couple of bad experiences with men over the past year so has been right off them. Just tip-toe with her."

"Of course. Pick me up at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower at 7:30 Freya. I'll wait in the foyer for you until 7:45 when by then I'll guess you are a no-show because you don't trust me. Well, goodbye ladies -- a real kiss please from both of you."

Freya decided not to go on that date with Harvey. Definitely not. Then her mom said, "Are you in again tonight? If you don't get yourself back into the dating circuit you'll end up on the shelf reserved for old maids. You've recovered from that uninvited attempt to enter your rear you and must think all men are inclined that way. I know, I'll call Mrs Meek to see if her William..."

Almost panicking at the thought of gangly William pawing at her Freya cut into her mom's well-intended ramblings. "It's okay mom -- a guy I knew from high school (a lie) wants to meet me for a drink at 7:30. Please call me a cab."

Dressed in short black -- that is, short at both ends -- Freya entered the foyer and found herself facing at least forty guys dressed in smart casual. She almost fainted at the thought of giving head to forty guys -- it would take all night. It must be a conference on. She frowned and suddenly Harvey was in front of her, grinning, an eyebrow lifted.

"I was watching the revolving door like a hawk, determined to get to you before any of these guys began pawing you. God, you look sensational. Do we kiss?"

She puckered her lips and held up her head, her eyes focused. His smiling green eyes almost swallowed her they were so huge. The kiss was soft, his breath was fresh and she visualized her nipples pressing into his shirt and buckling She thought, you slut, you'll let him fuck you.

But he only wanted a kiss, and a short one at that. People around them were looking at them curiously while some were smiling. All men.

Harvey said, "Let's go. These guys are on the loose and the idea of ten or twenty of them circling you might be a bit off-putting. Freya took his arm and hurried him out to the sidewalk.

"I thought I'd take you somewhere cheap and nasty."

He grinned. "That will take me back to my UIC days."

They remained arm-in-arm as they walked almost three blocks, turned and just around the corner was an Italian restaurant called Green Door, in English. Freya opened the green door and led Harvey in. The interior was so decrepit it was almost funky. Harvey wasn't worried. The idea of a nice girl taking a guy on their first date to a crap house of a restaurant was as unlikely as a nice girl opening her legs for a guy on their first date.

The place was almost full. A fat Italian woman with huge collapsed tits almost reaching her panty line steamed up, held open her arms and said, "Oh Freya." Harvey thought uncharitably Freya would deliver the corny line, "Oh Maria, it's been a long time -- too long."

"Oh Maria, it's good to be back again. I've missed you. How are you and Luigi?"

"We're good, very good but need more money. Come, introduce me to your father and I'll table you."

Harvey queried, Table you? You father? Was this a joke?

"Maria you big tease, this is my new friend..."

A snappy looking waitress who looked familiar to Harvey cut in and said, "Mama, oh God, this is Harvey Chadwick, the guy I wanted to father my children but you and papa insisted I marry an Italian boy."

"Greetings Gabriele," Harvey beamed. "I can recall twice attempting to avoid making you pregnant. You look great -- four little ones I suppose?"

"Yes, we have four little ones," Maria said suspiciously. "How did you know?"

"It just computed. One year after graduating for Gabi to find a husband, one pregnancy each year after that and lo, four children."

"Mama, this is Harvey Chadwick, voted the most popular guy in our class, who was runner-up in our vote of the person most likely to catch every form of STD."

"Ohmigod," said Maria, taking two steps backwards.

"It's a joke mama. He was one of the toughest guys to nail in our year."

"And is it true you succeeded, twice?"

"Mama, a mother doesn't ask her daughter such questions. It's not wholesome. Hello Freya. It's nice to see you back and going top shelf this time. Please give Harvey one for me."

Freya said hi Gabi and kissed her and acted if she'd not hear Gabi's last remark. Harvey slunk after the women as mother and daughter led them to Maria's reserved table.

The rest of the night was uneventful and Maria and the waitresses were kept extremely busy, with people waiting for tables to become free. Freya kissed Harvey as they left, giving him a little body press and thanked him for fixing her computer. She then called a cab and when entering it said he may wish to walk Gabi home.

"Freya, she's married. Same time tomorrow night and this time I pay?"

"I'll give you a call."

"You don't have my phone number -- here's my card."

It appeared crisp, freshly printed. Harvey had told her he was going to stay with his mother in Boston for a while, so she assumed the street address was his mother's house. She noted he had a masters degree in computer science and also a bachelor's degree in business strategic planning. He listed himself as a Self-employed Computer Consultant-Systems Engineer. Wow that made him rather over qualified to have fixed her computer. On the ride home Freya decided to give calling him a miss tomorrow. He'd only want to fuck her. Why she was against that she had no idea. Oh yeah, in two days on he'd be on a train heading for Boston. She'd never believed in one-night-stands.

Freya's mother was awake when she arrived home and called Freya into the bedroom. Her father provided background snoring accompaniment as they chatted.

"Did you have a lovely time?"

"Yes thank you. We went to the Green Door."

"I can't understand why you go there; it's such a dump."

"It serves the best Italian food that I know of and I've been to plenty of Italian restaurants in this city. Also its owners and serving staff interface with patrons, especially regulars. It's my home away from home."

"You haven't been there for at least four months."

"No, not since that mongrel of a guy humiliated me."

"Is this new guy any better?"

"He didn't lay a finger on me and behaved like a trustworthy, decent guy."

"Oh, we are on track are we? How old is he? Don't mumble, I didn't hear."

"Thirty."

"That makes him roughly six years older than you darling, much too old. I'm organizing a date for you tomorrow night with Mrs Meek's oldest son William."

"Good night mom. Oh, it's serious with this new guy. He's dating me again tomorrow night. Give dad want he wants as a good one will unblock all his passages and stop him snoring."

"Freya Macdonald, that's disgusting."

When Freya hadn't called him by 8:30 next morning Harvey assumed that was the end of them as a twosome. He finally tracked down a couple of males he graduated with and over lunch they caught up and swapped jokes and lies. It filled in the day and he was easy with the booze thinking there was an outside chance Freya might still call. She did, at 4:00.

"Hi, it's Freya. Did you make out this morning with Gabi?"

Harvey intoned, "Hi, she's married -- off limits."

"Not in her mind, I noticed how she looked at you last night, even across the room. That lady has not finished with you."

"Well some people call that dreaming. If I'm going to fuck anyone it will be you."

There was a bang in Harvey's ear.

"Pardon me, I dropped the phone. I was shocked as that comment was disgusting."

"Oh, I'm sorry. It was presented as a compliment."

"I can't believe what I've just heard."

Harvey sighed and said if people spoke their mind within reason there would be less misunderstandings. "I suppose you now won't go out with me tonight?"

"I don't see why not. You've ended up explaining yourself to my satisfaction."

They met outside a movie theatre at 6:40. Apparently Freya had dressed to shock him. A dangerously short black leather skirt and white top under which was a bra that gave her wondrous cleavage.

"Oh God," he croaked, his eyes almost popping. "Have you done this for me?"

"Done what?" she asked, appearing well pleased.

"Damn."

Now looking concerned Freya asked what was the matter.

"Don't look. You have given me an erection."

Of course she looked, colored and giggled. "Here, carry my handbag."

The movie was a romance largely about nothing apart from long debates about premarital sex and surprisingly for these days there was only one sex scene. Freya dabbed her eyes because it was such a happy ending. That was fine with Harvey because it meant he'd pop Freya in his hotel room later that evening or else his name wasn't Harvey.

Harvey chose a fish restaurant near the hotel. Freya said that was fine but when they were seated announced she rarely ate fish. She didn't explain why. Harvey decided not to ask. Freya managed to order dishes to her liking and appeared to enjoy watching Harvey scoff his dozen oysters indelicately and then ate his black-seared game fish with obvious relish.

While waiting for her pineapple cheesecake, Freya asked casually, "Why have you not married?"

That alarmed, Harvey who figured Freya might not like to fuck a guy who'd been married as it was likely she at going on twenty-five might still carry romantic notions. But being a straight shooter told the truth: "I married a lovely woman two and a half years ago."

Freya gulped some wine and then said, "You gave me that bullshit about not playing around with Gabi because she's married..."

"Steady on Freya. My wife Sophia died in a car crash three months after we married."

"Ohmigod, I'm sorry. How could I jump in and question your integrity?"

"You didn't know and you haven't upset me. It took eight months before I got over it and I'm fine now, regarding myself as never having married."

"I see."

At those two words Harvey knew his erection wouldn't be needed that evening.

Harvey took Freya home in a cab after she declined his invitation to go to his hotel for a nightcap.

"That was a lovely night," Harvey said, pulling Freya to him. She pulled up his hand from around her waist to cup her breast. There was no contented sigh and that told him she was simply going through the thanks-for-the-outing motions politely.

The cabbie waited while Harvey opened the gate. Closing the gate Freya lifted her lips and was kissed, gently.

"Any chance of seeing you tomorrow?"

"No, I don't think so. I've being doing a business admin diploma on-line and tomorrow go to the tech to sit my final exams all day. When do you head out?"

"On the 48 Lake Shore Limited at 10:00 pm."

"I'll give you a call if I can see you off."

"Don't worry if you can't make it."

"I won't."

"Goodbye Freya. I've had an enjoyable time with you. You'll make some guy a magnificent life-long companion."

She smiled and walked to the front door.

As the crowd in the hotel bar began thinning out the female bartender spent most of her free time in the corner talking to Harvey. She'd found they had something in common -- their names began with 'H'. Also he was the only unaccompanied good-looking guy not pitching to get into her pants.

"Well, that's me done." Harvey said. "Good night Henrietta."

The woman stopped wiping the bar. "Look, I could have a drink with you in your room if you wish? I'm through here in another twenty minutes."

"I'd welcome that. He smiled and received a flirty-looking smile in return as if he was being promised more than a chat over a quiet drink.

At 12:30 with no sign of Henrietta arriving and waving her panties above her head Harvey went to bed and slept through to 9:30.

Harvey spent most of the day at the Art Institute of Chicago Museum and the Field Museum. In the afternoon he purchased a snack at McDonald's at the Field Museum and sat eating by a woman pushing forty and they began talking. She was from Kansas on her first visit to Chicago. Her husband was playing golf. It suited them both to walk around together and as they were leaving she asked, "Would you like to join me for a drink at a bar -- a drink I mean, nothing else? This is the fourth day in a row my husband has been to golf and I don't know anyone in Chicago."

It turned out they were at the same hotel so went there. Gaylene went off at to dress for dinner and Harvey went to vacate his room that he had until 6:00.

Sitting on the bed glumly, looking at his shoes, Harvey thought it had been a big mistake coming to Chicago. He'd done it thinking about enjoying a number of happy reunions with former fellow students and their families but it hadn't happened. He expected to find and capture an old life and it was exactly that, a life that no longer existed although had he had time to put into reconnecting no doubt he's succeed with some of them. But the biggest disappointment was finding and losing Freya. They'd met in most unusual circumstances and conflict between them appeared inevitable but he steadfastly remained his true self, Freya had quickly gotten used to him and some great times lay ahead of them with perhaps Freya even agreeing to move in with him. And then poof, it was all over.

Damn.

Harvey said that word as if he had an arrow through his heart. He'd muffed it, doing nothing to really try to get Freya to refocus on him. He'd even made it worst by suggesting he was secondhand goods. A phone call from reception asking politely was he ready to vacate his room brought Harvey out of despondency. At the desk the attractive receptionist was all smiles and ever so friendly encouraging Harvey to say what he thought.