Mike Miller, the official sidewalk hoser-downer here in Calhoun County, fell in love a while back.  This would not be too bad, but he is married to Mary Sue and loves her dearly.  Mike would not do anything to hurt Mary Sue, so Mike falling in love presented somewhat of a problem. 

Mike didn't mean to fall in love.  It just happened.  You see, Mike was having his coffee with Jim down at the Handy Mart while his truck was filling up and she just wandered in.  Her and Mike joked a while.  Then he left to hose down the sidewalks.

The next night, she was back again, then it got to be a steady thing and the funny thing was that Mike began to look forward to seeing her.  Softly, she had crept into his world and Mike found her comfortable there.  Even then, it came as a shock to Mike the night she told him that she loved him. 

Mike didn't know how to handle it; he loved Mary Sue there was no way he would do anything to hurt her. But still, he found himself caring for and loving someone else.

It was not easy on Mike as he tried to figure this out. He knew that he loved Mary Sue with all his heart and soul, but he also knew that he loved the other woman too.  Mike did the only thing he could, or felt he could. He told Mary Sue about his feelings for the other woman.  He could not and would not lie to Mary Sue about it.  After all, he still loved Mary Sue the same; that had not changed.  Yet he still had trouble explaining his feelings to her about the other woman. 

Mary Sue loved Mike with all her heart and soul, knew that Mike loved her too, and she was secure in that love. She knew that any love Mike might have for this other woman would not take away from the love he had for her, so she sat back and waited. After all, it was she that Mike came home to after a hard night of hosing down the sidewalks of Calhoun County was it not? Was it not her that had a hot cup of coffee and a warm bed waiting for him when he got home in the early hours of the morning?

Time passed and the more Mike talked to the woman and saw the woman, the more he loved her and she loved him. Nowhere in it did Mike quit loving Mary Sue nor take any attention away from Mary Sue.

Now there might be those that may ask if it is possible for a man to love two woman at the same time without loving one of them more than the other. Mike thought so and I reckon that is all that matters at this point. Mike gave his heart and soul to both women; he loved them both as much. But there was never any cause for Mike to do anything but love the other woman as that is all she needed. A strong pair of arms to hold her on occasion, someone to love her and care about her, someone to make her feel special and wanted and Mike did a good job of that.

Still every morning found him in bed with Mary Sue, holding her as he fell asleep after telling her he loved her.

Then one day the other woman was no more. When Mike came to the Handy Mart to fill his truck up with water and have his coffee she was not there and Joe had not seen her. Mike found himself with an empty place in his heart. How could she just stop loving him?  What had he done or not done? Just the night before she had told him that she loved him dearly and now there was no sign of her.

 Mike sat down to drink his coffee as Joe sat down across from him and began to read the paper. When Mike knew his truck was full of water he went out and washed down the sidewalks of Calhoun County and then went home to Mary Sue, put a smile on his face, had his coffee with her then went to bed. As Mary sue fell asleep, Mike lay there with an empty feeling. Something was gone from his world and he missed it.

The days and nights would pass on and Mike would still hose down the streets of Calhoun County and still love Mary Sue with  all his heart and soul, but he would always find that empty spot there waiting and wondering if it would ever be filled again. He would always wonder if the other woman had not left him what would have happened?

From The Daly Blab, North County:

Paula Murray was killed in an auto accident early yesterday morning. A resident of Calhoun County, Ms. Murray leaves no survivors.

© 10/17/2005 Tina L. Rice