© Christina Hadfield
EPILOGUE
“I want to meet your friends.”
That was how it started; just a simple request, something commonplace, but to Dr. Morgan, it was anything but.
“I don’t have any friends.”
“What a boisterous lie,” Tess laughed. “You’ve got a best friend, Amy, and now you’re friends with Dr. Kemper and Dr. Marlow. And you know my friends. You’ve met Kai on many occasions and Elle too. It’s about time I get to meet all your friends.”
“According to what you just said, you’ve already met all my friends.”
“I’m talking about O’Charlie’s,” Tess finally explained. “Amy told me all about your old hookup place, and I happen to know you’re great friends with the bartenders.”
“You mean you want to go to O’Charlie’s…?”
“To meet your friends, yes.”
And that was how it all started. Just Tess, pestering on and on as she always did until finally Dr. Morgan broke. They went on a Friday night, typical, and Dr. Morgan’s palms were sweating as she shoved open the bar door.
“Mad Dog!”
Dr. Morgan turned to see Jimmy, waving a towel at her. She felt Tess squeeze her arm and turned to the beaming girl.
“I can’t believe it’s you in the flesh!” Jimmy continued, waving her over. “And my oh my… who might this pretty young lady be?”
Tess slipped up onto one of the bar stools and extended her hand, giving the man a solid handshake. “I’m Tess,” she stated confidently, “Maggie’s girlfriend.”
“And I’m Jimmy,” the bartended answered with a nod. “And someone needs to pinch me, because I think I’m dreaming. First of all, Mad Dog brings in a girl, who she’s dating no less, and this girl calls her ‘Maggie’? I’ve got to be dreaming.”
“Really funny,” Dr. Morgan scoffed. “Be a gentleman and do your job. The lady needs a drink. I’m going to run to the restroom.”
Dr. Morgan turned to head off and Tess and Jimmy watched her head to the back of the bar. On the way, several women tried to intercept her path, but she kept moving past them.
“You’re just going to sit here and let her wander off to the bathroom like that?” Jimmy questioned, pouring Tess a drink. “You got some kind of open relationship going on?”
“Absolutely not,” Tess answered.
“Then if I were you, I’d be careful. She has a reputation in this bar.”
“I know,” Tess answered, turning back, “but I love her and trust her.”
“How’d you meet her?”
“At school. I was a student where she teaches… still am I guess. I decided to get my Ph.D. at the same institution.”
“So, you’re the reason she hasn’t been coming around here too much.”
Tess laughed. “I don’t think she ever really came here for the booze… more so the good company.”
“So, you know about her conquests then?”
“Of course.”
“And it doesn’t bother you?”
“It’s in her past. Though I am pretty curious about this nickname you’ve given her… Mad Dog…”
“And I’m interested in this nickname you’ve given her… Maggie…”
Tess shrugged. “That’s just her name, you know.”
“Years ago, the Mad Dog I knew would have bitten off someone’s head if they called her Maggie.”
“What are you two gossiping about?” Dr. Morgan questioned, sliding up beside Tess, her hand lingering on the small of the girl’s back.
“How’d you get the nickname Mad Dog?” Tess asked.
“Dr. Morgan doesn’t exactly slide off the tongue,” Jimmy answered with a shrug. “And she was a dog, you know, sleeping with a different woman every week. I called her mad because she only ever seemed to stir up trouble.”
Dr. Morgan nursed the drink Jimmy handed her. After a few moments she nodded her head and looked across the room. “Have you always played tunes like these?” she questioned. “And those lights over there, is that a dance floor?”
“I can sure tell you had a one-track mind coming here for all those years,” Jimmy sighed.
“No, you’re kidding.”
“Not at all. We’ve always had dancing at O’Charlie’s.”
“Can we dance?” Tess questioned.
“And make a spectacle of ourselves? I don’t think so.”
“Oh, please, Margaret?”
A minute later Dr. Morgan caved, pulling Tess towards the dance floor. Jimmy watched them go, drying a cup off with his rag. He watched as Dr. Morgan pulled Tess close to her, just held her as the girl snuggled against her. They danced slowly, just swaying, even though the music was upbeat, hardly a slow song.
He thought back to his last conversation with Dr. Morgan, years ago, before her presence just vanished. She was struggling with feelings for someone… feelings she didn’t want to identify as being serious, but feelings that nonetheless turned out to indeed be serious. And that girl… Tess… well she really seemed to make the woman happy, content in ways he never thought she would be.
Jimmy smiled to himself. “She must really love you too, kid.”
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