James Loves Mallory, But

“What are you doing this weekend?” Sid asked his friend, James.

“Mallory wants to look for a new house. She wants to move.” James was a bespectacled 57-year-old neuro surgeon.

Sid and James were sitting in Nora’s Coffee Clatch a popular spot in the neighborhood where both men lived. “Wait, didn’t you just move into the house you’re in now?”

James nodded. “It feels like we did, but actually we’ve been there 21 months.” He took a bite of his bacon and egg biscuit. “She doesn’t like the house anymore.”

Sid, a balding man in his late 40s, did his best to stifle a laugh. The men were tennis buddies and had been for the last seven years. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Mallory say this was her forever home when you bought it? I kind of remember her saying that when you held a party after you finished decorating the place. I’m pretty sure she posted those exact words on Facebook too.”

“Yeah, she did say that. She changed her mind, I guess.”

“Maybe you should put your foot down and tell her no. That moving is out of the question until you’ve lived in the house for at least 24 months.”

“You’re thinking is I can buy another three months? Is that it?”

Sid finished his coffee and got up to pour another cup. When he returned he said, “That three months would give you enough time to find a good divorce lawyer.” Sid, a well-regarded divorce lawyer, playfully offered his business card to James.

“Actually, moving would be easier.” James got himself another cup. He thought about his wife while he filled his cup. He’d fallen for her at first sight. By the time he noticed her eccentricity, it was too late. He loved her and married her less than a year after their first date. He sat down and took his last bite.

He grinned. “Divorce, huh? Your wife, Trudi. Does she have any sisters?”

“No but she has a recently divorced cousin who could be her identical twin.” Sid paused. “Trouble in your household?” Sid asked in a teasing voice. But he sensed frustration in James’s voice. He’d heard it before many times in his practice. He was concerned for his friend.

“Nah, I just wanted to see what you would say. We’re married almost eight years now and still getting along quite well.”

“So, you just don’t want to move again.”

“I didn’t want to move the last time either.”

The men left the coffee shop and started walking home. They lived in the same neighborhood. A touch of fall was in the air. “We’ll have to shift to indoor courts pretty soon,” Sid said. Then it dawned on him. “Does Mallory want to stay in the area? I mean she doesn’t want to move to Tullahoma does she?”

James laughed. “Don’t worry. College Grove, maybe, but if that happens, I’ll still be close enough to be your tennis partner.”

“Way to dash my hopes. I was ready to ask Robbie if we could team up.”

“He plays left-handed.”

“Exactly. I wouldn’t have to play against him.” Sid said.

“You know why she wants to move?” James asked.

“Why?”

James swiped a leaf from a tree and inspected it. “She said we’ve decorated our house and it’s perfect now. She wants a new project.”

Sid stopped walking and turned to face James. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Trudi’s cousin’s name is Jessica. I’ll give you her number.”

James waved him off. “I met her once, remember? She’s the one who has eleven cats.”

“You’re exaggerating. She has seven cats.” The men started walking again. “Maybe Mallory should be an interior designer.”

“I asked her about that yesterday. She said she could do that, but she still thinks we should move.”

“Okay, seriously now, why?”

“She thinks doing these decorating projects; the shopping, bargain hunting, and long discussions about what to do in each room, including the laundry room, by the way, keep our relationship fresh. She says we get closer working together like that.”

“Wow,” Sid said after an extended pause. “I thought that’s what sex was for.”

“Funny you should mention that. Somehow, working together does good things for that department too.”

They were in front of James’s house. Mallory was standing on the front porch waiting. Sid waved and said, “Just promise me you won’t move him to Tullahoma!”

Mallory, now in her mid-fifties, somehow managed to still be impossibly cute. She waved at Sid. “Okay, but I have my eye on Fayetteville.”

Once in their home, she showed James her list of possibilities. One of them actually was in Fayetteville, a southern Tennessee town about sixty miles south of their Williamson County home.

“You weren’t serious about Fayetteville, were you?” He asked.

She smiled. “They have lots of antique stores there. We can look at the house for fun and then check out the stores.”

“Mallory, that’s fine, but I know you. We can check out the house, but I don’t care if it’s your dream home, we’re not moving there.”

“Oh! I know that,” she said. “We’ll look at the other houses tomorrow.”

“Honey we don’t have to move. We can buy a house, even one in Fayetteville, fix it and flip it. It would be a lot less expensive than moving again.”

She thought for a moment, quickly calculating the pros and cons of her options. “If we do that, we won’t be able to have a grand opening party for our new home. I have an idea already for a party theme.”

James sunk into his recliner. “I probably should have taken Sid’s business card,” he said, talking to himself.

Mallory walked over to him and sat on his lap. She kissed him. “Now why would you want to go and do a thing like that?”

He laughed and returned her kiss. What else could he do?