Zip Lining

Again, thank you for hiring me, for sticking with me, and for always being a friend. I'll see you Monday morning."

She got a smiley emoji in return, and Fallon realized that was about the best she could expect after turning him down. Her sadness didn't last long, however, and by the time Than showed up at her room, she fully understood why Joe wasn't right for her. As unusual as it might seem, Fallon understood that, for now at least. this incredibly handsome, younger man was the person who was right for her, and she couldn't wait to spend the last of her vacation with him. Putting 'what's next?' out of her mind wasn't easy, but she did her best to enjoy each moment with him.

The two new lovers made the most of every minute they had and spent their days exploring the tiny country during the day and making love during the night. And when circumstances permitted, in the morning or afternoon.

Fallon had reservations for a flight to Chicago with one intermediate stop set for Sunday afternoon. As the time approached, the 'what's next' issue reared its ugly head in the worst kind of way.

"What's wrong?" Than asked at breakfast that morning.

"Oh. Nothing," she replied, thinking she was hiding her fears rather well.

"Are you thinking about...us?" he asked as he put his hand on hers.

A first tear fell from her eyes as she fought hard not to get emotional.

"More like...after us," she said, managing not to cry.

Than slid his chair next to hers and put his arm around her.

"Did you forget I can do my job anywhere?" he said as he ran his finger along her cheek.

"No," she quietly replied.

"Are you saying you don't want to see me again?" he asked as fear welled up inside him.

"What? No. Of course not. But let's be honest. You have your life in California, and I have mine in Chicago."

"Hey. Look at me," Than said as he tilted his head until his eyes were visible to her.

"Yes?" she replied as she looked at him.

"I'm trying to get you to ask me to come stay with you. In Chicago," he told her.

Her eyes began quickly darting with his, flying back and forth as her heart raced even more quickly.

"Are you...are you serious?"

"Very," he told her with a smile.

"How soon could you be there?"

He pulled out his phone, tapped it a few times, then laid it front of her.

There was a boarding pass for the same flight she was on that afternoon.

"I kind of took the liberty of assuming you'd want to be with me as much as I want to be with you," he told her. "But I can change this if..."

Before he could finish speaking, Fallon threw her arms around his neck and kissed him in front of the small crowd in the dining area.

"So...don't change it?" Than asked when he came up for air.

"No! Don't change it. Come with me. Stay with me," she told him as tears filled her eyes again only for a different reason this time.

"I will," Than told her. "I'll stay as long as you want me to."

Without warning, Fallon's entire demeanor changed.

"Than? I...I need to call someone."

"Oh. Okay," he replied, wondering what was going on.

Fallon hadn't even mentioned meeting someone, let alone someone for whom she had these...these feelings for to her daughter.

"I'll uh, I'll give you some privacy then, okay?" he told her.

"I won't be long," she promised.

"Promise?"

"Yes. I promise."

As the phone rang, Fallon's heart beat loudly.

"Mom? Are you okay?" her daughter asked.

"Yes. Of course I'm okay. Why would you think anything might be wrong?"

"Sorry. I just haven't heard from you, and I was thinking maybe, I don't know, you met someone and...and..."

"And...what?"

"Um...got your heart broken?" her daughter said in a way that told her mom she was wincing as she spoke.

"Oh. No. Not at all."

"So...nothing with Joe?" Lisa asked almost hopefully.

"Joe? No. Uh-uh. He's my boss and nothing more."

"And no hot, young Costa Rican guy?"

Fallon would have laughed but she couldn't.

"No. No Costa Rican guy, either."

Lisa knew her mom well enough to know by her voice alone when she wasn't getting the whole story.

"So...what are you not telling me, Mother?"

Lisa's use of the word 'mother' told her mom she knew something was up.

"Well, I...I kind of did meet someone."

"Mom! That's wonderful! Tell me all about it. About him. About you and him. Tell me everything!" Lisa said so excitedly her mom felt slightly less anxious sharing the news. But only slightly so.

Before she could start the telling, Lisa peppered her with questions.

"Is he handsome? Of course he's handsome. But how handsome? What does he do? Is he tall? Is he...hot? Please tell me he's hot!"

"Honey! Stop! Please," her mom said, now almost afraid to tell the whole truth.

"Okay. Sorry. You go. But don't leave anything out. Unless it's...you know. Then don't tell me. But everything else is..."

"Lisa!"

"Okay. I'm done. I'm...listening."

"Um, well, yes, he's handsome. Very handsome," her mother began.

"I knew it!" Lisa replied before adding, "Sorry. Being very quiet here."

Fallon hemmed and hawed omitting the most important detail until it couldn't be hid any longer.

"So while he's not Costa Rican, he is hot, and he's...he's..."

"He's what?" Lisa asked. "Don't say married. Mom. Please."

"What? Married? No! Oh, my God! NO!"

"Sorry?" Lisa said apologetically.

"He's not married. He's just...young. Ger. Young-ger. Younger than...me."

"Oh. How...much younger?" her daughter asked. "Like...35 younger?"

There was a lengthy pause then Fallon said, "Like...younger than that."

"Oh, my God! Like...32...younger?" her daughter nearly gasped.

Fallon bit her lip then said, "Maybe a tad younger still?"

When Lisa started laughing, her mother was completely taken by surprise.

"What's so funny?"

"My mom had a fling! I'm...proud of you," Lisa told her.

"You are?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you went someplace warm, you found someone to um, keep you warm, and you had some fun. So yes. I'm proud of you."

"Oh."

"Wait. What do you mean—'oh'?"

Fallon waited a few seconds then explained.

"He's not a fling. I mean, we did, you know, fling, but it's...it's more than that."

"Oh, no. Please do not tell me you married this guy!" Lisa moaned.

"Okay. Stop," Fallon said. "Just let me explain, okay?"

It only took a minute, but she got it all out.

"Oh, my God! Mom, you really like this guy, don't you?"

"Is that okay?" Fallon asked, wincing as she did even though she didn't need her daughter's permission.

"Well, yeah. This...Than guy sounds pretty amazing. I'm a little weirded out by the age difference, but let's be honest. He wouldn't be pursuing you for your money, right?"

Fallon finally laughed, and laughing made her feel so good.

"No kidding. As in 'what money?' kind of no kidding."

"So he's coming to Chicago and...staying with you? As in staying staying with you?"

"Um...yes?" her mom replied.

"Wow. He must be pretty great because you've barely dated since Dad...you know."

Fallon would have laughed had the last three years not been so painfully...painful.

"He's pretty amazing, honey."

"Then I'm happy for you. And maybe even a little jealous."

Fallon laughed then told her daughter she better not come home with one of her professors.

"Oh, okay. What's good for the goose isn't good for the gander, eh?" Lisa teased.

"Did you just call me a goose?" her mother asked.

When Lisa laughed, her mom did, too.

"I'm so relieved you're not upset," Fallon said.

"I still need to meet this Mr. Wonderful, but if he's as awesome as you say he is, then no, I'm not upset. Still a little weirded out, but not upset."

"Fair enough. Maybe you can come home during the next long weekend and actually meet him."

Lisa almost asked if he was going to stick around that long, but she trusted her mother's judgment and hoped she wasn't making a huge mistake. For now, if she was happy, that was all that mattered.

"Can you at least send me a pic of Mr. Hunky-Dory?" Lisa asked.

"I think I can arrange that," her mother said, smiling as she did.

"Okay. Then...have fun."

Fallon almost said that's all she'd been having but settled for, "Thank you, honey."

She'd have said it back, but Lisa was a slave to the books, and her mom knew fun wasn't currently an option. So she told her she was proud of her and that she loved her.

"You too, Mom."

With that behind her, Fallon texted Than who suggested they meet for a little bit of romance.

"Be right there!" she texted back as an even bigger smile crossed her face.

*****

Two months later in Chicago

Fallon never once regretted insisting Than stay with her. He offered, and could have afforded to stay somewhere else, but it was not only a huge waste of money, it went counter to the reason she wanted him in Chicago. And with Lisa not living at home, hiding their romance made no sense.

Armed with a cell phone and a laptop Than spent his days doing what he'd do from home in San Diego in the comfort of Fallon's home. When business required him to travel, he took the minimum number of days then flew straight back to Chicago and the woman he'd fallen in love with. He hadn't told her that yet, but it was true. He was in love with Fallon Daniels. And while she hadn't said it to him, either, Fallon Daniels loved this handsome, younger man with the strange first name.

Lisa wasn't able to get home until Spring break, but when she finally met Than, she understood how her mother felt. Fallon had confided in her daughter that she was in love with him, but her daughter still wasn't thrilled with the idea until she met him.

But by the time she went back to school, she understood. He was every bit as good looking as her mother had said, but he was also just as nice as she'd made him out to be. He had a great job, loved life, and it was obvious to Lisa he loved her mother.

And the night before she left, Than said so. It came up kind of casually in conversation over a glass of wine, and that's when the words first came out.

"I guess that's just one more reason why I love your mom so much," he'd said.

Fallon, who was sitting next to him, looked over and said, "Did you just say you love me?"

Lisa was all smiles watching them.

"I believe I did," he told her.

"So...do you? Love me?" Fallon asked.

"I do. Very much."

"Huh. What a coincidence. I love you, too," she admitted as waves of happiness washed over her.

She smiled then added, "Very much."

"Ahh! Look at you two!" Lisa said as her mother kissed him.

"Now that the cat's out of the bag..." Than said with a smile.

The ladies laughed before he said, "Maybe I can convince your mom to try living in San Diego. You know, where it never snows or freezes. Well, almost never."

It had snowed there and it occasionally got cold. But since that was rare, and nothing like Chicago, 'never' was close enough.

"Hmmm. I don't know. I guess I'd have to have someone actually ask me. And I'd also need a job," Fallon said as she tried not to smile.

Than didn't press the issue while Lisa was there, but later that week, at a very romantic dinner, he asked her as they sipped champagne.

"Honey? Would you move to San Diego with me?"

His question was short and direct, and although it wasn't new, it still caught Fallon off guard.

"Are you serious?" she asked, no smile anywhere to be found.

"Very."

When she didn't respond, Than knew it was time to play his trump card.

They hadn't known one another all that long, but Than had never been more sure of anything in his life. He reached into his jacket pocket and produced a small box then got down on one knee and opened it.

Fallon's jaw dropped just before her hands, trembling with emotion, covered it.

"I'm not trying to pressure you, honey, but I am stone-cold in love with you. And we can have as long an engagement as you like, but I want you with me for the rest of my life. So, Fallon Daniels, will you marry me?"

Tears streamed down her face as her head began to nod. She couldn't speak, but she held out her hand and openly cried as her fiancé slid the large diamond ring on her hand.

Both of them had forgotten about other people, so when the restaurant burst into applause and cries of, "Congratulations!" it surprised both of them as did one loud call of, "Kiss her, you fool!"

There was a loud laugh from the crowd as Than stood up then bent down and kissed the woman he loved.

"We're moving to San Diego!" he called out.

When it got quiet, Fallon said, "I didn't say I would."

Than's smile faded before his beautiful wife-to-be said, "Hah! Got you, didn't I?"

"Ohh. That was cold!" he told her, admitting she had.

"But San Diego is warm, huh?" she asked sweetly, a smile on her pretty face.

"Yes. Yes, it is," Than told her.

Fallon shared the news with her daughter who was thrilled for her mom, the suddenness of the announcement aside. The house would be put up for sale, Fallon would give notice at work, and they would be leaving in two weeks.

Fallon had never been to California, let alone San Diego, but it didn't take long for her to fall in love with the city. Than had been living in an apartment, and the two of them went looking for a home to call their own. Real estate was ungodly expensive, but Than insisted on buying a home that was priced at $1.75 million. Even so, it was just a nice, four-bedroom home with a two-car garage. It wasn't even new, but it had recently been renovated, and was more than enough.

All that really mattered to Fallon was that she and Than would build their new lives together in it, and for the first time, she thought about the possibility of having another baby. At...45.

The thought consumed her until she finally brought it up, and only then did she realize this had never been a topic of discussion.

"Than? Do you want children?" she asked as they lay in bed together.

"I don't know. Why? Do you want more?"

"Honey, I'm almost 45 years old."

"And gorgeous," he told her.

"So...no?"

He turned over and said, "Not a baby. I mean, if you wanted another child, there are plenty in need of adoption."

Fallon hadn't even considered that, but were to say, adopt a child who was maybe five or so, she wouldn't put a new baby at risk of something like Down's Syndrome, or herself through a pregnancy later in life, and she wouldn't be quite as 'ancient' when the child graduated from high school.

Work wasn't an issue. Than told her he'd support her no matter what, but he assured her they could live quite well on his money alone. And with Fallon's half of the profits on the house in Illinois, work really was optional, as Than was happy to pick up the rest of the costs of Lisa's education. His business was still growing, and money was coming in hand over fist. A ton was going back out in taxes, but there was still more than enough to go around.

As much as she loved Than, the thought of having, say, another little girl around the house, a little girl to love and cherish the way she had Lisa, who'd grown up to be her best friend, seemed very appealing. But with their August wedding to plan for, Fallon shelved the idea. For the time being, at least.

But just after Christmas, Mrs. Fallon Thompson told her husband she wanted to look into adopting a child.

"Then let's get started," he told her immediately.

Russia was again allowing Americans to adopt, and while they carefully considered China, as well, the married couple flew to St. Petersburg, Russia, via Germany, and visited an orphanage where they fell in love with a beautiful, six-year old girl named Ksenya. She couldn't speak a word of English, and neither or her future parents knew any Russian beyond 'da' and 'nyet'.

But two months later, Ksenya arrived in San Diego with her adoptive mother who'd gone back to get her, and within a year, she was speaking English quite well. By the time she was eight, she was fluent and doing extremely well in school.

And by the time Doctor Lisa Daniels finished her residency in pediatric medicine, Ksenya Thompson was graduating from high school at the top of her class.

Fallon was the oldest parent in attendance that day, but she'd long ago stopped caring about age. Than told her nearly every day how beautiful she was, and Ksenya loved her with all her heart, a love that was returned in kind.

As she and her husband watched their adopted daughter give the valedictorian speech, their hearts swelled with pride. When they watched her cross the stage and receive her diploma, Fallon cried tears of joy as her handsome husband squeezed her hand.

"This is for you, Mom and Dad!" their daughter called out as she held up the diploma. "I love you guys so much!"

"We love you, too, sweetie!" her mother called back.

"Way to go, honey!" her dad hollered out as he stood up and and did a big fist pump.

That night, as Ksenya left to spend time with her fellow graduates, Fallon looked over at the man she still loved so very much and thought back to the day her former boss suggested a working vacation in Costa Rica.

And that made her think of the first time she'd been on a zip line which made her smile as she thought about how her life had metaphorically so wonderfully zipped along since that day.

"Whatcha thinkin'?" Than asked when he saw her staring at him.

"Oh, nothing," she told him before walking over and putting her arms around him. "Just...how much I love you."

"Yeah? You still me?" he teased.

"Uh-huh. More than ever," she replied.

"Is that it?" he asked.

"Well, I'd kinda like to go zip lining again real soon."

"Funny you should mention that. We're opening up a new location in Panama next month. You can come with me and we'll go together."

"Deal," she said, a smile on her face. "But how about you and I go to our bedroom do a little zip lining of a different kind?"

"Right now?" Than asked, as though he was shocked.

"Yes. Right now. I mean, we are all alone, right?"

"Right!" he said.

As they walked hand in hand, Than said, "Man, I love zip lining! And you!"