Space and Spaghetti

“When you’ve been single as long as I have you get used to having your space,” I explained to Kate. “I wake up, go workout, go to work, come home and go out with my friends. I give very little consideration to anyone else’s schedule or how mine is going to affect them.”

“That must be nice,” She responded, cutting up her noodles to keep from having to slurp them up and make a mess. “It seems that I live by everyone else’s schedule but my own now days.”

“Well I am never going to put a man before myself,” said Holly, tossing in her two cents. “My time is every bit if not more important than his, and if he can’t handle that then he can’t handle me.”

“Oh you say that now, but someone will come along to change your ways,” Kate told her.

“Highly doubt it. I am pretty set in my ways.”

“My point was that I am having a hard time adjusting to saving a large amount of time for Blake,” I tried to get the conversation back on target. “I love spending time with him, but geez, it seems like I don’t ever get to see my friends or have alone time any more. You know just go shop for a few hours or read a book alone. I don’t do that very often, but every once in a while it is a necessity of my sanity.”

“Well I don’t have any advice for you there. I have problems making time for the current guy because I am too busy looking for the next one.” Jackie was always brutally honest about everything, including her love life. “Unless the sex is good, and then I can always make time for that.”

“Yes, but I would like for Blake and my relationship to be based on more than sex,” I responded. “I know it may be a little hard for you to believe, but sometimes we just talk and laugh in bed, with our clothes on.”

“Oh my gosh! What for?” Jackie exclaimed, with a horrible look on her face. “Come on, give me a break. I look for qualities besides a good shag.”

“Yeah, like a hot body,” Holly said, dipping her French bread in her sauce.

“No,” Jackie snarled at her. “Like a good dancer, if they can move on the floor then surely they can move off,” she said, laughing and slurping up a noodle.

“Seriously though, Lex, I think your situation will work itself out. If you like him as much as it is going to take and enjoy spending time with him, then you will find yourself making time for Blake and not minding the sacrifices.” Kate always has solid advice with life experience behind it, for most of my problems anyway.

“I guess you are right, as long as I still get my two nights a month with you guys.”

“I know it took me a while to adjust,” Kim chimed in, “and sometimes I still need my own space, a night to myself. Brian can tell when I am having a night like that, though, and stays at his place. I am pretty sure I turn into a bitch when those nights come around and he’d rather be away from me, and sometimes he needs his space, too.”

“I know I get bitchy if I don’t have my alone, thinking, Lex time. I am pretty sure I am going to always need it, even if it goes from being an entire evening to a couple of hours.”

“I just don’t know why you’d ever sacrifice your own time for a man,” Holly said, shaking her head and spooning out some tiramisu. “I haven’t met a guy worth that yet, and if he thinks I am going to miss Macy’s shoe sale to go watch him play golf, I think I may show him where his driver really belongs.”

I looked at Kim and rolled my eyes. “That’s your problem. You haven’t met a guy worth it yet,” Kim told her, “but you will, and you will pass up strappy stilettos. Just wait.”

“Not if they’re deep red, no way.”

“Well, I think I am just going to go with the flow with Blake,” I told them. “I’m lucky he isn’t pushy and overbearing. He is cool with me doing my own thing, and seems to always drop what he’s doing to make time for me. I guess the least I can do is miss a shoe sale here and there for him.”

Jackie’s Spaghetti Sauce

1 large can fire roasted tomatoes
1 lb. ground lean hamburger meat
½ c. chopped onion
½ c. chopped green bell pepper
½ c. sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic (minced)
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
¼ tsp. oregano
Salt and pepper

Brown meat with onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Salt and pepper to taste and add other seaonings. Stir in tomatoes and mushrooms and let simmer at least 20 minutes. Serve with favorite noodles (We use Angel Hair), French bread, wine, and tiramisu.