Chapter 30: Getting Serious

It had only been a couple of days since her last date with one of the guys before the gifts started showing up. She knew that Alex was partial to long stemmed red roses and this time was no different. Don sent her bottles of California Merlot. Ricky sent her twelve months worth of weekly salon and spa gift cards. After she received each gift, she texted the same message to each of the three: “Oh, how thoughtful.”

Each gift served to remind her of what was special about their dates and the man who had lavished her with attention. The gifts gave the guys a chance to show off their wealth, but also to declare their love for her. She wondered how each could be so committed and love struck over her after such a short time period. They only had one girl to focus on where she had three very different, eligible guys to choose from.

She recalled a similar experience in her life when she had been accepted to music school after graduation from the school of performing arts. She had a choice of three classical music programs with scholarships: The Juilliard School, The New York Conservatory, and The Curtis Institute of Music. Her high school teachers and her music instructor assured her that she could not go wrong with choosing any one of the three; she just had to find the best fit for her and her goals.

What amazed her more than the gifts were the cards that came with them. Don’s card claimed passionate love. Ricky’s card declared loyalty and love. And Alex’s card, true to his romantic background, promised love for a lifetime.

After several evenings and a couple of days just focusing on herself, she had to admit that she missed the heady, personal attention of her three admirers and she missed the reality check that her best friend provided. She did not miss her ex-boyfriend, however. It was nice to see that the guys had not forgotten her.

“Maybe a text is too impersonal.” She thought about the progress she had made with getting to know herself apart from being attached to anyone else and the easy freedom of solitude without owing an explanation to a live-in boyfriend or being responsible for meeting the needs of another person while neglecting her own.

She did not want to risk compromising or losing herself in a romance. She would take it slow. Having billions might make the guys able to woo her on a higher level than a regular guy, but she did not want to pick the wrong one and as tired as she felt right now, she would not choose any of her suitors, billions or not.

“I’ll call them when I get a break today,” she resolved, “Love is not a one way street. I can reach out to them as easily as they can contact me.”

Today became tomorrow, and tomorrow became the next day. Before she knew it, she had been too busy with music and students and the quartet and she had failed to follow up with her beaux.

One thing that did not fail, however, was the continuous influx of flowers and gifts. One of the gifts was even a soup of the month club membership starting with chicken noodle soup. “Do they think that I’m sick?”
# # #

Ricky, Don, and Alex were spending their hearts out but hardly putting a dent in their bank accounts nor exalting them in Laura’s eyes. They did not know how to read her silence after the last date they each had with her. Should they call? Should they stop by? Did she want bigger gifts? Were the gifts and cards not enough? Was she playing hard to get? They were full of questions without answers in the game of romance.

Ricky decided to call her. “Hello, Laura? This is Ricky. How are you?” He oddly felt like he was back to square one. He thought they had enjoyed a fantastic date followed by a night of incredible lovemaking. Like a typical high achiever, Ricky wondered why things weren’t moving forward.

“Ricky. I’ve been meaning to call you. Thanks so much for reaching out. I am doing fine and hope you are the same.”

“It’s been awhile. I can’t stop thinking about you...about us. Did you not like my gifts?”

“No, it’s not that. I’ve been so busy with rehearsals, my cello music, and teaching that I have been a homebody for the most part this week. Did you not get my texts?”

“Yes. But they all said the same thing. Were you trying to send me a message that you are no longer interested? Have you chosen one of the other guys?”

“Absolutely not, Ricky. Of all three of you, I thought that you would be the one most likely to understand dedicating time to professional responsibilities and development.”

“Oh. Really?”

“Really. I am a professional just like you. I spent so much time with you all initially that I felt like I was neglecting my practice and personal time. I am sorry if you cannot understand that,” Laura said, ready to end the conversation.

“No, Laura, wait, I understand. I understand. Sometimes I dedicate so much time to work that I lose track of time and people, too. I guess I did not extend the same courtesy to you and what being a professional cellist must mean and call for in terms of commitment, practice, and dedication.

“Thank you, Ricky. We’ll get together soon.”


They both hung up at the same time. Laura felt relieved but Ricky still felt let down. She had not had any trouble hanging out when they first connected. Why not now? Despite having feigned understanding of her career demands being like his, this change from incredible dates to distance and virtual silence was having a negative effect on him.

He decided to double down and send even more gifts and love notes. He wanted to win her heart, not lose her friendship due to some lack of understanding.

The other two guys must have been feeling the same way. Alex had not talked with her in the mornings like they had been doing or seen her at the cafe lately. He thought she was avoiding him. He decided not to wait for another cookie cutter text or waste another unanswered phone call. He would get her a coffee and croissant and deliver it to her in person. His newfound confidence, the result of their weekend long sex fest, was disappearing.

“Laura. It’s Alex. I’ve got a treat for you,” he called out through the speaker below. Laura buzzed him in, unsure of where in her loft she could put another sizable gift if that was what he was delivering in person.

“Alex,” she said and hugged him. “How nice of you to stop by.”

“I’ve got coffee and a croissant for you...”

“Wow. How thoughtful.”

“No! All the text messages you send say the same thing. Why the distance after our weekend together? Are you avoiding me?”

This was a bolder Alex than she was used to.

“Not at all. I’ve just been...busy.”

He was not going to accept what sounded like a kiss off for an answer. He looked around and saw all of the flowers he had sent.

“I see you received the flowers. What gives?”

“Nothing. I’m running late. Hopefully we can catch up soon. Thanks for the continental breakfast to go.”

Laura grabbed her instrument and followed him out, kissed him on each cheek, then got in her car and sped away to a day full of obligations. She left Alex behind, dumbfounded and discouraged without any acceptable explanation.

She had not been expecting this kind of response from Alex or Ricky, proven workaholics. She guessed that when the shoe was on the other foot, it was not as comfortable. She knew, if Don was the same as his lifelong friends, she would also hear from him today and she turned out to be correct.

# # #

Today, in spite of being the start of the weekend, had been a full one for Laura. She left Alex for a 6 hour rehearsal with the orchestra, dealing with students who had not practiced before their music lessons, then meeting and playing with the string quartet until late evening. By the time she arrived home, she was dead tired, returning to her loft drained but grateful for some alone time to process work duties.

She owed it to the two guys to smooth things over, given their responses to her lack of intended responses to their efforts to woo her or her unavailability to see them. But she had not heard from the third: Don. She opened one of his gift bottles of wine and poured herself a glass. Moments after he came to mind, her phone rang and it was he, the one and only, Don Juan.

“Hey Babe, it’s been awhile. I miss you like crazy.”

Maybe it was the fact that he called her after she had finished her day, that he got the best response of all three. Maybe it was because he did not act as though he owned her since he sent her some gifts and cards. Maybe it was because she had plateaued with being on her own and craved a little light company. But they stayed on the phone until 3 a.m. when Don needed to recharge his phone’s battery and Laura fell asleep on her sofa to the sound of his sexy voice and his handsome image.