Lots of work and little play....

You needn't worry, dear diary. Work was the priority today. Dammit.

I got to my old office at 9:00 this morning. Only a few people knew I was coming, so it took forever to get through the hallway. Many people said, "Hi!" like it was a normal thing to still see me there, then the lightbulb came on, they did a double-take, and wanted hugs. I probably answered "How do you like Colorado?" about twenty times.

Then, we got down to business. We talked about courses, course management systems, instructional design, and professors. We talked about projects I helped start. We talked about a major shakeup in the department. Several, actually.

As the meetings went on, I watched the clock. Greg wanted me to come see him when his shift started. 11:00. At 11:30, I know his rush was starting. At 12:30, I finally said my last goodbye (for today) and made the twenty minute drive to the restaurant. The lunch rush was about over.

I walked in the door and could see him watching me. He rushed to the front and maneuvered past the hostess. "I'll take her," he said, and ushered me to a table next to the wait stand.

"I thought you'd be here earlier," he said. "I thought you weren't coming!"

"I'm sorry," I said. "I just finished working."

"Well, see....I thought you weren't coming, so I picked up a closing shift."

"No!"

He nodded. "Yep. I saved this table right here for you all morning. Kept it open, and now your sweet ass comes in here, and I'm kicking myself." He promised to try to give away that shift.

As usual, he came and went as I ate my lunch. The conversation came in snippets, but the pieces added up to something like this.

"I've never been at wit's end before, but this week has done it," he said. "The only thing that's gotten me through is knowing I'd have time with you at the end of it. I can't wait to be in your arms again."

"I'm sorry it's been so bad."

"It's not your fault, baby. I'm sure glad you're here. Take me back to Colorado with you this time?"

"That would be nice," I said, sighing.

"Yeah, but your kids would freak out if I just showed up in their lives, right?"

I nodded.

No takers on the shift. "I swear, if I had $500, I'd tell them to shove it and get out of here with you right now," he said. "Maybe I'll become a gigolo. No, I'd be bad at that, if I can't last longer than four minutes with you." I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, dear diary, but dear Greg has the tendency to be a "minute man" with me....

I start to protest, and rolls his eyes at me. "I know, I know. You don't mind. But it bothers me a lot because I want to be better than that for you." He smiles a mischievous grin, and adds, "Of course, that's all your fine ass's fault," he winks. "Can't help myself."

Whenever he stood beside the wait stand, he'd stroke my shoulder where the other people at the stand couldn't see. Somehow, I was surprised how glad he was to see me, how relieved he was I actually came, how anxious he was to spend time with me. However, I held back on one thing. I bit back the words, "I've missed you." It's true, I have missed him. But is this that kind of thing to him? I wasn't sure how much he actually missed me, or if this is just a nice fling he thinks of when I'm going to be there, and not in between.

Later, he met me at my hotel room. The door hadn't even closed when he caught me up in his arms, with a kiss just as passionate and urgent. He held me close and tight, wrapping me up in him, and whispered into my ear:

"I've missed you so much."

He said it not as someone wanting sexually, but with an earnest fervor as he held onto me.

I kissed him. "I've missed you, too."

"Good," he said, and kissed me back.