Signs of Love

Note to the reader. This is the fourth story about Gus and Emma. In part one, Emma meets Gus as she is throwing away the detritus her ex has left in her condo. In part two, Emma leaves Gus at the Canadian border while she goes to her sister’s engagement party. In part three, Emma’s ex-boyfriend comes back into her life and Gus storms out. Read this story to find out what happens next… Emma and Gus? Emma and Ty? Gus and Ty?

Emma ran behind Gus’ truck, waving her arms and yelling for him to stop. He didn’t slow down and his taillights disappeared into the gathering dusk. Panting, she plopped down on the edge of the curb and replayed the whole party scene in her head, trying to see it from Gus’ point of view. 

Ty was a thing of the past to her. But Gus saw Ty in her house, eating, drinking, smoking, and inviting friends over as if he lived there again. And Gus probably suspected that Ty would want to stay for more than a day or two. And he’d be correct. Ty was like that.

Shit. 

She compared the two men in her head. Gus was a grown-up, kinder to her, didn’t lie, hell, even employed. Ty was spontaneous, carefree, like an oversized puppy bounding from one thing to the next. 

Gus’ list grew longer. He had a caring heart, a good mind, a sense of humor, a code of honor... OK, that last one was definitely missing from Ty. 

Did Gus scare her a little? Well, not Gus, but the idea of Gus being part of her life, an adult life. Was she ready to be an adult? At 27? Sometimes she felt like one, and sometimes not. Her older sister was getting married, but she was 32. Maybe 32 was the age to have a serious boyfriend. 

The spotlight in her head shone on Gus. She wanted Gus, not Ty. Even if she wasn’t an adult yet, but there was no doubt. She whipped out her phone and texted him.

I’m sorry

She stood up, brushed off the seat of her pants and fixed her eyes on her condo door. Time to tell Ty his time was up.

The scene was ugly. Lots of yelling and rolled eyes, but an hour later, Ty and the friends were gone. She picked up the beer cans and dumped them in the recycle bin, emptied the plates used as ashtrays and aired out the apartment. Every ten minutes she checked her phone. Nothing from Gus. She texted again.

Ty is gone. Gone, gone. Will you come back and I can apologize? I still have our wine from the hike…

It sent again, the little swooshing noise making her feel that progress was about to happen. Maybe he missed her first text. She stared at the phone, waiting for the 3 dots to show up, but nothing. She held the phone for one minute, then three, then five, and still no dots.  

Excuses flooded her head. Maybe he went to his brother’s house to vent, maybe he was in a bad cell zone, or there was a power outage and he was off Wi-Fi. But her heart sank. It probably wasn’t any of those things.

She took a photo of the clean living room and sent it to him. Proof. Whoosh. 

Still no dots from him.

***

The moment her eyes opened in the morning, she picked up her phone. It was sadly vacant. She sent another text.

Good morning. I miss you.

She waited. No response. Damn it. He must be really mad.

She dialed his phone number, and it rang into voice mail. “Hi Gus, it’s me. I know you are mad at me, but please call me. I can get coffee and donuts and come over? Please, please give me another chance.”

She put the phone down and went into the kitchen to make coffee. From the other room, she heard a “bing” and ran back to the phone. A text! He sent a text!

Emma, I thought a lot about you, but can’t do this. I’m over my ex, but I don’t think you are. I need a break. Please stop texting and calling.

Emma read the message twice. She looked around her clean apartment, no beer cans in sight, she heard a flock of geese honking overhead as they flew south. The wind tickled her chimes on the back porch. This is what she wanted. That, and Gus sitting on the sofa, or the armchair, or the dining room chair. Hell, she just wanted Gus. 

She wasn’t going to give up.

She picked up the phone and dialed her best friend, Cassie. It was time for reinforcements.

***

“This is serious,” Cassie said after Emma explained the situation. “I’ll be right over with supplies.”

Supplies?

Thirty minutes later, Cassie breezed through the condo front door. “I’m here,” she yelled, entered the living room and dumped a pile of books on the coffee table.

Emma picked up a volume. “Potions for Dummies?” She looked at Cassie with a raised eyebrow. “Are you kidding? Potions?”

“I’ve been dying to try this new one called Lover’s Leap,” Cassie said as she flipped to a dog-eared corner of the book. “I’ve got everything we need but a lock of his hair. Can you get that?”

“Cassie, I need something that’s going to work,” Emma said.

“OK, how about this one?” Cassie flipped through the pages. “Nectar of Venus. I’ve used that one before. Or this one? Fatal Feeling. Well, maybe not that one. I’d need damiana herbs and those are hard to get this time of year.”

Emma grabbed the book out of her friend’s hand. “Cassie, I really fucked up. He’s not even returning my texts. He says he wants a break.”

“Oh. Well, you know what that means,” Cassie said. “I mean it’s not good…”

“I know.”

“...It means he’s done and just being polite.”

“Cassie, I know. I know. I know,” Emma said. “What can I do?”

Cassie stood up and started pacing. “I think you should reconsider the potions, but OK. What are your other options? There is no time to waste. You already offered donuts you said. There’s always new lingerie as an option, but you’d have to break into his apartment for that to do any good. Or, do you have any more giant pencils? He likes those.” 

“I think he’s madder than that,” Emma said. “He thinks I still have feelings for Ty.”

Cassie stopped pacing. “Well, do you?”

“Yes, of course,” Emma said. “But not love type of feelings. Mostly exasperation type of feelings. But, you know how Ty is, fun-loving, but a cyclone of crazy. I didn’t kick him out fast enough.”

“I know what you need.” Cassie snapped her fingers and then air-quoted with her fingers, “‘The Grand Gesture.’ You need to prove to Gus that he is the one for you. That you will do anything to get him back, even make a fool of yourself. A fool for his love.” 

Emma tilted her head. Maybe Cassie wasn’t the best person to ask for help after all.

Cassie continued. “You know, like in that movie, where he holds the boom box outside her window to win his way back into her life?”

“You want me to hold a boom box?”

“No, silly, it’s got to be bigger. Like when Ryan Gosling builds an entire house to win Allie back; you know, the Notebook. Or like the end of every Hallmark Christmas movie ever made.”

Emma held up her hands in surrender. “OK, the Grand Gesture. But what?”

“I have just the idea,” Cassie said.

“Am I going to like it?”

“I doubt it, but what do you have to lose? You want him back, right?”

Emma nodded. With every hour Gus didn’t call she realized more and more how much she wanted him back.

***

The next day as the mist rose off the Mad River into the cool morning air, Emma and Cassie were hard at work. Everything had to be in place before Gus’ morning commute to Waterbury. 

“Do you think it will work?” Emma said as she hammered another wooden stake into the ground.

“Have I ever been wrong?” Cassie asked.

Emma laughed out loud as all the images of the times Cassie had been wrong paraded through her memory. “Well, there was the time you thought it wise to wear a bikini in January while skiing to impress Derek and got frostbite on your ….” 

“Enough!” Cassie waved her hammer at Emma. “I have a weapon.”

Emma laughed again. “Thanks for helping, Cass.”

“Pretty good, if I do say so,” Cassie said as she stood back to review their handiwork.

“I’m mortified,” Emma answered. “But I hope it works.”

“And, if not, you can always move out of town,” Cassie said, patting her on the back.

“Nice friend,” Emma said.

Cassie pulled out her phone. “And now for the social media campaign.” 

Emma groaned. “Do we really need to do this?”

“Yes. Peer pressure. The best,” Cassie answered as she took a few pictures and posted to Instagram, Facebook, and sent a note to Front Porch Forum. “Done!”

“Humiliation complete,” Emma said.

“And, perhaps, true love restored,” Cassie said. “What a way to start the day.” She checked her clock. “Hey. You owe me breakfast.”

“I do,” Emma agreed, squeezing her hand. “Breakfast sammies at the VG?”

“And a donut,” Cassie said, leading the way out.

***

Ten minutes later, Gus climbed into his truck for his daily commute from Warren to Waterbury. As he was putting his travel mug in the holder, his phone pinged. Turning the ignition on, he read it before putting the truck in gear. It was from Sandy, a friend he didn’t talk to often.

What happened? You’ve got to tell me everything.

That’s odd. She must have sent the text to the wrong person. He’d call her later and catch up.

He put the truck in gear and rolled down his window to enjoy the crisp morning air. Stick season was here and only a few leaves clung to the branches. It was a landscape hunkering down for winter. Stark and lonely. His mind wandered to Emma. They could have had fun on some late fall hikes, or building a warming fire in his fireplace. He shoved her out of his head. She wasn’t ready. And, sure, it was selfish, but he didn’t want to get hurt again. He didn’t need to be a rebound boyfriend. 

His phone pinged again, and again. He glanced briefly at the notifications. Odd. A few local friends he hadn’t talked to in a while. Maybe it was the day for rekindling friendships?

As he drove up route 100, past Jiffy Mart and Yestermorrow, the cars in front of him slowed. Maybe an accident? He glanced at the clock. He could stop and help if someone needed something.

As he saw the first sign hammered into the ground, he realized why his phone was so busy.

Gus Wilson, please read these signs.

Another sign planted a few feet later, the lettering white and bold on the wooden plank, read:

I am an idiot. 

The signs kept coming, spaced every few feet. 

You are the one for me. The only one.

Then one in front of the entrance road to the transfer station.  

Please don’t dump me. 

He laughed outloud.

Then a space and one more.

Please forgive me. Please call. Love Emma.

His heart warmed even as his face blushed with embarrassment. For the rest of the drive to work, his phone pinged nonstop. People he hadn’t heard from in ages. And people who didn’t even live in the Valley. How did they see the signs?

Gus gave Emma credit. But just because she aimed at my heart, and hit it, was she truly ready? Am I? She kicked out Ty this time, but would she do it again if he came back?

He was uselessly distracted in the office; he had trouble remembering his login password and was late for two meetings. Every hour, he wrestled with his promise to himself not to get hurt against Emma’s elaborate apology. By 4 o’clock, he called it quits. He sat in this truck and texted her. 

Maybe we shouldn’t trash our relationship?

***

All daylong, Emma’s heart quickened every time her phone pinged. Friends texted “what did you do?” “nice move, it is working?” “wow, embarrassing, but good luck.” When her phone pinged at 4:02 she held her breath as she picked up the phone. “Yes!” escaped from her mouth. 

She gave the phone a brief hug. What should I respond? She hadn’t planned this part. No time to call Cassie for ideas. She needed to respond right away.

She quickly typed.

Did you see my signs?

This time, the three dots started right away and Gus’ text filled her screen.

I saw them. The whole town of Warren wants me to call you.

She replied.

Those Warren folks are pretty savvy, I hear. Maybe this is easier for me to type than say. I want you in my life. No one else.

She held the phone and watched the 3 dots start and then stop. And then start and stop again. She reminded herself to breathe. Then his text came.

My head is saying no, but my heart is saying yes

She smiled at the phone and replied. 

Can you come over to my house later and we can talk? 5?

He responded with the thumbs up emoji. Not the heart emoji she noticed, so she still had work to do. She danced out of the office and raced home.

***

When Gus knocked at a little after 5, she yelled, “Come on in.”

“Emma?” she heard his voice in the hall.

“In here,” she said.

Her heart beat so fast she felt light-headed. The twenty-two candles she lit in the living room pulsed against the late fall dusk. A bottle of wine was open on the coffee table with two glasses ready. As Gus entered the living room, she stood and reached for his hand. “I’m so sorry.”

Gus pulled her in close, and she relaxed into his tight embrace. She clung to him for a few minutes until she said into his chest, “I’m so glad you came. I think I should keep apologizing.”

She felt his head nod above hers. “You apologize pretty well. Those signs were inspired.”

“Cassie helped,” Emma confessed.

 His chest rumbled. “Of course. But no sage?”

“Next time,” she said, tightening her hold.

“I don’t want a next time,” he said.

“Me neither,” she answered.

He kissed the side of her face. “I’m sorry, too. I think I was jealous. And scared you’d leave me.”

“I needed to realize what I really wanted,” Emma said. “And I did. Am I forgiven? Are we good?”

The rumble came out of his chest again. “Yes. But only if you change the locks.”

“Done,” she said. 

She tilted her head upward, and they kissed. Gently at first, then more urgently before Emma pulled back and said, “I should probably go collect all my signs. I wonder if the transfer station has a special dumpster for love signs?” 

“Let’s find out tomorrow,” Gus said as he pulled away from her, took her hand and walked them together toward the bedroom. “I think we have a few other things to abandon first.”