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Carrie had taken an apparent liking to Scott. When the time came for the show to end, they were still talking. Steve and Allison came back to say goodnight. Once they left Carrie decided to call it a night as well.
    "It was nice meeting you, Carrie." Scott extended his hand once again. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to take you to dinner sometime. That is, if you think you're ready to start dating again."
    "I'd be honored to have dinner with you, anytime." She handed him one of her business cards.
    "All right, then I'll call you, sometime soon. In the meantime, I'm going to buy one of your photos."
    "Which one?"
    "Hmm... I'm not really sure." He looked them over again. "You really are a beautiful woman, Carrie. It's hard for me to decide. I'm really torn between the one of you kneeling on the bed, and the one of you seated in the chair."
    "Why not get both?"
    He thought it over for a minute. "I guess I could."
    They shook hands once more as Scott stepped away to complete his purchase.
    "I'll call you, Carrie, soon."
    "I look forward to it."
    As soon as he left, Carrie went to look for Louise. She soon found her, once again standing near the bar.
    "Goodnight, Louise," she said as she gave her a hug.
    "Goodnight, Sweetness. I'm so glad you came. Sorry I wasn't able to spend that much time with you, but I noticed you were spending a lot of time talking to a nice-looking man. Who is he?"
    "A friend of Allison's. He seemed like a nice guy."
    "Did he ask for your phone number?"
    "He sure did." Carrie's face was beaming.
    "Good job, Sweetness, I'm proud of you. See, I told you that other men would find you attractive."
    "I know. So, I guess we'll have to wait and see if he calls me or not."
    "If he does, he does, and go out and have some fun. If not, it's no big deal. There are plenty of other fish in the sea. Just remember, the first one after a big break up is never a keeper. Enjoy it for what it is, but don't get too attached. Okay?"
    "I won't, Louise. It's going to be awhile before I'm completely over Doug, but it feels nice knowing another man finds me attractive."
    "That's my girl."
    Carrie exited the gallery and got into her car. Waiting for the engine to warm up, she sent a text message to Allison.
    "Is Scott by chance single?"
    By the time she returned to her apartment Allison had replied. "He's single. Known him for years. He's never once mentioned a wife."

Six
     
    S cott pulled into the driveway, pressed the remote, and waited as the garage door slowly rolled up. He was a bout to step on the accelerator when he noticed the bicycle in his path. Annoyed, he let out a loud sigh as he threw the car into park and stepped into the garage. Bicycle moved, he got back in his car and pulled into his space. He shut down the engine and pressed the remote again. Once the garage door closed, he came into the house.
    "Damn it, doesn't anyone know how to leave a light on around here? Someone could trip and fall over who knows what in the dark."
    He felt along the wall for the switch, flicked the light on and went into the kitchen, where he spotted three large pizza boxes stacked on the counter. All were still warm, and each still had several slices of pizza remaining. The bottom box held his favorite--pineapple, ham and bacon. He reached into one of the cabinets for a plate.
    "Hey, Dad."
    "Hey there, Ben. So, how was school today?"
    "Okay, I guess."
    "Just okay, huh?"
    The boy shrugged.
    "So, how's Mom?"
    "Okay, I guess," repeated Ben. "She says she's feeling better, and that by tomorrow she should be up and about."
    "Until you or your sister bring home the next bug that's making the rounds at school."
    Ben stood and watched while his dad fixed himself something to drink. "So how come you're home so late?"
    "I stopped by an artist's opening tonight at one of our favorite galleries and I bought a couple of black and white photos."
    "Where are they? Can I see 'em?"
    "Later, son." Scott took his seat at the table. "They're still at the