What Was Meant To Be

~Rodi’s: end of summer 2003~

She walked into the crowded bar and instantly regretted walking through the door. She rarely came here anymore. The last time she’d been there was for Matthew’s school dance and she’d danced with Bo again. Bo, so many memories of him, of them, were surrounding her at that moment. She glanced over at the dance floor and hundred’s of memories rushed through her mind. The dance contests, the hundred’s of times he’d held her in his arms on that very dance floor, all the times they’d danced around their living room, or slow danced in their bedroom just before they made love. Nora felt her cheeks grow warm and her heart begin to race as she thought about how it felt when Bo made love to her.

“Stop it Nora”, she thought to herself. “There’s no point in going back there. Beside’s Bo’s with Gabrielle, and he seems happy. And don’t you remember what you said after Troy, no more men.” She stood at the door, doing her best to keep her thoughts in the present and out of the past.

“What can I get for you ma’am?”

“Oh—um I’ll just have a rootbeer and a burger.”

“Sounds good, I’ll have it for you in a sec.”

“Thanks.”

She walked over to the nearest table and sat down, with a sigh, she really should’ve gone someplace else she thought to herself, she should’ve gone anywhere but here. The song on the jukebox ended and the next song began to play:

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day.
When it's cold outside I've got the month of May.
I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl (my girl, my girl)
Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl).

“Perfect”, she thought. “It’s just my luck that they’d play this song when I’m trying desperately to keep my thoughts away from what might have been.”

He walked into the crowded bar and as their song played he instantly wanted to be anywhere but there. He’d had another fight with Gabrielle and for some reason he ended up here. He was getting tired of her constantly complaining about the time he was spending at work, the time he was spending with Nora and Matthew. He tried to reassure Gabrielle that Nora was his past and that even though they’d found out the truth the past was the past.

I've got so much honey, the bees envy me.
I've got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees.
I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl (my girl, my girl)
Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl).

Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey
Ooooh.

He looked over at the dance floor and watched the couples as they swayed to the music. He closed his eyes for a moment and visions of them immediately came to mind. The dance contests, the hundreds of times he held her on that very dance floor, dancing around their living room, and slow dancing in their bedroom just before they would make love.

“Get a hold of yourself, Buchanan. You just spent the past hour trying to convince Gabrielle that your feelings for Nora were in the past. So why are you standing her thinking about how it felt to hold Nora in your arms?”

“Can I get you anything, sir?”

“Oh, um-yeah, I’ll have a root beer.”

“Anything to eat?”

“You know what yeah, I’ll have a burger.”

“Hmm...root beers and burgers seem to be the thing to have tonight”, he said as he walked away.

Bo turned and walked away from the bar. He quickly looked around the room for an empty table. None to the right so he looked left. That’s when he saw her, well the back of her anyway. He’d know it was her just by looking at the color of her hair.

I don't need no money, fortune, or fame.
I've got all the riches baby one man can claim.
I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?
My girl (my girl, my girl)
Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl).

He stood there for a moment an internal battle waging between his head and his heart. He decided to go with his heart. “Hi, Red,” he said quietly, the nickname naturally rolling off his tongue as though they were still together.

She looked up, her breath caught in her throat when she heard him call her Red.

“Hi yourself,” she finally managed to say.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

“Yeah I—I have no idea why I decided to come here of all places. It’s almost like something was telling me that I was supposed to come here tonight.”

“Me too. Do you mind?” he said gesturing to the empty chair.

“No, not at all, please sit.”

“So how’s Matthew?”

“He’s fine. He’s really enjoying camp.”

“I’m glad.”

Silence came between them for a moment as they both fought their internal battles, the words to the song bringing so much to the surface. “Matthew’s really excited about your fishing trip when camp is over. He can’t wait to go fishing with “Uncle Bo”.

“He’s a great kid, Nora.”

“Yeah, he is,” she said quietly

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day
with my girl.
I've even got the month of May
with my girl (fade)

Another moment of silence passed between them as the last song ended and another song began to play.

When a man loves a woman
Can't keep his mind on nothin' else
He'd trade the world
For a good thing he's found
If she is bad, he can't see it
She can do no wrong
Turn his back on his best friend
If he puts her down

They looked up at each other, their eyes betraying their hearts secret desires.

“Care to join me, you know for old time’s sake?”

“Sure, why not.”

She slipped her hand in his as he led her out onto the dance floor. She melted into his familiar embrace. They danced, swaying back and forth to the music. He leaned closer and quietly sang to her. “When a man loves a woman. Spend his very last dime. Trying to hold on to what he needs. He'd give up all his comforts, and sleep out in the rain If she said that's the way it ought to be…”

He stopped singing when he felt her begin to shake. He steps out of their embrace and looks at her. She looks down at the ground, anywhere but at him. He tilts her chin up and she slowly lifts her eyes and meets his gaze, “What’s with the tears, Red?”

“I don’t know.”

“Come on, Nora, talk to me. Let me in.”

She pauses for a moment as they continue to sway back and forth to the music.

“It’s just this place, this song; the way dancing with you makes me feel. It just brought back so many feelings that I thought were buried.”

“I feel the same way.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I do. At first I had no idea what made me come here tonight, but now I do. I spent most of my day today thinking about Matthew, thinking about the years we missed out on. Then I went home and spent the evening trying to convince Gabrielle that just because we share a son, nothing was different between you and me. She didn’t believe me. I left, got in my car and ended up here. I’ve spent so much time trying to convince Gabrielle, but I think the person I was trying to convince was myself.”

“I’ve spent so many nights, since we learned the truth, sitting beside Matthew’s bed just staring at him. I would look at his nose, the shape of his chin, the way he looks when he sleeps. I should’ve seen it Bo. It’s you; our son is the spitting image of his father. I just wish…”

“You wish what, Nora?”

“I wish we could turn back time and it was 1999, hell it was 1997 again and Sam and Lindsay Rappaport have never come into our lives.”

“There’s no way we can change the past, Red. We can only deal with now and work towards what lies ahead.”

When a man loves a woman
I give you everything I've got (yeah)
Trying to hold on
To your precious love
Baby please don't treat me bad
When a man loves a woman
Deep down in his soul
She can bring him such misery
If she is playing him for a fool
He's the last one to know
Loving eyes can never see

Neither one spoke for a few minutes as they let the music and their conversation wash over them. “And what lies ahead for us Bo? We have Matthew, but is that all we have?”

“No, I don’t’ think so. We have a connection that reaches way beyond Matthew. We have a connection of the heart and soul. Maybe Gabrielle was right.”

“Right about what?”

“The fact that I still love you. Maybe we’re the only ones who couldn’t see it. Remember when I told you that you were my soul mate and that I’d never stop loving you?”

“Yeah”

“Well I know why were here tonight, seeing you here, knowing that we share a son, it’s all perfectly clear. I still love you Red, and I’ve never stopped.”

Bo leans in and kisser her, lightly at first. She wraps her arms around his neck, bringing him closer. All the pain, all the hurt, and all the lies became distant memories. And as they swayed to the music their hearts reconnected and they took their first step back to what was meant to be.

Yes when a man loves a woman
I now exactly how he feels
'Cause baby, baby, baby
I am a man
When a man loves a woman