Afterall- A Matt and Ellen Story:Chap. 2




CHAPTER 2 Chances

It's been two weeks since Zan`dele came to G.H.

"... yes Lucy I'll see you next week."

Dr. Newman closes her door and Lucy walks down the hallway and notices a name plate on the door and knocks.

"Enter."

Says a voice from the other side.

"Hello. My name is Lucy Coe and I noticed that this office was no longer vacant. I just had to see who took my friend's place. Well no one could
ever take Ellen's place especially in my heart. What I mean is, I had to see whose office this is now."

Lucy somehow managed to say all in one breath.

Pointing to the chair with a smile.

"So, you and Dr. Burgess were friends? I can tell that you really miss her."

"Ellen and I were pals. I miss her so much! Sometimes I wonder why she ever had to leave. She didn't even tell ME where she was going. She and
I were so close and I miss her so much."

Lucy shakes her head as Zan`dele looks at her sadly.

"I hate that you lost your friend but speaking ..."

Just then someone knocks on the door and enters when given permission to do so.

"Oh, I'm sorry I'll come back later."

Matt says as he sits in the doorway. I have something to do and then I'll come back in say fifteen minutes. How is that?"

She nods at him.

"That's fine."

She says as Matt disappears as quickly as he came.

"I know that smile anywhere and I haven't seen that look on his face in a very long time."

Lucy says of Matt's contagious smile.

"Whatever do you mean? You haven't seen that smile since when? Do you know Dr. Harmon?"

Lucy gave her the shortened version excluding the personal stuff. Sebastian was never mentioned only their love and nothing more. For anything else she'd have to get it straight from the horse's mouth.

"He and Ellen were in love and I mean really in LOVE. Matt isn't the sort of guy that's fooled by a pretty face and he sees a person for who
they ARE not just what they look like. When he saw Ellen he once told me that it was love at first sight. But anyway back to you two. He's single and he hasn't been looking but for some reason I think that he is now!"

"So you're telling me that he hasn't so much as had a date in all of this time? Boy, he was really in love with her. It's sad when people
break-up."

Just then Matt reappears in the doorway. When Lucy sees him she gathers her purse and heads out.

"Maybe I'll give you a ring sometime Zan`dele. We can do lunch!"

She says as she passes Matt in the hallway. He closes the door behind him.

"Zan`dele would you like to have dinner with me tonight? If this is short notice tell me and the next time I'll do better."

His eyes all aglow. She sees in them a chance to share with someone who might that you might have similiar interests. As for WHAT kind of chances, that waits to be seen.

"Matt, that's a novel idea. I'd like that. How about the Port Charles Grill."

She suggests to him.

"My choice exactly. That's a good spot. They have the best food in town. I'll make our reservations now. May I call for you at 6:00 p.m. or is that too soon?"

She can tell that it's been a long time since he's done this. Matt is clearly a little rusty at this but he's holding his own pretty good
considering that he hasn't had a date in a year.

Later at the Port Charles Grill sometime after dinner...

"... I've always wanted to go to Africa to see how beautiful it truly is. Tell me something. What does your middle initial stand for?"

Matt looks into her eyes and he sees something familiar there. He can't shake the intense feeling that he has whenever he's near her.

"It stands for El-le`ani. It's quite a mouthful for mostly everyone, except you so it seems."

Reveling in his new found compliment. And if it wasn't meant as such, he decided to take it that way just the same.

"Zan`dele El-le`ani Sunati. Somehow it suits you. Were you born here because I don't detect an accent of any kind."

He wants to know everything about her!

"I was born in the states. In New Hampshire to be exact. I'm 38 years old as I'm sure that you'll get around to asking that too."

He should have been embarrassed but he wasn't! He wanted to know as much about her as he could.

"I was named after my great, great, great, great, great, great-grandmother. Whom I've seen pictures of and to whom I bare a striking resemblance. My father loved that name so much and decided to
keep it alive through me."

Moving a little closer to her now he gently caresses her hand.

"I think that it's only fitting that I answer the same question that I asked you. So, I'm 37 and a bachelor who's hoping to spend some time in
your company."

He said as she tilted her head and the light caught her at just the right angle that her eyes seemed to dance in the light! He thought that
he would not be able to stand it. It was at that moment that he knew that the time for regrets was over. In that light he saw the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen since Ellen Burgess. It was funny but he never thought that he would be able to say that, but now he had and it felt pretty good too!

They were now at her door as they looked at each other meaningfully.

"You made me feel so good. I know that you've probably heard a lot of things about me but if you ever want to know something all you have to
do is come to the source. I'll tell you anything you want to know and I mean anything."

"Matt I had a terrific time tonight. Thank you."

Putting her key into the lock and turning around as he waits for her to go inside.

"My friends call me Zandy. I think that you rate in the 'friends' category. A girl can never have too many friends, now can she? Goodnight."

Matt's face lights up as she closes the door. He still sees her expression as she said her name--Zandy and even the way she stressed the
'friends' part.

"Am I dreaming or is she interested too? It's been so long until I don't even remember how to read the signs anymore. Who needs pretenses? We
tell each other what's on our minds and that's that! She is some kind of beautiful. It seems that she's as beautiful on the inside where it
counts as she is on the outside. She makes me want to go to sleep just to wake up and go to work to see her again! It wasn't that long ago that all I could think of was work, work and more work. Now I find myself wanting to see HER!"

On the drive home he keeps replaying that moment in his mind.

"My friends call me Zandy."

He couldn't help but think.

"Ah Zandy. Zan-dy, Zan-dy, Zandy! You are too much."

After he changes for bed he lays out his clothes for tomorrow.

Zan`dele wears a smile as she too prepares for bed.

Matt's reaches over and picks up the phone.

"Hello."

He says with a raspy tone in such a way that unnerves her completely! She imagined his smiling face as he spoke. He had no idea of how alluring he sounded to her.

"Hello Matt. I hope that I'm not being too forward by calling you but I wanted to say how much I enjoyed my first dinner in town."

He's now beside himself!

"I can't believe this! She called me! YESSS!!"

He thinks to himself as they continue to talk.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Matt inquires.

"Sure but I have an early shift so I might just see you in passing."

She adds knowing that his shift today was different.

"Is that right? So do I? Maybe we can get away for lunch? That is if it's alright with you?"

Matt weighing his words very carefully now he doesn't want to say the wrong thing and mess it up.

"That sounds like fun. I'll see you later Matt. Goodnight."

She says as smiles at him from the other end of the phone.

"Sleep well...Zandy."

Oh how he relished the priviledge of calling her that! He was now in her inner circle, a person that she cared about, dare he actually it.. a
friend.

Their future seemed so bright with many possibilities and so many chances. Who knows what chances may await for them tomorrow to learn
even more about the other. Matt only knew that she brought hope in his life like a breath of fresh air. She WAS his second at still other
CHANCES that hadn't yet presented themselves but he knew that they would if given the chance.