by Layne, Lyssa
I stepped down out of my truck as Sean got out greeting me. He held a beautiful bouquet of flowers but my eyes were drawn to him. It was the first time I’d seen him without his work jacket and safety glasses. He was dressed in Levi’s 505 relaxed jeans, a gray silk shirt and I noticed his eyes were a smoky hazel. Very hot. He was kind enough to ask which vehicle I would like to take and trying to stay the lady I said that his was fine. He opened the passenger side door and waited until I got in before he shut the door and got in on the driver’s side.
The interior had seen better days too but I was thankful that at least it was clean. We made small talk about work on the way to the Olive Garden restaurant and with the heat I was thankful it was less than two miles away. We pulled up and once again he opened my door and helped me out. So far he was a complete gentleman, not what I was used to.
Before my five-year dating drought and my eighteen-month marriage, I dated quite a bit. While I dated some very nice guys, quite of few of them were jerks and it had been over ten years since I had someone act so chivalrous. It was a nice change.
We ordered our meals and I started asking him about how long he had worked at our company. He appeared to be nervous and I wanted to break the ice without intimidating him. My career choice and personality had molded me into a very approachable, gregarious person and I knew that allowing a person to talk about themselves usually put them at ease. He told me how long he had been working at LMN and the different areas he was certified in. Realizing I didn’t even know his true age, I asked him casually how old he was.
“Well, I just had a birthday so I’m thirty-two now.” he answered.
“Oh! When was you’re birthday?”
“The day before yesterday, on the twenty-fifth.”
“You just had a birthday! Happy belated birthday!” I exclaimed. I quickly did the math in my head. He was younger than me but only by months and I could live with that. My ex-husband had been younger by a few years. What was it with me and younger men?
Conversation slowly turned to what I had been doing before I came to work at LMN and I hesitantly told him what I did and what my college degree was in. I’ll admit I was reluctant to tell him because my past experience was that the guy was either intimidated that I made so much money or that I was in a field that was dominated by men, so therefore I had to be flirty, loose or constantly hit on. The money part was true but the latter was not. To Sean’s credit, he didn’t seem intimidated or taken aback but was genuinely interested. He asked questions about how I got into cars and I told him about my father being such an influence in my life. Then I took a deep breath. The subject came up and I knew I needed to let him know where I stood in my personal life.
“Yeah, my Dad is a very important part of my life.” I began, taking another drink of wine before I continued. “In fact, in 1998 I took him out of the retirement home he was living in and moved him in with me. My Dad is my roommate.” I paused, waiting for his reaction.
“That is really cool.” he smiled and it didn’t appear to be false. “So do you live in an apartment or something?”
“No, I bought some property north of town so I could have my horses and my garage.”
“Oh, you own your own place?” he appeared surprised.
“Well, the bank still owns it but I’m making payments on it to make it mine.” I laughed.
I was relieved when our meals arrived and I dug into my grilled chicken salad, hoping that I wasn’t giving him too much information. I really liked him, getting butterflies in my stomach every time I looked at him and didn’t want to scare him off. I decided to try and change the subject and put the attention back on him.
“So do you have any brothers or sisters?”
He finished chewing his spaghetti and nodded. “I have one sister and two brothers. I have six nieces and nephews, they keep me pretty busy.”
“Oh my gosh! That’s quite a few kids! I bet holidays are fun.” I laughed.
“It’s pretty chaotic but it is fun.” he agreed. “So how about you?”
“Well you know my sister, Melody. That’s pretty much it.”
“Cool. So Melody tells me you were married before.”
I cringed internally. Big mouth. I’ll have to get her back for that. “Yeah, I was. How about you?”
“No, I’ve never been married.” he replied.
I looked up sharply to see if he was joking. There was no laughter or deception in his eyes. How could this attractive, thirty-two-year-old man have never been married? Are all those women out there insane? What was wrong with them, or him? Now I needed to find out what was wrong with him, there had to be something. In this day and age most of the people I knew, actually all of the people I knew had been married.
“Really? No ex’s running around or little ones?” I asked.
“No, never got close. And no kids either. How about you? Any kids?” Now he looked intrigued.
“No kids. My first husband and I agreed that neither one of us wanted kids. And we didn’t last that long. We were legally married for eighteen months but separated after sixteen. We were just too young and didn’t really know each other.” I explained.
“So did you like it? Being married?”
“I liked the idea of marriage but what we had wasn’t a marriage. It was more of a roommate situation. Everything was split down the middle and we had this competition thing between us, it was stupid but it was there.”
“That doesn’t sound like a marriage.” he frowned.
“It wasn’t which, is why it didn’t work.” I shrugged.
I think he could tell that I wanted to change the subject and he was kind enough to oblige. “So we have about an hour and a half before the movie starts. Want to go for a walk?”
R321“Sure. That would be nice.”
***
He pulled up in front of a park I hadn’t been to before and I saw that a pathway circled around a small lake that was surrounded with cattails. Picnic tables were placed sporadically along the path and we chose one in the shade to sit at, looking over the water. We made more small talk and he asked about my education.
“Well I went to college for my automotive, then two years ago I graduated with my paralegal degree but I wasn’t able to find any employment doing it since most law firms want at least two years’ experience before they will hire you. I’m getting burned out in automotive so I just re-enrolled in the community college. I’m going to get my mechanical engineering degree.”
“Wow. You are like a major over-achiever.” he exclaimed.
“No, not really. I just really like education and learning. And they say that you change your career at least three times in your life. I figure I’ve been in automotive long enough, I’d like to do something new but still have the good income so back to school I went.”
“So what classes are you taking?”
“I’m taking philosophy, history and mythology. Philosophy is kicking my butt. I really don’t get it.” I grinned sheepishly.
“I’m sure you’ll get it and do fine. It sounds like you enjoy and do really well in school.” He encouraged.
I laughed. “I do. And I will. I’m stubborn that way.”
“Time to get to the movies. Ready to go?”
I nodded. I really enjoyed talking with him and the more I got to know him, the more I was attracted to him. The one thing that was confusing is we had just spent the past three hours together but he hadn’t tried to hold my hand or make any indication he was attracted to me. Our talk could have been held between two long-time friends, nothing romantic, no flirting, just regular adult conversation.
We were at the theatre five minutes before the previews were to begin so he bought us some popcorn and drinks. It was not lost on me that he had paid for our meals, paid for our entrance into the theatre and was now paying for our snacks. I had brought my own money, knowing that modern dates usually called for each person to chip in their share but he had insisted on paying for it all. Again, the ch
ivalry I wasn’t used to. We made our way into the theatre and sat almost in the back, middle section, my favorite place. We shared our popcorn, watched the previews and enjoyed each other’s presence. I became very aware of how close we were sitting. I’ll admit the heat that warmed my body wasn’t just from being celibate for the past five years; I was really attracted to him. I sat with my hand on my thigh closest to him hoping that he would reach out and hold my hand. I will admit it was a juvenile move but I didn’t know how else I could let him know that I really liked him and talking in a movie theatre was frowned upon. Go figure.
I sat there for the next two hours nervously waiting/hoping he would reach over and hold my hand but he never did. Damn, maybe I misread him. Maybe he wasn’t into me and was just biding his time until the movie was over and we could go our separate ways. My heart dropped into my stomach at the thought that he didn’t like me the same way I liked him. I hoped that I was wrong but it wasn’t looking good so far.
The movie ended and as we walked out and shared our opinion of the movie, he asked if I wanted to go play Put-Put golf. I nodded feeling slightly confused. He never made a move to hold my hand in the theatre but he wanted to extend our date and go play some miniature golf. Was my radar that far off that I couldn’t read a guy? Man, I guess I was rusty.
I quickly agreed not even minding climbing back into the rusty Bronco II. The air had cooled to a balmy eighty-nine degrees and the open windows allowed the fresh air to circulate and cool the cab down. We made small talk as we drove across town to the miniature golf course. There had to be something there for him to ask me to a game of golf, right?
We pulled up in front of the little amusement play park and I smiled to myself. Right in front of us was a large rock tunnel with a waterfall flowing down the side of it. I absolutely love water, whether it’s a stream, a river, an ocean but my favorites are waterfalls. The power and beauty of them are breathtaking and here we were, at this cute little park on our first date and we were going to be playing right underneath that man-made beauty. We got our clubs and colored balls and made our way to the first hole. It was still light out but luckily it was cooling off so we could enjoy the outside activity.
I quickly learned he was not an avid player and I relaxed and just had fun. I was absolutely horrible at the game but I couldn’t stop laughing. He was very easy to be with and very easy to laugh with. I longed to touch him, to hold his hand, even to have him put his hand at the small of my back to guide me along the felted path but for some reason, I just couldn’t make that move. I felt my face blush every time he looked into my eyes. I began to wonder what it would be like to be standing under that rocky arch, with the water flowing off to the side and kiss him. Wouldn’t that be the most amazing first kiss? Something out of a romance novel. But life isn’t always a romance novel and things happen that you weren’t expecting. This time it was three twenty-something girls.
They were the size of toothpicks, long hair, coltish legs, giggling and laughing and eyeing my date. If I had been a dog I know the hackles would have risen on my neck and I would have wanted to protect my territory. I know, it’s crazy, this is our first date and I’m already giving in to the green one-eyed monster! To his credit, he kept his eyes and conversation on me and never let on that they were even there. Needless to say, because they were right behind us when it was time to play under the waterfall, I never got that kiss. We finished our game, got back into his car and drove back to the parking lot at work. I was still unsure as to where I stood with him. Had I been a good date? Was he interested in me? Did he want to see me again? He still hadn’t tried to hold my hand, let alone kiss me. This man was truly an enigma. We made small talk as I gathered up my purse and searched for my keys, delaying getting out of his vehicle. I couldn’t delay any longer and reached for the door handle when he finally asked the question.
“I really had a great time with you and wanted to know if you would like to go out again?” he asked quietly.
I looked at him and I know I had the biggest, probably goofiest grin and nodded. “I would love to go out with you again. I had a great time!” And I couldn’t help myself; I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I felt myself blush and I looked away, hoping I hadn’t been too forward and scared him off. I got out of his car and jumped into my truck, looked over at him and waved good-bye.
I went over our date as I drove home and the more I thought of it, the more troubled I became. He had been a perfect gentleman. He hadn’t tried anything at all which bothered me. As soon as I got home I called my sister. I knew she would still be up and I wanted to go over my date. She let me go over the date without interrupting and when I was finished she let out a breath.
“Well, damn, Celeste, you do have a problem.”
“I knew it!” I exclaimed. “You think he’s a player, huh?”
She chuckled into the phone. “Nope, I think you had the perfect date and you just don’t know how to deal with it. He isn’t your typical scum that you’ve dated before. He actually treated you like a lady. Now suck it up and enjoy it.”
EIGHT
I chose something cool yet sexy for our next date. We had chosen July 4th because it was the next time we both had a day off and we really wanted to see each other again outside of work. There was definitely a sexual tension between us and I wanted to explore how deep that tension went.
My tan capris zipped up the side and fit my figure. I put on a brown silk tank top with a see-through leopard print silk shirt. I had never been into animal prints but the print was subtle enough and so sexy that I had bought it when I had been feeling adventurous and daring. Now I was glad I had because the entire ensemble was cool, flattering and sexy. I felt damn good. I wore my blonde hair down, proud of how long my hair had grown. I hardly wore it down because working with horses at home and mechanical equipment at work made it hazardous so it was usually up in a clip. I liked how I looked with it down and my bangs styled.
I took my time with my make-up and my jewelry. I slipped my wedding ring off, put it in its box and placed it in my sock drawer. It wasn’t that I missed my ex-husband; I just missed what the ring was supposed to represent. Partnership, friendship and commitment. My marriage had been none of that which is why I would never get married again. I dreamed of the Hollywood created marriages, those in movies and happily-ever-after. Dreams of what never was and what never could be.
I made my way out to the living room and Dad whistled. I laughed and did a little pirouette. “What do you think?”
“I think the poor guy doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Cool. Don’t wait up. I have to work tomorrow afternoon so I should be home around one or two in the morning.” I gave him a kiss and made my way out to my truck.
His house was forty-five minutes away and as I drove I felt the butterflies emerge and start fluttering in my stomach. I tried to get myself under control. I knew I was being silly. The two dates I had gone on in the five years I had been divorced had been disastrous. They had both been set up by my friends, and yes, both blind dates. The first guy had gone on and on about heavy women; how they were disgusting, obviously lazy slobs that had no self-control. Coming from a heavy family I found his comments insulting. Along with the fact that just a few months before I had been heavy due to an accident and two subsequent surgeries that left me bed ridden for almost a year. Yes, I had lost all of the weight after my surgeries but I remember the looks and rude comments made by ignorant strangers, how it cut and hurt my soul. One of those ignorant people was sitting right across from me and I felt the anger build up as I took each one of those insulting comments personally.
Glad I had driven, I told him to call one of his buddies to pick him up then I left him at the bar. He wasn’t worth my time to explain why I was leaving or why his prejudice views were sick and wrong. He wanted a trophy girlfriend and I wasn’t it.
My other date was just as disastrous though I was thankful that my friends insisted on it being a double
date. The guy found out that I worked on cars and proceeded to spend the evening quizzing me on my knowledge. The more he drank, the more outrageous the questions became. My friends were horrified and finally told him off for me. They promised to never set me up again. I forgave them for their error in judgment.
So here I was, going on another date with a man. Granted, I had picked him out and our first date had been pleasant albeit confusing, and was supposed to be a one night stand but I was nervous just the same. He excited me and piqued my curiosity but I was hopeful that once I had my way with him I could go on with my life. I just needed that male/female physical interaction to straighten my hormones out then I could get back on track with my life. So why was I getting nervous butterflies?
I pulled up in front of his house, checked my make-up and hair, took a deep breath and walked up to the door. I rang the bell and caught my breath when he opened the door. He must have just stepped out of the shower because his black hair was still wet, though styled back. He was dressed in Levis, a button-up short-sleeved shirt with the top two buttons undone and cologne that instantly drove my pulse rate up.
He grinned and his dimples flashed, causing me to go weak in the knees. I felt my face flush hoping he couldn’t guess the thoughts flying through my mind at that moment as he invited me in. He gave me a quick tour of the little ranch home he shared with his two female roommates who were rarely there. The one roommate he never saw because she practically lived at her boyfriend’s house and the other roommate, who I knew from work, was in and out spending time with her boyfriend. He explained it was rather nice because he had the house mostly to himself while only having to pay a third of the payment and utilities.
We ended up back in the kitchen and he asked if I’d like to see his garden. I nodded yes and after passing through large sliding glass doors, walked into the Garden of Eden. The plants were lush and green and many of them taller than I. When he saw my expression of awe, I noticed he flushed.
