There comes a point in your life when I think we become too old to learn new things, at least that's the way it is for me. I'm beginning to think that maybe I'm getting too old to make new friends as well, because this last attempt didn't work out too well, as I think this story will explain.
***
1. The invitation.
It started out as what I had assumed was an innocent attempt to begin a friendship. Earl Lane had begun working in our unit about six months ago, and seemed to be a decent enough guy who was trying real hard to make friends around the workplace. A little too hard sometimes for my tastes, but who am I to judge? Being a rather aloof and quiet guy myself almost everyone seems that way to me much of the time.
Earl had been inviting me to come by his place for about a month and I was running out of excuses. Finally one day I gave in reluctantly when he came rushing up to me while I was headed out the door.
"Dave... Dave wait up!" Earl gasped while running up to me. His glasses were sliding down his nose and he was juggling his briefcase and assorted other things as he hustled alongside me.
"What's up Earl?" I asked while continuing on my way to the elevator. It was Friday and I don't even like coming to work on Friday, much less hanging around a minute longer than I have to when I do decide to make an appearance.
"Why don't you come over to my place tommorow night Dave? I got this incredible new widescreen television, and there's a great NASCAR race on, the Daytona 500. You gotta see it on this screen! It's just like being there! Why, you can almost smell the rubber burning!" Earl was almost beside himself with excitement.
Frankly, I'm not all that big on the smell of rubber burning, or NASCAR for that matter. It's alright, and I'll admit that I'll watch it if it's on, but I don't plan my life around it. Still and all, I didn't have anything going on tomorrow night and it was an excuse to drink beer, as Earl reminded me on the elevator.
"Okay, count me in," I finally conceeded.
Earl looked so happy I thought he was going to cry, and I felt good about myself. It seemed to mean so much to him for me to come over to his place. How bad could this end up?
2. Earl's house.
Earl's house was a very, very, very fine house, you might say. A nice colonial in a decent neighborhood surrounded by a lot of other nice colonials. Earl was actually waiting at the door when I pulled up in front of the house and ran up to my car as I was getting out.
Earl is probably in his late thirties, about ten years my junior. He's about 5'7" and thinly built, with wavy brown hair that's showing signs of retreating. For once he didn't have a tie on, and his pocket protector was missing as well.
"Great to see you my man!" Earl chirped happily as he took the bag from my hands. "Oh, you didn't have to bring anything Dave!" he added while looking into the bag at the assorted snacks I had brought and the Rolling Rock 12 pack in my hand.
"Never come empty handed is my motto Earl," I offered in response as I followed Earl into his house.
"Honey, Dave's here!" Earl crowed as we entered the place.
Apparently I was about to meet Mrs. Earl, who he was always babbling about at work. Sure enough around the corner comes his wife, a woman about Earl's age and height, a bleached blonde who was somewhat attractive in an offbeat way. Sort of like a younger version of Rose Marie on the old Dick Van Dyke Show. She was smiling like she was happy to see me too; not so much as Earl was, but that was not humanly possible since Earl's face was on the verge of exploding.
"Dave, I'd like you to meet my wife Liz!" Earl said proudly.
"I'm SO pleased to meet you Dave," Liz said as she gave me a big hug. "Earl's told me so much about you that I feel like I know you already!"
"Same here," I said in response as Liz continued her embrace, her chunky body grinding up against me in a rather affectionate fashion.
"Some gal, isn't she Dave?" Earl asked. "Isn't she a dream?"
"Sure is Earl, you're a lucky man," I said searching for words as well as for a way to stop Liz from repeatedly rubbing her sizeable breasts across my stomach.
I finally managed to break the embrace, but not before getting a kiss from Liz; a kiss that seemed headed for my lips before I managed to divert it to my cheek. Good grief, don't these people ever see other human beings?
"Follow me Dave," Earl said as he grabbed my arm and directed me toward this television that I had to see to believe.
3. Start your engines!
The television was just as incredible as Earl had promised, and I praised to the hilt. This pleased Earl as much as I knew it would, but in fact it was a great looking set that I was envious of. Widescreen and with incredible definition as well, it looked sensational in Earl's downstairs rec room. He had it set up like a theatre with a bar as well. It was a damn nice set up old Earl had down here. We watched some pre-race stuff while tossing down a brew.
"Say Dave, if you want you can spend the night," Earl said. "If you feel like you've had too much to drink that is. We've got plenty of room."
"I'll keep that in mind," I responded, and while I didn't think that was going to happen, I sure wouldn't mind playing around with the television all night.
"Snacks for you boys!" came a voice from behind us, and Liz came into the room with a tray of cheese and crackers, pepperoni and dips. Liz came around and set the tray on the coffee table in front of us.
This was very wrong. That's what I remember thinking as I watched Liz manuevering around the table, bending and reaching. The wrong part was the fact that Liz was wearing a nightie. A rather provocative one at that, and when I say that she bent over with her ass in my face, I say that literally.
Her ass was in my face. No panties, just ass. Two very plump buttocks very visible. I looked over to Earl who made a weird, Groucho-like eyebrow raising movement with his face while he grinned.
"Nothing better than a great race... except for a hot babe, right Dave?" Earl panted as Liz smiled and walked out, her massive mammaries swaying unshackled within the mauve satin.
I was tempted to ask him when the hot babe was coming by, but resisted the urge and simply nodded.