Chance Encounter At The Park

Little did I know when I was walking along the lake on that brisk autumn day that my life was to take a turn for the better.

At 38 years old I am divorced and lonely. MY girlfriends are all happily married so we don't hang out together nearly as often as we once did. That's not to say I never see them.

Anyway I was eastbound in Headlands State park when I spotted her in the distance. Her auburn hair cascaded to her shoulders framing a heart-shaped face. Full lips were painted red. A hint of eyeshadow adorned her lids.

She looks familiar. Did she attend Mentor high school?

Cheryl Wallace?

We approached to within arms reach and both of us stopped in our tracks.

Cheryl and I did not hang out with the same cliques. Openly gay, she had joined the school's LGBT organization. I, on the hand, had boyfriends.

I was 28 when I got married living up to family expectations. Get a husband and have a family. I never had a child. There was always the excuse that we needed to have savings for lean times. Looking back, that was total crap.

Jack Lombardi is a good catch for any girl. To this day, six years since the divorce, he remains a true friend. The operative word is "friend" Down deep real feelings were not there. I imagined myself making love to a woman but kept that a secret right up until the day that I asked for a divorce.

"Hi Cheryl," I said in a cheerful tone.

"Stephanie hi.I love that sweater, It's pretty."

Her compliment was definitely not lost on me.

I gave her a smile.

I was dressed casually in a recently purchased Sonoma Lilac crewneck, bootcut jeans, and ankle booties.

She was dressed similarly but with minor differences. Her Sonoma sweater was Cherry Lava and her footwear Nike running shoes.

"What's new? Bring me up to date."

"I'm divorced since I was 32."

She nodded.

I added, "my marriage just felt wrong."

"I know that feeling. My X and I had a falling out."

"Recently?"

"A year and a half ago," she replied.

Recalling that the high school had a gay and lesbian youth club I asked, "is she anyone I know."

"Not unless you attended Ohio State," Cheryl replied.

Neither of us were in any hurry to be someplace so chat came easily. I found that we had much in common.

We both liked and attended football games, the only difference being that I was on the cheerleader squad.

We both enjoyed the same tv shows and read some of the same authors. We both work in Health Care, just not the same hospital.

An hour passed before we realized it.

"I have to run some errands. It's been nice seeing you Stephanie."

Without giving the matter a second thought I asked, "can we go out for coffee, say tomorrow morning."

"Sure," she replied.

On that note we parted company. I remained at the park. She went off to do her errands, probably shopping.

She did, after all, give me a recipe just before saying that she had errands.

The following morning at 9 o'clock I came to Fiona's coffee bar in Willoughby. Cheryl waved to me from a corner table where I would join her.

"So Stephanie our 20 year is coming up. Are you planning to attend?"

"It's in a few days. It'll be good seeing the cheerleaders."

"Yah, and maybe girls from 'the club'," she added.

It felt like time to talk about high school days.

"I dated Donald Lang for 5 months. It was fun."

"Really," she replied as though surprised to hear that.

"We used to run on the beach."

She then revealed a surprising tidbit.

"He and I are very close these days. I met him at Cocktails Cleveland 5 years ago."

"Isn't that a gay bar?"

"It is," said Cheryl.

"He had a new girlfriend every six months."

She responded to my observation with a verbose explanation.

"Maybe he kept hoping to find the right girl but there was no right girl. It can take a long time for a person to realize their true orientation."

I nodded. "It can."

She had more to say.

"I met Lynne during Sophomore year at Ohio State at a mixer. I could tell right from the get go that she's lesbian. The hairdo gave it away. Anyway she was seeing someone when we met so we didn't become a couple until after college."

"What happened," I asked.

"I didn't want an open relationship, She didn't want to commit."

I don't want an open relationship either.

In my subconscious I wanted to make a life with a woman.

As the time passed we chatted about a wide variety of subjects: people we know, past relationships, friends, past and current incidents, future plans, vacations, vacations we can take together.

The previous afternoon she was just another face. I knew her name but not much else about her. Little bit by little bit I was starting to feel as though we watched each other grow up from infancy.

In the days that followed we kept in touch by video chats and text messages.

It was a cold Saturday in November two weeks since that chance meeting at Headlands state park. As I sipped my first coffee the sound of a bell tower alerted me to a face time call from Cheryl.

What started as just another chat about trivial stuff became serious within two minutes.

"Stephanie I think we should live together."

That's a huge step to take only two weeks into a relationship.

Does she mean as roommates?

"I hadn't given it a thought."

She suddenly threw a kiss so I gave one back to her.

"I'm falling in love with you."

I didn't know what I was feeling until I heard those words. They touched my heart. "And I'm falling in love with you," I replied.

"I have two tickets to see Christian McBride at the Music Box Supper Club."

"Cool, I'm all in," I replied happily.

"I'll pick you up at five. We'll have dinner someplace in the city (Cleveland) then we'll go to the club. The music starts at 7 30."

"I can't wait. You know I love jazz."

"Yes, I know," she said.

"How much are the tickets?"

"It's on me. We're on a date."

Seconds after 5 I pulled Cheryl into a kiss. Her arms draped around my shoulders and my hands found her waist. The lip-lock lasted for several seconds. Meanwhile my hands slid around her and downward to her ass.

When we finally broke away slightly winded she said, "we better hit the road lest we miss the concert."

"Aaawwwwee."

I feigned disappointment at not having sex but after a second or two we were on our way to see a band.

We took our seats early. The band had not yet taken the stage. Other patrons were taking their seats as we waited.

Cheryl mentioned that she had taken clarinet lessons. "I started when I was 11 and stopped at 14."

"What made you stop," I asked.

"Social life got in the way."

I simply nodded accepting the fact that many teens drop an instrument in favor of hanging out with friends.

As the band took the stage all eyes focused on the musicians. Cheryl's foot touched mine sending a message. My eyes met her eyes.

On the ride home we chatted about jazz music as well as making observations about the band. She mentioned that her dad listened to "Miles Davis, Dextor Gordon, Charly Parker and others."

"I got used to it from an early age."

"As did I," I replied.

When we finally came back to my livingroom I poured every ounce of passion into a deep kiss. We broke away only to leave a trail of clothes and undies from my coffee table to my bed.

She touched me in all the right places that made me moan with delight until multiple powerful orgasms left me huffing. As I recuperated from the exertions her fingers tracked small circles along my thigh.

When I awoke in the morning to sunbeams coming through the window I leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"I take you out for breakfast," I said.

"To a restaurant of my choice," she replied.