As the sun was coming over Lake Michigan, I glanced over at this handsome man lying next to me in my bed. I had not slept a wink at all during the night. I had come to bed about 10:30 and had tossed & turned all night long. I wanted to sleep so badly but it looked like it wasn't going to happen; not tonight anyway.
Well I could hear him breathing in a deep rhythmic tone. You may be asking yourself, why is she talking like he is somebody new? Well, maybe that is because he is. Well, new to me anyway.
The gorgeous man that is sharing my bed is Chase McKenzie. We have been a couple for about a year now. I met him on the train home from the Loop here in Chicago, last fall.
It was a Friday afternoon and we were both on the way home from work after a long and strenuous week the usual 9 to 5 junk. I was just watching the scenery going by the window as Chase sat down next to me.
He said, "A penny for your thoughts pretty lady?" I jumped as I turned to look into his handsome face. Usually I do not just talk to a strange man on the train but there was something warm and comfortable in Chase's eyes. I don't know what possessed me to go against what I have always been told; don't talk to strangers. However, I did and it was the best thing that ever happened to me in my 23 years on this planet.
Let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Maggie Hallaren, I am 5'2" with auburn hair and green eyes typical Irish decent second generation. I work at the Chicago Tribune as secretary for one of the bigger reporters. Sounds interesting? No not really more or less boring but it's a paying job. I've been there for 3 years right out of college. I was not really looking for a man to complicate my life but Chase just walked into it and more or less took over.
That first night on the train, I was almost afraid to believe that I could fall in love so fast. He asked me to accompany him to dinner to the Wicker Park café that I had been to once before. I agreed only because I thought it would be fun to talk to somebody new and it was in public so no worries there. We took the train to the Wicker Park station and got off for a 2-block walk to the café.
It was a crisp fall evening and the leaves were just beginning to turn into there gold's, yellows and reds. We walked rather slowly the two blocks from the station just talking about nothing special.
Chase is a firefighter in Ladder Company 7 downtown. He lives out in Elgin and has been a firefighter for 7 years now. He went to Northwestern College out of high school and then did 2 years in the Army. As we walked and talked, I was catching glimpses of our reflections in the store windows as we passed. He is so tall or maybe it's me that is just height challenged I thought to myself.
As we approached the café, he took my arm and we entered the building. My first thought was, how quaint a gesture. The girl that was seating us asked if we'd like a booth or a table. Chase mentioned that a booth would be nice so she seated us to the back of the restaurant.
Chase asked if there was anything that I didn't like.
I just said, "No snails."
He laughed and looked at the waiter and repeated that. We both chuckled. This was a very interesting date, I must say. He ordered for me.
When I asked what he ordered he said, "I promise it's not snails."
He is a very versatile man this Chase McKenzie. He told me about his 2 years in the service and that he had spent 9 months overseas in Iraq. When he told me that I just could picture him in his camouflage uniform surrounded by mounds of sand; you see I have a THING for men in uniform. So he went from Marion Military Academy (uniforms), to the Army (uniforms) and now he is a fireman (more uniforms). Oh this is going to be promising I can see it now.
When our dinner arrived, I was completely taken by surprise to say the least. The waiter put a plate in front of me with an old-fashioned All-American hamburger and French fries on it.
I looked at Chase and he said with a smile, "I promised you no snails."
I just reached over the table and touched his arm as I said, "It looks delicious."
He ordered trout almandine and a salad. A very wide palate of taste this firefighter has, I thought to myself.
After our dinner, he asked me if I'd like a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. I choose the wine just because it sounded dangerous.
We talked some more about how Chicago had grown over the last few years. He mentioned that he had just bought a home out in Elgin and was in the beginning stages of a re-model. He said that he would like my opinions on colors and furniture and that I was welcome to come by anytime. My next thought was, "that sounds yummy."
He asked me about myself and I said that I had been born in Douglas, Michigan and that my parents had moved us to Wheaton when I was small and we still live there.
Chase asked me if I had any siblings and I said, "Yes, I have 2 sisters."
He said that he was born up in Traverse City, Michigan and has a sister who is an interior designer and two brothers that are carpenters up there.
I smiled at him and said that, "It must be good having that much talent in the family. Can never have too much of a good thing in one family."
He just said that he had been around carpentry all his life and it was just assumed that he would go on into business with his Dad and brothers but after he went to Iraq he decided that being a firefighter was more his style.
As the waiter brought us the bottle of wine, he asked me if I had a full-time man friend. I laughed a bit when he said that; he sounded so old fashioned.
I said, "No not really. Just kind of going from day to day, nothing permanent."
He poured the wine and I was just about to ask him the same question when he offered the information on his own.
"I haven't really taken the time to settle down in regards to finding a girl friend myself so tonight when I saw you on the train again I thought I could at least ask you out. All you could say would have been 'no thank you'. But I can say now Maggie, I am so glad you said yes" he said with a big smile.
I took my wine glass and put it to my lips as I looked into his beautiful dark brown eyes. It was a rather sweet tasting wine. I don't know anything about wine, myself; all I do know is what tastes good.
It was dark outside when we left the café. Fall in the Midwest it usually gets dark early. As we walked to the station, Chase asked me if I had plans for the weekend.
"No, nothing really why, do you have something you'd like to share with me there Mr. Fireman?" I said with a broad smile.
"Well," Chase began, "I'd like to see you tomorrow. Maybe we could go to the park, the lakefront, or maybe the Museum. Any idea of where you'd like to go?"
I smiled as we approached the train station. What are the odds that I could meet such a handsome man on the 'L' no less and have it pan out into something good and juicy?
We stepped onto the next train and he took my arm as we walked to the back of the car. There weren't very many people on the train, which was fine with me.
"I have an idea," I said as he was checking his watch. He glanced up and the twinkle in his eyes made my stomach turn to Jell-o.
"So you have decided that we should go where tomorrow?" he said softly.
"I'm thinking the lake front for a picnic. How does that sound?" I said as he was looking past me out of the train window.
"It sounds good to me so let's firm up the plans, where should we meet or would you like me to come to your house to pick you up?" Chase said with a smile on his handsome face.
I mentioned that I'd like him to meet my sisters so he could pick me up at the house. I gave him the address and we set a time of 11:00 a.m. so we could have a long lunch at the lakefront.
He asked me if I had any objection to him putting his arm around my shoulder tonight.
