He met me at the airport. We decided to meet after months of discussion and indecision so I wasn't feeling particularly secure about the whole thing. As I approached baggage pick-up I saw him. He was leaning against the far wall and I knew him the moment I laid eyes on him even though my only picture of him was old. He really hadn't changed that much, he was always so hard on himself. Our eyes met and I felt my mouth curl into a huge smile. He waved and as he walked in my direction I grabbed my bags. As he approached I remembered he once said if we ever met, he would shake my hand. I wasn't going to let that happen so when he extended his right hand, I took it in my left and pulled him close so I could kiss his cheek. He pulled away slightly and I asked for a hug. It wasn't the tight hug I would have liked to give him but we did embrace. We talked of the flight and the traffic on our way to the car and by the time we arrived, we were both feeling more comfortable. My bags were tossed in the trunk and we headed out.
The motel was a nice one and I knew I'd be more than comfortable there. He brought in my luggage as I looked around the room. I sat on one of the beds and winked at him as he laid my bags on the other one. His sheepish grin told me he was slightly embarrassed although I don't know why. We didn't stay long and before I knew it we were on the road again heading to his place. He wanted to show me around the apartment before we went to dinner. His tour was wonderful. All the things we had talked about for so long were right there before me. The TV chair he would fall asleep in, the bike he seldom rides, the computer he spent hours in front of and the antique bed he spoke of so often, it was all there and I soaked it in like a sponge. As we were leaving I turned to take one last look for I wasn't sure I would ever be there again, and we were off.
He took me to a nice restaurant but I was glad it wasn't too fancy, it had been a long day and I just wanted to relax. The food was great and the conversation marvelous. We talked and laughed and he even made some small advances. I was thrilled and would occasionally reach across to touch his leg with my foot. It was a beautiful evening and as we left the restaurant I could see the sun would be setting before long. I said, "I wish we were able to see the sunset" and he said he knew the perfect spot so we got in the car and drove a short distance out of town.