My thanks, as always, to ErikThread, for this excellent work and helpful suggestions. Any errors or omissions are mine alone.
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More often than not, things don't work out the way you plan them. The unexpected pops up to surprise you. Such was the case with Molly and Marilyn and me.
The Pickled Pumpkin has a very nice new location. It re-opened a few months ago, nestled among the fir trees at the base of a mountain. It used to be housed in a dark, sprawling building across the street, but the owner wisely decided to take advantage of an abandoned site across the way and built a modern stone and cedar-faced timber frame building. His business has more than doubled since.
The first-time visitor can't help admiring the high cedar-deck ceilings, the long, polished mahogany bar, and the abundant mahogany woodwork. It's a much bigger establishment than its predecessor. Seating for at least a hundred, I would guess.
I have my favorite spot, a little two-place table in the solarium at one end where I can watch the patrons and have a decent look at several of the TV screens. The chairs are comfortable, it's not too noisy, and the serving girls are attractive. What more could I want?
It's my only true vice these days. My ex-girlfriend, Dana, preferred the club scene while I abhorred it. We finally decided we didn't have enough in common to keep our relationship alive and that was the end of that.
My name is Tory Payne. I'm a thirty-three year old bachelor with an eye for the ladies when the opportunity arises. Since I've been on my own again, I've fallen into the habit of stopping of at my local during the week for a pint before heading home to make my evening meal. I don't enjoy being alone, but I'm used to it and I'm very fussy about who I invite into my life.
My routine on Saturday is to quickly dispense with the necessary house-cleaning and laundry, and then wash the car. That done, I'm off to the pub for a leisurely lunch. A couple of pints, read the paper, and watch a bit of football or baseball. I've been doing this for over ten years off and on. Even when Dana was around, we would have a Saturday lunch and a drink before heading off to do our usual weekend shopping.
When you hang out at the same place for any length of time, you get to know the regulars, the semi-regulars and of course, the staff. I knew all the serving girls by name and they knew me. I would say hello to some of the older patrons as a courtesy, just to acknowledge them. They would sit together and tell the same stories over and over again.
I would usually nod or tip my cap to people that I saw often but didn't know. Almost always I would get a polite reply and a smile. Pubs are usually friendly places, especially at mid-day.
I first noticed Molly and Marilyn one Saturday early in the fall, a couple of months after Dana and I went our separate ways. The mid-day weekend patrons are quite different from the weekday regulars. Two different crowds altogether. Since I became a patron of both times, I got to know both groups.
The two young women arrived just after noon and found a table near my little nest. I couldn't help noticing them. These were two very beautiful young women. One, a blonde with long, wavy tresses falling halfway down her back, and the other, a raven-haired beauty with eyes that suggested Asian blood somewhere in her genetic makeup.
They were wearing very carefully applied makeup and were dressed quite nicely. I suspected they might be cosmetic sales girls from one of the local stores. I also noticed that both were easily sixty to seventy pounds overweight. The extra weight was distributed equally from head to toe, and somehow didn't detract from their fundamental good looks. I found them quite appealing, which surprised me. I never thought obesity could be attractive.
From that Saturday they became regulars for lunch and usually sat in the same area as I did. I began to look forward to seeing them and found I was disappointed if they were late or, as on a couple of occasions, didn't show up at all. It was part of my weekend entertainment.
I began wondering what they would look like if they were to shed that extra weight. It became a game at first. They would arrive and I would immediately start re-shaping them into another image. In case you're wondering, I'm a designer and it's part of my makeup to imagine how things might look if changes were made.
After a couple of months of acknowledging each other, I caught a break and finally got a chance to meet them properly. The place was full that Saturday noon. I was unable to get my usual table as two elderly women arrived earlier and took it.
I was sitting at a table for four when the girls appeared and searched for an open spot. There were none and seeing this, I stood and waved to them. They looked at each other, said something, then moved toward me.
"Hi girls," I smiled. "Looks like a full house. If you'd like, we can share this table. My regular was taken too."
I guess they decided I wasn't dangerous as I was known to them in a manner of speaking.
"Thanks, we only have an hour. I was hoping we wouldn't have to go looking somewhere else," the blonde said.
"I guess we've seen each other on Saturday fairly often. My name's Tory Payne."
"I'm Molly Ransom and this is Marilyn Lee," the blonde said. She seemed to be the spokesperson for the pair.
"Where do you work?" I asked after they seated themselves.
"At Elegant Evenings," Molly quickly replied.
I must have had a curious look because she smiled and explained.
"It's a women's lingerie store in the mall. I don't think you'd be in there much unless it's a gift for your wife or girlfriend."
"Oh ... you're right. I wouldn't be in there much. No wife, and currently no girlfriend," I explained.
"Oh goody, an unattached male," she enthused, clapping her hands together. "We're fresh out at the moment."
I laughed, but filed the information away for future reference. I turned to Marilyn, who was yet to say a word.
"You look very professional and very attractive." I made sure I addressed both of them when I complimented them.
"Thank you," Marilyn said softly. She seemed a bit shy, but perhaps it was because Molly was so outgoing.
"And what do you do?" Molly asked.
"I'm a designer. I design houses and apartments; both new construction and renovations."
"That sounds interesting," Marilyn said, surprising me with a comment.
"It is. It's a job I sort of created for myself when I was working at a lumber yard, and over the years it's grown into a nice little business."
"Do you work at home?" Marilyn asked. She was genuinely interested, I felt.
