I woke the next morning feeling sore from the way my muscles had clenched. I glanced at the clock and jumped out of bed.
I never slept late, but the clock read 9:32.
I could remember him saying "10:00 sharp" as I dashed into the bathroom.
God, I was a mess. My eyes were puffy and my chin was actually crusty where my nose had been running.
I jumped in the shower and washed myself, hurrying.
Face scrubbed.
Hair shampooed.
Body washed.
And out.
Deodorant, God, don't forget the deodorant.
Brush through the hair.
Glance at the clock.
9:54
No time.
Brush quickly.
Oh shit, what to wear.
Grab something. Oh no, not slacks, it's a picnic.
Jeans?
Shorts? Oh god, they make my ass look so big.
Okay, jeans.
Panties dummy.
Jeans.
Bra.
The doorbell.
SHIT!
T-shirt.
The doorbell again.
"Coming."
Grab sneakers.
Answer the door.
God, he looked good standing there. He was in a polo shirt that fit his trim body nicely. Jeans, just slightly faded. Worn sneakers.
"For my gorgeous date," he said and pulled one of those cheap bouquets you see on street corners and convenience stores from behind his back. And I was so touched I almost cried. I literally could not remember the last time someone had brought me flowers.
"Come in," I said awkwardly, taking the flowers and stepping back. "Give me a minute to find something to put these in."
He was doing a slow circle, taking in my apartment as I went into the kitchen and found the one vase I owned. I put water in and the flowers and brought them out to set them on my little table.
"Thank you," I said, feeling oddly awkward.
"I like your place," he said, looking around.
"Vinyl," he said, moving to my record collection, "really?"
"Yeah," I said. "I inherited a lot of them from my mom and, well, I think that the sound is better if you want to know the truth."
He was admiring my stereo system which was one of the few things that I had splurged on.
"Very nice," he said, flipping through the records. I was pleased to see that he knew how to handle the vinyl, much of it irreplaceable at anything short of usurious prices.
"Okay," he said, suddenly standing, "let's roll."
I smiled as he took my hand with an almost-little-boy eagerness and led me to the door.
He waited as I carefully locked my door and then took my hand again and led me to the parking lot.
His car was a little PT Cruiser Convertible. Bright blue with a black interior. The top was down of course, even though it was a cool day.
"Okay picnic boy," I said, smiling at him, "where are we off to?"
"A surprise," he said.
He was a good driver, driving fast but not recklessly.
We headed south out of Denver on I-25 and I assumed we would be heading for Castle Rock or maybe even Colorado Springs. The radio was playing an "oldies" station and he seemed to know all of the old songs. I was enjoying the top-down ride even though my hair was an absolute wreck and it was cool enough that I was aware of my nipples outlined against the T-shirt even through my bra.
The open top made conversation hard and so I mostly enjoyed the scenery and the music.
When Colorado Springs passed us by I asked "where are we going."
"A surprise," he said over the noise of the wind.
We got off at one of the Pueblo exits. I had been in Pueblo maybe three times in my life, and had absolutely no idea where we were.
Finally, we were out of town, heading west again, and it was a pretty drive. We passed the Pueblo Reservoir, very low this year, and kept heading west.
"All right Daniel Boone," I said, the lower speeds making conversation easier, "where ARE we going?"
He just looked mysterious and sang along with Frankie Avalon doing his "Venus."
The road started through a series of turns as we climbed into the foothills and he said "Paula, close your eyes."
"Really," I asked.
"Yes," he said, "come on, close your eyes."
I did.
It was hard. The movement of the car was suddenly exaggerated with my eyes closed and I was actually getting a little nauseated when I felt him slow suddenly and felt the bumps as he turned off of the highway. A couple of more bumps and the car stopped.
"All right," he said, "open them."
I couldn't help but gasp a little at the view.
Colorado has a lot of very pretty places, but what I was seeing was the classic alpine sawtooth mountain range viewed across a wide valley. It was spectacular. Even in June, the peaks were still snow-capped.
When I looked at him he was looking at me with a grin that almost literally made it from ear to ear.
"Okay hot shot," I said, returning his grin, "you got me."
I started to open my door but he said "oh, we're not there yet."
It was another 20 minutes, driving across that valley and then up into the mountains before we got to his picnic spot. We had to go through a gate, which he carefully closed behind us, and another mile or so on a gravel road before we made the final stop.
And, oh my goodness, the drive was worth it.
We were in a beautiful alpine meadow. The wildflowers, the Indian Paintbrush was the only one I could pick out, made a color palette that would have made Van Gogh jealous. The mountains, stark in their white-capped splendor, towered over the little valley. A real honest-to-god deer wandered into the meadow until I took a step and broke a stick, scaring him away.
I watched as David got the big picnic basket out of the trunk. He said he knew how to "do picnics," and he sure did.
When he was done spreading the checkerboard blanket and spreading out the feast I was amazed. He had five kinds of cheese, apples, oranges, grapes, a real wineskin, and four different sausages.
He laid a pillow down and told me to lay back and enjoy.
I had never been fed before and there was something so intimate, so personal, and on some level, so delightfully naughty about it that I just relished the sensation. I was laying back, eyes closed, and accepting whatever touched my lips, allowing myself to be surprised. A bite of a soft, rather tart, cheese might be followed by the tangy acid of an apple. Or a spicy piece of sausage.
I felt wanton.
Bacchanal was the word that drifted through my mind as he lifted my head gently to offer me some wine from the skin.
I felt pampered.
I felt, well, okay, I'll say it.
I felt loved.
That "meal" lasted almost an hour. Neither of us said anything although I could hear the occasional soft "mmmmmmmmmm" escape my throat.
Finally, completely full, I opened my eyes and smiled at him.
"God, you DO know how to do picnics," I said.
Then I rolled over, supporting myself on my elbows, and just took in the view while I relaxed.