Good things happen when you least expect them. Take last Wednesday for example. Nothing good usually happens on a Wednesday, it's the middle of the week, and most people are working their asses off. Lucky me, I was off. Of course, I had worked forty-one days straight before I got a week off; Wednesday was just the third day I had been home.
It started out fair, I had ordered a canopy top for my boat, and UPS delivered it early. After that it went down hill rather quickly. Nothing about the top seemed to fit. After a couple of hours and much cussing, I was on the verge of calling the manufacturer and venting a bunch of frustration on someone. Instead, I took a break and went to refill my coffee cup.
With fresh coffee, I sat down on the porch and read through the directions one more time. Yeah, it was the same thing I had read fifteen times before, but this time I noticed that the writing didn't match what the picture showed. Suddenly the whole thing made sense.
After that, the top went on smoothly and ended up being a simple job. It raised and lowered with ease and seemed to be tight and secure. Now to test it out on the lake, which sounded like a fishing trip to me.
*****
That's how I ended up, sitting at the bar at The Beach Combers, eating a cheeseburger, and drinking a beer, with the boat down at the dock. Oh, the top worked beautifully, and did a great job of keeping me cool and in the shade, while I drift fished for catfish. It was a beautiful sunny day, with a light breeze and very few people on the lake.
The problem was that the fish had lockjaw or were out of town visiting relatives or something. Three hours and not even a bite, I can usually catch fish on this lake year round, I live here after all. I was hungry so why weren't the fish.
Even the bar was dead. Other than the bartender and the cook, I was the only one there. For four in the afternoon, this was very unusual. When I asked the bartender about it, she told me, they were doing road repairs on both roads leading into this area. She said there wouldn't be anyone at all here until after five, when the construction crews knocked off for the day.
I finished my beer and went to the rest room. Back at the bar, I had talked myself out of having another beer and was about to leave when the front door opened. This is where the day became even better. A good friend of mine, and his wife walked in and with them was an old friend of mine, someone I hadn't seen in years.
Tina is short, just five feet tall and she weights a little less than a hundred pounds soaking wet, but she is built like a little brick outhouse, all curves, and feminine charms.
We'd had a short romance once, a long time ago, but something just didn't click and we parted company as friends. She's quite a bit younger than me and she was into partying when we had been together. My partying days had been behind me a good number of years and it caused problems between us. I wanted to stay home and relax and she wanted to hit the clubs until closing time.
She was talking to Ann, my friend's wife, as they came in the door. I said, "Hello Ed, long time no see."
Tina's head snapped around and she grinned broadly as her eyes fell on me. "Well, I'll be damned," she said as she took a couple of quick steps and literally jumped into my arms to kiss me.
I'm six foot tall and with her arms around my neck, her feet were a foot off the floor. Unconsciously, my hands got a grip on the first handy place, which happened to be her ass. I lifted her up and her legs wrapped around my hips and locked there. She was kissing the hell out of me and I did my best to kiss her back the same way.
Somewhere in the distance, I heard Ann say, "I take it, that they know each other."
Ed laughed and replied, "I think so. If not, I want the name of his cologne."
Tina broke the kiss and pulled back far enough to look into my eyes. "Where the hell have you been? I've tried calling you from time to time and you're never home."
"You know how I work. They've had me down in the valley for the last couple of years." I told her.
"I even tried to call you on your work phone but I got a hold of some guy that had heard of you but didn't know you. He said, he worked for the same company as you but didn't have your new phone number," she said in a rush.
I chuckled and replied, "They swapped trailers around on me, and my old phone went with the old trailer. Sorry about that." I grinned at her and asked, "So, you were looking for me? Why didn't you come by the house? If my old truck is there, then I'm there."
"I never seem to go that way much anymore, and if I do, I forget to look. I live on the south side of the lake now and this is about as far around this way as I get."
Ed tapped her on the shoulder and handed her a beer. When he handed me one, I realized where my hands were and I let go of her ass. She wiggled her hips and said, "Hey, put one of those back, I need the support." She chuckled and added, "Actually, I just like the feeling of your hands on my ass."
I laughed and said, "You always did."
She grinned and kissed me softly on the lips before she replied, "I still do. You have such strong hands, they are so knowing and gentle."
About that time, the office door opened and the owner came out. She took one look at us and said, "Tina Marie, get your little butt down from there. What have I told you about climbing the customers? This is a respectable place after all. Sometimes, at any rate."
Tina laughed and said, "But Gail, I ain't seen my Honey Bear in a long time."
Gail looked me up and down and shook her head as she replied with a grin, "He looks more like an old Grizzle Bear to me. I'd be careful, he might just eat you up."
Tina laughed again and replied, "I sure hope so."
That made everyone laugh. Looking into my eyes, she asked with a grin, "You are still single, aren't you?"
When I grinned back and nodded my head, she added, "Good, now put me down so I can go to the restroom. That's why we stopped in the first place, all that road construction had me shook up."
She let go with her legs and I lowered her to the floor, kissing her softly on the way down. Once she was on her feet, I stood up.
She grinned up at me and said softly, "Yeah, you're just like I remembered you. I'll be right back, don't go anywhere, ok."
"I'll be here," I said with a grin of my own.
She handed me her beer and headed for the restroom. "You'd better be," she said over her shoulder with a smile, a smile that I remembered well. Ann excused herself and followed Tina.
*****
Ed and I made small talk until the ladies returned. Tina sat down on the stool next to me and asked, "Where is your truck, I didn't see it in the parking lot when we got here?"
