I'll never forget the first time I saw Autumn. I was a couple of hours from home at a statewide educational conference for the industry we both work in. I had heard her name in our professional circles, but never actually met her in person.
"Oh man, she's fucking amazing! She's HILARIOUS! I can't believe you haven't met her yet!" were common responses when colleagues found out I didn't know her.
Her reputation was stellar in the industry. She ran her own business, threw killer parties, and could out-curse a sailor.
She definitely sounded like someone I would like.
The first time I saw her, though, I didn't know it was her.
It was around 7 p.m. the night before the conference was to begin. I had arrived at the conference hotel a couple of hours prior and, after checking in to my room, unpacking a bit, etc., I headed down to the hotel bar to see if there was anyone I knew around. I walked through the lobby and could hear what sounded like a decent-sized group of people laughing and having a loud conversation.
I walked into the bar and glanced over to where the noise was coming from and saw a group of about 15 people sitting at two tables which had been haphazardly pulled together. The obvious focus of the group's attention was a stunning woman with a mound of red hair that cascaded in loose and luscious curls over her shoulders, framing her face and piercing green eyes. She had a half-full glass of champagne in one hand and was gesturing wildly with the other hand as she talked. Frequent bouts of genuine and hearty laughter followed many of her comments.
I sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. The people at the table kept talking and laughing, but I was having a hard time taking my eyes off her. After a few moments, though, I realized that I recognized a few of the other people sitting at the table.
Encouraged, I paid for my drink and headed over to the table. As I approached, she stood up, drained the rest of her champagne and proclaimed, "Sit tight everyone, I have to pee." She darted toward the nearby restroom and disappeared.
I was captivated by her. She was thin, with long arms and even longer legs. She was TALL. She was at least six feet, and definitely taller than that in her four-inch heels. It was hard to tell with the scarf she was wearing, but it appeared that her breasts were much larger than would typically be expected from someone with her long, thin frame.
She had pale, smooth skin. Her artificially enhanced red hair seemed to flow everywhere and had an unruly elegance. Her long, thin nose -- which might have been too large on another woman -- sat above an exquisite mouth with plump lips that were in an almost permanent expression of wry humor. Her green eyes danced as she talked and she made long, steady eye contact with people as she addressed them. She wore a leopard-print pencil skirt with a white blouse and a black retro cardigan. She wore an array of bracelets, but her fingers were ringless.
She was a dervish of movement, chaotic, but not disturbingly so. She was pure energy.
My friends at the table noticed me as I approached and welcomed me to the table. I ordered another drink from the waitress. The dervish returned and my friends introduced me. Autumn immediately grabbed my hand and shook it.
"I'm Autumn," she said. "I've heard a lot about you! It's really nice to finally meet!"
Her smile was genuine and I felt my heart skip a beat. I knew then, why everyone wanted her attention. And I knew I wanted it, too.
"I think we know a lot of the same people!," she exclaimed. "They tell me you're a good guy to know!"
She rolled off the names of several people I knew. I acknowledged that I did, indeed, know those folks. We joked a bit about the state of the industry in our town, people we know, etc. Basic small talk for a bit. The entire time she made great eye contact and gave killer smiles. She reached out several times to hold my forearm when she laughed at something I said.
Then, she sat in a chair across from me and continued to hold court for another hour or so. I made some aptly witty observations during the conversation and she laughed loudly each time.
"You're fucking hilarious," she shouted at one point. "Get this guy another whiskey!"
I could spend the rest of this entire story just describing what it was like to be in her presence when she was "on" like this. But there is more I want to tell.
Fast-forward a couple of years and after some further encounters at parties and other social events, Autumn and I have struck up a friendship. Not the "hey let's see each other every weekend and hang out all the time" kind of friendship, but one where when we see each other out at the bar on a Friday night, we sit right down at the other's table and spend the evening together. I've met her long-term boyfriend James, whose personality seems totally opposite of hers. He's quiet, reserved, and more subtly humorous. I like him.
That summer, a mutual friend planned a huge Independence Day party at his house and it was well under way when I arrived. Cars lined the street in both directions for a couple of blocks. It was late afternoon and it was sweltering hot. With the heat index, it was over 100 degrees F.
