Reading your text conjures up images of us in some illicit tryst in a luxury hotel. We meet, there's no time to speak, you take my hand and we walk to the lift. In the room you push me up against the wall. Later we talk for hours until you touch me again...
Don't ask me to say this on the phone, you know I can't, besides I know you with your fertile imagination, you probably have a much more exciting version.
Helen's message played on my mind as the plane thundered down the runway, stood on its tail and climbed into the endless blue. My heart was thumping. Not scared of flying but almost in a state of shock that I was actually doing this.
'This', was flying to Sydney. 'This', was going to meet Helen who had captured my imagination. This, was finding out if the elusive spark would be there or not.
Of course, the mundane, ostensible reason for flying to Sydney was work. I was being sent along by the law firm I work for to observe proceedings in a long running wrangle being conducted in the Sydney manifestation of the Federal Court of Australia. I had a week of living out of a suitcase to look forward to, that and trying to stay awake whilst the tediously dry details of some fallen businessman's bankruptcy were picked over until the entrails became desiccated beyond recognition.
Helen and I were students on a distance learning course and apparently my witticisms on the Facebook page for those on the course had caught her eye. She sent a personal message. Suffice to say we became firm friends almost immediately, friends with a healthy side of flirtation to the point of open admission of attraction to one another. Brisbane and Sydney are not exactly neighbours so that side of things simply bubbled away under the surface of day-to-day chat and banter about all and sundry by messages, texts and occasional phone calls. I had talked her through her experiences with online dating. Even, curiously to some perhaps, discussing the merits of those who had got past the coffee and dinner stage and into her bedroom. We had accepted somewhere along the way that there would never be an 'us'.
When I told her that I had a trip to Sydney coming up, her response had been without pause.
"I'll get to meet you at last!"
I needn't have worried that she might feel under pressure to meet when she didn't want to.
I was arriving on a Sunday evening, expecting to be up and out to court first thing. We'd arranged to meet for dinner on Tuesday at 7pm and I hoped the case didn't go short on Monday because I couldn't justify staying down in Sydney if that happened.
As I flew south my mind was filled with questions. Would our naturally easy relationship be just as easy in person? Would she still find me attractive in reality? Would we...well, have sex? Or just say goodnight have a friendly hug and peck on the cheek? I realised that I didn't mind either way, I wanted to meet someone I felt I knew well.
Monday transpired to be rather less dried out than I anticipated and the day sped past. I spoke to Helen quite late and confirmed the next day's date. Tuesday dragged. The running around of a first day of trial was over and the tedium began. Or was it that I could scarcely contain my nervous excitement about that evening's rendezvous?
When I emerged from court that afternoon, I checked my phone and found a message from Helen.
"What time do you finish in court? I'll be down in town, meet you there?"
It was almost 5pm.
"Bugger," I exclaimed out loud. "I hope I haven't missed her."
I was phoning her as my mind raced.
"Hello," she answered the call.
"Hi Helen. I'm free."
"Great! See you outside the court building in five."
"Sounds like a plan."
I sat on a low wall outside St James's church opposite the steps to the Federal Court, my heavy folders beside me. Five minutes dragged then she was there, standing before me.
"It's me, Philip," I stated somewhat lamely.
"I'd never have guessed."
Our grins echoed between us. How do you greet someone who's a friend you've never met? After a moment's pause I simply put my arms around her and kissed her on both cheeks.
"So good to see you at last." More or less we said the same thing at the same time.
"Look, I've got these bloody files to get rid of and the hotel is just around the corner. Would you mind if I drop them off then we can go get a drink and dinner?" I spoke with the haste borne of nervousness.
"Sure, that's fine." Helen sounded so much more relaxed than I felt.
"How come you're free so early?"
"Mum volunteered to take the kids earlier than I'd asked. She thought it might be nice."
"Nice? Don't swear at me," my eyes sparkled, "It's bloody great! Today was so very tedious and I might have been drunk by the time seven came around."
Helen responded, "Always the comedian."
I smiled even more broadly.
"What?" She challenged.
"You love it really."
"Don't be so sure." Her narrowed eyes, as if to dismiss me, were betrayed by an accompanying smile.