Kenny and Trish had been seeing each other on and off, for only about three months when Kenny received an invitation to his high school reunion. Trish had graduated two years later from the same High School, so he asked her to be his guest for the evening. She agreed, and he was thrilled to take her out for another date. The party was being held at a small local town hall. Since the previous class reunion had only brought about 5% of the class back to town, the remainder of the alumni couldn't be convinced to spend more money than necessary on a big hotel conference room.
Almost everyone had moved away when the big vinyl flooring plant shut down, so no one was interested in returning to see their sad little town die.
It seemed that they would just have to hold on to their memories of better times, and move on with their lives.
Kenny however, wanted to impress his hot little date, so he called the biggest hotel he could find in the area. The two were mostly "just friends," but he hoped after their last drunken make out session at his gas station, which went nowhere, he might try a little harder to get the lovely Trish Burrows into bed. He really liked her. Always had. She was funny, had a great laugh, and was a total knockout to look at.
She was also gradually warming up to him after all the coffees and dinner dates they'd shared. She wasn't at all fond of him back in school because he was just way too cool for her, she thought. He reminded her of James Dean. Black leather jacket, slicked back hair, the whole bit.
He was cute though, she thought, and the other girls liked the bad boy aspect of him. But he seemed a little too dangerous for her. And he smoked! "Eeeewwww!" she thought.
At least he'd finally given up that vile habit sometime after high school.
And lately he'd cleaned up his looks, had a real job, and even smelled nice!
Three things that got her attention.
As expected, the class reunion turned out to be a miserable failure, with the few returning classmates admitting that it was indeed, finally over.
"Guess we'll all just have to go our separate ways." they said. Everyone cordially said their goodbyes to each other, hugged, kissed, exchanged email addresses and left the Town Hall while it was still pretty early.
Getting into the car that night, Kenny and Trish looked over at each other, and knew that they most likely would never hear from, nor see, any of their old friends again. It was a sad ending to what should have been a fun event.
Kenny's dad had let him borrow the black Camaro Z28 for the night, after agreeing that it was a better date night vehicle than the old F150 that spent most of its time parked outside Morrow's Chevron station. Dad had turned over the ownership of the station to Kenny, and was thinking about leaving town himself. "Retiring," he called it. Kenny called it running away, but hoped he could make a go of it and maybe turn it around. He worked hard, and tried his best to stay optimistic.
Back at the hall, he walked Trish around to the side of the Camaro, and held the door open while she slid across the leather seat.
He couldn't help but get an eye full of her soft white skin as her dress was dragged up and over her thighs.
He was trying hard to impress the lovely Trish with a nice car and new clothes, since she had only really known him as the truck driving gas station boy. "Maybe tonight." He hoped, she'd see that he could be a real boyfriend whom she could be proud of. Maybe tonight she'd see him as more than "just a friend."
He knew that he had to be on his best behavior.
They held hands across the console of the Camaro on the drive out of town and chatted about their former classmates. After parking the car where Kenny was sure that no one would ding the doors, they walked into the big bright hotel.
Unlike the small town hall, The Marriott Courtyard just outside of town was packed this night, and once inside, they decided to grab a couple drinks at the hotel bar before going up to their separate rooms.
(Kenny had actually booked two rooms, just in case she didn't want to. . .you know.)
Another thing about Trish: She was shy. Really shy. It took her years in high school to even let a boy hold her hand because, growing up in a small midwestern town, she knew all too well, that everyone in town knew everyone else's business. She was terrified that they'd all be talking about her behind her back. Reputation was everything. Only recently had she started dating. And she loved making out with Kenny in the back room after the station had closed. It seemed so naughty.
She was so shy, that she would put on a long robe after her shower, before walking out into her own apartment even though she lived alone. She just felt weird being completely naked. She truly believed, as her mother had always said:
"Someone might see you Patricia! Cover yourself up!"
Her little two room apartment was on the ground floor after all, with one large window facing the street, so a little extra privacy was in order. Still, she longed to break out of her private little shell.
Someday.
Kenny and Trish talked for a long time at the bar and downed more than a couple margaritas. They used the time to get even more acquainted. Previous dates had always been filled with small talk, and tonight they each dug a little deeper into each others soul. They talked about the little personal things they didn't know about each other. And it drew them closer.
She learned that he wasn't so dangerous at all, that he just liked the image, and he had a really great sense of humor. He made her laugh. A lot.
And he learned that she truly was the girl of his dreams. How she managed to get even more beautiful as the night wore on, was a mystery to him. She spoke openly and honestly about her shyness, how it embarrassed her, and wondered if she would ever get over it.
Finally, as the bar was closing, Kenny said: "Trish, I'm beat. I'm gonna turn in.
