After things had fallen apart with Maria, I met Josie at an end of summer BBQ at my friend's house. When growing up, I had spent a lot of time at that house, and his parents were like a second family for me, so I was surprised when he had a female cousin there. She was a cousin that he had never even known he had until they had met when he did an online geneology search a few months before - her father being my friend's dad's younger half-brother. My friend's dad had never seen, or heard from, his father after he left his mom, and didn't know he had half-siblings. He thought his dad had died during the war and Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
Josie is extremely attractive and sexy in a super cute kind of way. She is a medium brown Filipina, short and petite, well rounded - even a bit chubby - in a way that just screams "cuddle me". She had a tall Scandinavian girl with her that day, her roommate - who we will call Suzie, because I honestly don't remember her name at this point. I found that the Scandinavian girl was cold - a true "ice princess" while Josie was fun to talk to - when I wasn't hanging out with her, I kept stealing glances toward Josie, where she sat with Suzie. After the BBQ, my friend's mom asked me if I liked the girl, and -thinking she was talking about Josie - I said that I thought she was very attractive, and seemed really nice.
"Do you want her number? I have her number, and she asked me to give it to you - because you kept looking at her when she was sitting over there with my niece. I don't think she was going to come with Josie today, but we told her that there would be a nice single military guy here, and she decided to come. I think she may be looking - you're still looking, aren't you? You haven't said anything about a girlfriend for a while - certainly not since things didn't work out with that Maria girl you were so stuck on a while ago."
I set up a date with the Scandinavian roommate, but when I went to Josie's apartment to pick her up, Suzie wasn't there, because she had to work late. Josie and I spent the next few hours waiting for her roommate to come home - every hour or so, we'd get another call, explaining that there was another delay, but she would be leaving soon. Josie and her young daughter didn't have any special plans that night, so we had some food, some wine, watched a Disney princess movie, played a bit with Josie's daughter, then cleaned her up and put her to bed.
"You don't have to read her a story, you know. It was nice of you to volunteer, but you've already been such a good sport about playing around and being goofy while you are waiting for Suzy."
"I actually love reading stories to kids. Watch - she'll love it." And she did love the story, as did Josie.
"You've been nicer to my daughter than any other guy I've dated - you're even better with her than her dad. Thanks for helping out."
"I don't mind. I actually enjoyed myself. Maybe I should have just asked you out from the get-go."
Josie blushed. "You don't want me. I'm divorced, and Suzie's so thin and cute - tall and blonde, and her chest is amazingly large for such a thin girl. All the guys think she's sexier than me. When we go out somewhere, she gets all the attention." I couldn't help but glance down at Josie's smaller, but perfectly perky breasts, and she may have noticed.
"You know, Josie, when I asked your aunt to help me get a date, I was asking about you, not Suzie. I guess she misunderstood, and I assumed that must mean you were already taken - then you started talking about your daughter, and I was certain that you weren't available."
"So you're saying that Suzie was your second choice?" Her eyes flashed playfully.
"No, not at all - and don't you dare tell her that!"
"But I was really your first choice? What do you think now?"
"I would love to date you, but it might be awkward at this point, you two being roommates and all."
"True enough, but circumstances change." She smiled.
There was a noise at the door and Suzie entered the apartment. "I can't believe that my boss kept me so late, and that guy your aunt set me up with probably left already and... Oh, hi." She said as she saw me sitting on the couch. "Let me just get cleaned up a bit, and we can still catch a late dinner - if you are still up for that."
"Sure," I said. "I've snacked a bit here, but didn't eat dinner yet."
"I'll be just a minute" Suzie said, ducking into the bathroom.