God, it happened! I qualified for the loan and the house was going to be mine. Now, I just had to work my way through all the paperwork and terminology. At dinner that night, my friends and I discussed my lovely new home and the pain of closing. Sherry, my best married friend, recommended her lawyer, David Wright, a whiz at paperwork. She assured me he would be most helpful in getting the papers in order and make sense of the point system and all the other esoteric nonsense.
The next day, I called her lawyer friend. I talked to his secretary, Amy, setting an appointment for Friday afternoon. I gave her all the important information and explained, in glowing terms, my beautiful new house and its attending paper crush.
The week was filled with work and looking at my new house. I had the key and visited at least twice a day, sitting on the carpet and visualizing my things in each room, the rest of my life spent here. I loved this house!
I left work early Friday and went to the law offices. They were situated on the 12th floor, taking up the entire space. I met the secretary who had listened so nicely to me and we chatted about my house and the joys of ownership. I was nearly an hour early, so she offered me some hot tea and sat with me while I waited for the appointed time.
Finally, her intercom buzzed and she led me down the hall. I glimpsed several offices, each decorated in a different style. I could see men busily at work on the computer or the phone, each one seeming so important. We stopped at the end of the hall and Amy went into the office, introducing me to Mr. Wright. He stood to shake my hand, smiling and saying hello. As he stood, I was very aware of my height. I am five feet tall on a very tall day. I am also very petite, small hands and feet, with a compact figure. Mr. Wright was probably a foot taller than me. His hands were large with long, graceful fingers, enveloping my much smaller hand completely.
I sat across from him, holding my briefcase full of papers, exchanging polite chat for a few minutes. Then he asked to see the contract, slipping on his wire-framed glasses and looking very capable. He glanced through the pages, murmuring an occasional "yes" or "I see". As he perused the contract, I looked around his office. Very neat, very manly, very functional in style. His desk was not huge, but had an extension for his computer paraphenalia. His files were neatly hidden in nicely crafted oak furniture, and he had modernistic prints on the walls. Probably the focal point of the office was the view. He had two huge windows behind his desk and the view of the riverside park, with the sparkling river running through it, was beautiful.
He was still reading, so I took some time to check him out. Mr. Wright was older than me by about 10 years. He had short brown hair, with a tiny bit of grey just kissing his temples. His eyes were a beautiful hazel, that green and brown combination that is so attractive. He had a few crinkles around his eyes, as if he smiled a lot. Just as I thought that, he did smile and it lit up his entire face. Goodness, Mr. Wright was very good looking!
From habit, I looked at his left hand and saw no wedding band there. That was a good sign, I thought. As I was warming to the thought of the seduction of the handsome Mr. Wright, he stopped reading and fixed his mesmerizing eyes on me. He began explaining all the secret codes used by banks, telling me I had actually gotten a good deal. We talked about the house and I described to him my treasure. He and I just seemed to have so much to talk about. He told me horror stories of closings and last minute problems that could come up, laughing at the creative ways to avoid this. We moved on to talking about our jobs, our offices, and our lives. As we talked, men walked up and down the hall, glancing in at us, saying a few words to Mr. Wright.
He insisted I call him David and said my name, Rebecca, in his lovely voice. I found myself very attracted to him, and wished we could move this meeting to less austere ground. As I was thinking this, David suggested we move the meeting to a restaurant and continue our discussion over dinner. I happily agreed.
We drove in separate cars to a nearby club, known for its great steaks. Over dinner and a few glasses of wine, we continued getting to know one another, sharing silly little tidbits that are, at the same time, incredibly intimate.