Ryan found a bench on the square, yet he couldn't bring himself to sit down. His nerves prevented him. He tried to remain cool. But checking his watch and his fidgety nature no doubt gave hint to passersby that something was awry.
He was a few minutes early. He had chiseled some time off between work and home. A little errand he wanted to take care of. No questions. Just another day. And now he was standing, waiting to meet on a quick date.
With a woman. Who was not his wife.
'This is stupid,' his mind kept reminding him. Two decades of fidelity. Relationships and bonds with the in-laws and community. A reputation of honesty and being true to himself.
And now, it was all on the line to enjoy the company of a woman who had no claim to him.
The stupid thing was, he enjoyed his brief time with her. Nicole was lively. Feisty. She revived long forgotten feelings in him. That notion of being young. Showing off and owning a friendly game while having a few drinks. The notion that she seems to want to be with him, could read him, and still has an interest in him beyond friends. It gave him an energy he hadn't felt since he was an undergrad in college.
A voice inside said he could still back out. Fun is fun, but this was going too far. So what if he left her hanging? He could block her. A dick move, maybe. But she was young. Rebounding would not be a problem.
He looked again at his watch. It was half past the hour. As if on cue, looking up and scanning the crowd again, he laid eyes on her. Nicole was beaming, her eyes fixed on him. Her hair was flowing in the gentle breeze. She wore a cute vest over a camisole, her handbag slung over her shoulder. Her outfit was bright yet fashionable in the spring air. Ryan smiled back as their eyes made contact - transfixed by the young beauty making a beeline towards him.
"Hi!" Nicole exclaimed, in that confident voice he remembered. Unabashedly, she came in arms outstretched, reaching in and giving him a hug as he clumsily greeted her. In an instant he felt sheepish for not forcing a greeting otherwise, while all the same aglow that this young woman was embracing him wholly.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you again," Ryan said, patting her on the back and breaking their embrace. "Like I said in our conversations, I apologize for not being able to arrange an earlier time to meet. It's a little tricky, finding time in our schedules to meet."
"It's fine," Nicole said. Looking around, she sized up their location. "So... what did you have in mind?"
"Oh, I was thinking of a stroll along the river. There's a bit of a nature path only a few blocks from here. Away from the hustle and bustle. A good opportunity to get to know each other first. An important foundation for any friendship."
His last line seemed to hit Nicole awkwardly. She flinched a bit, her glance at him akin to a reprimanding stare. But she smiled nonetheless, playfully brushing it off. She extended her elbow, awaiting for his hand to clasp and lead her. When he didn't reciprocate, she motioned it with a sway. "Lead the way, then!"
The two walked about a block, making their way to the river front. Typical of the dinner hour, plenty of traffic was to be navigated. The thought of being recognized about the town with a young someone sat uneasy in the back of Ryan's mind. Nonetheless he reminded himself, as he had all week, that the two were just acquaintances. Today would amount to nothing more than that as well. Too many people to be making any moves. Mischievous as she was, Nicole didn't do anything rash during their first encounter. Other than briefly steal his phone.
A rehearsed conversation played in his head. He didn't want to start immediately with questions. Secretly he hoped she might have a conversation starter. But, as they began walking the next block in silence, her kind attentiveness began to wander, taking in the sights as the road continued its' decline to the waterfront. Conflicted over not wanting to get too involved, yet realizing the onus was on him, Ryan finally spoke up. "So, I, uh, never really got a chance to ask you. What do you do for a living?"
Nicole looked over at him. He could read that she was in a bit of disbelief over his question. Her mouth opened slightly, as if words were at the ready, yet she held her tongue. She continued to eye him up. A slight grin now forming at the lips. As they approached the end of the block, her face took on a full-fledged smirk.
"You're nervous!" she finally replied, half astonishment, half revelatory. "Oh my gosh, that's so adorable!"
"Well, it's a fair question."
"The question is fine. It's just ... look at you." She rested her arm against his, her hand drooping on his shoulder. "There's nothing to be afraid of, hun. We're just going to have some fun today. Right?"
Ryan tensed up at Nicole's public display of affection. Her hands on him, plus the smell of her perfume, put him on edge. Already she was too close. Still he did nothing to stop her, much less offering a reprimand. "And your answer to my question..."
Nicole's giggled. "I house clean."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, just a handful of us. Hardly glamorous work, but it's fulfilling in its own way."
"So, like, weekly cleaning of people's homes and such?"
"That's a good chunk of the work, sure. We've also done pre and post-party work. Cleaning up when people want to put their house on the market, and again when they close. August is always a big time for us when rents change on campus and we have to attack, like, a bazillion apartments at once."
Ryan chuckled. "Ah yeah. The good ol' days."
"Mmm hmm," Nicole continued. "Maybe not the best use of my talents. But I enjoy that it keeps me busy. There's always something new. One lady getting up in age had a leaky faucet the other day. Saved her a call to the plumber by cleaning out the cartridge seating."
"Well, there you go," Ryan said in congratulations. "Sounds right charitable of you."
"I'm a handy gal. Have been my whole life. Give me the opportunity and I'll fix you right up!"
The wink she gave was not lost on Ryan as they approached the waterfront. Ryan pointed out how he often traversed the path alongside the river in his younger years. Motioning Nicole along, the two began to stroll on the gravely path.
"I take it you attended college here?" Nicole asked.
"Yeah. I always figured I'd graduate and see the world. I mean, town is nice and all. Always something going on. But you know, I felt like I was ready for the big time. Just needed the right challenge to come along. I interned my senior year at a company here, one thing led to another, and suddenly I find myself as one of those alumni that never got out."
"There are worse thing in this world," his date replied. "So, what is it you've been doing these, what? Thirty-ish years?"
It had been Ryan's intention to have Nicole divulge as much about herself as she was willing. In the back of his mind, a red flag would eventually surface. He could then capitalize on the issue and sever any potential relationship. Her being a homemaker, while unglamorous, was not a deal-breaker.
Ryan also knew the subject of his employment would ultimately arise. The phrasing of his response was important. He needed to be succinct, yet vague enough so as not to impart too much information.
"I work in technology."
"Oh."
"That is to say," Ryan continued, after an awkward pause, "I lead a team in tailoring our company's product for our clients. In addition to securing new accounts, I meet with them to fine tune our software to their specifications."
"Ah! You see, that's much more interesting," Nicole said, giving Ryan a playful bump on the shoulder. "You were getting me worried that maybe you just sat at a computer all day - boring as hell." She gave off a playful giggle and skipped ahead.