When I was 25 years old I had to have my tubes tied for medical reasons. I remember thinking at the time that I was too young to not be able to have children. Life went on (as it tends to do) and soon I was celebrating my 30th birthday. I was happy with my current life, I had a husband of 2 years and he had a 5-year-old son from a previous marriage. We lived in a big house in a "good" neighborhood and I drove a mini-van. Like I said, life was good.
I lived a safe existence, never wandering from the path I had chosen (or did it choose me?), living out my dream…or so I believed.
I awoke on a Monday, feeling my normal self, doing my normal routine when something happened to change that routine. I left the house at 7:15 to drop James (my husband Howard's son) off at school. I pulled out of the driveway of Jefferson Elementary School and headed to the supermarket to do some shopping.
I walked around the market, picking out the ingredients for spaghetti and paying for them with a "Hi, how are ya?" to the clerks and kids that bag your groceries. I was heading back to my car when a complete stranger ran his empty shopping cart into my car. Granted, I don't think it was on purpose but I was still pissed off!
"What the hell was that?" I shouted before I could stop myself.
He ran over, apologizing as he closed the distance. The first thing I noticed was his hair, shoulder length blonde hair that spilled over half of his face. The eye that showed from the uncovered portion of his face was a deep blue; so blue it looked black. I must have had my mouth open because my throat was suddenly very dry and I couldn't speak.
"I'm really sorry about that! I hope there isn't any body damage, I'll pay for it, it was totally my fault!" He rambled as he fished his driver's license and insurance card out of his wallet.
I just stared at him with a stupid expression, nodding my head like I was agreeing with him.
"My name's Jackson." He said as he extended his empty hand to me.
I shook his hand and felt like someone zapped with a few thousand volts of electricity. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration; but it was like being hit by lightening and still standing afterwards. I was dumbfounded as I stared blankly into his eye. At that moment he tossed his head back and flung his long hair over his shoulder revealing his entire face. I think I gasped because the man standing before me with his warm hand in mine was the most gorgeous man I had ever laid eyes on. For those women that like a sexy blonde with a six-pack (his abs not a six pack of beer!), long hair, intense blue eyes and a perfect smile…this is your kind of guy.
"Umm, thanks Mr. Jackson. I'm Raquel." I stammered.
"Sorry again, Raquel, it's a pleasure to meet you. Oh and that would be Mr. Van Kleef, Jackson is my first name." He smiled and my knees actually buckled, it was amazing.
I did my stupid head nod/smile and kept shaking his hand. I realized at that moment I was slumped against my car and gazing at Jackson with a silly grin and his hand gripped firmly in mine. He looked at our hands then smiled back up at me and I sighed…I actually sighed! What was wrong with me?!
I straightened up and pulled my hand away from his as if it was suddenly too hot to grasp. I stopped smiling and began looking at the cart that was still pressed against my passenger door. It looked like a smudge of rubber or something black was smeared in a tiny dent. He lowered his head next to mine and looked at the small ding in my door.
"I'm really sorry about that! Some idiot pushed their cart at my car, when I pushed it away I sent it right into yours. I'll pay for whatever it costs to fix that!" he seemed so nice and honest…both rare qualities in most people I meet.
He gave me his insurance information and found a body shop that could look at the car the next morning. He insisted he meet me there…to make sure the employees didn't "take advantage of the fact that you're a woman", his words, not mine. I did have to agree with him, I'd had my share of experiences with mechanics but I was also using it as excuse to see him again.
I met him the next morning at the auto body shop; the man came out, looked at the car and said he could have it repaired and painted in two days.
"Two days? I can't be without my car for two days!" I said to the little man with the greasy rag in his greasy hands.
Jackson stepped in, letting me know his insurance would take care of the car rental and the repairs. What can I say, I didn't know the guy, but I left with him as we drove the short distance to the nearest car rental agency.
In the ride over we talked for a few minutes about ourselves. I told him I was married, had a stepson blah blah blah. He told me he was divorced, no children and ran his own computer business. His voice was masculine, I don't know how else to describe it. Hearing him speak was like someone rubbing fur all over my naked skin, it sent goose bumps shivering up and down my body and my nipples stood out without him so much as touching me. It was like nothing I had ever experienced and I was enthralled.
He arranged for me to get a great car for the two days my car was being repaired and we walked out to the parking lot. His hand grazed mine as we approached my rental car. I stopped and looked into his eyes and felt my insides melt under his gaze.
"Would you like to get something to eat? It's not too late for breakfast, my treat?" He said with a smile I couldn't resist.
"That sounds great, do you know anyplace around here?"
"Not really, I don't live here, I'll defer to your local expertise." He grinned at me and my knees gave out. I felt like a freshman talking to the quarterback of the Varsity team, corny but true.
"Well, it depends on what you want to eat." I had to look away from him because his gaze was making me moist in places reserved for my husband.
"Something more sophisticated than Denny's." I could hear the grin in his voice.
I gathered my courage (and reined in my libido) and looked up at him.
"Well in that case, there's an IHOP around the corner." I smiled back at him.
"Now you're teasing me, how I about we head downtown and I'll pick the place."
Downtown? That was a good 40-mile drive; I had to be home by 3:00 to pick up James. I mentioned that to Jackson and he assured me I'd be home well before my curfew.
I followed him in my rental car till we came to one of those "carpool" lots. I called Howard and let him know I was stopping for breakfast (even though it was nearly noon) and I had some shopping to do, I may not be home in time to pick up James. I wasn't sure why I said the last part when I knew I'd be home in time; maybe it was just wishful thinking? Maybe I didn't rein in my libido as well as I thought I had. I walked over to Jackson's car after hanging up with Howard (he was arranging for James' mom to pick him up), I felt bad about lying to Howard about this but again, I wasn't really thinking clearly.
Jackson drove us to a beautiful café in the heart of downtown. The place was crammed with people, being that it was lunch hour but he managed to get us a great table. We ordered our food and started talking, the food came, and we ate and talked some more. By the time we left the café it was after 4:00 and I didn't care what time it was. I hadn't been downtown in so long, it was great to see the familiar shops and the new ones. We walked around until we came to the homemade ice cream shop.
We walked inside and ordered a scoop each then headed for a table. We sat down and talked while we ate our cold dessert, talking and laughing the whole time. We spent another 2 and a half hours talking and it was the most fun I'd had in a long time. He was a year older than me; he'd lived in all these exotic places while he went to college at Oxford. He was so intelligent, not just a pretty face and body, there was more to him than looks.
When dessert was finished we walked back to his car. I climbed in and put on my seatbelt while he started the engine. We sat in silence for several minutes before I heard him move in his seat. I looked over at him and my breath caught in my throat. He was so handsome; the sun was setting (it was already after 7:00) and the inside of his car was glowing in amber light. His eyes were so clear and shiny, there were the depths of the sea and I was drowning in them. I remember him leaning towards me; I closed my eyes just before his soft lips pressed gently to mine. I sighed as he slipped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me against his chest.
We kissed softly (just lips, no tongue) while the sun set and the street grew dark and the streetlights began to blink on. We kissed until we were both out of breath and the windows of his car were fogged and sweating from our body heat. He turned on the a/c and the windows began to drip. We laughed and rolled down the windows as he pulled out of the parking spot.
"It's pretty late, I'm sorry to have kept you out so late. Do you need to call your husband?" He sounded stricken as he said 'husband'.
"I already did, I told him I'd be out late." I reached over and put my hand on his thigh. He reached down and placed his hand over mine. I felt the same electricity I felt the moment we first shook hands and again during the kiss, I couldn't seem to resist the urges I was feeling.
"Would you like to have a drink with me?" He asked.
"Sure, I'd love to!" I squeezed his thigh and he gently squeezed my hand in his.
We drove a short ways from the heart of the downtown area till we came to a quiet neighborhood that seemed out of place so close to the bustling of downtown. I looked around confused but not all together surprised, I had hoped he'd bring me here.
"I hope you don't mind, my place is much quieter compared to a noisy bar." He glanced over at me and grinned sheepishly.