We turned off Route 146 in Massachusetts and headed north on I-290. The traffic was moderately heavy, but cars were moving easily at 70 mph and so were we.
Music was playing in stereo--a variety of selections we chose alternately and spontaneously: Maria Muldaur's Midnight at the Oasis; Three Dog Night's Joy to the World; She's Not There by the Zombies, and on and on and on.
What was about to happen, happened once before on this stretch of interstate. That was over a year ago, but it began happening again today.
We had our hands on each other's thighs, and were rubbing slowly and gently along them singing to the music. She knew all the words, and I knew most of them, so we were able to harmonize, she, much more beautifully than I, yet she complimented me on my singing.
She wanted to sing in another way, however. With her fingertips. She began pulling up my shirt in the front, but was unable to get into my jeans because of the tightness of the seatbelt. I could have graciously declined, and let her know that we should probably just drive steadily on and safely home, and save any such digital singing for another time. But I didn't. I got some slack in my seatbelt, and with her temporarily holding the wheel, I undid the button and zipper of my jeans.
Why this was happening now may have had something to do with what had happened back then--or today after our luncheon earlier this afternoon.
My friend and I had just delivered to a gallery in Providence, RI, six new panels for my cubic art installation. We decided not to rush back home right away, but to go out to lunch instead. She found a place that looked enticing--Nick's on Broadway--and after only a three minute drive, we arrived.
We had no reservations, so we had to eat outside on the patio, which was comfortably warmed by propane heaters. We ordered what turned out to be a delicious meal: a green salad that we shared, a fish sandwich with pickles and lettuce on focaccia, a bowl of pumpkin soup, and butternut squash risotto. We tasted bites of each other's entree and thoroughly enjoyed the meal, completely cleaning the plates and bowls.
We were sitting across from each other at the small table holding hands and talking about pertinent subjects. Like how we might react if one asked the other what they were thinking and they decided to say, "I don't want to talk about it now."
As we were having our freewheeling conversation, we made note of a couple at a table adjacent to ours, a man and a woman also sitting across from each other. When they finished their meal and left, I asked her what she thought the nature of their relationship was. She didn't hesitate: "Dating." From the brief comments that we had overheard, it sounded totally plausible.
There was another party at a nearby table who seemed to be a family of mother, father, and child and they were just finishing their meal as we paid our check.
I got up, walked around to her side of our table, and after she arose, gave her a big kiss saying, "I don't want anyone to misjudge our relationship as just 'dating'."
We then walked out together to the front and found the restaurant's bathroom. Impulsively I went right in with her. Perhaps I should add that when we had delivered the panels for the cube, we were shown where the bathrooms were by a man practicing drumming in the gallery. There were two to choose between. She had gone into one and I followed her in. She was a bit flummoxed and left it and went into the other one. I followed her into that one too. She beamed when she realized that I wanted us to be sharing the bathroom. And we took turns relieving ourselves.
So this time me following her into the bathroom wasn't so unexpected and she readily accepted my companionate presence.
It was small; barely big enough for two, but yet the two of us were inside. She went first, sitting on the low toilet seat, beginning her flow of urine. I recognized the cadence of the stream: strong, weak, then stronger again with a weakening finale. As she moved forward on the seat and carefully wadded a number of sheets of toilet paper, I turned away. I knew her wiping motion and the whole experience was arousing me, so I didn't need any more visual input.
Instead, I let my gaze travel the entirety of the room, noting the shiny large deep red tiles running from floor to nine-foot ceiling, interrupted by a horizontal line of black tiles midway up meeting to outline a large mirror on one wall with sink and vanity beneath.