It was a cool Saturday evening in June when everyone began to arrive at the resort for the reception. Orlando that time of year was normally quite warm, but that evening was quite comfortable. The resort hotel was huge, large enough to hold several events. Joseph was there for a conference, and as he walked from his hotel room down to the main corridor, he was wowed by how large the building was. He went to the ballroom where the reception was being held. Several executives were there, with drinks already in hand.
Joseph went to the bar and asked for Coke and whiskey. He perused throughout the room, shaking hands with some of the executives and other acquaintances that were there. He had recently been named president of a small bank, the first black person, and at 30, the youngest ever to hold that office in this particular bank, and was receiving congratulations and well-wishes from the attendees. He got bored after a while, so he decided to step out of the room for a bit and wander around the resort.
There was a bar down at the other end of the resort with a television, so he decided to head down there to catch the score on the Mets-Braves game. As he walked, he saw a group of people outside a room, several of whom were dressed in tuxes and formal wear. It was probably a wedding reception, he thought to himself. As he strolled toward the bar, there was a woman coming toward him. He casually glanced at her. He didn't want to stare, but she was very attractive. He smiled at her, and she returned the smile. He said hello, and walked on by, when it hit him that she looked familiar. He turned around at the same time she did.
"Angela?" he asked.
"Joseph?!"
"It really IS you! What are you doing here? How are you?" He was absolutely shocked to see her; so shocked, he stood there and stared.
She walked toward him and hugged him for a good 20 seconds. She too was speechless. She hadn't seen him since they graduated from college.
"What are YOU doing here?" she asked.
"I'm in town for a conference. We're down in Ballroom A. WOW! It's so good to see you! What are you doing here?"
"I live here now, and I'm here tonight to attend my boss's wedding. His first wife died a few years ago, and he's getting married again. It's so good to see you too! I can't believe it!" She rubbed his arm as she talked.
"What are the odds of us running into each other like this? This is amazing!" he said.
"Pretty small, eh? How's your conference going?"
"It's just started. There is a reception tonight, and workshops tomorrow and Monday. Then I head back to Virginia."
"It is so good to see you! I'd love to talk to you some more. I'm bored with the wedding reception."
"Well, I was bored too. I was just heading to the bar to check the score on a baseball game. Would you like to come up to my room? It'd be quieter than the bar."
"Sure!"
They went up to his room, where he hung up her sweater, and offered her a seat. He took off his suit coat and tie, and hung them in the close too. She sat in one chair, and he sat in the other chair. She was beautiful, more so than he remembered during college days. Angela had dirty blonde hair that complimented her hazel eyes. It was in a French twist, and she had tendrils coming down on either side that beautifully framed her face. She was dressed in a simple outfit: a black skirt that hung a couple inches above her knees, a tight white shirt, and black & white baby-doll shoes with no hose. Joseph and she sat down and reminisced old times.
As she told him about what was going on in her life over the past few years, he couldn't help but half-listen to her. He was mesmerized by how radiant she was, and all he could think of was what it would be like to hold her. She talked about post-college life, and her three-year-old son, and her ex-husband, and her current job. She talked about her desire to finish law school so she could get a higher-paying job to better take care of herself and her son.
They had not talked in awhile, not at least since college. They had been friends but had drifted apart until this chance meeting. He asked her several questions about her life, and they traded questions and answers about various mutual friends of theirs. He was enjoying her company, and he sensed that she was enjoying his as well.
"So, are you seeing anyone?" he asked.
"No," she said, "it's been really hard to find the right one, you know?"
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
"It would be nice to have someone to hold me close, and ask me how my day was, and actually care. Little light kisses would be nice, and candlelight dinners and wine, and so on. But enough about me. What about you?"
"You're not seeing anyone?" he asked, genuinely surprised. Damn, this woman is fine, he thought.
"No, and I hate to admit it, but sometimes the house seems just a bit lonely. Plus, a girl's got needs, if you know what I mean." She leaned a bit forward when she said the last part, and he didn't miss her point at all.
"I know EXACTLY what you mean," he said with a smirk. "A guy has needs too. It's been awhile."
"How long?"
"Eight months. My ex-girlfriend and I broke up seven months ago. We weren't right for each other, and it took too long to finally admit that. But I'm glad that we're not together anymore. We were just miserable during the last month or so."
She looked at him, and she felt sorry for him. The sadness in his voice appealed to her sense of compassion, and she wanted to comfort him.
"What was she like?" she asked.
"When we first started out, she was cool. We had some common interests, and we would hang out, you know? We'd go dancing every once in a while, and we'd do different things together, but our personalities were not that compatible. She was headstrong and a little too emotional for me."
"How was she in bed?" she asked.
His face flushed at her forward question, and laughed a nervous laugh. "What? 'How was she in bed?' What kind of question is that?"