We batted it around, Louie and I did, as to where we wanted to go for our spring break. I know that term is overused, but a spring break from office and business stress can be a good thing. We are not kids, but we had been going every April to Naples, Florida, where my mother has a fine home. But Florida, at least Naples, is boring. Once past the beach, there's nothing there. They have no cuisine, no olive oil, no wine – everything is imported. The good restaurants are $100 a plate, you'll get a ticket at the beach if you have an out of state tag, and all in all, that sucks. For food pilgrims who are wine drinkers, Naples, Florida is a bust.
On the other hand, sleeping with Louie in the guestroom of my mom's house, with my mother's permission, was different. My previous husbands had been there with me. But Louie and I, we weren't ever....married.... never had the arrangement licensed...so he never married me, so what...we went to Catholic church together and everyone knew me as his wife, and he was my husband for ten years. Legal records didn't reflect it, that didn't matter. I had his gold cards in my purse. A few states, including Texas, still recognize common law marriage.
That was the longest I've lasted with anyone. Three licensed marriages, three long term live together unions, and my relationship with Louie was the longest ever. When we started out we were each married to other people, all the signs were against us lasting at all. He was a big guy, 6'2, muscular and toned, 190 pounds, with movie star good looks, broad shoulders and a square cut Italian American jaw. I'd wear heals whenever I could, so that he would not tower over my 5'5 thin frame. Louie had a physical presence about him, a personal magnetism, he would attract attention whenever he entered a room. And that means the attention of every good looking woman. He was charming, he had charisma, and as a lawyer he knew what to say and when to say it.
After some thought, we focused on visiting Texas. We could have gone wherever we wanted to go, Greek Isles, Argentina, hell we went to Europe eight times. Well...why Texas? It was my pick. I had work connections there, in San Antonio, and I could write part of the expenses off. If I had 'meetings' with our Texas associate, our company would pick up the cost. As we insurance people say, it became a win – win. I scheduled meetings with the Texas insurance guy, Lamar Scott, to discuss the Texas 'school pool'. Pooling means grouping and brokering, enough of that. Plus Texas is the beginning point of the southwest cuisine of America. Texas has excellent wine, and great unique food, food that blends its base on the variety of people who have settled there. To us, Texas offered a lot more than Florida. But before you read much further I need to add that Louie went online with Texas types, where to go, what to do sort of stuff. We were advised, in advance, that the Texas beaches were the absolute worst of the entire Caribbean gulf coast. That's what Texas people told us about their state, but we went anyway.
The plan was to fly from cold Ohio to hot San Antonio. For that to happen, three ups, three downs. All the hazards of flying multiplied. At the time, our no frills airline was advertising that passengers could carry on their own picnic food, which for us meant a few bottles of Chardonnay, some cheese, some French bread. They didn't throw us off the plane, but they had a whatever when we opened up our own wine. They wanted to sell us wine, at $$ per glass, not let us drink our own carry on.
Finally, after stops in bars at the St. Louis and the Houston airports, we made it to San Antonio. I had booked a fancy suite at an airport hotel, the kind of place that has its own airport taxi. It was late when we arrived, and the noisy aircraft were overhead, but we were there, finally there. It was after eleven when we checked in, over ten hours out of Ohio. After tossing our luggage down, we checked out the pool and the hot tub, which was right outside our room.
"Louie," I said, "let's get changed and enjoy this hot tub. It will help relax your back. Turn the jets on and the heater up. It's been along day."
"Sure," Louie said, as he cranked the timer up to the maximum half hour.
We went back into our hotel room. Never one to dispute my decisions, Louie slipped on his trunks as I slipped on a black bikini - one of the three suits that I had brought along. In a minute, we'd gathered big hotel towels, a bottle of Chardonnay and two glasses. Louie slid open the sliding glass door and we stepped toward the hot tub. That late, the pool was dark and technically it was closed, but we didn't care. That suite was expensive, one of those 'with kitchen' deals, and I paid. We each eased ourselves into the steaming, swirling water. Louie poured out glasses of wine, and we attempted to unwind after a long day.
Ten minutes or so later, another couple approached, and asked us if it was OK for them to join us. I looked at them, Louie looked at them. They were a very attractive couple, thin, slim. They had their hotel towels and they had their bathing suits on. I sipped on my wine as I checked them out.
"No one has bothered us yet," Louie said. "So, by the power of the Senate and the people of Texas, we are declaring this hot tub to be open for guests of this hotel. It's a little hot, be careful."
The guy was tall with blond hair, mid thirties, and the gal – younger than I am, no doubt - was an attractive brunette. She had a nice top, a firm waist, and long legs. Her long brown hair crossed her chest as she stood in the flickering light from the adjacent guest rooms. Those lights cast reflections across the water, lending a surreal air to the dark evening hour. The tub had reclining steps, which some people descend as they get used to the hot water. First the guy tossed his towel and slid right in, up to his neck, and sighed. But the lady, after tossing her towel, she chose the long slow descent. The water framed her legs like a pair of thigh highs as she stepped in; her tight bikini bottom was balanced a foot from my face.
This couple - no names - said that they were from somewhere in Oklahoma, that they had also just flown in, and they were in San Antonio on a business trip. Neither wore a wedding ring. We didn't make a lot of small talk, my hunch is that they were equally as tired as we were. Louie and I had another glass of wine. After a few minutes of sitting there, relaxing, the gal whispered something to the guy, and then she spoke.
