I knew that it must be morning, although the hotel room was dark. All the curtains were drawn tight. I reached across the bed, no Louie. The clock told me that it was after 9:00. I had apparently slept in, needing the rest after the problems I had the night before. The mirror and the bathroom light showed me that I looked terrible. My face was puffy, my skin blotchy, my hair a mess, and my head throbbed.
I rummaged, and I found a corkscrew in my purse. Most of the case of wine was still there, I uncorked a bottle. Drawing the balcony curtains open, I saw that it was another beautiful day. My bathrobe was thrown over the chair, I put it on, and I sat out on the balcony, drinking morning white wine, swallowing sinus pills and wondering what the day would bring. And I wondered where Louie was.
It was the first morning of this vacation that Louie hadn't started the day by making love to me. In truth, it was the first morning in many months, excepting when I was on my cycle. The man made love to me everyday. And now, I didn't even know where he was. My plans behind this Texas trip had been to rekindle our romance. What can I do, I thought, to be more romantic today...how can I make this a better holiday for us...how can I bring us...closer together.
The waiting was eating me up inside. What if he's run off? Telling him to 'fuck off', last night, was certainly not a good thing. Plus he was right about the hot peppers and right about my dietary tract. I had compulsively eaten the hot peppers, with my hands, knowing that I was sacrificing physical contact with Louie. Thinking such thoughts, I had another glass of wine and I continued to wait. Then the door opened, he was there and I walked back into the hotel room.
Louie had his bathrobe and slippers on, and he was carrying his workout bag. He tossed his bag in the corner and took out his bathing suit, which was wet.
"Hey, you're still alive," he said.
"Sort of."
"How's your ass?"
"Burning. Raw."
"I've been up since before 7:00," he said. "I had a good workout in the hotel exercise spa. I needed the room key to get in. There was no one else there, that early, other than one gal attendant, supervising the equipment. They have new treadmills, the ones that have built in heart monitors. I ran a 5K, and I worked my pulse up to 180 and down to 95, back and forth, while I ran. Then I did some weights and some sit ups."
"Maybe I should do that," I said, "sweat the poisons and this hangover out of my system."
"It's too late. We need to get the hurries on."
"So that means we're leaving San Antonio?" I said.
"Yes, we're leaving. And I feel great, ready to move on. I need to jump start you, and I will."
"I'll be fine once this wine settles my stomach. Tell me why you're wearing your bathrobe."
"As I worked out and ran, the attendant talked to me. When I switched machines she followed me around, she had nothing else to do. And she was cute, mid twenties, great figure. A fitness freak, a personal trainer. Every machine I used she coached me on how to get the most out of it. She had on those skin-tight stretch work out clothes that people don't wear underwear with."
"Was she wearing any?"
"I don't think so, I'd say no. I didn't see any lines. Her outfit hugged her like a coat of paint."
I had another sip of wine and I wondered what this was about. Louie went on.
"She was a young gal, a show off and quick to flirt. I spent over an hour there chatting with her. After I finished my exercises, I went over to the hot tub. It looked clean, so I changed into my skinny racing suit, and I relaxed in the steaming water for a while."
"How long were you in the water?"
"Too long. Way over a half hour. And it was hot. When I rose out of the tub – you know how that suit clings when it's wet, it has no lining – I sat on the edge for a minute. The gal brought me towels and continued to flirt with me, glancing down at my near naked body. Walking back to the changing room, I was a bit dizzy. She followed alongside and held my arm, treating me like a patient. Maybe the 5K followed by the hot tub was too much for me. I stepped into the changing room and I took my wet suit off. The door was open. When I turned around, she was still standing there. I didn't mind, it was flattering, as she stared at my nude body. We continued to talk as I faced her and she continued to stare. She had more fresh towels. I had her dry my back and fanny, and I let her dry my front, my chest, my legs, all the way down. My leg muscles had been cramping and, when I told her that, she work her fingers deep into my thighs and calves. It was like I was a racehorse being wiped down after a long workout, she gave me a thorough all over body massage. But then the door buzzer rang and some other guests arrived. She jumped up, shut the door, finished me off, and left. I put my robe on, grabbed my things, and here I am."
That's just great, I thought to myself. Some well built twenty year old in a leotard is getting all the attention of my husband.
"Did she suck your dick?" I said sarcastically.
"No. And don't be insulting. Spontaneous sex is not my thing. And if she had, would I be telling you about her?"
"Well, I'm glad one of us is having a good day."
"While you were passed out," Louie said, "I packed most of our stuff. After I shower, I'll pull the car around. Clean yourself up. I think room check out is 11:00."
So he's quick to wash off her scent, I thought, and he's reminding me that I look as terrible as I feel. Louie turned the shower on.
"Slow down," I said. "there's no rush. Have a glass of white wine with me. This is our vacation. Are we still going to Corpus today?"
Louie walked out of the bathroom nude, and he poured himself a glass of wine. His penis and testicles were hanging long and low. They looked a little red, though his butt and legs did too. Probably from the hot tub, I thought. He took his glass back into the bathroom and spoke to me, in a loud voice, from the shower.
"It's a long drive down there, about 150 miles. The maps show it as pretty simple, we'll stay on Interstate 37. I picked up a paperback, 'Roadside History of Texas', that I was reading through this morning while I pooped. I'll leave the water running for you, get your ass in here."
We changed places in the shower, although Louie didn't touch me. I left the shower door open so that he could watch me, wet, washing myself, and so that we could talk. I was trying to be sexy, and I didn't care if water ran on the hotel room floor.