It's been a while since I last wrote. Some it because this was kind of weird and I had to get myself sorted out before I tried to write about it. This really had me freaked for a while. I had to take a week of vacation (I told my boss I had some family issues and she said sure). I finally spilled my guts to my therapist a little while back and she told me to slow down or I might get really, really hurt.
--- A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ---
(okay, not that far and not that long ago)
Jackie hammered on the door right on time. If you had had 8 hours of sleep. I only had about 4, but what the hell. We were headed for the airport for a short hop to???
Jackie had said to pack a bag for a couple of days, and at least one hot outfit. Really hot, but lots of pieces. I had packed the white bra and bikini panties. A short skirt and very thin blouse. We'd only be gone until Friday afternoon, so I packed a pair of jeans and a casual sort of blouse, some plain undies and a night shirt.
Jackie was there in some "neat" slacks and some sort of polo shirt. I had on jeans and a sort of thin denim short sleeve shirt.
We both headed out to ABIA and park in the off-site with the metal roofs. Better than those tents, and worth a little extra. As usual, the shuttle was right behind us and we walked on board with our carry-ons.
We walked past the counter (no checked bags, remember?) and went through the short security line. Jackie had checked us in the day before, right at the first moment and we had A passes. If you don't know about Southwest Airlines, they don't assign seats. Instead they have groups. A, B, C. Those with an A go first and get the better seats. As soon as we could (about 20 minutes after we got there) we were in line. Ah, the line. Yes, we had A passes, but you also have to stand in line to get "the best of the best of the best. SIR!" (Movie?)
We were about 5th and 6th and took 6 D&F. There's trick to this. If you grab the window and aisle, sometimes you can get the whole row. If someone comes by, they'll usually skip the dread middle seat. If the plane is packed, they might take it, or, if you want to be together, you give up the window, but NEVER the aisle. Well we had the space to ourselves. I doubt the plane was half full.
The flight to Love is so short that they don't bother with beverage service. Some days it takes longer to go through security.
When we were on the ground we almost sprinted off the plane and headed to the rental counter. She handed the guy her Gold member card and we walked out to the car. A convertible Mustang.
I was really surprised when we drove all the way to Fort Worth. West Fort Worth! When we parked at the hotel I was rather amazed to find a Westin, but then this area had really changed since the last time I had been here. Somewhere in the Dark Ages, I think.
So we parked the car and walked in. Nice lobby. Jackie told me to wander around and check things out a little. They had a nice indoor pool in an atrium soft of thing. You know, the kind of pool no one uses.
I was a little bored and just a tad tired, so I walked back to the counter just as the clerk handed her the cards and thanked her.
We got on the elevator and Jackie hit the 7 (top floor) and then put her key card in the slot. When we got to the floor the door opened and we stepped out with our bags. She turned right, took a step and said "Oops," then turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
We got to 728 and she opened the door.
"Oh," she said. "This is your's," reached in her purse and handed me a card.
I stepped in and was stunned. It wasn't a hotel room, it was a small living room. Couch, table, what looked to be a small bar (half wrong). And a door off to the right. As we got further in I saw three "easy chairs" clustered around the table and a couple of floor lamps. Back against the other wall was a desk. And a balcony. This was crazy! A suite!? For a night? Well, yeah, only for a night.
As we walked in I looked around a little more. I guessed the door we passed on the way in was to a bedroom, but where was the other one?
Jackie walked into the "bedroom" (which it was, but the quotation marks are for the "I didn't know" part).
"Come on, let's get set up in here," she said, a little loudly. Way too much room for our stuff.
I walked in. There was an oversized bed. Super King? Dresser with mirror, chest of drawers, and armoire opposite the bed which probably had the TV. Off to the right was the bath room. As I walked in further I saw the closet, with it's own mirror.
Jackie tossed her bag on the bed. "I only need one drawer. You probably do, too. The rest of my stuff I'm going to hang."
"Um, there's only one bed. And there's two of us."
"What ever's cool with you. Sorry, I couldn't get a two bedroom. Or one with a sleeper" she replied. I blushed a little. I kind of knew what she was implying, or at least suggesting.
I put my few things in one drawer of the dresser and hung the skirt and blouses. Jackie was almost finished before I got started. I noticed she had packed one of her shelf bras and the thong we had bought, but she also had a nice looking business suit. I wished she had told me about that part. I would have packed something a little nicer. Well, the one thing a little nicer.
"Let's go grab some lunch, I'm famished," she announced. She headed to the door. "Well, hungry?"
I was done unpacking so I joined her as we went out to the car. She dropped the top and we started driving around. At one point we drove through one of those medium seedy areas. You know, the second rate bars with some okay restaurants at the edge. Nothing nasty or scary. After that we went to a pretty decent Italian place. Oliver Garden? Oh hell no. Macaroni Grill. Not exactly. A place called Gardino's. A local place. Excellent manicotti and some good wine, a nice barolo.
After a leisurely lunch we hopped back in the car and headed out to the west. For a second I wondered if we were going to West Texas when she turned around and headed back.
"Just wanted to see the landscape around here. It's changed quite a bit in the last 15 years."
"No shit," was all I could say. The last time I had been there was to go to the Billy Bob's (which really isn't my glass of beer) and see the Water Gardens.
We tooled around a little more and then pulled in to a strip mall parking lot with a Super Target at one end. We went down all most to the other end, by the Staples and B,B&B and she pulled up in front of a discount clothes place. Not as discount as TJ Maxx, but no where near a Nordstrom's.