Characters in this story are fictional. Events described did not occur.
Chapter One
My name is Ethan. As of late, I had been living and working in a suburb of Portland, Oregon, as a software technician for a small PC service shop. I had started about six months earlier. A couple times a week, I walked down the block from the shop, either before the start of the workday or at its end, to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee at a shop called Cruise-In Coffee.
From day one, I frequently ordered from and was served by a heavyset blonde woman who I guessed was in her early-to-mid thirties. I didn't think she was the owner, maybe the owner's daughter or a full-time employee, given how often I'd seen her there.
On this particular day, work was done and I was in the mood for coffee and a total, if brief, disconnect from my work. I made my way to the coffee house and ducked inside. It was early fall outside, so the weather was fairly warm. The shop had a comfortable, broken-in feel; muted colors and simple furniture for patrons. Plus, while they had some "custom" coffee blends, they hadn't forgotten what basic brew was. That was probably one of the biggest reasons I frequented the place. I walked in and chose a table that let me see much of the intterior space.
I took in the employees behind the counter; there were two. Sure enough, there she was; the blonde who often filled my order. Aside from being heavy, she was about five foot nine. She wore her hair tomboy short, combed to one side along the top of her head and straight down at the back, just meeting the top of her neck. It was my personal opinion that she wore it well, and also thought it contributed to her appeal as a woman. She was appealing to me, anyway.
True to form, the blonde made her way to my table, smiling and greeting me with a degree of familiarity befitting my regular visits. I ordered one of my favorites of the moment: black coffee with half a tablespoon of sugar and two shots black cherry syrup flavoring. (I have no idea if such thing exists, but it would seem a good combination for this author if he were a coffee drinker.)
As she walked away after taking my order, I noted her attire. She favored jeans and dark short-sleeve polos while she was at work. Today she had gone with black, a nice contrast to her blonde hair and pale green eyes. Many blondes had blue eyes, in my experience, but she was one who fit into the group that break patterns. It was another of her physical attributes that I liked. She manuevered behind the counter to continue filling orders.
Ten minutes later, my coffee arrived. I perused a magazine I had with me and sipped my coffee for half an hour. I made sure to pay at the till before finishing and also leave a generous tip at the table. At the end of that day, the blonde object of my attention had stopped at my table and asked me to join her at her place to talk and get to know each other a little better.
"Well, I got nowhere I have to be and no plans for the evening, so it's a date," I said with a grin.
"All right. Follow me," she said. We left the table and she led me through to the back of the shop and up a set of stairs near the door we had just come through.
Chapter Two
Her place was surprisingly spacious, as well as neat and orderly. The entry opens to a square kitchen, which was open at the opposite end and adjoined the living room. Between the two rooms was a perpendicular hall with what had to be one or more bedrooms and a bathroom.
My lady friend gestured to the living room area. "Go ahead and have a seat." I wandered through to the living room and occupied a chunk of the loveseat, joined by two recliners. All of the furniture was positioned to allow a good view of a sizable flat panel TV, on the opposite wall.
The lady of the house joined me on the loveseat, close but not crowding. "Well, neither of us even knows the other's name," she said, "but I'm Tasha."
"I'm Ethan," I offered. "It's nice to officially meet you. Do you rent this place?"
"No, I own it. Before I came to work in the coffee shop, I worked as a mistress in a ladies-for-hire establishment. I still do it, but on my own as a independent, by request or appointment service provider. It suplements my waitressing quite nicely. I gave the lady who was looking to move out a five-figure one-time payment she was happy with, so this is mine, free and clear," she finished.
"Well, that works. It's nice. My house is a ranch-style that's walking distance from the shop where I work as a software and device troubleshooter," I answered.
"Are you a geek, then?" she asked.
"No, I just have more knowledge than your average computer user."
"Well, I have a laptop in the bedroom that I'd like to put some software on. Can you give me a hand?" she said.
"I'd be happy to," I agreed. "Lead on."
We got up and Tasha went into the hall and entered the first door on the left. A bed occupied a chunk of the room, but on the wall across from the door was a desk with a laptop sitting on it. It was turned on, running the screensaver. Tasha told me to go ahead and sit at the desk. I did.. She went into one of the drawers and removed productivity software from everyone's favorite, Microsoft. I exited the screensaver and put the disc in the CD drive. It started and I entered necessary info and let the install proceed.
Tasha pulled up a chair next to me. "So I've noticed you walk with a limp. What's that about, if I may ask?"
"Sure. I was born with a mild case of cerebal palsy," I said. "People I meet still occasionally ask about it."
"I've heard of it, but never knew much or personally known anyone who has it," Tasha said. "But obviously you're fine mentally. No wonder you have the job you do. How long you worked there?"
"I moved here from Wisconsin six months ago," I answered.