Note to All - No one under the age of 18 is depicted in this factional story is engaging in any sort of sexual activity. It is neither implied, inferred, suggested, nor endorsed by this author.
The Retired Football Player and Waitress
Chris - age 33 - African American, 6'2", 225 lbs., black hair, brown eyes, muscular build.
Raven - age 23, Caucasian, 5'3" 105 lbs., 36D-22-34, black hair, green eyes.
I spent 10 very successful years in the NFL and decided it was time to retire due to the wear and tear on my body week in and week out of every season. I was drafted into the league out of college, signed a nice, four year rookie contract, and had a really good four years during that first contract. My second contract was for six years and eight figures, based on my performance during my first contract. I wasn't one to squander money so I decided to invest in the Airbnb and home construction industries in key areas where tourism and growth would net me financial security the rest of my life. I made it a point to live off of my endorsement money and leave the rest of it in the bank to use whenever I got substantially older. Adding money from my Airbnb and home construction ventures would only strengthen my financial security as I got into my older years.
After I retired, I wanted to move to an area where hardly anyone would recognize or know me. I wanted to be as far away from the spotlight as I could possibly be because I valued my privacy. I chose Asheville, North Carolina as my permanent residence because (1) - I loved the mountains and (2) - The piece of land I wanted to build my home on was relatively level and it was close to shopping, restaurants, and medical facilities but was also far away enough for me to enjoy quiet serene evenings on my front porch. I chose a log cabin company to build me a nice, quaint two bedroom log cabin with a wrap around porch, and with a two car garage. Eight months after signing my contract for the build and making the final payment, I moved in and began my new life.
One of the nice things about Asheville was the fact that there were several really good restaurants where you could choose to eat virtually anything you wanted. The service staffs were nice, the food was good, everything was reasonably priced, and you could walk out of the restaurant with a smile on your face. My favorite restaurant, though, was Betty's Diner. It was a nice place, very clean, and the staff was always so courteous. I had been going there three times a week, usually one day out of the week for breakfast, one day out of the week for lunch, and another day out of the week for dinner. The highest my bill ever came to was $19.00. Don't get me wrong. I love to cook but I enjoyed the ambiance and I got some work done by bringing my laptop into the diner. I would check on all of my properties, answer and send emails, and make any phone calls I needed to make without disturbing any of the other guests.
I had been going to Betty's for about five months when I noticed Betty's had a new waitress. Her name tag said Raven so when she came over to take my breakfast order, I addressed her by her name. Personalizing an experience was something I had always been taught.
I placed my order and before she walked away, she said "What's your name?"
I said "Chris. It's nice to meet you, Raven."
"It's nice to meet you as well Chris."
She brought my food out, came to check on me several times, and then brought my check. It was only $13.45 so I handed her $40.00 in cash and told her the change was hers. She smiled and thanked me for the tip. As I got up to leave, I told her bye. She smiled and told me bye and to have a good rest of my day.
Over the course of the next several weeks, I would see Raven from time to time but it seemed that when I dined, she was always my waitress. I wasn't complaining. I didn't mind because she was very nice, very pretty, and we would make small talk whenever she was in the vicinity of my table. And I always made sure she got a nice tip.
One of the things I learned about living in Asheville was that the Annual Fall Fest was always a big event. Different musical talents would come to town to play. Different artists would come to display their art work. Different food vendors would bring their food trucks, vans, and trailers to set up to sell food. And there were several areas where various vendors would display and sell their wares, such as jewelry, blankets, quilts, candles, and the like. I decided to ride my motorcycle into town on a very cool Friday evening to enjoy the Fall Fest atmosphere. I found a place to park where I wouldn't get towed away and made my way down the street to where everything was set up. I stopped at one of the food vendor trucks and ordered an elephant ear, my sugary weakness.
As I was paying for my elephant ear, I heard a familiar voice say "Hey, why aren't you eating at Betty's tonight?"
Laughing to myself I turned around and there was Raven. "Hey Raven, how are you? Betty's doesn't sell elephant ears and I need a sugar fix." I smiled at her.
"True, I was just joshing ya. It's good to see you." She smiled back
"It's all good. And it's good to see you too. Wanna hang out and walk around or do you have other plans this evening?"
"I would like that very much Chris. I don't have any plans. I'm here by myself. My roommates stood me up because they had 'stuff' to do."
We walked around for about an hour, visited some of the vendors, and looked at some really cool art work that was on display and/or for sale. I decided to get a bottled water.
"Hey Raven, let's stop at this food truck. I'm gonna get a water. May I get you anything?"
"Coffee? If that's ok?"
"It's more than OK. I might get a coffee for myself later but water is ok for me now with all the sugar in that elephant ear I was still working on."
I ordered her coffee and my water. We got our beverages, walked around, talked about anything and everything under the sun, and got to know each other better.
"Hey Chris, there is a jazz band that's about to start playing in the park down the street. Wanna go?"
"Sure. That would be great." I finished my elephant ear and water and she finished her coffee and we walked over to the park and found a nice place to sit where we could see the group perform. They played for an hour before they took a break so we just sat there, talked, and enjoyed each other's company. The band came back a half an hour later and played another set and, by this time, it was getting late.
I saw Raven yawning so I said "Looks like someone is up past their bedtime."
She laughed and said "Maybe. I have early shift at Betty's tomorrow."
"Wanna call it a night Raven? Can I walk you to your car?"
"Yeah. That would be nice Chris. Thank you."
I walked her to her car, which was about a half a block from where I was parked. Before I left to walk to my motorcycle, I asked if it would be ok if we exchanged numbers because I really wanted to get to know her better. She said that would be nice so we did and we bid each other goodnight. I watched her drive away with a smile on my face because I thought she was really sweet. She had this aura about her that I couldn't describe but I knew I liked her. I got on my motorcycle and drove to my cabin.
When I got back to my cabin, I texted Raven -
C - Hey Raven, it's Chris. Just wanna make sure you made it home safely.
R - HHHeeeeeeyyyyyyyyy Chris. Yes I did. Are you home safely?
C - Yeah. I just wanted to say I enjoyed spending time with you this evening. And I hope we can do that again soon.
R - Well Fall Fest doesn't end for another week. I'm off all next week. Taking some much needed vacation time.
C - Oh? Got any plans?
R - Nah. I was kinda hoping I could spend time with you. You're nice Chris, and I like being around you.
C - So you're off all next week? And I think you're really nice as well. You strike me as someone who is actually REAL.
R - Well I am. What you see is what you get. I'm just trying to be the best person I can be in this crazy world while I dance through this crazy thing called life.
C - Where in Asheville do you live?
R - I live on Hazel Street in an apartment with two roommates, both female.
C - Ah I see. So you work tomorrow and Sunday and then on vacation until when?
R - I will be off from Monday to Sunday next week and then go back to work the following Monday so I will have 7 whole days to chill and relax.
C - Ok gotcha. What time do you work Sunday?
R - Sunday I will be working 12-6 and then vacay time.
