Tyrone sat in his corner office and stared blankly at the trees in the park just across Rosemark Avenue. He hardly even noticed their many colors, brought on by the cool fall weather. As often happened these days, his mind was drifting. And as usual, it was drifting back to Diane and the wonderful night of lust they had shared. Although two full months had passed since that night, and their time together was brief and very little had been said between them, he was convinced there was more there than just the incredible passion. And incredible it was. It had been unbelievably passionate, in fact. Although he was 100 percent sure that it had happened just as he remembered, it still seemed dreamlike to him at times.
He thought more and more these days of ways to somehow see her again. He wished so badly that she were unattached so that he could just go and knock on her door. But this wishful thinking was just wasted time, he realized finally. And so he spent hours these days working through different scenarios that might bring the two of them together again. But it was a tough assignment, after all. He knew nothing about this woman except her first name; she was married to an asshole, and the fact that she lived next door to two of his best friends, Tom and Sue Blanchard. It was in their upstairs bathroom during a party that he had his first encounter with Diane. And then later that same night in her own backyard, with her drunken husband snoring in their bed just paces away.
And so, not knowing her last name, how could he get her phone number? It would have to be a chance meeting of some sort. But where and how? He knew nothing of her daily movements. He did know, however, that she didn't work outside the home. That meant the meeting would have to take place in her neighborhood, at least initially. And that in a nutshell was the problem. How in the world was he going to make that happen without drawing unwanted attention from the neighbors or his good friends? He didn't want to cause trouble for her, or any awkward or embarrassing questions. How could he be sure that her husband wouldn't be home if he somehow got the nerve to knock on her door? And that is why he had been reduced to getting in his car a week ago and blindly driving to the edge of her neighborhood without any real plan. Once there, his nerves and better judgement had won out and he turned his car around and drove back to the office. But now, here he sat once again planning to return in hopes of somehow making contact. He knew it was foolish and careless, but he also realized he could not go on thinking of her almost non-stop without trying something.
That's why, as Tyrone left for lunch that day he told his boss that he had some personal things to take care of and probably wouldn't return that afternoon. He had it good that way at work, and even felt fine turning off his cell phone so as not to be bothered. He walked out of the office that afternoon and drove his car straight to Diane's neighborhood, dismissing any thought of lunch. She was what he hungered for.
He felt his heart rate increase as he approached her street. He had decided that he was going to make one pass by her house to get her address in hopes of using that to find her phone number somehow. Maybe their last name would be on the mailbox. "One pass and then I'm out of there," he told himself.
Turning down her street, he was pleased to see that none of her neighbors were outside. But he was disappointed that she wasn't. He had hoped beyond hope that he might be lucky enough to catch her outside. As he approached her house he began to feel his luck turning for the worse. He felt the engine begin to shake badly, and then there was nothing, as he coasted helplessly. The car came to rest just two houses down from hers on the other side of the street.
"DAMN! You have to be kidding me. This is just fucking perfect." Tyrone sat behind the wheel frozen. "What in the hell am I suppose to do now?" he wondered.
"Alright, calm down. Just calm down," he told himself as he tried over and over to crank the engine. Eventually, he popped the hood latch and got out to see if the problem was anything obvious. It was times like this that he wished he were more mechanically inclined. Looking around at the surrounding houses, he raised the hood. Everything seemed to be in place. No smoke or steam. There were no unusual smells. He decided to call Triple A and get someone out on the scene as quickly as possible. He needed to get this car rolling fast and out of this neighborhood before something bad happened.
He stood looking at the engine as he dialed the number. "Yes, this is Tyrone Williams. My card number is 42679214. I need some roadside assistance right away please." He was waiting for a response on the other end when he caught the first unmistakable whiff of a woman's perfume.
"Yes Mr. Williams, I see your account here in our system. How can I help you today?" he heard the woman on the other end saying, as he turned his head from one side to the other trying to determine where that smell was coming from. Turning a complete 180 and with the cell phone still to his ear, he saw Tricia Hawkins standing there grinning at him. He remembered Tricia and her damned smile from the party. Without coming right out and saying it that night, she had made it obvious to Tyrone that she knew all about his upstairs rendezvous with Diane. Holding up a finger to her and motioning to give him a minute, he turned away from Tricia and finished his business with Triple A. All the while he was scrambling in the back of his mind for a reason he would be driving by.
"OK, that will be fine. I'll see somebody soon then, right?" he was saying as he hung up the phone and turned back to her.
"Hi there. Don't I know you from Tom and Sue's party?" he asked as he looked Tricia over. She was a beautiful woman, as he remembered. Blonde hair, blue eyes, mid-thirties he guessed. She was dressed that day in a nice exercise outfit and running shoes. She had obviously just finished a walk or run. And it was also obvious from her beautiful shape that she exercised often. She would turn any man's head. But that damned smile! That "I know all" smile of hers irritated him to no end.
"Oh yeah sure you do. I'm Tricia, one of their neighbors. I live right over there," she said, pointing to the house next door.
"Tricia! Yeah that's right, I remember now. And I'm...."
"Tyrone," she interrupted, smiling devilishly. "The upstairs man." Before he could respond she was asking what he was doing in the neighborhood.
"Oh, well. I...uh, I have some clients a few blocks over. When I finished up there I drove over hoping to catch Tom or Sue at home."
"Well surely you know they both work, don't ya?" she prodded.
"Well yeah. Just hoping, ya know."
"Yeah, I know," she said with a laugh. "Car trouble, huh? That's a shame."
"Yeah afraid so, just my luck. But I've talked to Triple A and they're on the way."
"They won't get here any faster with you standing out here in the cool wind. Why don't you come in and let me fix you some coffee, or something?"
Tyrone had to make a decision quickly. Did he want to stay out here on the street where who knows who might come by, or was he going to take Tricia up on her offer? Normally it would be a no-brainer, but he feared she was trouble. She had made a couple of other things clear the night of the party. She was interested in screwing around on her husband, and she had a big mouth and liked to use it. Still, she was the better of the two choices available to him.
"Hey, that sounds great. I really appreciate that," he said, almost regretting it before it was out of his mouth.
"OK....OK, good deal. Come on in sweetie. I don't have an upstairs but I'm sure I can make you comfortable," she said with a wink. He was definitely regretting his decision now.
He followed her up the walk to her front door and couldn't help but notice the sway of her lovely hips. "A little extra sway," he thought to himself.
"Come on in and make yourself at home, babe," she told him as she unlocked the door and headed for the kitchen. "Will it be coffee or do you want something else?"
