I shut off the computer and went to bed. I got no sleep that night. Over the course of the next week I waffled several times; I would go, I wouldn't go, I might go, I'd go but just to see what these people looked like and back again like a looped tape. By Friday I had just about made up my mind to forget the whole thing, but at six o'clock on Saturday night I found myself in the shower shaving my legs. 'Just go and see what they look like, it'll be funny,' I rationalized. Sure, just look at them. That's why I was shaving my legs and looking at my bush, debating on whether or not to shave it. I didn't. OK, so I trimmed it, big deal.
I dried my hair and put on my favorite light green slip dress. It comes to about three inches above the knee and has spaghetti straps. Hey, I had a nice tan and I figured I'd show it off. I didn't wear a bra, but then I never do with that dress. I put on plain, white cotton panties. Nothing sexy about plain white cotton panties. Well, bikini panties. OK, OK, string bikini panties, but they were cotton. No hose, it was hot out. I stepped into some white wedgies and put on a little make up. Just some lipstick and a tiny hint of blush to even out some of the freckles. I dabbed a little CK One behind each ear and, after a pause, between my breasts.
It was a long ride to the Silver City Mall. It's a lot closer to New Bedford then Quincy, I had planned it that way. As I drove I was still waffling. I almost turned around twice, but found myself pulling into a space in the mall and getting out of my car. I drifted in the door and up to the third floor food court.
Which brings me back to this stupid seat and the wedgie I was developing from squirming like a five year old. This was really, really stupid. I was just about to give it up and leave when I noticed the red dress at the other side of the court. She was short and there was a guy with her, that had to be them. My tummy did a flip-flop when they looked this way and the girl gave a little half wave. I was tempted to ignore them, but my hand waved back of its own accord.
They started to walk over and I checked them out as they came. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know, I guess I had expected some bimbo bulging out of her spandex complete with uni-eyebrowed Neanderthal mate,. I mean, who else is on the internet cruising for sex? Well, me I suppose. Anyway, as I said, they were a pleasant surprise. Very normal looking. She was, as advertised, about five feet short. I had expected chubby, but she was actually, as she said, curvy. Voluptuous I guess, made me feel like a stick. Long, curly hair, dark brown, almost black. Nice tan, little or no make-up. The dress was cute, tasteful, a little dressier then my sundress, but not overdressed for a mall. One of those indispensable numbers that will go anyplace. She looked good in red. It came to about 3 inches above the knee, sleeveless with a square neck. She had on black strappy sandals with a 2 inch heel. I noticed her toenails were red to match the dress.
He was a surprise too. No Neanderthal, he was just a guy. Cute, about six feet. Dark brown wavy hair cut short. Good tan. He wore khakis and a white polo. I could see he had a decent bod under the shirt, big arms, but then he was a carpenter. He wore loafers with socks. I approved.
"Hi, are you Jill?" she asked as they came closer. Heavy Massachusetts accent, it came out as 'Hi ah you Jill?'
"Yes. Gloria?" I replied.
"Yeah! Hi! How are you? We were afraid you wouldn't show." she blurted quickly, breathlessly. I heard, 'Hi howahya? We wa afraid ya wouldn't show.' Don't be such a snob I chided myself.
I laughed, " I almost didn't. Please, sit down."
"Actually, we were thinking of going someplace we could have a drink," the husband said. "Those chairs don't look too comfortable. There's a pub on the first floor, do you want to go there?"
He had a deep voice with much less of an accent then Gloria.
"Sure, why not?" I replied.
I got up and we walked over to the escalator. Gloria was chatting away. At first I thought she was a little spacey but realized she was just nervous. We took a table near the bar and ordered drinks. The husband, Jimmy, ordered a beer. Gloria ordered a gin and tonic, chatting away a mile a minute. I had the same.
Gloria abruptly stopped talking and looked at me. "I'm chattering like a magpie," she said. "I'm really sorry, you must think I'm an idiot. I do that when I'm uncomfortable and this is a little weird."
We all laughed and I said, " I have never, ever done anything this weird in my life! I was just thanking God you two looked so normal."
Jimmy laughed harder and Gloria blushed. He said, "Gloria was saying when we pulled in that you'd probably be some total skank and we'd have to run away. We were so relieved you were a regular person."
That kind of broke the ice and by the time the drinks came we were somewhat at ease with each other. It was amazingly like a first date, but I suppose that's exactly what it was. We had a second drink and I was telling them about myself, my family, growing up, school, my life's ambitions, how I had dumped Loser Boy Todd Sunday morning after I had chatted with them. Gloria talked about being the youngest in a family of seven, about never having much in the way of material things but growing up with an abundance of love, about her job, her outlook on life, how she met Jimmy, her desire for a family of her own, but not seven kids thank-you-very-much.
Jimmy, I found, had attended two years of college and done very well there, but had dropped out. "It was all so much bullshit," was his opinion. He told of how he had never felt happier then when working with his hands. He was a finish carpenter, and rather good at it if-he-said-so-himself. He did all right and wanted to spend his life restoring old buildings. He talked about hand crafting and techniques that were common one hundred years ago but were lost today. He was passionate about his work and I respected him for that. He was also deeply in love with Gloria.
This caused me to have to ask, "You guys seem like you are totally in love with each other, so why this?"
"What does one have to do with the other?" Gloria astutely replied. "Of course we're in love, that's how we can even think of doing this. Sex is just fun. I know Jimmy loves me and isn't going to leave me, so what's wrong with being a little naughty?"
What could I say to that? I told her that I thought it was great they had each other and that I hoped I could find someone like that some day.
A third round of drinks came. As we sat there and talked I found myself really enjoying these people. They were very easy to talk to and I was laughing a lot. I've always been a sucker for a man that could make me laugh, and now here was a guy who could do that, and a woman who could too.
"Do you like to dance?" Gloria asked abruptly. "Let's go dancing."
"OK," I replied, "But I'm kind of underdressed for anything fancy."
"Don't worry," she said, "There's a place nearby, kind of dive-ey but the music's good. We'll be overdressed," she added laughing.
"Let's go," I said. I insisted on picking up the check over Jim's protests. I told him he could buy the drinks at the next place.
I got in my car and followed their pick-up a few miles to a bar called 'Celebrities'. I parked next to them and got out. I could hear the music pulsing out in the parking lot.
Gloria smiled and took my hand, almost dragging me to the door. She seemed to have two modes, excited and manic. I smiled back, you couldn't help liking this girl.
"You're gonna love this!" she enthused over the music blaring out the door.
Jimmy insisted on paying the cover and I let him. Inside, a packed dance floor pulsated to a salsa beat. A live band, complete with horn section, ripped up the walls. I love Latin music, you just can't sit still to it and I began to unconsciously sway.
"Go get us something to drink," Gloria ordered Jimmy over the music. "We're gonna go dance."
Jimmy nodded and went off to the bar as Gloria dragged me out on the floor. She let out a whoop and raised her arms, gyrating unselfconsciously to the beat. Figuring, 'why not, I don't know anyone here' I joined her and lost myself to the music. She was a good dancer, lots of rhythm and she really knew how to move that little body of hers. I tried to match her and I think I did a pretty credible job of holding my own. We were getting noticed. Other dancers were looking at us and grinning, making room for us on the floor. Gloria took it as a challenge and began to go a little wild. Hell, my parents had paid for eleven years of dance for me, I could show off a little too. I matched her step for step. She looked at me and our eyes locked. They were dark, almost black. She smiled and I felt sucked in to their depths. Everything blurred, like when a movie goes into slow motion.
One song faded into another. We danced, eyes locked, oblivious to the rest of the world, floating on the music. Eventually, the set ended and the band announced they were taking a break. I came back to earth to find people cheering and clapping. I looked around at the sea of faces, smiling at us and blushed. Gloria waved at the crowd, grabbed my face and kissed me on the lips. An electric shock zapped me from my lips to my toes. She broke the kiss and the crowd cheered louder. I was breathless from surprise as much as the dancing. I saw Jimmy wave to us from a table near the dance floor. I took Gloria by the hand and lead her to it.
"I told you she'd be a good dancer," Gloria announced to him as we sat down.
A guy, dripping tacky gold chains, walked over to our table, leaned against it and said to me, "Hey, you can really dance."
Gloria winked at me and said to him, "Is that your opening line, 'Hey, you can really dance'? Wow, that's the worst pick-up line I've ever heard! I mean that's totally pathetic! Why don't you ask her what her sign is while you're here? I think you should go home and practice on your sister before you come back. Now run along, shoo," she said brushing her hands at him.
He kind of stammered for a second and then left, deflated like a balloon. We laughed and sipped our drinks. Gloria sat close. The bar was hot. Perspiration glinted on her neck and collar bones, making her olive skin glisten. It was hot all right, in more ways then one. My lips burned where she had kissed them. The G and T's were working, or maybe it was just excitement. I tingled. This was just supposed have been a get to know you meeting. I found myself fearing she would kiss me again. I found myself hoping she would kiss me again. I glanced over at her and our eyes locked once more. My head moved toward hers, our lips met. Her lips were soft, full. I closed my eyes. I felt her tongue touch my lips. I parted them and her hand came up to cup the back of my head as our tongues met. God, she was a good kisser. The kiss lasted a minute, an hour, forever, I don't know, I only know it almost hurt when it ended. My nipples hardened, poking out through the thin material of my dress. I opened my eyes and looked at her.
