(Dedicated to my wonderful Penny, the most beautiful and sweetest Aussie in the world)
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It was a cold autumn evening New York JFK Airport. I was just paged to the U.S. Airways Information desk to receive a message. My first thought was, "this can't be good!" And it wasn't ... the message read:
"Honey, I got tied up in Ohio. I probably won't get into New York until sometime tomorrow. I made reservations for you at the Hilton. Sorry, see you tomorrow. Love you baby. Keep it warm for me ... Tom"
"Shit," I thought to myself. "God, how can he do this to me? Keep it warm for him? Shit, I need a fuck bad and soon. It's been a month now. What the hell does he think I am ... a zombie? Damn it, he always does this to me."
I walked over to the cab stand. It was Friday night and it was really very busy ... people coming and going. Everyone had some place to go. I began feeling sorry for myself. I felt a mixture of agitation and sadness. I walked up to the man behind the desk at the cab stand.
"I need a cab to take me to the Hilton ...," I never got to finish my sentence.
"Ma'am," the man broke in, "it will be at least a half hour or more before I can get a cab for you."
"Shit," I thought to myself. "God, will this ever end?"
I left my name at the desk and told the man behind the desk to page me as soon as a cab becomes available. I told him I would be in the coffee shop. Then I pulled my few pieces of luggage behind me and headed for the coffee shop. Again, the coffee shop was crowded. I got a cup of coffee and started to look for some place to sit. The tables were all full. I noticed a table with a single woman sitting at it and headed in that direction.
"May I sit here?" I asked the young looking blonde headed girl sitting there.
"Sure, please do," the girl answered.
I immediately noticed she had an accent but I wasn't sure if I recognized it. "Get her to talk a little," I thought to myself.
"My name is Dottie," I said trying to hide the frustration I was feeling with the turn of events that had just taken place concerning my plans for this night.
"Hello Dottie," answered this strikingly pretty young lady. "My name is Penny ... Penny Lane. I'm from Australia. Just arrived in New York," she continued.
"Oh God, yes, I knew I heard that accent before but I just couldn't put my finger on it," I thought. "You are just visiting then right?" I continued.
"Well, I was supposed to meet a girl here that I had been corresponding with on the internet. She was supposed to show me New York," Penny answered.
"Damn," I thought to myself. "Not another one of these damn fake internet things."
"Geeze, do you know her telephone number or any other way you can get in touch with her," I asked Penny.
"No, she just told me she would meet me here," answered Penny.
God, Penny looked so sad. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was worried. "What a hell of a deal," I thought to myself. "All the way from Australia and stuck in this crazy airport in New York on a busy Friday evening."
"Do you have someone else or some place you can go?" I asked Penny.
Penny put her head down. "No, no ... I was really depending on my girlfriend to meet me here. But it's been over two hours now so I guess she couldn't make it," answered Penny.
As I watched the sadness in Penny's eyes, the tears starting to build up, I could feel a sinking feeling within me. I took just a minute to sort of evaluate this Penny from Australia. She was really very pretty. She had blonde hair, ‘natural,' I thought to myself, very petite, big blue eyes, full red lips ... God, she looked so innocent, so in need of someone.
I moved over closer to Penny so I could put my arm around her. "Listen honey, don't worry about anything. My husband kind of stood me up too so we are sort of both in the same boat. But don't worry, I have a reservation at the Hilton and you can stay with me tonight if you don't mind," I said to Penny.
"Oh my God, mind? ... no, no, but are you sure it would be all right with you?" Penny answered.
Boy, the combination of her pretty face, the tear filled eyes, and the cute Australian accent all pulled at my heart like never before. Impulsively I moved over to give Penny a little kiss on her cheek. "No honey, I don't mind at all. As a matter of fact I would really enjoy your company. It will get my mind off my own circumstances."
Just then the voice on the loud speaker was paging me ... "Ms. Dottie West, your cab is ready," the man's voice on the loud speaker said loudly.
"Come on Penny Lane, we don't want to miss this cab or we'll be waiting another hour," I said.
The cab driver put our luggage in the trunk as I told him where we were going. I got in one side of the cab, Penny got in the other and we were off driving toward New York City on this chilly Friday autumn night.
"Gee," Penny said now in a somewhat happier tone of voice. "I really don't know how to thank you Dottie. Not everyone would take a total stranger under their wing so suddenly."
"Well don't even think about it, I answered. "I probably did it more out of selfishness than any thing else. I needed company," I continued not wanting to make Penny feel any obligation toward me.
Penny moved over closer to me. She kissed me on my face and I could feel the warmness of her thigh against my thigh. For the first time I caught the scent of the light perfume she was wearing. The warmness of her lips on my face cheek and the combination of everything else stirred a little familiar feeling near the pit of my stomach.
"No, no," I thought to myself. "Damn, I'm not that way ... I'm certainly not bi ... I have no interest in women ... none at all." I felt a little embarrassment at my own feelings, my own denial of that familiar awakening in my stomach. Then I felt bad because I even entertained the thought, no matter how brief, that Penny was ‘that way' too.
The door man took our bags, ringed for the bellboy and we went inside. After giving the desk man my name he gave the bellboy the key to my, or our, room and we went up the elevator to the 45th floor. As soon the bellboy opened the door I was glad to see my husband had spared nothing to assure I had a good room. It overlooked the city with all its neon lights, and had a clear view of Broadway. Then I realized I wasn't really happy for myself but I was happy for Penny. God, I felt the need to impress her for some odd reason. "Why did I feel the need to please this pretty girl from Australia," I thought to myself.
After asking Penny if she was hungry and she replied she wasn't, I ordered a hot fresh pot of coffee, a fine bottle of house wine, a few light Danish snacks and moved over to open my luggage.
"Might just as well make your self comfortable honey," I said to Penny.
We had just finished hanging our clothes up when there was a knock on the door. "Room service," came the voice from the other side of the door.
I opened the door and the service man rolled in a table with our order. "God, the odor of fresh brewed coffee smelled good," I thought.