You looked beautiful in a new dress that flattered your curvy figure -- black, short sleeves, knee length and a bit flared at the bottom. A scoop neck was classy, but revealing. Your bronze-brown hair was hanging below your shoulders.
I had trimmed my beard, shaved my head and was wearing a new suit and tie you picked out after I lost 15 pounds -- not bad for a couple of 40 somethings with three kids we said to one another.
We were heading to the wedding of a colleague’s kid. We wouldn’t know many people there, but you wanted to be there to support him — and we saw it as a great excuse for a weekend away from the kids.
The wedding was being held at a small Northern Wisconsin resort. Just rustic enough to feel like nowhere, but civilized enough to have clean rooms with big king-sized beds.
The wedding went as planned and after the dinner, the reception got into full swing.
The outdoor setting under a huge white tent was picturesque. The temperatures were in the 70s with blissfully low humidity. The tent was lit with white string lights and candles at each table. Outside, the surrounding area looked like a forest clearing - pine trees encircled the lawn on three sides, the resort off to the north. Stars had started to emerge.
Two large, fancy restroom trailers - mens and womens - were off to one side of the tent, making up for the lack of permanent facilities.
We danced and drank because we don’t have many opportunities like this to cut loose. Not knowing many people also made us both a little less inhibited.
I was enjoying watching others checking you out — attractive, happy and care free. Seeing others eye you turned me on. It also made me feel like the luckiest man on earth — you are still beautiful after more than 25 years together.
Between songs we sat down to take a break at one of the tables around the dance floor. I went to get you a drink. Across the table a woman sat alone and yelled to you: “Looks like you’re having fun!”
You could barely make out what she said, but yelled back. "Thanks. Don’t know many people here, so we might as well dance.”
She couldn’t hear you well, either, so she got up and moved over to my seat. She wore a dark red dress with a low cut back and was about 10 years younger than you. A brunette with blonde highlights, she wore bright red lipstick and had deep green eyes.
“Hey, I’m Kelly.”
“I’m Carrie,” you said. “That was my husband, Ed, who just went to get drinks.”
The conversation proceeded with her asking you questions about how long we’d been married, whether we had kids and where we were staying for the night.
As you spoke your eyes occasionally drifted to look for me, and sometimes down at her dress, which accentuated her slender figure in a sexy, but elegant way.
“What about you?” you asked once she got through learning the basics about you. “How do you know the newlyweds?”
“Well, my ex-girlfriend worked with the bride and we became close,” she said. “When we broke up, I stayed close with them — and got invited to the wedding even though my ex didn’t.”
“Did you bring a date?” you asked.
“I had one lined up, but she bailed at the last minute. No big deal,” she said, very obviously looking at your cleavage. “You want to dance?” she asked as a new song came on.
“Sure,” you said, just as I was walking back to the table with two fresh drinks. She grabbed your hand and led you to the floor.
“Have fun,” I said, loving the sight of you smiling and cutting loose.
“This is Kelly,” you said, as she led you to the floor.
“Can I get you a drink, too?” I asked your new friend.
“Sure,” she said, grabbing one of the drinks from my hand with her one free hand.
I shrugged and put your drink on the table and said, “I’ll just go get myself another.”
The two of you were having a blast on the floor as I walked away, back toward the longish bar line.