Of all nights for Harry to be late. I worked the four to midnight shift six nights a week. It was Friday, the night of my best friend Jeff's goodbye party, and I had hoped to get out a little early rather than end up running late. I couldn't just leave. There has to be someone on call at all times in case one of the lines go down. So I was stuck there until Harry, the third shift supervisor, showed up.
My buddy Pat, who is was Jeff's roommate at the time, was waiting with me in the maintenance office, as I sat there cussing Harry for being late. We still had to stop off at the local tavern and pick up beer for us and some wine for my wife. Pat normally rode to and from work with Jeff, because of a recent DUI, but because Jeff wasn't coming to work today I had picked Pat up. That was when Jeff volunteered to pick up my wife before the party started so she could help with the set up, and also so we'd only have one car to drive home afterwards. I thought it was a great idea, and practical, so I called to check with her. My wife thought it was a great idea.
Harry finally showed up and we made our beer and wine stop on the way to Pat's place. The party was in full swing when we entered, with people everywhere. We stuffed what beer we could into the fridge and put the rest and the wine in one of the many coolers that lined the kitchen floor along the wall.
The house they rented was big. The kitchen opened up to a great room with a huge fireplace centered on the opposite wall, with windows on each side that ran from the floor to the cathedral ceiling. At the far right end was a fully stocked bar, complete with a half dozen barstools. A closed door to the right of the bar led back to the bedrooms. Right in the middle of the great room was a genuine bar pool table, from the same 'Going out of business' sale as the bar and stools, complete with an operating coin slot. You had to put a quarter in to play.
As we walked by there were three quarters backed up by the coin box. I put a nickel up for Pat and I, just so we knew where we were in line, and then worked my way to the bar where Pat handed me a beer. I asked him if he'd seen my wife and he said no. Jeff's uncle, who was only a few years older than Jeff, was sitting next to me. We talked for a while and exchanged pleasantries until I asked him if he'd seen my wife. He said not to worry, that Jeff and my wife have been inseparable, and they'd both worked up a sweat keeping the party going and all. He was sure they'd be back anytime. He thought they'd gone for ice.
Pat and I sat and talked to each other and anyone who came by for a while until someone said that it was our turn at the table. He broke and dropped two stripes before missing and handing me his cue stick. The game was partners' eight ball. The next guy dropped a solid before missing, which made it my turn. We won the first two games easily and were in the middle of the third when I saw Jeff heading towards me. He had a big, shit eating grin on his face, we're best friends, and he had his hand extended. He shook my had and then put his arms around me and gave me a hug as he told me that out of everyone here he was going to miss my wife and I the most.
I'd no sooner asked him where he'd abandoned my wife than she put an arm around each of us and insinuated her way in between us. She was wearing a very short little white cotton dress that buttoned down the front. The top two buttons were undone, showing plenty of cleavage and her thimble-sized nipples pushing out against the light material were screaming "no bra". I took a step back and looked her up and down. She was wearing high heals without nylons or panty hose, hell the dress was too short for nylons, the garter straps would show, and besides, with the tan she was sporting she didn't need to wear any hosiery.
I whispered that she looked beautiful. She said thanks and held the hem of her dress out a little at each side as she did a slow graceful pirouette. She glowed. Then I whispered that she was way overdressed. I was wearing cut-off jeans, sandals and a deadhead tee shirt. She laughed and whispered back that Jeff had said the exact same thing earlier.
