My plane touched down at Nashville's International Airport at about 2pm. It was Wednesday afternoon and I was just arriving for a work conference that would last through the weekend. This was the first time I had been away to a conference in over 15 years. As a dentist I had been busy running my own practice and tending to my children through their high school years. Now that they were both graduated and off to college I thought this would be a great opportunity to attend our national professional association meeting for a little inspiration and a little rest and relaxation all by myself.
At 56 years old I was now looking forward to the next phase of life. I had done well enough financially that I could start to pick and choose how much I wanted to work going forward. Thankfully, I'd been able to maintain my fitness throughout my child rearing years. As a collegiate cross country runner staying fit was part of who I was and 6 day/week runs had kept me in shape and I'd like to think, relatively young looking. At 5'7" and about 120lbs I was still pretty lean. My legs were still toned and lean and my butt, while not voluptuous, was firm. I'd avoided the middle age sag and swell of most women my age.
Once we were off the runway and taxing to our gate I swiped down from the top right of my phone's screen and disabled airplane mode. A few minutes later my phone buzzed with a text message from my husband.
"Have fun, honey. Relax. You've earned it. Me and the dog will be fine on our own. And be good ;)!" he wrote.
I replied, "Thanks, babe! I'm excited to have a room to myself for once. Just kidding, I'll miss you."
I deplaned, collected my bags and hopped in an uber for the 30 minute ride to the resort that was hosting this year's conference. Upon arrival at the resort the check in area was a hive of activity with professionals, both young and old, drifting about. I immediately felt a little self-conscious in my casual yoga pants and sweatshirt, but I didn't really care. I didn't know anyone here so I wasn't worried about running into someone I knew.
I checked in and headed to my room. It was a beautiful, with a king bed, small living room and luxurious bathroom. A small couch in the living area was immediately designated as the place where I would curl up with a book later this evening and enjoy my solitude. But the first thing on my agenda was to go for a quick run and shake out a bit of the jet lag.
I quickly unpacked my suitcase and put away my clothes. I took some extra time to hang few dresses, an orange summer dress, a black dress that fell just above my knees, and a sexier little black dress that you always should bring with you to events like this. I definitely overpacked, but since I hadn't been to a conference in so long I wasn't sure what exactly to bring.
I slipped into my running clothes, some short white running shorts, sports bra and light blue tank top. I performed a quick mirror check, put my hair in a pony tail and headed out the door with just my phone and Airpods for a nice easy one hour run. About 65 minutes later I approached the resort after a relaxing 7.5 miles. It was fairly warm at 85 degrees and humid so I was a sweaty mess.
My legs glistened with sweat and I'm proud to say they still looked great. Even at 56 I had the legs of an athlete. My slight tan complimented the white shorts nicely. My tank top was sweated through as was my sports bra. I have small breasts, an occupational hazard of running and staying lean, but I could still feel the sweat dripping between them, running down my modest cleavage. I was so sweaty that I hoped my nipples wouldn't show through.
I cooled down by walking back and forth outside of the hotel near the front entrance. The business of earlier was now replaced by a much more calm atmosphere. Apparently, I had checked in during the busy time. I walked up to a planter that helped divide the valet area from the front doors and I leaned into a deep calf stretch. I held the stretch for about a minute and towards the end a car pulled up beside me.
A young man, maybe mid-thirties, hopped out of the back seat. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a non-descript black t-shirt. He had short dark hair and looked very athletic. Sort of a cross between a runner and a body builder. He wasn't tall, in fact I'd say he was fairly short at about 5'7", but he radiated confidence in the way he moved. The driver popped the trunk and he effortlessly fished out his suitcase with one hand. I could see the muscles in his arm ripple as he did this and I was impressed. He tipped the driver and began to head into the hotel when our eyes met.
"Good for you, getting a run in during the heat of the day. How was it?" He asked in a friendly and energetic way.
"Not my best, but it was ok. I always like getting a run in when I get off of a plane. It helps me feel better." I replied.
"Are you here for the dental conference?" he asked politely.
"Yes, I am. I guess that answers it for you too, huh?" I said.
"Haha, I guess so. I'm Chris, it is nice to meet you."
"I'm Jessica. Nice to meet you too, Chris."
"I don't mean to be forward, but I know I'm going to be hungry soon, would you want to grab dinner with me? It might be fun to venture outside of the resort and see what is going on tonight." He asked politely.
I hesitated for a second, but then said, "Sure, lets do it. That sounds better than eating room service by myself, although I'm not going to lie, that has some appeal too!" I joked.
"How about we meet back down here in the foyer in an hour?"
"That sounds perfect. See you then." I replied.
We walked in together and as he headed for the check in desk I walked towards the bank of elevators to head up to my room. I couldn't believe that I had just agreed to go to dinner with a complete stranger. But I guess he wasn't a total stranger. He was obviously a dentist and was here for the same reason I was. Also, I couldn't deny his charisma. He was easy to talk to and I really liked that. It would be nice to explore Nashville a bit too I thought as I walked towards my room. Afterall, a big part of conferences is the networking and idea sharing you get from meeting new people.