I stood in front of the mirror and I had to admit I didn't look too bad for a forty-four year old woman. My frizzy, kinky black hair hung just below my shoulders and I wore a simple gold chain around my neck, a shiny contrast against my skin and a stark polarity with my dark eyes. The V-neck of my silky red dress pointed to the cleavage between my breasts, which aren't huge but large enough to get a look or two, and the only makeup I wore was a bit of lipstick to match the dress.
I'd kept myself in good shape the last few years since my divorce and people often think I'm eight or ten years younger. I'm about five-seven, thin with a nice rump to go along with my tits, and the dress clung to my curves. I was getting ready to go to a New Year's Eve party at a house three doors down the street. It had been a tradition on our block for many years and the tradition had continued even as children grew up and families moved away. My ex-husband and I hosted the party in our house a few years ago before our divorce. I don't know as many people in the neighborhood as I used to so the parties are a good way to keep in touch and meet new people. I'd be going to the party alone as I had been since my divorce. I'd had a few relationships since then, but nothing serious or long-term. I enjoyed my freedom after so many years of marriage, much of which was not so great.
My name is Danielle, my friends call me Dani. I live alone in the same old house and my two children are grown and gone. My son Greg is twenty-four and is in the Navy stationed two thousand miles away, so I don't see him much these days; I just get emails and the occasional phone call. My daughter Jessica is twenty-two and is married to a cop; they live about an hour away and we see each other on holidays and birthdays.
I made one final series of poses before the mirror, turning this way and that and decided I was ready for presentation. It was about ten p.m. and time to go. I usually would go a little after ten and then leave shortly after midnight. Long enough but not too long.
I walked down the street to the party at the Fullers' house. The Fullers, Bob and Jean, were a wonderful couple, very active and one of the oldest families on the block. Their kids were all in their thirties and this was at least the third time they had hosted the party that I could remember. They greeted me instantly when I entered and made me feel welcome as always. Holiday music was playing, the house was still decorated and the Christmas tree in the corner reached all the way up to the nine foot ceiling. Bob handed me a glass of white wine and I began chatting with a few neighbors I knew, and then was introduced to a new couple that had moved in a few months before. But I won't dwell on that part of the evening because it doesn't really relate to the story I want to tell.
I'd been at the party almost an hour when I heard a male voice call out to me. "Hey, Miss Dani!" he said. I looked in the direction of the kitchen and walking toward me was a young, familiar face, although I hadn't seen him for a few years.
"Jackie?" I asked. "Is that you?"
A big grin spread across his handsome face. Jackie's family had lived across the street from us until his parents separated and divorced when he was fifteen or sixteen. His father had always been kind of an ass but Jackie was always a sharp and witty kid and he was close to my kids when they were younger. His mother and I had been very close up until she later remarried and moved away once Jackie graduated high school.
"Yes. Well, it's Jack nowadays," he said with a smile, as we hugged.
I laughed and said, "Okay, Jack."
Jack was about five-eleven with medium-length blond hair, baby-blue eyes and a couple days of sandy fuzz on his strong chin and face. He was broad-shouldered with long sinewy arms, but the rest of his body was thin and wiry. He always was athletic and played soccer and baseball in high school. He wore blue jeans and a red casual shirt with the collar unbuttoned. He had a thin gold chain around his neck as well.
"So what are you doing here?" I asked. "I thought you moved away and would never come back to this place." When he had left after high school it was to attend the state university about three hours away.
"I'm visiting a buddy for a few days. I visited my Mom in Florida for Christmas, and then I came up here. The school's closed over the holidays and I go back the week after next. I saw Mr. Fuller in the library and he invited me. So here I am."
"Really....where's you're buddy?"
"He had some big date planned with his girlfriend."
"So you came to party with the old folks?"
"Yeah, I thought it might be fun to see who was still around. Plus I didn't want to be driving around too much on New Year's Eve. You know what I mean?"
"Yes, I do, and I think that's smart of you. When the neighborhood started throwing these parties years ago it was to give everybody somewhere to go without having to go anywhere."
I looked at Jack's eyes and they were a bit bloodshot so I knew it was a good decision on his part, although he seemed okay to me. I sipped the last of the wine from my glass and he took it from me. He returned in a moment with two glasses.
"A toast," he said, "to Miss Dani, always the hottest mom in the neighborhood."
I blushed, a bit surprised and flattered by his comment, but I drank. "Okay, cut him off," I said, "He must be drunk."
We laughed to ourselves and for the next half hour continued to talk and reminisce about the old days in the neighborhood. I found I was very relaxed with him and was enjoying our conversations and recollections much more than mingling with the older folks. When we had about finished our wine he surprised me again.
"Want to get high?" he asked me.
"What? Jack, are you kidding? Behave yourself. It's been years since I did that kind of stuff. I don't think the Fullers would appreciate us lighting up in their house."
"What the hell, it's New Year's Eve," he said, pulling a joint out of his shirt pocket. "We're not driving, so come on."
I just laughed at him. He grinned wide and said, "Look, I'm slipping out the back. In a minute pretend like you're going to the bathroom and then go out back and I'll wait for you behind the tool shed. It's nice and secluded back there. See you in a minute." Then he was gone.
I shook my head and knew I probably shouldn't. But I also knew I would.
When he saw me walking toward the shed he lit it up. He took a deep hit and when I got to him he handed it to me and I did the same. We traded back and forth a couple times without saying anything. I was the first to speak.
"I can't believe we're doing this," I said.
