For some, age is a barrier, a huge one, a non-starter. Many cannot handle age differences and won't even try. James and Jayne wondered whether they could? This series of impressions and observations examines what happened when they tried.
Her.
I jumped when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I was walking down Oxford Street in Central London, right outside Selfridges when it happened and when that sort of thing happens it's usually bad news.
"I'm sorry miss, but I think you may have left these in Boots," a middle-aged man said to me.
'Oh fuck' I said under my breath, immediately knowing what had happened as you handed me a package of photos.
I had been there using one of those big machines to develop some photos and I must have left before the final few came out.
"Oh er, are you sure?" I stammered trying to think of a way to wriggle out of this clearly difficult situation.
You held the photo up, looked at it, then at me, smiled and said.
"There can be absolutely no mistake, it's you and they are lovely."
In normal circumstances such a situation wouldn't be that embarrassing, but as I knew only too well that the photos were of me in some very scantily clad poses, this was highly embarrassing.
"Hmmmm," I pondered trying to buy time as you ran your gaze up and down me. "I guess not, I suppose it must be me."
"Without any doubt," you said grinning quite broadly now "I would recognise............." You went on pausing before adding "Your golden locks anywhere." It was a slightly pervy remark, but was said with an innocence yet an authority, an unusual combination of traits in a guy so I didn't feel threatened. In fact, you looked nice and kind, cuddly was a term that came to mind, but also so did flirty old sod, in a nice way.
You were quite tall, a good five or six inches more than my five feet five. You had, being generous, thinning hair or, as some might term was balding with glasses and had a kind face and a sparkle in your eyes or, was a glint, I wasn't sure. But to me in my early twenties, it was one that almost said grandad and not daddy. But then so what, you were only returning some photos, albeit sodding sexy ones, you weren't trying to pull me, or were you? Surely not you must have been at least thirty years older than me. I have always had something of a penchant for older men, but granddads and a thirty plus age difference were probably pushing my boundaries in that area.
However, the way that you paused over what you said about me in the photos using my blonde hair as the key, made me smile. And that's always a good thing.
"Well not exactly golden," I said running my hand through my, almost natural, more straw-coloured, shoulder-length hair.
You smiled again. It was a nice, friendly smile, but one that had an underlying something to it, one that suggested that in your time you may well have been something of a player.
"Well close enough to make the phrase worth using and it is a nice phrase," you sort of rambled on, your gaze again running up and down me. That made me shiver and not, I realised in a rejection sort of way, although possibly it should have done, but more in a way where I enjoyed the flattery and the flirtation.
"Yes, I suppose it is," I rather unwisely if I wanted to end the conversation, said, realising I didn't particularly want it to end; was I losing my marbles?
"And your hair is beautifully blonde," you persisted looking from the photo to my face and back again.
"Thank you."
"Not at all."
"And thanks for rescuing my photos," I said putting my hand out. "May I have them please?"
"Yes of course," you replied handing them to me.
I went to take them, but you held onto them. I looked at you, our eyes met.
"Flatter an old man and have a drink with me for rescuing them," you said smiling.
'Fuck, why did I say that?' I asked myself when I heard "Yes, ok," slip past my lips. "But it will need to be a quickie," I managed to blurt out as a potential excuse to get away soon.
"Oh, that's fine, quickies are my speciality at my age," you replied smiling as the sparkle in your eyes changed to a definite glint making me think, 'quite sexy.'
I smiled back adding a little cheekily. "That's good then, I like them sometimes."
"Yes, so do I, but even with a quickie I do have some rules, some standards," you said rather sternly making wonder what the hell was coming next.
"Really?"
"Yes," you replied in a rather neutral tone. "I absolutely insist on being introduced before even the quickest of quickies."
I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "That's fine, I'm Jayne or Jayney or Jay for short, I said
"Hello Jayne, I am pleased to meet you, I'm James," you replied holding your hand out as I was thinking. 'Why the fuck am I entering into and prolonging the conversation with this old bloke whose clearly only after one thing and that's the obvious.'
Him
Whatever else I'd been expecting in London, it wasn't this. My days of picking up women, well young attractive ones were, alas, over some time ago, yet this gorgeous young blonde had quickly accepted my suggestion of a drink together.
Perhaps there was life in the old dog, yet? Geez, the way my 'pride and joy' had instantly reared at the sight of her confirmed that fact.
As we walked, I tried to position exactly what it was that was so attractive about this confident young blonde. She looked sexy enough in that white button up the front blouse and short, mid-thigh length, blue denim skirt, no question about that. It wasn't just the outfit, of course, but the way she wore it. Always more important than the clothes themselves. But a skirt that hardly covered her bottom, a pelmet really. And long, long, long, tanned legs that went right up to her bum, which I knew would be like a perfect, ripe and juicy, but pert and firm peach and a shirt or blouse which I would have bet a lot of my pension on did not have a bra under it, seemed pretty important to me. Fucking hell was I dreaming? Maybe I was dead and this was God's reward to me for leading a pretty good life. Clothes should suit the woman, not the other way around, some said, whatever that meant. In your case both seemed equally relevant.
I gave you a cheeky smile or, what I hoped you would see as cheeky and not sleezy, as I took your arm and ushered us along the crowded pavement. What was it that appealed so much? Was it the way one or two undone buttons displayed just enough of her cleavage? Or perhaps the fact she wasn't wearing a bra? I'd always been a sucker for that!