When I was a kid any time off my parents got was spent at our timeshare. Even on it's worst weather days it was twenty degrees warmer than home.
Ours was at the end of the row of timeshares, next to the privately owned condos. Those places had their own driveways, and garages, they almost looked like individual homes. That is where Damian lived. He was a local lawyer and liked to invite my dad over for beers and hoops in his driveway. Over the years we joined him for holidays if we were in town. My parents would even make special trips to be there, if possible, for special occasions. He was our closest family friend.
I met him for the first time when I was still an only child. We were having some family beach time and I noticed my dad talking to a man that seemed impossibly tall, with dark brown hair and matching eyes. He was thin but seemed very big, he smiled a lot and was younger than my dad but seemed just as smart. I was mesmerized by him, he was like a Disney prince with a dash of villain, and I watched him the whole day.
It was getting late and was time to pack up our stuff to head back to the condo. My mom and dad were chatting with Damian and I wondered up.
"Scott, it was great meeting you and thank you for introducing me to these two beautiful ladies," Damian said and smiled down at me.
I was only nine and swooned. Damian had this affect on any person that enjoyed the company of men. He was always full of compliments, it made his dates very jealous. I watched many different women struggle with their jealousy to remain in his good graces through the years, it never stuck. Damian loved to pick up the underdog, take the lonely girl at the party for a walk along the beach to pick up her spirits, even at the cost of his date. Getting angrier, waiting for him at the business along the beach that is trying to close up and is kicking her out.
There was one such incident involving me, it was the night of my high school prom. I was not popular, at all, no one knew I existed even. I wasn't as thin as the other girls in my school. They didn't have any curves, and were slim, I was the opposite. Not only did I have boobs and a butt, but I never lost the baby fat around my middle. I was also a creative kid, loved acting and art, I was pretty and had curves but I still gave off a weird girl vibe which negated any of those positives. No one asked me, I was not going.
My parents felt terrible so they allowed me to invite some friends to drive with us to the timeshare to have a beach party there and stay the weekend. By the time the weekend came all of my friends had prom dates so I went alone with my parents. I was finally eighteen years old and instead of heading to prom I was in a car with my parents, brother and sister.
We arrived and I headed straight for my room. It was time for an epic depression nap, hopefully to last all weekend. Mom and Dad were heading to Damian's for dinner with the brats. Even the prospect of getting some post eighteenth birthday flirting in with the flirt master himself couldn't pull me from my pity bed.
I guess my dad relayed my sad story to him because Damian texted his girlfriend, cancelling their date and formulated a plan. He arranged with my mom to take me shopping in town the next morning and to pass along a message.
"Be ready at 7pm sharp for an evening of dinner and dancing. Dress is cocktail formal."