I was leaving the game store when I saw her walking toward me. Cherie was one of my son's ex-girlfriends. They had originally gotten an apartment just around the corner from here. She looked just as good as I remembered her. She was tall, about 5'9", and slender with pert little breasts in no more than a B cup. I had never seen her in makeup and today was no exception though maybe she had on a little light colored lipstick. She was wearing virtually the same clothes I had seen her wearing the last time I'd seen her, though probably not the same set. Low heel sandals were strapped to her ankles above which was a long stretch of tanned leg until you arrived at her cutoff jeans. Her waist was peeking out of her white pullover tee that molded to her body and showed the off pink tank top beneath. Her face lit up with a smile as I greeted her.
"Hi Cherie," I said, "long time. You are looking good."
"Hi Eric. Oh my god, it has been what, five years?"
"Close to it. I heard you were living in Idaho."
"Yeah, not a lot of jobs there and I wanted to be closer to my brother and his new baby."
"So you are living here now? Awesome."
"Yes," she said and laughed, "remember that old apartment, well I am back in it."
"No way, that's wild."
"Um, look, I was just heading there now and I need to use the bathroom, but would you like to come up and visit?"
"I'd like that," I replied, "I don't really have anyplace I have to be, so sure."
Like I said, we were only a short distance away, less than a block really. So, I fed the meter next to my car and we headed across the street. She keyed us in the door and I opened it and guided her through it by habit, my hand resting briefly on the small of her back. We took the elevator up to the fourth and then to her doorway.
"You will have to excuse me if it is messy," she explained, "I didn't expect company and I left this morning in a bit of a hurry."
"Don't worry yourself about it. I am pretty messy so I doubt it is near as bad as my place."
"Are you still living up by the dollar theatre?" she asked as she opened the door and I followed her in.
"I am, all by myself now."
"Really, hold on, I'll be right back. Have a seat and get comfortable while I use the little girl's room."
She walked through the living room and into the bedroom which led to the only bathroom in the place. I remembered the place from five years earlier when she and my son had moved in. At least now she had some furniture. There was a small stand with a television and stereo on it, a standing lamp, a side table, love seat and a recliner. She had also placed a rug on the hardwood floor. I kicked off my shoes by the front door and sat on the love seat then glanced around the room. There were some pictures on the walls, I spotted her brother and his wife and one of the two of them and a baby. Alongside those were some people I didn't know, probably her parents and on the opposite wall was a picture with a half clad couple in a romantic embrace. In a recessed chamber in the side table next to the recliner was a laptop, folded and tucked in with just a power cord running out of it. My view into the bedroom, the largest room in the apartment, included the edge of the bed and a dresser along with the mirrored doors of the walk in closet. The only mess I could see were the dishes in the kitchen which consisted of a dirty frying pan and a plate in the sink, probably from her breakfast.
She came back in and I noticed she had taken off her sandals and was barefoot. I was struck again by her beautiful legs and feet. I moved my focus to her face and stood as she entered. She grinned and told me to sit then sat down next to me and pulled her legs up, turned toward me relaxed on the love seat.
"So, how have you been?" she asked, "Any major changes?"
I laughed, "My life has been all about major changes. My dogs died about three years ago and my wife declined quickly after that and ended up dying a year later from a heart attack. So, I've been alone since then and adjusting, almost two years now."
"Oh my god!" she said and placed a hand on my shoulder. "That's horrible."
Her legs, which had been clasped in place until she moved her hand, relaxed a bit and she tucked one under the other so that her knee was laying on my leg. I reached up and held her hand in place a moment.
"Thanks. It was tough for a while, but I got through it. My boys helped as well as my grandson. I think without them I probably would have just given up and died as well."
"Well, I am glad you didn't. You may not know it, but I think you are a special man. You bent over backwards to help us when we moved in here and, even though it didn't last long, you didn't jump my shit like my brother and others we knew did."
After I let go of her hand, she let it slide down to my forearm and stayed. After that, we talked for about an hour and I heard about her failed relationships in Idaho and her desire to just leave it all behind, get a good job and just start living.
"Now I work as a IT professional for a law firm here in town. It is not real challenging work most of the time, but they pay me well and the benefits are good. Eventually, I might get a nicer place, but I am only four blocks from work so this place is nice. Hey, would you like to stay for some dinner? I was going to order some pizza."
"I'll stay, but you have to let me buy the pizza."
"Okay, deal," she laughed.
By the time the pizza came we had been talking for almost two hours. I had fed the meter a couple times and moved my car as well to avoid a ticket. Since it was later in the day, evening really, I didn't have to do that any more. She buzzed up the delivery boy and I paid for the pizza and we went to the tiny kitchen to prep our plates. We bumped one another at least three times and I ended up putting my hands on her waist and stopping her in place with her back to me.
