"At least he could call if he isn't going to make it," she told her chubby, old lap cat, Sylvester.
It was her brother's 30th birthday and they had agreed to have dinner and go out for the evening. Even at 30 years old, Jillian's brother was no more responsible than when he was ten.
The table was set, the salad made, the rolls were probably luke warm by now, the chicken had marinated and was ready for the grill.
"Well, that chicken will keep until tomorrow," she threw a cube of cheese from the salad to Sylvester as she wandered through the kitchen putting things away.
From the time they were kids, Jillian and Jason would spend time together on special occasions when there were no special loves in their lives. This just happened to have been one of those occasions, however, glancing at the clock, she realized he probably did find a date or go out with his co-workers.
Jillian went into her bedroom, slipped out of the slacks and shirt she had chosen for the night and looked in the mirror. Her 40 something figure carried some recognizable signs of age. Her ass was fleshy and round. Having children had left her tummy with a softness that she thought of only as excess weight to be removed. Her breasts were full as ever and sagging with the impact of four decades of gravity. Jillian sighed loudly, ran her hands over her smooth, unmarred skin and haphazardly tossed her hair in a ponytail. She slipped into a pair of running pants and a t-shirt from her alma mater.
"A good night for cleaning, I suppose," Jillian sighed.
Jillian crossed the corridor to the bathroom and dug out her cleaning supplies from the cabinet. She was busy scrubbing the bathtub when she heard a knock at the door. She stood up, almost too quickly, feeling a bit of vertigo as she did so. She walked down the hall to the living room. She quickly looked out the window and saw a handsome, well built man on her stoop. An older man, in his late 50's, David was a retired schoolteacher who had lost his wife several years ago. Her finger tossed a loose tendril of hair into place and answered the door.
"Hello David, " she greeted him. "Come on in, I was just cleaning up a bit."
Jillian's face was flushed with the realization that she looked a mess in her t-shirt and sweat pants. Her smile was bright as she showed him into her humble, yet carefully decorated home.
"Hello there, Jillian. I won't keep you." He smiled with a twinkle is his eye realizing that she probably didn't mind the interruption.
Jillian giggled and said, "Oh, keep me from the dreaded bathroom!"
"Well, all I needed was to borrow a long matchstick. I was just getting ready to light the grill and realized I had nothing to light it with."
"Sure, Jillian said as she handed David a box of matches, "You may as well take the whole box, my brother never showed for dinner as planned." Jillian's voice betrayed her frustration and disappointment.
"In that case, would you care to have dinner with me? " David asked. "It is just steak and potatoes, but there is plenty for two."
Jillian thought for a moment, realizing it had been months since she had had dinner with anyone, but Sylvester and smiled.
"That is a great idea. I have green salad and crusty rolls, if you like."
David's face blushed with pleasure, "Well, would you like to stop over when you are ready? I don't mean to imply that you aren't lovely, butβ¦" His sentence trailed off as he glanced over her in her cleaning garb.
Jillian flung her arms out, batted her eyelashes in an exaggerated fashion and asked, "You mean the invitation isn't "Come as you are"?"
David had lived next door for the last 15 years. His children had been her most trusted babysitters when her son was young. They had exchanged pleasantries over the years and an occasional cup of tea when his wife was alive. Jillian made her most popular chicken casserole for him and his family when Ellen passed on. Since then, David would join her and her son for dinner when Eben was home from college or stop for coffee on Sunday mornings. David was a good neighbor and a kindly and interesting man.
As Jillian busied herself getting ready for dinner, she quickly pulled on the blue slacks and white blouse that she was to have worn out with her brother and looked in the mirror. She smiled quickly at her image. The clothing emphasized the curves she favored and camouflaged the softness she had tried so long to diet away. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail and brushed the chestnut tresses until they shone. A dab of lipstick and she was ready. She gathered the rolls and salad and a bottle of red wine, placing everything in a wicker picnic basket.
Jillian stopped at the front door, realizing her palms were sweating and her heart was beating the rhythm to a favorite rock song from her youth. She thought about David standing on her stoop, his white hair being tossed by the breeze and how the wrinkles of age seemed to enhance his smile.
"Geesh," she sighed. "I like this man."
She glanced in the mirror next to the door, swept back her hair, blotted her lipstick and decided it would have to do. She was late.