My father died six years ago due to prolonged illness.
My mother remarried and moved to live in another town.
By now, at 44 years I was married too and had a 6 years old daughter.
After finishing my studies to become an engineer at a far away university, I continued working there for several years. Now, since my parent's old house was vacated, we moved back to live there.
One day I spotted Yvette, who used to be a good friend of my parents, walking in front of me in one of the aisles of the nearby supermarket.
I haven't seen her in years, but her familiar body and walk didn't change much...
I approached her.
"Hi Yvette, how are you doing these days?"
She stared at me blankly, obviously not knowing who I was..."
"I am Ron! You used to be friends with my parents..."
"Ron?... How can it be?! I remember you as a nice boy and here you are a giant of a man..."
I chuckled, "I am no giant. I am 6'2". But YOU look wonderful! I love your hair...
I guess that's as good a time as any to describe Yvette.
When I was 14 years old, I was already taller than her. In order to compensate for her short stature, Yvette was always wearing high heel shoes and she puffed her hair. Her face was pretty. Once she was seen from the front, her most noticeable feature was her huge breasts... Perhaps on a taller woman they'd look average, but Yvette was short and had slender waist... Think Dolly Parton...
She had to be 60-65 years old now. Her face was still pretty, although some wrinkles were noticed around her eyes and near her mouth...
Yvette smiled at me, "Ron, come here, I want to hug you! I haven't seen you in ages... You became a handsome man! It is so nice to see you at last..."
"Listen, I promised to be home in 20 minutes, so I have to run now. But can I visit you one of these days in the afternoon? I'd love to chat with you..."
"Ron I am free almost every afternoon and evening. Let me know a day in advance and I'll prepare a cake & coffee. Or dinner if you wish..."
"Girl, can we have a date next Tuesday afternoon? It's my easiest day at work. Is 5 pm OK?"
Yvette laughed. Her beautiful face lit up... "You make me so happy. I'll be waiting for you at home."
On Tuesday I rang the door bell at 5:10 pm.
Yvette opened the door for me. She had on a short black dress with matching high heels shoes. The puffed hair was freshly done and her makeup was flawless. She looked much younger than her true age...
"Yvette, you look beautiful! If I weren't married..."
Yvette blushed, "Oh Ron, stop the flattering and tell me about you and your family. I'll go to the kitchen and bring something to eat, so talk loudly!" Then she turned around and moved to the kitchen.
Actually a better word is 'swayed' toward the kitchen... Yvette round cheeks were dancing on her high heels...
Jeez! This lady is more than 60 years old!... What am I thinking?!...
"Well, I got married 8 years ago and I have a daughter, who's going to be 6 next month. I work as an engineer in a medium size firm... Look, enough about me! What about your family?"
"Benji, my husband was much older than me. He died years ago after a fatal stroke. Renae, my daughter, is now married with 3 cute children. They moved to California long time ago. She is a high school teacher."
"So you stay all by yourself in this big house?!..."
Yvette gazed at me with her big blue eyes, "Yes Ron, that is usually what happens when a woman gets older..."
"So what do you do all day long?"
"I read a lot. Three times a week I go to yoga classes and 2 other days I go to Zumba. At least once a week I do shopping in the same supermarket you saw me and occasionally old friends visit me..."
"Yvette, you look fantastic! Why isn't there another man in your life?"
"Ron, you are young. At your age everything is simple and logical... I tried twice, but it didn't work. So I gave up..."
If I weren't married, I'd grab you myself with both my arms and carried you to a wedding place!..."
Yvette, blushing again, "Oh, shut up... Stop flirting with me and eat your cake! I made it especially for you. I still remember how much you liked my chocolate cake when you were younger... But if you like something else now, let me know. It will be nice to bake for somebody else for a change..."
Memories... Yes, I used to love this delicious cake... In fact, I like the taste a lot now too!
"Yvette, if you continue feeding me awesome cakes, you won't be able to get rid of me!..."
"Ron, seriously now. You are always welcome. I liked you when you were a child and I like you now. You give me a list of your favorite cakes and other foods, so when I know that you'll be joining me, everything will be ready for you! We can watch TV together..."
"Yvette, I'd love to... Is it all right if I show up on Thursday?"
"That's perfect. My yoga class is in the morning, so I'll have time to shower... Any idea what you wish to munch on?"
"Yvette, I don't want you to work extra because of me! We'll watch TV and as far as I am concerned, even simple popcorn will do. I'll bring wine. BTW, what alcoholic beverage do you like?"
"You choose. But I prefer white wine over red!"
We sat on the loveseat in the living room and watched an old chapter of M.A.S.H. It was funny. We both enjoyed it and laughed a lot.
