I have never been too big on how I look, as look as I was comfortable. In other words, I don't shop at expensive stores and buy name brand clothes. The way I look at shoes for example, Sketchers are comfortable, so I buy them. So, it was just a whim that I'm looking at some men's bracelets in an antique store. I'm also simple when I'm looking at clothes and so this is no different. I see a very simple metal on leather strap and the metal is formed into a Celtic knot and the center piece looks like a dragon sitting atop a triquetra. Now, I'm not Irish, nor do I have any Celtic ancestry at all, but I have always loved the look of things like this. I turned it over and saw that there was no clasp, just knotted leather strips to tie. Simple, nice design, and $25.00; sold!
I made my purchase a left the store walking out into the sunny, but windy, September afternoon. I was on vacation. Although I am staying near my hometown of Stockton, I was doing my window shopping along Beach St in San Francisco and staying at the Holiday Inn Express near Pier 45.
My name is Oliver by the way, Oli for short, and I am a software designer who has lived in the Bay Area for all my 26 years. I even earned my Bachelor of Science degree in software development from UCSF. The only achievement I have ever done is that degree and I've learned some Spanish along the way, but otherwise I'm not too spectacular in anything. I am tall at 6'3" and I do work out and have a muscular frame that weighs 195 lbs. I'm no lightweight, but I'm not going to be the guy looking for a fight.
I've had several girlfriends over the years, nothing serious. They don't seem interested enough to stick around romantically, and they haven't been rude about not wanting to date, I just seem to end up in the friend zone way too often. I don't play where I work, according to company policy, but there isn't anyone who has caught my attention there anyway. The dates I have been on lately have all been set up by friends, or my sister. But she can't keep a steady boyfriend either, so her instincts in the set-little-bro-up department are a bit suspect.
I felt hungry after walking around the various shops, so I went in search of the Applebee's that I knew was near the pier. I arrived and found the restaurant was on the second floor and rode the elevator up on the outside of the building. Inside the restaurant the greeter asked if I wanted to sit at the bar or restaurant side. I decided to sit in the bar area at a small table. I ordered a $1 margarita, after proving that I really was over 21, and a Prime Rib Dipper with fries. There were TVs on all over, but nothing that was catching my attention, most of them being football or soccer.
I took the bracelet out of my pocket and started working on the ties to put it around my right wrist. I fumbled with the ties, since I was right-handed, and when a server walked by, she asked, "Can I help you with that?"
"Yes, please," I replied, not really looking up at her. "I just bought this at a little shop a couple blocks over and my left hand is all thumbs." She giggled as she sat across from me at the table and I held out my wrist for her.
"This seems really old. The leather is very broken in and there are sweat stains on the back that look like they have been here for ages." As she deftly tied the strings, I thought I felt a bit of static electricity pass between us. "Oh, I'm sorry about that. These carpets on the floor do that sometimes." She had felt it too. "There, all tied."
I turned my wrist over and gave it a jiggle. "That's perfect, thank you." I looked up at her for the first time and noticed she was about my age and had short dark brown hair and eyes. I thought she may have been possibly Latina or maybe Middle Eastern mixed, but there wasn't a hint of accent, although she still had the look of perma-tan to her skin.
"You're welcome," she said smiling. "Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you." She stood up and walked toward the kitchen area and I couldn't help but notice she had a very nice 'walk-a-way'. I've always said that sometimes a woman's 'walk-a-way" from you was just as good as walking up to you with a smile on her face. I sighed and took a sip of my margarita. Huh, not bad for a buck.
The serving girl came back with my sandwich a moment later. "Here you go handsome. There is katsup there on the table for the fries unless you would like something else?" She seemed very eager to please me, but maybe this was just how she was with people.
"No thank you, this looks great," I said to her with a smile.
She smiled back and touched my left hand, "Just let me know what I can do for you," she said with a slight quiver to her voice and walked back toward the kitchen again. That was a little weird, I thought, and picked up a French fry, and ate it absently, as I again watched her walk away.
I finished my sandwich and fries and took the last drink from my margarita when the server came up and asked, "Can I get you anything else?" She looked flustered, even a bit red like she was blushing.
"No, I'm good, you can just bring me the check."
"Oh, there is no charge. I took care of that for you." She was talking fast and really seemed like she needed something but didn't know what. She was looking around and finally leaned down, "I get off in 10 minutes, can you please wait for me?" And she said 'please' with an emphasis.
"Alright, I'll wait. Thank you for the comp on the sandwich, but why?"
"Just please wait, there is a place to sit across the street. Will you wait for me there please?" She was really worked up and flustered.
"I will wait for you across the street."
She seemed relieved and was hurriedly cleaning the table as I left out the door and saw the cement across the street you could sit on that was marking the entrance to the pier. I sat and waited about 10 minutes and saw her appear from the elevator and she hurried to the intersection and seeing no cars ran across the street to meet me. I stood up as she ran up and she flew into my arms, "Oh, my Lord, thank you for waiting. I didn't know how much longer I could have gone without seeing you again." She was hugging me like I was a piece of driftwood out in the middle of the ocean without a hope of seeing land.
I put my arms around her to hug her back and I could feel her shiver from the touch. Not from fear, but from what I could only assume was ecstasy because she was also moaning like she was being sexually stimulated. She looked up at me and then put her arms around my neck to pull me down to her waiting lips. She kissed me with the passion of a lover who has been away for a long time. Like the YouTube videos you see of husbands in the military coming home from overseas deployments.
"Where do you live? Do you have a car? We can go to my place." She fired off rapidly as she broke the kiss, but still holding onto me.
"I walked here," I told her. "I have a room at the Holiday Inn Express I'm staying at. I live in Stockton and I'm just here for a short vacation."
"Perfect, it's closer." And she started pulling me toward the hotel two streets away. She was not letting go of my hand as she led the way. She even looked back at me several times as we went like she was making sure I was still attached to her hand. I couldn't believe what was happening, but I was definitely going along for this ride.