^^^Friday^^^
"Mandy, are you still dating Andrew Ackerman?" Bridget asked. Actually, she shouted the question because she wanted to be heard over the roar of hairdryers at the salon. A dozen women heard the question and turned to face Mandy to hear the answer.
The cute divorcee smiled proudly and said, "Yes. Tomorrow night we're going out to dinner at La Petite France."
"Oh. That's a nice restaurant," Carol said.
"Expensive too," Tabby added.
"This is your third date, isn't it? Bev asked.
"Yes," the thirty-three-year-old answered.
"You know what that means," Dorothy teased.
"That's why he's taking her to the fancy-schmancy French restaurant," Babs said knowingly.
"What are you talking about?" Mandy asked.
Dorothy stood and moved her hips provocatively back and forth as she said, "The third date is when you have sex."
The women in the salon all looked at Mandy. They expected her to blush or poo-poo the idea. Instead, the petite woman sat up straight and said, "I hope so. I haven't had sex in a year!"
The salon was filled with laughter. Even the young cosmetologist working at the far chair, Chrissy, Andrew Ackerman's daughter, laughed.
^^^Saturday 9:45 a.m.^^^
"Are you ready, Chrissy?" Andrew shouted up the stairs.
"Yes."
She came bounding down the stairs barefoot and wearing a red, one-piece bathing suit. Andrew paused, looked at his nineteen-year-old daughter, smiled, and said, "Honey, you're beautiful. You look exactly like your mother did, may she rest in peace, at your age. You know, I met her at the community pool when I was eighteen."
Chrissy blushed at the compliment. She was tall, fit, and slim. Cute, yes. Pretty? Maybe on a good hair day. But beautiful? Never. She had small eyes, a small mouth, and worst of all, small breasts. She was the spitting image of her mother and neither woman would ever be confused with a Hollywood movie star.
Chrissy stepped into her flip-flops which were by the door. She smiled at her dad. She loved him dearly. It had been just the two of them for eight years after her mother, his wife, died from cancer. She said, "Mom used to tell me about how you two met at the pool and fell in love. She always said that she saw you and knew you were the one for her."
"Keep your eyes open," Andrew said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Maybe today is the day you meet Mr. Right."
"Right," she answered sarcastically.
They got in the car and were in the pool by ten o'clock ready to teach a group of children, four to ten-years-old, how to swim. They loved the water, swimming, and diving, and they enjoyed sharing their hobby and passion with others so much that they taught the class for free.
A dozen kids attended their class this morning. They put them through the drills, dealt with their fear of the water, and had all of them swimming and splashing gleefully by the end of the hour.
After the class, a young boy walked past Andrew and said in a loud voice, "He's so hairy. He looks like a bear." His mother's face turned red and she chastised the five-year-old, "Honey, don't say things like that."
"Why not? It's true."
The mother gave Andrew a sheepish smile and hustled her little truth-teller away.
Andrew laughed, ran his fingers through his hair, and said, "I've always had a full head of hair." Chrissy looked at her father and said, "Yes. You do. You have a lot of hair everywhere. Your chest, legs, and back. The kid's not wrong. I think you've graduated from hairy to furry."
They shared a laugh.
^^^
The Ackerman's had lunch at home. As she was washing her plate, Chrissy said, "So you're going out with Mandy tonight. Good for you. She's a nice woman."
"You don't think it's too soon, do you?"
"No, Dad. Mom's been gone for eight years. I know you loved her and you've mourned her admirably. You should date. Mom would want you to be happy."
"Thank you, dear. Your opinion means a lot to me." He put his plate on the counter, hugged her from behind, and kissed the back of her head. He added, "You don't think she is too young for me?"
"You're in great shape. You're thirty-nine and she's, I'm guessing, thirty-three. That's not too far apart."
She recalled the conversation at the salon about third date sex and said, "You look good. You're healthy, aren't you? The plumbing still works?"
"The doctor said I was as fit as a fiddle at my last check-up," he responded quickly to her first question. He paused flabbergasted as he processed her last question. "Did you just ask me if I can have an erection?"
She turned and faced him. His hands rested on her hip. Her face was red. She relayed the story from the salon and said, "Mandy is expecting more than a kiss on the cheek tonight. Can you deliver?"
"Yes. I'm thirty-nine, not sixty-nine. I'm a healthy, fully functioning man!"
"Good. Sorry."
He sighed, relaxed, and said, "That's all right. You had some information and you shared it with me. I'm sure you had the best of intentions. You didn't want me to embarrass myself. I appreciate you giving me a heads up."
He removed his hands and stepped away. He paused before he left the kitchen, turned to her, and asked, "I have been out of the dating scene for nearly two decades until my two dates with Mandy. Anything else I should know?"
"I have heard women your age talk about their daughters and how dating now is different. They are surprised how sexually active the young men and women are early in their relationships and at the groom habits of their daughters."
"I see." He thought a bit and said, "How are young women grooming themselves these days?"
"Many women are hairless from their eyebrows down and some men are too. Lots of people wax or shave down below or at minimum trim."
"What? Are you saying no one has pubic hair anymore?"
"The days on the great bush are gone," Chrissy explained. "You know I'm a cosmetologist. I'm new to the beauty business and haven't built up a big clientele. I spend more time getting rid of hair than styling it."
He stared at her. His expression showed his confusion.