I was working in my office, at home, as I did on most Fridays, congratulating myself for getting all of my 'stuff' done, and ready for the mail. I was just finishing with my reward to myself, rolling a doobie, when my office line rang.
"Hey baby," I heard from Ree, "Is there a snowball's chance in hell that you could run out to the airport and pick up Harri?"
"Yeah, I suppose I could, but why, what's up?"
"The flight's been cancelled and rescheduled for tomorrow morning, something about mechanical issues or some crap like that," she said, "I suppose I should cancel my thing tonight, huh?"
"Not if you don't want to; I'll just tell Harri that you'll be late because you're working on a project, after hours, with one of your assistants," I replied.
"Oooh, that's so sweet of you. So, you don't mind keeping Harri company? I shouldn't be too long, probably not later than ten or so," she cooed, clearly happy that I took the decision making out of her hands.
Ree's 'project' was really a 'date' she had made, earlier in the week, to go over to Lori's for dinner and drinks. Lori was an assistant to Ree, on the job, and off the job, she was one of our frequent playmates in bed, though sometimes, like tonight, she and Ree liked to get together for a girl on girl session. That's what was planned for tonight.
'Harri' was really Harriet, one of Ree's cousins from back home. Harri had spent the previous weekend with us, and then, meeting some of her schoolmates from college on Monday, they had all gone to the mountains for some spring skiing. Harri had left a day earlier than her friends because of some family stuff back home she was to attend. Guess that would be out for Harri now, and she'd be with her friends, after all, on the flight tomorrow.
I liked Harri, liked her a lot. She had a dry sense of humor to go with her 'geekness', she being somewhat of a genius and at nineteen, already a senior in college, having graduated early from high school. She was rail thin, not in the super-model-bones-poking-out manner, but thin; boobs that barely gave her chest definition, and she probably had to eat a gallon of ice cream to hit 105 lbs on a scale. She and I bantered with each other constantly, always teasing, always trying to 'get' the other in a gaff or something.
I had taken my doobie with me to enjoy while I made the thirty minute drive to pick up Harri, she waiting for me on the lower level of the airport, near baggage claim. I put the half-smoked joint in the ashtray of my car as I entered the airport system, and dodging busses and vans, managed to find Harri, amid the chaos of spring-break traffic and all.
"You have no idea how much I appreciate this," she said to me, limping towards my car, with her luggage being pulled behind her.
"I'll get your bag, get in the car," I said, lifting her bag and throwing it in the backseat.
"What's wrong with your leg?" I asked as I pulled out into traffic.
"Legs" she corrected, buckling up. "I fell several times too many and I am so damned sore," she laughingly said, grimacing a bit as she said it.
"And thus," I said to her, "You now know why I stopped skiing a couple of years ago."
I paid the toll to get out of the airport, and as I merged with the traffic for the drive home, I saw Harri reaching towards my ashtray. Before I could close it, she snatched up the half-smoked joint, and, laughing, she cried out to me, "Busted!"
"I didn't know you guys smoked, at least I assume that Ree smokes also?" she said, still laughing, looking around the catch-all tray.
"Yeah, we're busted. Arrest me," I said, my face feeling flushed. Not from being busted, but from not paying attention, the small stone I had going, responsible for my carelessness. Hell, I was lucky, what if that had been my boss? You really need to pay attention, asshole, I said to myself. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
"What are you looking for, Harri," I asked her as she started moving stuff around in the catch tray.
"What do you think? I'm looking for your lighter, so I can fire this bad-boy up!"
Now, it was my turn to laugh at her.
"Really, you smoke?"