1. As Soon As I Saw Him


    Date: 8/16/2015, Categories: Love Stories, Author: elizabethblack, Source: LushStories

    ... to join him for a drink after class at a well known restaurant close by, I surprised myself and jumped at the opportunity. I suppose that there must have been a spark of connection at the beginning, but I cannot see what might have attracted Tony to me that evening, a middle aged widow without makeup, in faded jeans and a shapeless plain sweater. Maybe it was fate, but much to my embarrassment, I was the only one who took him up on his invitation. Having let him know I was the Lacy Middleton on the enrollment sheet, he and I ordered a drink and started to get to know one another. The conversation was strained at first, but when I told Tony that I had a few pieces of native art, instead of just saying, "How nice,” and then talking about himself, he encouraged me to describe them, and to tell him how I had got them. After that, things just progressed, and I found myself telling him about Jim and his illness and death, and my loneliness. He was a very sympathetic listener, and it just poured out of me. I discovered he lived within a couple of miles of my house, though I know I would have remembered him if we had ever met. After what seemed like minutes, but must have been nearly an hour, during which I had talked almost nonstop, the manager indicated that it was time to close the bar and lock up. While I had not enjoyed myself so much in ages, I guessed that that would be the end of it, but Tony scribbled his name and telephone number on a piece of paper, and asked me if I would ...
    ... give him mine as he would like to follow up with me, both to look at my art pieces and to get to know me better. I hadn't felt so comfortable, and yet so physically drawn to anyone since Jim's death, so I was anxious to see him again, and happily wrote down my name and my cell number. I couldn't believe my good fortune, and was like a teenager again imagining all kinds of fun we could have together. I even allowed myself to feel aroused at the thought of Tony's body being close to mine in my place while looking at my Indian art. On the morning that Tony was coming, I was frantically going round plumping the cushions, and moving a decorative piece an inch this way, and then going back and moving it back to where it had been originally. This was just an ordinary meeting over a cup of coffee, but I was just like a young girl going out on a first date. I had spent hours getting ready, arranging my hair, and I had put on make up for the first time in ages, nothing too much, just blusher and eye shadow, and a nice demure lip gloss. I also wore a freshly pressed pair of jeans, and a pretty ocean blue top that set off my eyes and blondish hair. The top was rather low cut, showing enough cleavage to announce what was underneath. I felt like a woman again after so many months of not caring about my appearance. Of course, nothing happened that morning - what was I expecting? We just sat over a cup of coffee, and talked. I noticed that Tony wore a wedding ring, and I asked him about his ...
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