Blue Side of Lonesome

Dana hadn't said a word, yea or nay, about what had happened and seemed to avoid me for a couple of days. Well, two could play that game. I made sure to run other parts of the county for the next week and read in my bedroom with the house lights out. If she didn't want me I wasn't going to beg her for a kiss or two.

About three weeks after this happened I was at the hotel for dinner and wandered into the ballroom to see what band was playing. It turned out to be one I liked a lot so I stood there for a minute trying to get my bearings in the dark.

A woman walked up and asked, "Jack, are you here alone?"

I looked at her and luckily remembered her name, Pam Bowers. She was the mother of one David's friends on the cross-country team. "Hi, Pam. Yeah, I had dinner and I was just seeing how the band was tonight."

"Come on, why don't you join us?" She waved over at a table with a couple other women sitting there.

I had no reason not to go with her. She was attractive and maybe a bit thick around the middle and thighs. She introduced me and asked if I wanted what they were having. They were drinking Stella Artois – one of my favorites so I nodded yes. She flagged down the waitress and the beer showed up almost immediately. After a couple of sips I put my polite hat on.

"Pam, would you like to dance?" The band had just started playing "Small Town Saturday Night" which was perfect for the Texas Two Step. I whirled her around the floor – we were both pretty good dancers and created some notice. The band didn't play it as well as Hank Ketchum but they weren't bad. As I brought her back to the table one of the other women stood up so I graciously asked her – sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do – and I whirled her and then the other woman around in some Western swing.

After that I was ready to finish my beer. Pam's friends left and after I finished my beer she asked, "I gotta leave now. Could you do this waltz with me?"

I just took her hand and as the song moved along she stepped in close, half-whispering, "Do you come here often? Maybe I'll see you again."

The last was said somewhat wistfully. I knew she was a widow – maybe there weren't too many nice guys in Alamosa. Her son had gone to the local high school.

I was ready to leave too so I offered to escort her out to her car. As we neared the door I saw Dana and her dad standing there. She had a strained look on her face – she had obviously seen us dancing. I figured I didn't owe her any explanation so I nodded and walked out to the parking lot with Pam.

A couple of weeks later I decided I wanted some of the great trout at the restaurant in the same hotel as the San Luis Bar. I didn't mind eating alone; I enjoyed watching people. As I walked out I saw a local cop I'd met a couple of times so I nodded to him. When I got to the truck I heard a ruckus a couple of rows farther back. I heard a woman scream so I ran over.

It was Rich Collins and he was somewhat violently trying to kiss Dana. He had her blouse torn half off and she was fighting hard. I yelled at him to give her a chance to break away. He turned and swung at me with a big roundhouse swing just as I heard a car drive up behind me. I leaned away and gave him a shove in the back as he passed. He fell heavily and I heard what sounded like his arm give a loud snap.

The cop that I had seen in the restaurant was standing there and said, "I saw everything." He turned to Dana and asked, "Are you okay, Dana? Do you want to press charges?"

I assumed he must know her. She looked at me for a moment … I could see that she was thinking about what I'd told her about sexual harassment.

"You're damn right I do. I've put up with his bullshit long enough."

"Okay." He turned to me, "I need to call in an ambulance and to take Dana's statement. No need for you to stand around; you can stop by the station anytime tomorrow and fill out a form. I'll leave it at the desk and they can get it witnessed.

I looked at Dana again and I could see tears in her eyes. She seemed a bit in shock. I thought she was going to ask me to stay but she nodded and turned back to the cop.

The next morning I was working on the outline for a romance novel when I heard a knock on the door. It was Dana. I let her in and poured her a cup of coffee and refilled mine. We sat down at the table and I looked at her with a question in my eyes. She looked embarrassed but determined.

"Thanks for you help last night. I guess Tim would have stopped him any way, but I didn't know that and I was so relieved to see you. I'm going to see that, at the least, he either quits or gets fired." She paused for a bit and looked away. "Are you going with that woman?"

She said woman like Pam was the spawn of the devil. I replied, "And you are asking … why?"

She turned back to me, and I could see this was costing her a hit to her pride. "Jack, I might not have shown it but I do care for you. A lot. I think it's more than that but I'm so messed up."

I smiled at her and answered, "Naw, I just ran into Pam – I was there for the dinner and only stopped in to see what band was playing. She's a local and her son is a good friend of David's. Well, I like you too … and maybe more than a lot. And, yes, you are screwed up."

She tried a hesitant smile; "Dad said he told you about my ex. I know you're a nice guy, but I am so damn afraid of falling in love with the wrong guy again."

I stood up and walked over to her, taking her arm and leading her to the door. As I opened it I kissed her on the forehead and told her, "I've got to get back to my novel. Come back for dinner and we can talk then."

She started to walk away but turned back as I added, "Hey, are we still on for the track meet at Mines in two weeks?"

She nodded her okay and walked away. The indoor track meet was a tradition at the Colorado School of Mines in early spring of each year. It was an All Comers Meet and Adams State usually sent up a couple of vans of students and sometimes coaches to run. It was a low-key, fun affair a week after the indoor track conference championships.

Dana did come back for dinner and this time when she sat on my lap she put my hand on her breast. I took it to the point of lots of deep kissing and lifting her sweatshirt and sucking on her nipples. She was really turned on but I wanted to move slowly. I pulled her sweatshirt back down and nuzzled her neck sweetly.

"Time for you to get home, girl. We've got a long run early in the morning."

She looked both relieved and disappointed. I knew I could have pushed it but I wanted her with no regrets on her part.

That next Saturday the indoor track conference championships were held in Alamosa. I was a volunteer doing whatever I could to help out. The women won easily and Dana was proud of her part. She coached the girls in the longer races. David did 1:54 in the 800 meters and 3:40 in the fifteen hundred. He won both and had good times for an indoor meet and great times for a freshman. I was really proud of him.

The following week we went up to Golden for the All Comers meet. David went in one of the vans and Dana came with me. They were driving up in the morning and come back that night. It was about an eight hour round trip and the meet would be about four hours. We didn't want to rush so we were staying at the Brown Palace for two nights – in separate rooms.

The meet was fun for me. It had been well over twenty years since I had competed and I was somewhat nervous. Dana ran a 1500 meter race and had her best time. I ran 800 meters in 1:59. That was an excellent time for my age group and I was inordinately proud of it and of running in less than two minutes. I was only three seconds off what David had run in the conference championships the previous week. David ran in some relays and enjoyed the camaraderie of a team.

After they left to drive back, Dana and I left for the hotel. When I made the reservations I didn't tell her anything. The Brown Palace was a four star hotel over a hundred years old and famous in Denver. When we checked in, she was really impressed. I hadn't asked but they gave us connecting rooms. Dana thought that was funny and said she would make sure and lock them at night.

"Dana, do you think you need to lock me out? If you don't want to do anything, just tell me or close the door."

She blushed and replied, "What time are we going to dinner?"

I looked at my watch; it was six now. I'd made reservations for the Palace Arms, considered by most to be the best restaurant in Denver. "We're eating at nine but it's here in the hotel."

"Good, I'm going to take a nap then get ready."

I waited but didn't hear the lock close. I was tired but not sleepy, so I went down to the bar at the Churchill Restaurant. They have a great selection of small batch bourbons. I was sitting there, enjoying my drink and trying to ignore the fine cigars that several gentlemen were smoking when I felt a hand on my shoulder followed by an all too familiar voice, "Jack, is that really you?"

I turned and quickly rose. "Jenny! How strange to see you!" Weak, but seeing her was the last thing I expected."

She had stepped back a pace and was looking me over. "Jack, you look great. You look fit and, my God, you've lost some weight. Look, I'm here with my husband. Come over and sit with us and I'll introduce you. I was sure it was you when I saw you enter."

I was stunned but I didn't see any graceful way out of it. I followed her over to the other end of the bar.

"Darling, this is my ex, Jack Johnson. Jack, this is Horace Adams."

As we shook hands I looked him over. This wasn't the guy she had the affair with so I guess he had just been a passing fancy. The guy was handsome in a silver haired, captain of industry sort of way. His suit looked like it cost more than all my clothes combined.

We sat and chatted for a few minutes then I "remembered" another engagement. It was clear to me that she held no attraction for me. Even more, she didn't seem like a woman I'd shared my life and love with for a long time. She was just another attractive woman providing eye candy for just another rich businessman.

I thought that was the end of it but at dinner we ran into them again. We were just being seated as they were walking by to leave. Of course we had to do the introductions all over again. As Jenny kissed my cheek as they were going on, she whispered, "Jack, she is so young."

Damn! She always did get the last word in. Surprisingly her catty remark didn't bother me at all. Just as she held no attraction for me, there was nothing she could do to upset me. She was out of my life … what did I care? The dinner was as good as anything I'd ever had anywhere. Dana really enjoyed it but I could see she was miffed about us running into Jenny. It wasn't my fault and there was nothing I could have done to stop it.

She didn't say much, just a brittle, "Jack, you didn't tell me how lovely she is."

With a slight smile, I just nodded and said, "Yes she is, isn't she? But Dana, there are lots of pretty women around … and only one of them hold the key to my heart." That must have been the right thing to say since she leaned over and hugged me.

Later, we went back to my room for some champagne I had ordered. It was just a split – I wanted a little something to sip while I told her how much I loved her. And I did tell her, although it seemed a bit anticlimactic since she already knew it quite well. When we finished the bubbly she gave me a promising kiss then turned and took her promise to her room with her. As she closed the door I waited for the expected click of the lock but didn't hear anything.

When I looked closer at the door, I saw that it was left open by a half-inch or so. I wondered if that was a suggestion but figured it was only an accident. I wasn't expecting anything too far out to happen but I was a little put out that she didn't at least snuggle with me.

I read for a while and finally gave up and went to sleep. Later, the next morning I guessed it had been around two, I felt a movement on the bed that awoke me. Her small hand reached out and slipped around my neck, and then she wrapped herself around me. She didn't have any nightclothes on and her bare skin felt incredibly erotic against me. She was aggressive and hesitant by turns. I would wipe off her tears, believing her when she said they were tears of joy.

She was everything I had dreamed about. I already knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, and now I could see that it would be a wonderful life, full of passion and love.

We enjoyed the next day together as I showed her the sights of Denver and we shared another night of passion. When we returned to Alamosa we were committed and she immediately told her dad. He gave me a big hug; I was glad we got along so well.

That fall we were married and switched houses with her dad. He liked what I had done to the smaller place and insisted it would be perfect for him. Over the next couple of years I also remodeled the ranch house.

I saw Jenny once more three years later at David's wedding. It was mildly humorous – at least to me – that Dana was eight months pregnant at the time of the ceremony. Jenny was stunning in some expensive Italian creation that probably cost more than the wedding did. On his graduation, David was offered a position as an assistant track coach at the school so we would be able to see him frequently.

When life was at it's darkest for me, when I was on the blue side of lonesome, I never expected or hoped for the happiness that God blessed me with.

Note:

I hope you have enjoyed the stories in this, my fourth author's invitational. Let me know if you want me to continue this every six months.

Regards, Jake