Radio Days Pt. 02

The new singer was terrific. Smooth and mellow with a deep sexy voice, she exuded the perfect atmosphere for romance. Even her quicker numbers were presented in a silky fashion and Tish and I were seldom off the dance floor.

When I took her back to Julia and Gil's house, I was back in that euphoric state she had created the evening before. As we stood before the door, she turned to me and I found the nerve to lean forward and just brush her lips with mine. Nothing too adventuresome for a first kiss.

She looked a bit startled at first, then with a faint smile, she leaned toward me and returned the kiss. No parted lips, no tongue, just a lovely, soft brush of her lovely full lips against mine.

"What about tomorrow?" I asked, almost in a whisper.

"Anytime after ten," she softly replied.

"How about one second after ten?" I tried, getting braver.

She smiled, turned and walked inside. She turned back before closing the door, smiled at me again and mouthed "good night." Kapow! I was done for.

When I first met Martha, my ex-wife, I remember how slow developing our courtship was. We were both young and I was just getting myself established at the County Office. I guess I could describe our relationship as comfortable rather than passionate. I had little experience with women and so it didn't strike me as unusual or surprising. We got along well and after a while, it just seemed inevitable that we would get married.

Leticia Darling, however, was evoking feelings in me that I didn't know I possessed. I was now fantasizing about her and where our liaison might lead. To be fair to Martha, she couldn't hold a candle to Tish when it came to looks. All Tish had to do was smile and I was off to the races. Where Marsha produced a feeling of comfort, Tish produced a feeling of excitement. It just wasn't a fair fight.

As you might expect, I was at the Timely's door at precisely ten the next morning. It was another of those great late-August days that are common in this part of the world and I knew it would be quite warm by early afternoon. Tish was dressed in a very nice yellow tank top and a pair of snug white shorts. She looked gorgeous, but then, she would look gorgeous in a gunny sack.

"Have you had breakfast?" I asked.

"Yes ... we all had breakfast earlier. Julia and her family left for church a few minutes ago. I told them I didn't know when I'd be back," she noted, looking at me without expression.

I smiled to myself. This was just getting better and better.

"Good. I though we'd go up to Rocky Point on Lake Pend Oreille and have a late lunch. It's a beautiful day and the scenery there is fantastic." I had hoped she would agree as she nodded and smiled.

We didn't talk much on the way up to the lake. Tish seemed lost in thought. Perhaps I had upset her in my rush to get to know her better.

We arrived at the little town and Tish was almost gasping at the scenery. I had brought my camera and I wanted some pictures of us together, but especially of Tish. I intended to print an 8 X 10 of the best one and frame it for my bedroom.

We wandered through the little town, stopping at the many gift and craft shops. It might have been a logging and mill town in its past, but today it was a vacation and tourist spot in a beautiful setting. I could see the ski facilities on the mountainside to the west and it meant that this was a year-around resort.

Once again, without noticing, we were holding hands as we strolled along. I was breathing a bit easier now, as Tish was much more energized as she wandered into many of the shops to browse. I could see the smiles and almost read her thoughts as she viewed all manner of trinkets and crafts. She bought a pair of locally made jade earrings and quickly exchanged the ones she was wearing for her new purchase. They looked great I thought, and said so. That got me another of her brilliant smiles.

We stopped at a funky little café and had a light lunch on the patio, enjoying the sunshine. I had taken a few pictures of Tish, but as she sat across from me at the little table, I pulled out my camera and took three or four of her. She seemed surprised and a frown crossed her face for a moment.

"You don't want to take my picture," she said quietly.

"Oh yes I do," I smiled. "Anytime I'm with a beautiful woman, I want my picture take with her so I can prove it isn't a dream." It sounded corny, I know, but I was in a great mood and enjoying every minute with Tish.

At that point, the waitress reappeared with our bill.

"Excuse me, miss. Would you mind taking a picture of us together?" I asked.

"Of course," she smiled. Tish, on the other hand, looked decidedly uncomfortable, but said nothing.

The young girl took two shots of us and handed me back my camera. I thanked her and turned to Tish. She looked ... worried? I didn't understand her reaction, but I wasn't about to spoil the day with the wrong question at the wrong time. I did wonder, though. Why was she reluctant to have her picture taken? Another puzzle?

End of Part Two

Next: Part Three: All is revealed?