Analogue Lovers

He donned the Fedora then walked up to the huge wooden and metal doors and used the metal knocker to announce his presence.

Moments later, one of the massive doors swung open revealing an unbelievably beautiful Layne Warren. "Oh, my! Don't you look handsome!" she said as he stepped inside. "I am very impressed," she told him. Her eyes told him she meant every word.

She closed the door and Lindemann took a long look at her before saying, "I didn't think it was possible to be any more beautiful than you were last night. Clearly, I was very wrong."

Layne looked stunning in a vintage dress that was a luxurious peacock blue in color. It featured a pleated twist sweetheart neckline with cap sleeves. A fitted skirt accentuated her curves which had a kick pleat in front with a large circular cut out and matching bow at the lower back on the other side. She wore a similar pair of heels to the ones she'd worn the night before with an ankle strap and no other jewelry. Lindemann also noticed her dark, red lips perfectly matched her freshly-manicured nails.

"Thank you, kind sir!" she said taking the arm he offered.

"May I interest you in a cocktail before dinner?" she asked as the arrived in what appeared to be a separate area of the house.

"Um...sure. That sounds great," he said unable to stop looking around.

"It's all very realistic, isn't it?" she said. "This is my retreat from the madness of the world. I have a small kitchen, a dining room, and of course, my bedroom, all designed exactly as they should appear in the mid-1940s. Do you like it?"

"I'll say," he told her as he took in all of the authentic details from the refrigerator to the dishes to the sink itself.

"The one exception is this," she said opening what seemed to be the door of a lower cabinet revealing a dishwasher. "I'm afraid that's one area where even I draw the line." Layne laughed and her smile made him weak in the knees. "So...what could I get you?"

"It's hard to beat a martini," he replied.

"Two martinis coming right up," she said as she grabbed the gin and vermouth from the liquor cabinet which was also incredibly authentic.

"I'm very impressed," he told her.

"You're the first man who hasn't run away after showing him my little corner of the world," she said as she gently shook the liquid.

Lindemann thanked her and suggested she propose the toast this time. "To simpler times?" she suggested.

"I'll drink to that," he said as they clinked glasses. "Mmmm. Very nice," he told her.

"Thank you," she said as she also took a first sip.

They chatted for several minutes before Lindemann said, "Okay, I have to ask. What smells so incredibly good?"

"I'm making roast beef with seasoned vegetables. I like to put the potatoes and carrots in with the roast to give them more flavor. I'm also baking fresh bread which should be ready any minute now."

As if on cue, something dinged the way a bell from that era would sound. "Ah! Dinner is served," she said as she went to remove everything from the Dutch oven on the stove and the actual oven itself.

Lindemann's mom was a good cook, but he couldn't ever remember eating anything quite this tasty before.

"What's the secret, Layne? Everything tastes SO good," he told her.

"Two things," she replied. "Lot's of real, fresh butter and...are you sure you want to know?"

"Uh-oh. Do I?" he asked.

"Lard," she said. "Women cooked using lard back then. It's terrible for you but it makes things taste oh-so good."

"Wow. So...let's just say you were to be my destiny or I yours...is this what I could expect every night for dinner?"

Layne laughed and said, "No, I wouldn't kill you off like that. Just as I'd never smoke I also would never cook like this other than on rare occasions. I enjoy eating and living a healthy lifestyle, something the greatest generation couldn't do."

After dinner they were enjoying a second cocktail when Lindemann said, "I wanted to ask you another question, if you don't mind."

"Please," she said sitting across from him.

"Well, the term 'going steady' came up during a conversation and..." He reached into a pocket inside his jacket and said, "I still have my high school ring. No girl has ever worn it."

He stood up then sat beside her and held it up. "Layne Warren? Will you go steady with me?"

Her eyes lit up unlike anything he'd yet seen. "Oh, my goodness, Ryan! Yes, I would be honored to go steady with you!" she said as he handed her the ring.

"I knew it would be too big for your fingers so I bought a gold chain for it." He unclasped it and Layne threaded it through the ring. "May I?" he asked as he lifted it up to place it around her neck.

She lifted her hair and let him do so. He closed the clasp then let her adjust it in front.

He sat back down and saw her eyes were misting. "What's wrong, Layne? Did I not do this right?"

She shook her head but didn't speak. He handed her the pocket square from his jacket which she used to dab her eyes. "No, everything was...perfect. I'm just so overwhelmed." She handed the square back to him then said, "This isn't playtime for me, Ryan. This is who I am. And...and this ring. Your ring. Asking me to go steady." She looked right at him and said, "I've dreamed of this for so long. A handsome man who understands me asking me to be his girlfriend." She blinked several times then said, "I don't think I've ever been so happy before."

"Nor have I," he said. "But I can't help but wonder. Does the difference in our ages—you know I'm 33, right? Does that really not matter to you?"

Layne smiled and told him, "Were you fifty-three, I would find that too much. Even forty-three would be something I'd have to think very seriously about this. But thirty-three?" She patted the seat cushion next to her and invited him to sit next to her. "I don't think that's a big deal at all." She turned toward him, held the ring with one hand then said, "Why? Do you think I'm too young?"

Lindemann reached out and touched her hair and said, "Chronologically? Yes. But you are so intelligent, so mature, and so...amazing...no. It doesn't make a bit of difference to me."

Layne's eyes were bright and cheerful again. "I'm glad," she said before becoming more serious. "I believe it's customary to end this sort of...agreement...with a kiss."

"I like this custom very much," Ryan told her as he leaned over and kissed her. Unlike before, this time, she not only kissed him back, she offered him her tongue. Lindemann immediately did the same and within seconds their kisses became very deep.

Layne pulled him back with her as she fell onto the sofa then put her hand behind his head as they kissed. "Going steady is a whole new level of commitment," she said during a brief break.

"Please let me know where this...new level...ends in terms of what we do, okay?" he said.

She took his hand and placed it on her breast then said, "Okay," as she again offered him her tongue.

Layne moaned softly as he cupped it then gently squeezed. "That feels so good," she sighed as he continued to 'feel her up.' "I love going steady with you, Ryan," she purred as she reached for him as he lay on top of her. "Now that we have a commitment we could go...even further."

Ryan raised up and let her unzip his pants as Layne suggested, "Perhaps we might be more comfortable in my room?"

Lindemann was looking into her eyes and he could almost feel her need for him and he wanted nothing more than to be with her, too. "Are you sure?" he asked.

She reached up and held his ring in her tiny hand and said, "Yes. I'm very sure."

He stood and took her hand and let her lead him to a hallway and into the only room on its right side. The bedroom was done in wallpaper that was, not surprisingly, consistent with the 1940s. Everything from the bed itself and the bedding on top, to her dresser to the nightstand to the lamp on it to the blinds on her windows were period-specific.

She pulled the old-style roller shades down then turned around and said, "Would you mind?" as she raised her hair so he could unzip her dress.

Evidently, there was no prohibition about a vintage lady being anything but—in bed. Layne was very young yet very skilled. Ryan didn't want to know where that kind of experience came from at such a young age and truth be told he didn't really care. He was enjoying being the beneficiary of someone's else's time and effort and based on how wrung out he was when they finished making love for the second time, he was too tired to be anything but thankful.

As she lay in his arms he told her, "The bedroom is yet another area in which you have not only surprised me but exceeded all expectations."

She smiled at him as she ran her hand across his chest and said, "As you've said, I'm full of surprises." She laughed politely then added, "I'm also very full of something else which once belonged to you."

Lindemann laughed too, then said, "Asking me to do that was perhaps the biggest surprise at all."

Layne's smile faded as she said very softly, "I think I'm going to break character for the first time and take the biggest risk of my life."

Ryan turned on his side and faced her. "This sounds important."

"It is," she told him as their met.

"What is it?" he asked quietly. "You can tell me anything. You know that, right, Kid?" he said using Bogie's pet name for Lauren Bacall.

"I do," she replied. "And that's just one of many reasons I have to say this."

"Go ahead, Layne," he told her as he gently played with her long, pretty hair.

"I'm falling in love with you, Ryan," she said without faltering.

He smiled then said, "Hmmm. I planned to tell you that the next time we had dinner together."

"Oh, no!" she said. "Then I broke character for no reason." Layne seemed distressed and Ryan wasn't sure why.

His answer came immediately. "The man is supposed to say that first," she said with no hint of sarcasm. "I know we basically just met, but then again, it seems like I've known you all my life. And...and I've been waiting and wondering what I was doing wrong, but after tonight, my heart was so full I couldn't not say it."

"I'm glad you did, Layne, because I'm falling in love with you, too. I've loved you since the first time I saw you, and I began falling in love with you from the moment you spoke to me at The Bridge."

"Please don't laugh because of my age, but it's true. I've waited my whole life to find a man who gets me; a man who shares my vision and my passion and love of the past. It's not easy being an analogue lover in a digital world."

"No it's not," he agreed. "Time waits for no man but sometimes it slows down enough to make room for two people to step back into it."

"You see, that's what I love about you. Like me, you know we're living in the 21st century and we enjoy all the benefits of advances in medicine and technology. We're not delusional. We just understand that there are some things from the past worth holding on to."

"May I tell you something now?" he asked her.

"Of course."

"I'm really glad you're not a girl of the 1920s. That Flapper Girl look is um...a bridge too far."

She hit him playfully then said, "You're terrible. Well, not in bed, though. Can you make love to again, please?"

Moments later, he was again deep inside her, pleasuring her in a way only two people in love can do.

The following week, the new lovers agreed it was time to...meet the parents. Ryan's mom and dad were awed not only by Layne's outward appearance, but her maturity and broad command of so many aspects of life. She more than held her own on every topic of discussion and they both told Layne what a wonderful, refreshing, and charming young lady she was. She in turn, adored the way they treated her and accepted her making this a very easy fit for all parties.

However, things did not go so smoothly on Layne's side. Her father was immediately suspicious of Lindemann. He saw him as way too old, way too poor, and wholly unsuitable for his daughter. The only thing that seemed to mollify him was that when the subject of money came up, Ryan mentioned he would gladly sign any prenuptial document to prove he had no interest in Layne's money.

"Ryan, you don't have to say that. Daddy will have to learn to accept my choice on my terms," she said rather loudly while staring at her father.

As expected, Layne's stepmother was cold and aloof, barely saying two words the entire evening which suited Layne perfectly well.

Before they left, Layne's father shook Ryan's hand and begrudgingly said, "If my little girl loves you, then be it far from me to stand in the way of her happiness."

Those words were met with a warm hug from his daughter and a heartfelt, "Thank you, Daddy."

Several day later, Layne's mother flew up from Los Angeles and took them to the finest restaurant in Seattle. She knew her daughter was smitten with this handsome older man and as long as he was good to her, Layne had her complete support and Ryan her blessing. She also knew her daughter better than anyone on earth and once she saw the way he looked at Layne and the degree to which he understood her needs, she couldn't help but love him, too.

As they were having a glass of sherry with dessert, Ryan said to Layne's mother, "There's no one on earth Layne loves more than you and now I know why." She smiled then looked at Layne who was positively beaming. "That's why I can't think of a better time to publicly declare my love for your daughter."

He'd drawn on the money Ruth had left him to buy a modest-size diamond engagement ring which he showed Layne as he knelt on one knee before her. Her mother stood up and moved directly next to her daughter whose hands were trembling and covering her mouth as she began to cry. "Oh, my God, oh, my God!" she said as Ryan spoke.

"Layne Warren, you said you've waited you whole life for someone like me. I thought of many other things to say to you at this moment, but none are any better or more true. I've waited my whole life for...a true lady...a lady just like you. Fate or the universe or something brought us together at The Bridge. Since then, you've made my life full and worth living and I would like more than anything to spend the rest of it with you. Layne Warren? Will you marry me?"

She was still crying and trembling. Her mother finally said, "Oh, dear God, Layne. Say 'yes' before I do!"

People were watching and there were many smiles as Layne's head began nodding furiously. "Yes! Yes, of course I will marry you, Ryan!" she said as she held her hand it. He slid the ring on her finger, stood, then bent over and kissed her as the room burst into applause.

That summer, the happy couple was married in a full-scale mock up of Rick's Bar from Casablanca complete with their own 'Sam' and a white piano to play Here Comes the Bride. Layne's father paid for it all, and she refused to let her new husband sign any agreement of any kind.

The Bridge stayed open until Ruth's money was exhausted and while Ryan had to face the possibility the store would have to close, he and Layne agreed it played too valuable a role to let that happen. They had no idea whether other 'anachronisms' like them existed or not. But whether or not they did wasn't what mattered. Maintaining a link to the past with all of its romance and intrigue was, so The Bridge continued to operate—in the red.

The only remaining question was what they would name their first child which was due the following Spring. Would they really saddle their son with a name like Humphrey? In the end, reason won out and their beautiful baby boy entered the world as Ryan Warren Lindemann where he grew up in a home learning the importance of the past while being taught to enjoy life in the present, just like his mother and father.