Joanie and Me

A regular work week was Monday through Friday, I tended to not work on weekends, if at all possible. For those who insisted, the weekend overtime rate was high enough most were willing to wait until Monday unless it was an emergency. At supper on Wednesday I slid a brochure across the table to Joanie. A resort cabin in the Northwoods but near a large city with every amenity we could think of.

Sliding it back to me she quipped, "Nice, very nice. We should go there some time just to get away for a weekend."

I smiled, "We should, in fact we are. Next weekend, for your birthday, we leave Friday mid-afternoon. Bob will cover any emergency that may crop up, although it's unlikely. I have reservations at a steak house on Friday night, one of the oldest establishments in the city. From there we'll travel approximately seven blocks to a bar/dance hall kind of place. The guy telling me about it said it's mainly a dance hall with a bar and DJ who takes requests. He also said it's packed on weekends. I'm taking along a suit and some casual dress, no blue jeans this weekend. Your opinion madam?"

Walking around the table to my chair she motioned for me to scoot back and sat on my lap. Not in a loving or romantic way, more like cuddling.

"Ronnie this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for my birthday. Thank you for thinking of me and making it special. And since my birthday is on the eleventh, can it be like a Valentine date?"

"Yes, we can do that. Maybe I'll buy you a corsage."

Laying her head on my shoulder she sighed, "You are so sweet to me, but I never imagined anything like this. I need to get a new dress and some accessories. Can you manage the phone tomorrow afternoon? I'm going to the city for new clothes."

She popped up off my lap, kissed me on the cheek and started gathering dirty dishes. Afterward we were on the couch, she was doing embroidery, I was reading a trade mag. She stopped and looked at me.

"You said it was a cabin?" I nodded. "Does it have indoor plumbing?"

I chuckled, "It has everything. According to the pictures it a has a huge great room with a 25-foot super slope ceiling, a walk-in shower big enough for four."

She stopped me, "A shower for four? Sounds kinda kinky."

"Sure does, anyway the place is more like a five-star hotel than a cabin. When I asked about it being available for Valentine weekend the guy on the phone laughed."

I continued, "He told me it's usually booked a year or more in advance, the couple that had reserved it canceled this morning and the alternates all had reservations elsewhere. He said we were in luck, and lucky for them as well, if he hadn't been able to re-book the cabin the original couple would have been on the hook for the entire amount. Like he said, we got lucky."

Though she was smiling and giddy I felt she was trying to avoid asking the obvious when she leaned away from me.

"Sleeping accommodations?"

"There's a master suite with an attached bathroom, that one has a tub but no shower. The guest room has an attached bath with a single shower but no tub. Then there's the football field size multi-person shower at the end of the hall. Both bedrooms have queen size beds."

"Are there bears in that area?"

I nodded, "But they're in hibernation. Why?"

"Cuz, if I get scared I may want to bunk with you. I don't like sleeping alone in strange places."

"What are you talking about, you sleep alone every night."

She turned, moving into my arms for a hug, "That's different. I was born in this house, there's nothing strange about it. Plus, you're only a few stairs away if I need you. Let's talk about it when we get there. Okay?"

Making our way through the house headed for our individual rooms we found ourselves watching the other. Me down the hall, her going up the stairs, at the top she stopped.

"Good night Ronnie. Sleep well."

The sexual tension between us was almost palpable. I lay awake wondering where it would go, if anywhere, at the same time wanting to know if was she thinking the same about me? How I longed to show how much I loved her.

Part two is finished and being edited. Things heat up in part two, the weekend away opens the door to a much greater adventure than either imagined.