My Graduate School Romance Ch. 01

_ _ _ _ _

That evening, I picked Lori up at six and we drove to a very nice Greek restaurant down by the river.

It wasn't too busy and we were seated at a table with a view.

The waitress came over with some humus and pita bread, "Can I get you anything to start?" She had a bit of an accent.

Lori looked over at me, "A glass of chardonnay, please."

The waitress nodded, "And you sir?"

"I think I'll have the same thing."

"I'll be right back."

I said, "Efharisto."

She smiled, "Parakalo."

Lori smiled, "You speak Greek?"

"You just heard most of it. I spent two weeks at our air base at Souda Bay, Crete."

She scooped up some humus and took a bite, "Oooo! This is garlicy."

I scooped up some with some bread, "The good thing about garlic is that if both parties are eating it, you don't have to worry about garlic breath."

She laughed, "Excellent point. Any dining recommendations from your travels?"

I looked at the menu, "If my memory serves, Turkish Cigars are pretty good."

She read the menu, "Spinach and feta wrapped in phyllo dough then lightly fried. That sounds good."

The waitress returned with two glasses of wine. Lori ordered the appetizer.

Lori was studying the menu. "How about for an entrée? Any recommendations?"

"Greek food is known for lamb. Anything with it is bound to be good. I've had kuzu makarna and sarma before."

Lori read aloud, "Grilled lamb tossed with linguini. I'll stop right there. That sounds wonderful."

I picked up my wine glass, "Well, here's to a successful semester."

We clinked glasses. She smiled, "Here's to having interesting classmates."

The waitress returned with the appetizer. "Are you ready to order?"

Lori looked at the menu, "I would like the kuzu..."

"Kuzu makarna. Very good and sir?"

"I would like the sarma."

"Very well. I'll put your order in."

Lori speared a cigar and placed it on her plate.

I did the same, "Be careful. It's probably hot."

She broke hers in two and steam came out. She leaned forward and took in the fragrance. "Oh, it smells good."

I took a bite of mine, "It tastes good too."

We chatted about life. I found out that she's a home body. Not big on socializing. Not big on exercise. I told her about the band I was thinking of joining. Found out she wasn't into modern music very much. She preferred classical. It seemed we were diametrically opposed when it came to non-academic interests.

I also found out she was a voracious reader. That was something. She was currently reading The Time Traveler's Wife and The Kite Runner for fun. I didn't know how she found the time with everything we had to read for class.

The waitress returned with our entrées, "How are the cigars?"

I said, "Kalo."

Lori laughed, "I thought you only knew one word in Greek.

"Actually three. Thank you. You're welcome. And kalo."

The waitress said, "Kalo means 'good' in Greek."

The remainder of the meal was delightful. While my suspicions were born out - that we didn't have a lot in common except for reading and our studies, by the end of the evening I felt like I had made a good friend.

As I pulled up in front of her apartment, Lori leaned over and pulled my face to hers. "Thank you for a very nice evening."

She kissed me and soon was probing with her tongue. This is getting good.

As if reading my thoughts, she broke the kiss, "Sean, I think this has a lot of potential, but please don't be mad if I don't want to rush things."

"I agree. I don't mind just kissing you."

"Good, because I really like kissing you." She leaned in and kissed me long and hard, "I better leave before my hormones take over."

One last kiss and she climbed out of the car, "See you Tuesday?"

"I'm looking forward to it."

I made sure she made it inside then pulled away. I wasn't sure where this relationship was going. Yes, we didn't have a lot in common, but there was definitely an attraction. I decided that I would just let it play out. Knowing someone like Lori would certainly be good for my studies.

_ _ _ _ _

On Thursday, I didn't get to Smitty's Tavern until about nine as I had to get some reading done for Saturday's class. The ripped bouncer asked to see ID and when I opened my wallet he saw my retired military card.

He smiled, "You a vet?"

"Yeah, Navy. You?"

"Eight years in subs. Machinist mate. What'd you do?"

"Flew."

"Cool shipmate. Enjoy yourself. This is a pretty good band."

"I've been talking to them about joining."

"It'd be a good part-time gig. They always draw a nice crowd. Understand the bar tabs triple on the nights they play."

I nodded. "Good to know. What's your name?"

"Rich. You?"

"Sean. See you around."

I got myself a beer at the bar, then found a spot against the wall where I could clearly see the band. They were a four piece. The drummer seemed to be a young kid, maybe an undergrad. He took the Dave Grohl approach to drumming with his hair either flying or hanging in front of his face. Three women in their late twenties to early thirties fronted the band. A tall, slim redhead was on keyboards. A short, buxom brunette played a Precision Bass that was nearly as big as she was. The lead singer was a stunning woman with raven hair. She was strumming an acoustic guitar. They were playing "Gold Dust Woman" and I was impressed by their harmonies.

"Sean!"

I turned to see Astrid. She was wearing a white dress with a floral pattern and seemed a little tipsy. The dress was low cut and showed her minimal cleavage.

I just had time to set down my beer as she ran over and threw her arms around my neck, "You should kiss the birthday girl."

Without waiting she put me into a lip lock. Her lips were heavenly. She slipped me her tongue and I responded in kind. I suppose I should have put my arms around her or something. Instead I just held her hips and enjoyed the kiss.

We'd been sucking face for about a minute, "Damn it, Astrid. What the fuck are you doing?"

It was her boyfriend Andrew whom I had met the previous week.

"Fuck off Andrew. He was just giving me a birthday kiss."

He grabbed her by the arm and started pulling her back. He sneered at me, "Stay away from her."

I had several inches and probably thirty pounds on the guy so I didn't feel threatened. I just threw up my arms and feigned innocence, "Happy birthday, Astrid."

She gave me a broad smile, "Thank you, Sean."

Andrew briskly pulled her away. What an asshole. I turned my attention back to the band and was duly impressed. I liked their selection of music and I could see how I could fit in with just a little work.

When they took a break, I went up and introduced myself. Lindsey was the tall red-haired keyboardist. Pete was the drummer. Katie was the diminutive bassist and Elena was the dark-haired lead vocalist.

Elena pulled me over to a table while her bandmates took advantage of the break. "How long have you been playing?"

"Since college. I started about 1979."

Elena was surprised, "Jesus, you don't look that old."

"I get that a lot. People tell me it's the red hair. The whole Richie Cunningham thing."

She laughed, "Did you bring a guitar? You could sit in with us during the next set."

"Sorry, I didn't."

"If you want, I've got my backup guitar. It isn't very good. It's a Telecaster I picked up at a garage sale. I think it's made in Mexico."

"Let's give it a try."

"I have some tabs of the music we play if you need it."

"That might be a good idea. My memory isn't what it used to be."

When the other band members returned, Elena set me up with her Telecaster. I adjusted the strap and made sure it was tuned. I tested the tone. She didn't have it going through any pedals so I elected to go with the middle position getting both pickups. That would keep the sound as clean and warm as possible. I decided to hang back and see where I could fit in. The pieces weren't difficult and I rapidly got a feel for the band's dynamic.

We were about halfway through the set when Elena turned to me and asked if I knew Tracy Chapman's "Revolution." I said that I did and she handed me her acoustic guitar. It's a simple four chord song that keeps repeating.

As I started the opening riff, I heard "Go Sean! Go!" It could only have been Astrid since I didn't know anyone else there. The piece came off wonderfully.

As we wrapped it up Elena said into the microphone, "Give it up for our newest band member, Sean O'Brien!"

A cheer went up and it sounded like I was in. I handed the acoustic back to Elena and took up the Telecaster again. The rest of the evening went very well with only a minor hiccup or two.

When we were done, Lindsey handed me a piece of paper. "We practice in my garage on Sunday and Monday nights at 7. Do those times work for you?"

"Sure. I have classes on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings so there's no conflict." I wrote down my email on the back of an old business card. "Could you send me your set list? That way I can practice."

Lindsey smiled, "Sure. No problem. That's a nice change. We fired our last guitarist because he never practiced. It showed. Well, there were other reasons too."

"Well, I'm a bit of a perfectionist."

I felt an arm around my waist and looked down to find Katie looking back up at me. "I think this is great. I'm so glad we found you."

"I'm glad you found me too. If you don't mind me asking, do you make anything from these gigs?"

"Tony pays the band $250 a night. He's the owner. We put twenty-five in a savings account to save for equipment, then split the rest."

"Well, I don't need the money, so you don't need to worry about paying me."

Lindsey touched my arm, "We'll be paying you. It's only fair. Elena plans on asking Tony for a raise once we show him what we can do with a real guitarist."

"I wouldn't call myself a real guitarist."

"Well, you certainly aren't fake!" We laughed.

Just then I heard a commotion behind me. "Get your hands offa me!"

I looked and it was Astrid. There were three guys crowding around her. Her boyfriend Andrew was leaning against the bar laughing at her. One of her girlfriends tried to pull one fellow off Astrid, but was shoved aside. I could see one guy was holding Astrid from behind and another had pulled her breasts out of her dress and was groping her.

I said, "Excuse me ladies."

I walked over, "Astrid, are these gents bothering you?" I could see terror in her eyes.

"Yes!"

The guy pinning her arms sneered, "Fuck off asshole, she's with us."

"No. Let go of her."

I saw an obviously drunk Andrew start moving in my direction and I played matador and let him slide past. The brute with his hands on Astrid's breasts turned and took a swing at me. I easily dodged it and popped him in the side of his jaw. He crumpled to the floor.

Just then I saw stars as something struck the side of my head. I staggered to the right and saw a fist coming from the left. I was able to parry the fist, but my head swam from the earlier blow. I saw another fist headed toward me and I brought my arms up to cover my head. Instead nothing hit me, but I did hear a groan. I looked up to see my bouncer friend Rich slam Andrew's head into the bar. He crumpled to the floor. I was struck in the side of the head by a fist and staggered to the left. I saw Rich level whoever it was who hit me. He looked around, then turned to me. "Dude, we need to get you looked at."

I put my hand to the side of my head and I felt the stickiness of blood.

Astrid came over with a napkin and pressed it to my skull. "Oh my god. I can't believe this."

My bandmates came over to check on me.

Pete looked at the gash when Astrid pulled the napkin away and nodded a little, "You're a tough one. Let's get Katie."

"Well right now I don't feel so tough."

Pete squeezed my shoulder, "Trust me Sean. You're tough."

Katie came up with a first aid kit and told me to sit down. She was dabbing at the wound, then she applied a bandage to my head. It seemed everyone was crowding around me.

I whispered to Katie, "I could use some air."

She immediately raised her voice, "Give the man some air. Step back."

My head was swimming. I saw two policemen handcuffing Andrew and his friends.

Rich came over to check on me, "Hey shipmate, should I call an ambulance?"

Astrid said, "I can drive him."

Rich turned to her, "No, you can't. You've had too much."

Lindsey said, "I'll take him."

Astrid chimed in, "Well, I want to go." Lindsey and Katie looked at her a little funny. "He helped me. He's my friend and I want to make sure he's okay."

Rich intervened, "Let's get you home safe. Do you have someone to drive you?"

A women with spiky hair came up, "I'll take care of Astrid. I'm her designated driver."

"But I want to go with Sean!"

Lindsey smiled, "We'll take care of him. Give me your number and I'll let you know how it went."

_ _ _ _ _

Lindsey drove us to Urgent Care. Katie, who I found out was an R.N. and in a graduate nursing program, sat in the back with me. Luckily the place was quiet. After a precautionary x-ray, the doctor sewed my scalp back together with 11 stitches. She said the gash was about two inches long. By the time they let me go it was past 3 AM.

Climbing into Lindsey's car I asked, "Are you ladies hungry? The least I can do is buy you something to eat."

Katie said, "There's a Denny's a couple of blocks away."

"Perfect. Lindsey?"

"I'll go for that."

We pulled into the Denny's and got a booth. Lindsey and Katie sat across from me.

The waitress brought us menus and looked at my bandaged head, "What happened to you?"

Katie said, "Sean tried to stop some guys from assaulting a lady over at Smitty's. He got whacked in the head with a beer mug."

I laughed, "Is that what it was?"

The waitress asked, "Do any of you want coffee?"

"I'll need to sleep when we're done. Water for me. Ladies?"

Lindsey said, "Water's good."

Katie said, "Orange juice."

"I'll be back to take your order in a few minutes."

Katie said, "Back at the bar Rich called you 'shipmate'."

Someone started rubbing their leg on mine. I think it was Lindsey, but it was hard to say.

I smiled, "We were both in the Navy. When I showed up tonight he had nothing but good things to say about your band."

Lindsey nodded, "Rich is a nice guy. Looks out for us. Makes sure we get to our cars safe and sound after a gig."

Katie asked, "What did you do in the Navy?"

"I was a pilot. I flew these big ugly airplanes called P-3s. Nothing fancy and sexy like in Top Gun."

Katie said, "Yeah, but that's still pretty bad ass. I could never do that."

Lindsey asked, "How long were you in for?"

"Twenty-five years."

Katie laughed, "Jeez, you must be old."

Lindsey laughed, "I thought the same thing. So first off, you need to know that you are in our band no matter how old you are, but how old are you?"

"I'll be forty-eight next month."

Katie said, "Well, you look good for forty-eight. I would have guessed a lot younger."

The waitress returned and we ordered. Everyone went for something breakfast related. Over the course of the next hour I found out that Lindsey worked full-time at a bank, was single, was in the MBA program, and had just turned thirty. Katie was twenty-nine, single, and a full time student. Elena was recently divorced and in her mid-thirties. She wasn't a student and worked as an accountant for a local firm. Pete was a senior majoring in biology. Lindsey wasn't sure, but she thought he was around twenty-two.

When we were done, Lindsey drove us back to the tavern for our cars. I got hugs from both of them before we left. It was close to 4:30 when I finally got back to my apartment. I collapsed into bed and slept till noon.

_ _ _ _ _

Saturday's class was mentally and physically stimulating. I was really getting into the chemistry between Lori and me. I still needed to figure how this relationship would work. She was now sitting next to me in class. Quite often she would touch my arm or hand. I enjoyed my conversations with her. She was a smart woman with a nice sense of humor. It didn't hurt that she was quite beautiful. During the break we set a brunch date for Sunday. She had a long standing commitment for this evening, but that was cool. I had plenty of other things to do.

I wanted to nurture this relationship, but I didn't want to lead her on. I decided that I would avoid intimacy until I was sure that we were compatible. The last thing I wanted was to ruin the friendship.

As class broke, Lori walked out with me. I saw Astrid leaning against the wall and she immediately came over.

She spoke to Lori, "Can I steal him for a minute?"

Lori smiled, "That's fine. He's not mine. Sean, I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded, "Sounds great."

Astrid looked very lost and seemed like she was struggling for something to say.

I broke the impasse, "How are you doing?"

"Feeling pretty lousy about what happened the other night. How's your head?"

I wasn't wearing the bandage anymore. At least the doctor allowed me to wash my hair. I smiled, "Mending."

I motioned toward the door. We passed out onto the campus.

Astrid touched my arm, "I wanted to come by and thank you. I didn't have any way of contacting you. I knew that you had a Saturday class and I hunted around until I found you. Do you know how many Saturday classes there are on campus?"

"No."

"Well there's a lot. I found someone to cover for me and I convinced my boss at the Studio to give me the day off. Can I buy you some coffee or something?"

"A sailor will never say 'no' to coffee. I used to never say 'no' to booze, but that just got me in trouble."

She pointed off to the right, "I might need to take that idea up. A few too many birthday beers almost got me in a lot of trouble. I can't believe Andrew told his friends they could feel me up for my birthday. They had my boobs hanging out for all the world to see."

"Nice guy. Pardon the sarcasm."

"Sarcasm noted and appreciated. Andrew made me feel like a piece of meat. Suffice it to say I am no longer seeing Andrew. If I never see him again it will be too soon. Rich said I probably can't press charges for them feeling me up, but the tavern is pressing charges for fighting and destruction of property."

I wasn't sure where to take the conversation so I let the silence hang there.

We walked a bit before Astrid finally continued, "Thanks for sticking up for me. I can't believe none of my friends did anything to stop them."

"One of your ladies friends was trying to help you out, but she got thrown across the room. Other than her, there was no one. Where I come from we don't call folks like that friends."

"Right?" Astrid pointed to an espresso bar. We crossed the street and I held the door for her.

A cheery woman behind the counter said, "Hey Astrid! Want your regular?"

"Yes. Sean, what do you want?"

"No-fat hazelnut latte."

Astrid handed the woman her debit card, "Make them both extra-large."

"You got it. I can bring this to you."

"Thanks Sam. We'll be outside."

Astrid led me out to a patio area and grabbed a table in the shade. "What a beautiful day. Do you have any plans for the afternoon?"

I shook my head, "No."

"Maybe you'd like to do something with me?"

"Sure. What do you have in mind?'

"I don't know. The idea just came to me. I just know that I'd like to spend some time getting to know you. Is that cool?"

"It's cool."

"Do you have anything you like to do around here?"

"I've only been here since late-August. I'm just getting to know people. Other than getting my daily exercise and working on school work I've been a pretty boring guy."

"You're in that band at Smitty's."

"Yes, but they just let me join. My first rehearsal is tomorrow evening, so I guess I need to do some practicing between now and then. So tell me about Astrid. I know you're studying writing, but what else is there to know?"