Promises Made and Promises Kept Pt. 03

I found a seat on the home team bleachers just as the teams came out onto the field. I saw Mark and waved to him, not expecting him to see me. However, he did, and he waved back to me, a big smile on his face. After the national anthem, the match started, and for the next 40 minutes, it was non-stop action as the two teams battled each other up and down the field. Just before halftime, in added time, Mark broke clear with the ball, faked out the goalie, and hooked the ball into the corner of the net, scoring the first goal of the game and the season.

After a short celebration, the teams went back to it until the half ended. During the break, a couple of other parents came up to me and congratulated me on Mark's goal. I was so proud of him. When the second half started, the other team pressed hard for most of the half but never got a good shot at the goal. Once again, just as the match went into added time, Mark broke away with the ball. Everyone was screaming as he dribbled down to the goal and took his shot. Unlike last time, the goalkeeper got a piece of the ball, and it hit the crossbar and went out. Just as the ball was put back into play, the referee blew his whistle, indicating the end of the match.

The whole team piled on top of Mark before they lined up to shake hands with the opposing team. Mark came over to me on the sideline, and I hugged him and told him I was so proud of him. He just smiled and said, "I dedicated my first goal to Mom," as he quickly looked up and crossed himself. I teared up while he continued, "I'm dedicating the next one to you."

I hugged him again and said, "Thank you, Mark. I'm so proud of you."

He told me to go ahead and go home, and he'd be along shortly. So I walked back, feeling like I was floating on a cloud. When I got home, I told Grace about the game and what Mark had told me. When Mark got home, I hugged him again before letting him go up to his room. By the time he came back down, Grace and I had a lovely meal ready for him, roasted chicken with rice and broccoli. Mark tore into it and finished it so fast I couldn't believe it. Afterward, he did his homework before going to bed.

***

Mark and I went down to UC Irvine to see Matthew's first home game. He had cautioned me he probably wouldn't be playing today, but that didn't matter. I wanted to be there to support him, and Mark wanted to go because he might want to play college soccer once he graduates from high school.

When we got there, we parked and made our way to the soccer field. We paid to get in and found two excellent seats at mid-field to sit. Both teams were on the field warming up, and I looked to see if I could find Matthew. He must have been looking for me because we spied each other at the same time. I waved, and he smiled and ran over to the near sideline. Matthew said, "I just saw the line-up, and I'm not going to be playing today."

"That's okay, Matthew," I said. "I'm just glad to be able to see you. I'm sure you'll be playing before the season is over."

"I hope so, Mom. But I'm only a freshman, so I'm the high man on the totem pole," Matthew finished.

I smiled at Matthew's comment because from his studies of Northwest Native culture, he knew the low man is actually the most important figure on the totem pole. I said, "Well, you better get back to your team. I love you, Matthew."

"I love you too, Mom," Matthew said before turning back to head back to his teammates.

Mark and I went back up to our seats and enjoyed watching the game. There was a lot of action, with each team making several attempts at scoring. Finally, our team got a goal, and everyone jumped up and screamed, "Gooaaalll!" as the team celebrated on the field. The visiting team quickly recovered and scored just before halftime. The second half was a repeat of the first half with our team scoring first, and then the visiting team tied it up. The game ended that way, and, as Matthew had warned us, he did not get to play.

Once the handshakes were over, Matthew came over to say goodbye to us before we left. Once Mark and I got home, we ate dinner before Mark went off to study, and I started working on my ideas for improving the e-ConFig tool.

October 1994

Lunch with Judy today started out as a friendly discussion of our children. Judy was telling me about her daughters Amy and Emily and their exploits in the pool. I really enjoyed talking about them. I, in turn, talked about Matthew's and Mark's exploits on the soccer field. We were so into each other at that point, sitting there looking at each other, the sexual tension almost unbearable. I so wanted to just take Judy in my arms and kiss her, and I was sure from her eyes and posture that she wanted it too.

Judy must have twigged to my thoughts because she cleared her throat and said, "Well, we better get on back to work."

"Yes," I said, "We'd better do that." We got up and headed back to our offices, taking separate routes to avoid anything happening that we weren't ready for. I had a 1 PM meeting with Sally, so I threw myself into that to get my mind off of Judy.

Once my meeting with Sally was over, I decided to grab my yoga gear and do some yoga. I was still on edge and needed to clear my head. I went down to the parking garage to get my bag and then headed into the locker room to change. When I came out, the class had already started, so I snuck into the back of the room and started doing my own routine.

I noticed that Judy was there, following the instructor as she put the class through the poses. I couldn't help but see how gracefully Judy moved when she moved from one pose to the next. I momentarily teared up as I remembered how graceful Bonnie had been when she did yoga. I shook my head as though it would shake thoughts of Bonnie out of my head before I started with Kapalabhati breathing to get into a relaxed state. Then I did a series of Cat and Cow poses to loosen up the spine. Then I did a Suryanamaskar A interval to get my breathing under control.

I went through the rest of my routine to relax, and by the time I finished, I was loose enough to start some individual poses. I noticed that the class had ended while I was doing my routine, but Judy was still doing some poses by herself. I started on my poses, trying hard to ignore how beautiful Judy looked in her poses.

One pose I really liked to do was the Kapotasana, which really got my spine limber. I was in that pose when Judy finished and left for the locker room. I continued for a few more minutes, not because I needed to but to give Judy time to dress and get back to work. I didn't want to risk being alone in the locker room with her while both of us were in various states of undress. Finally, I finished with a Shavasana pose before picking up my mat and heading into the locker room. I had the locker room to myself, so I dressed and left, dropping my gear in the car before heading back to my office.

The next morning, we met in the break room while I was getting my tea. We talked to each other about how we enjoyed being at yoga together. We agreed that it was a great stress reliever and that we should do it again sometime. Over time, we would do yoga together a couple of times a week as our friendship grew deeper.

I loved doing yoga with Judy. I was constantly stopping and admiring the lines of her body as she held each pose before transitioning to the next one. She would continually catch me watching and smile at me as though we were sharing a secret. I would smile back, sure that she could hear my heart screaming, "I love you!" with each beat. I know she would sneak peeks at me too, which only made me try to be as graceful as she is.

***

I received a large envelope in the mail. When I saw who it was from, my heart leaped, and I tore the envelope open. Alex had sent me a picture of her with her new rank pinned on. She looked so beautiful, and she had the widest smile on her face. I teared up, thinking about how I would have loved to have been able to make a life with her. "Oh, how I wish things could have been different," I thought to myself. However, it was not meant to be. I lightly touched her face with my fingertips and whispered, "I love you, Alex."

I went out and bought a frame for it and put it up on my mantle. I called Alex the next morning to tell her I got it and to thank her. We again professed our love for each other before we hung up.

***

Mondays, I always try to get an early start, so I have some accomplishments before the staff meeting. I was processing some requests for additional seats on the e-ConFig tool when I heard a knock on my door. I looked up and saw Judy standing there, so I smiled and said, "Good morning, Judy."

Judy smiled back at me, making my heart clench, as she said, "Good morning, Virginia. How are you this morning?"

Basking in Judy's smile, I had to say, "I'm fine. Come in, please."

Judy came in and slid into the chair on the other side of my desk. She leaned forward, and I couldn't help but sneak a look down her top as she asked, "I wonder if you'd be interested in going for a run this coming Saturday?"

I was surprised but pleased that Judy was interested in doing something with me away from work, so I smiled and said, "I'd love to, Judy. How do you want to do it?"

Judy beamed and said, "How about we meet at the Manhattan Beach pier Saturday morning at about 9 AM?" She added, "There's plenty of parking there."

Being familiar with the parking there, I agreed with Judy's assessment. I said, "Okay, sounds like a plan."

Judy smiled widely again, and she stood up and headed for the door, saying, "Great! I'll let you get back to work." She turned back at the door and asked, "See you at lunch today?"

I smiled and said, "Yes. I'm looking forward to it."

After Judy left, I returned to the requests, my heart singing as I thought about Saturday.

I took Sally with me to the staff meeting this morning to let her give the report for the Configuration team. She did a great job, and Steve gave me a smile afterward. After the staff meeting, he pulled me aside and thanked me for getting Sally more involved with my team's management. He said that he'd look into getting a laptop for her so Sally would have an easier time working between her desk and mine.

It was time for lunch, so I asked Sally if she wanted to have lunch with me. She declined, saying she had an errand to run. So I headed down to the cafeteria. As I walked in, I saw Judy sitting at a table by herself and smiled at her. She smiled back, so I fixed my salad and headed over to sit with her.

As I sat down, I said, "I'm really looking forward to our run Saturday. How far do you usually run?"

"I usually run down to Redondo Beach pier and back," Judy answered. "That's about 6 miles. Is that okay?"

"Yes," I said, smiling. "That's a nice distance for a run."

"Great," Judy replied, smiling back.

We spent the rest of lunch chatting about our work and what we had on our schedules for the week. We talked about doing yoga a couple of times unless something came up to prevent it. I told Judy about Mark being the top scorer on his team. Judy talked about Amy getting recruitment letters from Loyola Marymount University and how excited Amy was about going there after graduation. I asked Judy to pass on my congratulations as we finished lunch and left to return to our desks. I was looking forward to Saturday.

Saturday couldn't come fast enough. I was really looking forward to running with Judy. We did get to do yoga a couple of times during the week. The last time, we both got to the locker room at the same time. It was hard not to just ogle Judy as she shed her work outfit to don her yoga outfit. I'm sure she took a couple of glances at me when I did the same. We smiled at each other as we went out to the yoga room as though we were sharing a secret. It took me a few minutes to get to my center because my heart was beating so hard.

Saturday, I got up early to get ready for my run with Judy. Mark was sleeping in, and he could get his own breakfast, so I ate some oatmeal with honey and some fruit. I packed my bag, donned my running outfit, and headed out to drive down to the Manhattan Beach pier. I took El Segundo Blvd. to Highland Ave. and down to the parking lot by the pier. I saw that the vendors were out, and I momentarily flashed back to all of the times Bonnie and I spent here on Saturdays when Matthew and Mark were younger.

I saw Judy was already there and was doing some stretching as I pulled up. I found a parking spot near her and jumped out of my car as Judy came up to me. I couldn't help but run my eyes over her long, lean body. She was wearing a sports bra under a short top and low-rider shorts that barely covered her ass cheeks. She had her hair up under her cap, exposing her long beautiful neck. My nipples tightened, and my pussy got hot from looking at her.

"Good morning, Virginia," Judy said with a big smile on her face. "It's a beautiful morning for a run."

"Yes, it is," I answered, returning her smile. "I'm really looking forward to this."

With that, we started stretching. I really enjoyed watching Judy stretch, and I caught her eying me. Finally, we were ready to go. We walked over to the running path and started off at a leisurely pace. We ran side-by-side as much as possible, moving aside for bikers and in-line skaters. One of us would yell "On your left" whenever we overtook walkers and joggers. Whenever Judy ran in front of me, I couldn't help but ogle her ass, thinking about how it would feel cupping those cheeks with my hands. When I ran in front of Judy, I felt her eyes on my ass, and I got hot and wet thinking about it.

After about a mile, we picked up the pace, and I started getting in the zone. Judy's stride was longer than mine, but I was used to running with taller people, so I didn't let the fact that our strides weren't in sync bother me. I started getting that feeling of floating as we went along, my breathing getting deeper but still under control. We finally reached the Redondo Beach pier and turned around to head back.

We picked up the pace and spent the return lap just running, panting out "On your left" when needed. Finally, the pier was in sight, so I kicked up the pace, wanting to finish in a sprint. Judy matched my pace, and we finished in a rush, panting heavily but still under control. We walked a cool-down lap or two around the parking lot as we got our breathing back to normal.

We finished the last cool-down lap at our cars. Judy looked at me intently and asked, "Want to do this again next Saturday?"

Having had a great time running with Judy, I answered, "I'd love to, Judy. I really enjoyed running with you."

I reached out and touched Judy's arm, causing a pulse to go through my body. I noticed that it affected Judy because her eyes dilated, and her breath hitched.

Judy swallowed before saying, "I really enjoyed it too. See you next Saturday, then." She turned to get in her car.

"Okay," I said before getting into my car. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself before I pulled out to head home. Once I got home, I headed straight for my bathroom, stripped, and jumped into the shower.

***

I continued going to soccer games for Mark and Matthew. I finally did get to see Matthew get some playing time. Nobody scored off him, so he was happy about that. He felt that he was going to get more playing time next year. Mark was having a great season. He was the leading scorer for the team, and he was selected to be on the league All-Star team.

November 1994

Soccer season was over for both Mark and Matthew. Both of them were glad that they could now concentrate on their studies. Mark wanted to make sure he could get a college scholarship because he wanted to get a law degree. Matthew wanted to make sure he kept his grades up so he'd get a good engineering job if he couldn't play soccer once he graduated.

Thanksgiving was coming up in a couple of weeks. Matthew was going to be home that week, and I was looking forward to seeing him. As I was preparing for the staff meeting, I heard a knock on my door frame. I looked up, smiling because I'd come to recognize Judy's rap.

"Hello, Judy. What's up?" I asked as our eyes locked. I could tell that Judy was nervous about something.

"Hi, Virginia," she said with a timid smile. I saw her take a deep breath before she asked, "I wondered if you'd like to come over to my place Friday night for dinner with my girls and me?"

To say that I wasn't expecting that would be an understatement. I quickly realized that Judy was asking me out for a date. Not a 'date-date' but an evening with her and her girls as chaperones. My heart went into overdrive as I smiled and said, "I'd love to, Judy."

Judy beamed when I accepted her invitation. I came in and sat in the chair across the desk from her. She said, "The menu will be chicken fettuccine Alfredo, stuffed calamari, and salad. Would that be okay?"

"That sounds delicious," I said. "Shall I bring a bottle of wine?"

"Sure," Judy replied. "We'll be eating around 7 PM."

"Great," I said. "I'm looking forward to seeing Amy and Emily. They sound like sweet girls."

Judy got up to leave, and I stood up too. I walked around my desk and walked her to the door. At the door, I said, "I can't wait for Friday. Thank you."

Judy blushed slightly and said, "See you then," before turning and leaving.

I watched her walking away, and I loved the view of her ass swaying under her tight skirt. Cathy noticed what I was doing and grinned before picking up her phone to make a call. I smiled back and headed back to my desk. It would be a while before I could get my head back into my work.

***

Friday seemed to last forever. Sally and I finished our presentation that we were going to run by the e-ConFig development group. I tasked Sally to set up the meeting and schedule the conference room. Finally, it was time to leave. I hurried home because I needed some time to make myself presentable. I was nervous, not because of Judy, but because of her two daughters. I knew that it was essential for me to make a good impression on them because I had no chance with Judy if they disapproved of me.

I bought a nice Albariño to go with dinner. It was in the refrigerator chilling as I performed my toilet. I had no expectations of sex with Judy, but I still wanted to be fresh and feminine for her. I showered and shaved and made sure I looked presentable. I put my hair into a double French braid and let it hang down between my shoulder blades.

I went through my closet to find a nice casual outfit that wasn't too casual and not too dressy. I settled on a lovely long-sleeved denim dress that came to the top of my knees, the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. I was jeweled up, wearing a beautiful necklace and a muted earth-toned beaded bracelet that Bonnie had got me shortly after we had started dating. I touched the bracelet and thought I could feel Bonnie's presence, telling me I had her blessing.

I went out to the kitchen to get the wine before leaving. Grace was there, and she checked out my outfit before pulling me in for a hug. "You look beautiful, sweetie," she said as I kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, Grace," I said as I grabbed the wine and headed out. "I won't be out late."

"Take your time, dear, and enjoy yourself. I'll make sure Mark eats when he gets home," Grace called out as I went out the door.

It was only a fifteen-minute drive to Judy's house, so I took my time. I pulled into her driveway, and when I turned off the car, I sat there for a moment to compose myself before getting out. I walked up to the front door and was ready to knock when the door flew open, and two beautiful girls simultaneously said, "Hello, Ms. Hanratty. Come on in, please."