Reunion Blues

I go looking for her and find her. She is standing and talking to an older, portly man. I don’t see Charlie. Neoni seems to be listening intently to whatever the older man is saying. From what I can see as I move closer, he is talking so consistently she can't get a word in edgewise.

"Hi, Brian," she says, turning a bright smile on me, as if we hadn't had words last night.

"I came to claim a dance," I say.

"Okay, I'd like that. But first, let me introduce you to the mayor, Mr. Bradley."

I shake the guy's hand and exchange a few pleasantries. But before he can continue his conversation or start one up with me I lead her away to the dance floor.

"You saved me," she whispers as we walk away, looking over her shoulder to make sure she is out of earshot.

"He looked to me as if he could go on all night," I whisper back.

They are playing a jitterbug as we join the group on the floor and begin to dance.

"Have you forgiven me for my bad manners last night?"

Watching my feet, she pants, "You can talk and do this?"

I laugh. "Sure."

"Yes," she says seriously, "I've forgiven you."

"I'm glad. I really didn't want to offend you." The jitterbug ends and we stand there panting at each other a moment.

The band starts a ballad. Taking her hand, I lead her to me. Her skin is so soft she feels like silk in my hands, probably because she’s wearing a silk dress. I pull her even closer to me, so I can feel her large breasts pressing against my chest. I think she might pull away, but she doesn't.

Instead she looks up at me and says, "You didn't offend me, Brian. I was discourteous to you. I was having a personal problem and took it out on you."

I forgive her instantly. "What were you upset about?"

"I'm still upset!" She bites her lip lightly. "But, I don't want to talk about that right now. I want to have fun."

"Okay. Just remember that I'm a good listener."

She purses her lips. "Maybe some other time."

I keep her close for the rest of the dance, but Charlie takes her out of my arms just before the next dance. "You're hogging my woman, Brian. Go sit on the sidelines for a dance or two," he laughs.

I force a smile and walk away, but I don't think he is funny. I get a drink and sit in the corner. A few people come by to speak to me, but they don't stay long. All I do is sign and grunt.

I can't sit still, so I take my half-finished drink and walk outside. I decide to walk off the alcohol, so I stroll around the building. There is a stream running behind the building, the water reflecting the moonlight. It is quite beautiful. The night is cool, so I pull on my jacket.

While watching the stream, I finish my drink. I wonder what is going on between Charlie and Neoni. Why is he cheating on her? She’s so beautiful. I try to capture the feeling of the Charlie I’d known growing up. He’d always been honest. You could always depend on him. But apparently no more. What’s happened to him? What's happened to them?

And what’s happening to me. I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. My heart is affluter around her, even when I'm not around her. She captivates my mind.

Still, have I no conscience. But I think I’m falling in love with her. I am, I know it. What am I going to do?

Finally, I make my way back inside and return to my corner table where I can keep my eyes open and see what’s going on.

The group seems to be getting quite drunk, but I don't get another drink. I place my empty glass on the table and just watch the interplay.

Charlie and Neoni find me later and Charlie says, "There you are. We've been looking for you. So, you're gonna play ball tomorrow, right? And I understand you're coming over to our place after for dinner, right?"

Picking up my empty glass, I stand. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Well, good." He looks at Neoni, back at me, and then over my head. "Look," he says, looking back to me and squinting slightly, causing me to wonder if he’s trying to communicate some deep secret to me, "I'm going to the little boy's room. Got to take care of some business." He laughs. "Take care of my woman for me while I'm gone, okay?"

"Glad to," I say to his back. Damn right I’m glad to.

When I turn back to Neoni, I can see that she is embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," she says.

My empty glass still in my hand, I lead her to a table near the dance floor and we sit down. I place the empty glass on the table.

"There's no reason for you to be sorry, Neoni" I say.

"But there are women here," she says, waving her hand at the crowded room, "who are available." She looks at the floor. "It wasn't right for him to saddle you with me."

"Neoni," I say, reaching across the table to lift her face up so our eyes meet. "No one is saddling me with you. You aren't an imposition to me. As a matter of fact, I'd rather spend my time with you than with anyone and you know it. Just because you're taken doesn't mean I don't want to spend time with you."

"Thank you, Brian." There is a tear in her eye. I don't know exactly why she is crying, but I assume it is from embarrassment. At least I know when to keep my mouth closed.

Taking her hand in mine, I ask, "Do you want to dance again?"

She pulls her hand away and dabs at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Later maybe," she says.

"Do you want something to drink?" I ask, holding up my empty glass.

"What was that?"

"A Manhattan," I tell her.

She says, "I can't drink hard liquor. Maybe a glass of wine."

“You bet,” I say. I rise and go to the bar. As the bartender is pouring her wine and getting my beer, I wonder what the hell is going on. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Charlie is pushing Neoni on me.

When I come back to the table, I find her still dabbing her eyes. I place the glass of wine and a glass of water on the table in front of her.

Sitting down, I place my beer in front of me. "You sure are an unhappy lady tonight. What can I do to cheer you up?" I smile. "Hey, what happens when you drink hard liquor?"

She laughs, "I get crazy."

"I'd like to see that," I say.

She shakes her head, the brief glimpse of good humor completely gone. She took a sip of wine and then a sip of water.

"Once again, if you want to talk, I'm a good listener," I say in a low voice.

She takes another sip more and so do I.

She finally looks at me and asks, "Can we go outside for awhile? For a walk?"

"Sure," I say. Since I’m not into drinking anymore, and neither is she, we leave our drinks on the table. I look around as we walk to the front doors and don't see Charlie anywhere.

We exit The Roadhouse and, taking her arm, I guide her around to the back where I'd earlier seen a few benches next to the flowing, reflecting stream. There is little moonlight now and there are trees covering us, so once again I can hardly see her facial features.

We walk beside the stream, kicking stones into it. I stop, pick up a stone, and skip it across the water. She is quiet and so am I. Finally, I lead her to a bench and we sit down.

She looks away from me at the stream. After a long while, she turns back and her shoulders begin to shake. It’s a moment before I realize she is sobbing. I place my hand on her head and pull her to me. My suit coat quickly become damp, but I don't care. She cries for a long time, then become still, quiet again. She slowly pulls her face away from my shoulder, and then her body away from mine.

I am surprised when she speaks. "Tell me about yourself, Brian."

"What's there to tell? I left here and went to New York. I went to business school and now I'm a trader on the stock market, which you already know. I've been lucky in real estate. I bought a loft in Tribeca from a guy about five years ago. Have you heard of Tribeca?"

She is definitely cheering up, but there is several dried tear tracks on her cheeks. "It's a trendy spot. That's all I know."

"Well, Tribeca is a trendy spot, that’s true," I say. "I'm lucky to live there. It was trendy even when I bought my place, but real estate was in the dumps at the time. It was good timing."

"Sounds very nice," she says.

"Anyway," I say with a smile, "there's nobody there now but me. It's a huge space and looks out on the West Side near Greenwich Village. Have you heard of that?"

She smiles her first honest smile in some time. "Everybody's heard of the village."

I smile back at her. "Well, the village is in my immediate view. And some days you can see the boats moving along the Hudson River." My smile turns a little sheepish. "But it has to be a clear day. Usually we don't have clear days on the island."

"That sounds so exciting to me. Are you happy there?"

"Well, it's kind of lonely right now."

She says, "So I assume there was someone living with you. At one time anyway, right?"

"Yeah," I admit. "You do get used to having somebody around even when they're not right for you."

"You just broke up?"

"A couple of months ago." She seems genuinely interested. "What was she like?"

"Too possessive. A Scorpio, you know."

She laughs. "Do you believe in astronomy?"

I laugh too. "No, but if the shoe fits."

"Was she nice other than being possessive?"

I grimace at the thought of my ex. "Yeah, I suppose so. We fought a lot.”

"Oh, about what?"

This woman wants to talk about anything other than her own predicament, but I’m okay with that for right now.

"Everything," I say. "What to have for dinner. Where to go for entertainment. What to watch on the T.V. When dancing, she was always jealous, causing a scene, thinking I am attracted to other women. That kind of thing."

"I see."

We are quiet for awhile, both of us staring at the water. I see her turn back to me out of the corner of my eye. I look at her.

She wipes at the dry tear stains on her face. "I'm going to need to repair my makeup."

"You're beautiful even with your face tear-streaked," I say.

She stretches and stands up.

I volunteer, "My car?"

"Good idea," she says.

We begin to walk. "So, what about you? What have you been doing since high school?"

"Oh, I went to design school in San Francisco, came home, got married, and opened a shop. I design dresses. I've got a good clientele. Most of my sales are to boutiques in the area."

"Wow, I had no idea," I confess. "I guess I thought you were a housewife or something."

She laughs and I think how amazingly beautiful she is with her makeup smeared and moonlight reflecting off her tears.

"That sounds really boring”, she responds. “I don't really think any family can afford that anymore."

When we arrive at my rental car, I unlock and open the passenger-side door. She gets inside and begins repairing her makeup.

"So, do I get to find out why you were upset?" I ask mesmerized by the simple act of her reapplying her eye shadow.

"Maybe soon," she says. "Stop staring at me."

"Okay, okay. I was just looking at the prettiest woman I know putting on eye shadow. Geez."

"Women like to be admired, but not while they're doing their make-up."

"I understand," I concede. I lean against the car and look up into the night. One thing California is not known for is its skies. There aren't many stars that aren’t covered by cloud or smog.

When I turn back to Neoni, she is ready. I hold the door for her, then close and lock it after her.

"Ready to hit that dance floor again?" I ask, taking her hand.

"Maybe." She pulls her hand away and begins to run toward The Roadhouse. Over her shoulder she calls, “come on.”

I ran too.

She precedes me inside where everyone is getting drunk and making asses of themselves.

We survey the mass of people on the dance floor. "Let's just wait until some of them pass out, okay?"

"Sure," I say. We find our table vacant, near the dance floor, but the drinks we’d left there are gone.

“Beer or wine,” I ask.

“Beer,” she replies.

I get us a couple of beers and we go back out and sit on the front steps.

"I didn't see Charlie," I say.

"Mmmmm," she replies.

"Did you?" I ask.

She looks at me. "No, I didn't really look for him."

"He's probably in there blowing his own horn."

She laughs heartily. "Yeah, maybe, but he doesn't blow it very well."

I laugh too, but as if she realizes what she just said, she quickly stops. We lapse into silence.

Sipping my beer, I look at her. She sips too and then looks at me.

Finally, I go for it. "Look, Neoni, I know you're having me to dinner tomorrow night, but I'd really like to see your shop too. Maybe I could buy you lunch on Monday. I'd like to see some of your creations your dresses."

She cheers up then. "And belts, and shoes, and hats, and purses. I'd be happy to show them to you," she says.

She looks down into her drink and then, very shyly, she says, "And I'd love to have lunch with you."

"Good," I say. "Want to dance now?"

"Sure," she takes my hand as we stand, then we go back inside, leaving our beer bottles on a table.

The band is playing slow, soft ballads now, one after the other. I hold her close as we move almost in place to the beat. She places her head on my shoulder and molds her body to mine. I start to get an erection, but I can't help it. She leans back and looks up at me. She smiles at me somewhat incredulously, as if thinking, "I can still do that to a man?"

Unembarrassed, I smile down at her. She snuggles back into me and lays her head back on my shoulder. We continue to dance to Misty without saying a word.

Later that night, when Charlie doesn't return and Neoni has become high from the wine, I drive her home in my rental car.

* * * There are no lights burning in the house when we pull up. I shut off the car. We sit in the car for a moment while I glance at her out of the corner of my eye. I turn to her, stretch out my hand to her.

Without a word she turns to me and comes into my arms. I kiss her and continue kissing her for a long time. She is so soft, so yielding. I force her mouth open with my tongue and begin to explore heaven. Her breathing quickens, but she pulls away from me.

"You're nothing like I remember you," she says breathlessly, huskily.

I laugh, breathless too. "Neither are you. You're better."

I kiss her again before asking, "Where the hell is Charlie anyway?"

She pulls away, shrugs in the dim interior of the car. "Playing cards, with a woman, who knows?"

"I'm so sorry, Neoni," I say.

"It's the way of married life or so I'm told by my married friends."

"It shouldn't be that way," I say to her.

"Yeah," she says, then, "I always remembered you as a stuck-up jock!"

"I always remembered you as the skinny, sophomoric, Asian stuck up little girl."

We laugh together. "I'm not a jock anymore and I'm not stuck-up either," I say.

"And I'm not skinny anymore, I'm not a little girl, and I’m not stuck up either," she responds.

"I really like you, Neoni," I tell her.

The laughter ends and she smiles and stretches up to peck me on the cheek. She pulls away too soon and turns to the car door.

My mind is crying out "no, don't go!"

After a moment, her hand clutching the door handle, she looks back at me. "Want to come in for a nightcap?"

I couldn't help laughing at that. "Maybe something non-alcoholic?"

"Come on!" Laughing, she opens her door and runs into the house like a child at play.

I quickly follow as she opens the door to her house. She flips a switch and soft lights come on in the living room. We enter their house, which is one of those 80's models that you have to work really hard to get character into. Neoni has done it beautifully. I recognize her designer touches everywhere. I wonder what she could do to my loft.

I follow her into the kitchen, where she switches on another soft light over the cooking area. There isn't anything special about the kitchen except an island eating area, which is approximately table height. The rest of the counters are taller.

She moves to the cabinet and gets two glasses. She crosses to the refrigerator and fills them both with orange juice.

She hands me one, “Okay?”

“Sure,” I say.

She turns from me and crosses to the counter top, placing her glass of juice on the flat surface. . Facing away from me, she looks out the window at the backyard and the trees beyond.

Standing there, just looking at her turned away from me, my heart is beating so rapidly it is making me anticipate something I am afraid will not happen. I’m alone in their house with the object of my affection. I want her.

No question. Do I take her now? Will she let me? Can I do this to my friend Charlie? But, then, is he really a friend. I am confused, anxious, and I’m frightened that I am falling in love and it may not be possible. In the end, I do what lovers always do.

I approach her. I place my glass on the countertop near hers and wrap my arms around her. Her silken dress is still sticking to her body from the dancing. It is soft and damp in my hands. My hands touching her feel hot.

She arches against me whether from pleasure or fear I don't know, but I push ahead. I’ve gone this far, too far by most standards, but there is no turning back now.

I place one hand over the bodice of her dress, caressing her breast through the cloth and the other on her mons. Her mons is radiating heat. I must have her. I push her dress between her legs with the other hand and I feel her open them slightly for me. My fingers search for her clitoris, and they find a hardened nub, distended, and throbbing.

"I've never done this before," she rasps almost to herself.

I press myself against her buttocks, my penis like steel.

She presses back against me and this time, I know she isn't trying to get away. I know she wants me as much as I want her.

I turn her around and kiss her hard. I think I could kiss her all night, her mouth is soft, so full of promise. This time, she opens her mouth for me. Without any effort on my part, her lips open and mold themselves to mine. My tongue enters her mouth and it is a deep, dark haven I can easily get lost in forever.

As gently as I can, I pull her closer against me. The heat of our bodies is a caldron ready to boil over. She moans into my mouth and I moan back.

I begin unbuttoning the buttons running down the front of her dress, and as she leans back to accommodate me, I open it to her waist, exposing her lacy bra. Flicking open the front clasp, I free her large breasts and bury my face in magnificent flesh. The nipples are soft, pink, against the paleness of her skin. I capture one nipple between my lips and suck it until I feel it harden. Then I do the same to the other breast. When I finish, I take her nipples between my fingers and rub them lightly while I look into her eyes. They look lost in space, but they are looking back at me just the same.

I kiss her again, exploring, finding. She moans again and closes her eyes.

She isn't as light as I expect, but I easily lift her onto the island counter. She is an irresistible handful. Once sitting on the counter, she opens her eyes and kicks off her shoes. She lifts her skirt out of the way and reveals her lace panties. Placing her hands behind her on the counter top, she raises her hips so I can pull her panties away from her upper thighs.

My eyes lock onto her dark bush as I slip her panties down her long legs, past her delicate ankles, and drop them on the floor. When I look up at her face, I see her neck has reddened and she is panting almost as heavily as I am.

While I unzip myself, I watch the moonlight streaming through the kitchen window caress her naked flesh. She lowers her buttocks back onto the counter, looking at me with lust in her eyes. I let my pants fall around my ankles.