The Convertible - Time of My Life

I never saw him again after that, but over a two-year period I'd get postcards from him at various cruise ship ports of call - Aruba, Montego Bay, Montserrat, Barbados, Jamaica, the Virgin Islands -- they made nice decorations for my cubicle. There was always a little note from him, letting me know about his promotions, and thanking me for giving him an opportunity.

His notes were almost like sentimental seeds, planted so I'd keep him in my heart.

They eventually stopped coming, though, and the memories faded.

After my father died, five weeks later I was surprised to receive a hand-written sympathy card from him. He wrote that he'd heard about it by phone from another former parolee and apologized for the card being so late. He'd had to wait to mail it until the ship docked in St. John's so he could get to a local post office. That was 2 years ago, and I never heard from him after that.

Sometimes, walking through the tourist traps in Times Square I'd see a postcard rack and think of Jeremy and regretted him not being able to go to dinner that night.

++++++++++

My mom passed from heart failure five years ago, then my Dad passed three years later. This left me with my Dad's sister, my Filipina Tia, Maria Regina Ochoa King as my closest relative and my emotional touchstone.

She was now a 52-year-old childless widow, having married a wealthy American businessman, Arthur King, back in 1986; after they married, he'd brought her to live here in the US. Twelve years older than Tia Maria Regina, Uncle Arthur was nonetheless very handsome. (Sadly, Uncle Arthur was taken by colon cancer not long after I graduated college.)

Because of his job Arthur travelled frequently on business, leaving Tia quite lonely when he did. It was her idea that my parents leave Zamboanga City and relocate to the New York area. That way she'd have family close by, and my father would have plenty of opportunities as a Cost Manager in the construction industry. I was born not long after they came to the US. As I grew up, Maria Regina and I got to know each other well and became as thick as thieves. I often felt closer to her than to my own mother, Rosario.

Rosario was a shy and demure woman, always very deferential to my father, but Tia Maria Regina was none of that. The oldest child of seven, she'd always been the loudest of Dad's siblings; everything Maria Regina did in life - argue, cry, cheer, or laugh -- was at full volume.

As a teenager I'd stayed at Tia's house a few times when my folks travelled back to visit Zamboanga City, and it came as a bit of a shock to my young ears that when Tia Maria Regina made love with Uncle Arthur -- and this was at least three times a week or more - she did THAT loudly as well. It was no wonder he was constantly being affectionate with her; he couldn't seem to even pass her in the hallway without giving her a kiss or a pat on her bottom.

Uncle Arthur was a perpetually cheerful man, and I'm convinced having Tia Maria Regina as his wife had a great deal to do with that. In contrast, while my father Paulo certainly loved my mother, as a conservative Filipino he was not overtly affectionate and expected her to completely devote herself to home and family.

Maria Regina's Arthur, on the other hand, constantly encouraged her to explore new things. The servants could take care of the house and cooking; whatever Maria Regina wanted to do, like getting her private pilot's license or becoming a competitive skeet shooter, Uncle Arthur gladly paid for, taking great pride in her every accomplishment.

Our routine these days was every Sunday I'd take her to church, and then we'd go to brunch afterwards to get caught up on the week's news and gossip. When I told her I'd started dating Alejandro and showed her a picture of him on my phone, she became so animated I thought she'd fly out of her chair, she was so delighted!

"Araceli, every day for the last ten years I've been praying for you to find love! At last my prayers have been answered, and with a younger man, too! This is wonderful news!" She jumped up, pulled me out of my chair and hugged me. Then she became quite very serious. "But we have so much to do! Let me pay the waiter, then take me to your apartment!"

When we got to my place, Tia asked me to show her my closet. I opened it and there it was, all slacks and dress shirts, all business. Sensible work shoes with flat soles. A track suit and sneakers for when I exercised. That was it. Zero high heels, no pretty skirts or blouses, no evening dresses, nothing that could be considered cute or frilly.

Tia 'tsk-tsked' her disapproval and scolded me, "Heavens, Araceli, this will never do. Growing up you used to wear the nicest dresses, then you went away to college and now you have nothing! What happened to you? You dress like a common street urchin! Now, show me your underwear drawer."

I opened it for her. She scowled and held up some of my panties; they were high waisted cotton panties, comfortable but plain. "Aye, sobrina! You're only 33, why do you wear the panties of a 70-year-old woman? If I'd worn these, Arthur would never have touched me!" Then she lowered her voice conspiratorially, "The secret to a good relationship is dressing to entice your man to the point where he constantly wants to touch you. You may not have noticed, but when Arthur was alive, he couldn't keep his hands off me!" She giggled, shivering with delight at the memory.

I felt myself blushing at this confession and mumbled, "Yes, Tia, I was a hormone-filled teenager, believe me, I noticed that Arthur... loved you very much."

She smiled to herself, then refocused; reaching into the drawer, she pulled out my sports bras in one hand and my plain cotton bras in the other, sighing in disappointment. "Araceli, what are you thinking? You absolutely cannot put those million-dollar breasts in a twenty-dollar bra, my dear. No, no,no, no! We need to fix this!"

Having spoken her mind, Tia took me by the hand; we took a taxi straight to the Midtown's 57th Street shopping district in New York.

For the next four hours Tia took me shopping, which translated to her picking clothes for me as is if I were a life-size doll. Not that I would ever complain, her sense of taste and style were lightyears ahead of my own. She bought a half-dozen evening outfits for me, plus a few fashionable blouses and skirts that I could mix and match. Next came a couple of purses, which were a mystery to me since I'd been using a backpack to carry my wallet and hairbrush for the last 10 years.

From there it was off to a trendy lingerie shop, where she chose several matched sets of panties and bras for me, plus a red-laced babydoll nightie and a sheer black lace bodysuit. "Tia, I've only kissed Alejandro, I really don't need these," I whispered, embarrassed to admit it in front of the young store clerk.

Tia, looked at me sternly, "Araceli, listen to me - you need to plan ahead! To properly seduce a man takes preparation and forethought. You don't throw on a old t-shirt and a pair of granny panties and then tell him to come and get it. That may work once or twice, but it quickly grows stale. Me, I had an entire arsenal of lingerie, and I worked hard to keep your Uncle Arthur in, well, let's call it a constant state of anticipation. Believe me, I gave him plenty of variety - he never got tired of me." She chuckled, then gave a sad sigh, and said "OK, enough reminiscing, let's get you to the salon!"

The salon, a place called 'Questo! Questo!' on 57th Street was a little intimidating. All the hairdressers and their clients were under 30, beautiful and trendy, dressed in the latest styles. Here I was, 33, straight-haired and frumpy. I felt like a barnyard hen amongst a bevy of swans.

I heard a man's voice shout, "Madame Maria Regina! How good to see you!"

Tia turned towards the man, a tall blonde man with sparkling eyeglass frames, a silk shirt and pants that looked like they were painted on. "Hello, Louis," she replied back, "This is my darling niece Araceli, she's like a daughter to me. She's a natural beauty but needs some enhancement. Can you help?"

"Madame Maria Regina, I will see to her personally," he announced with pride. Louis's help resulted in what he described as 'a pixie cut in stacked layers that form a tapered shape and chocolate highlights'. I wasn't sure what all that meant, but I DID know I looked fantastic!

As we walked out of the Salon I admitted, "Tia, you were right about my hair -- as usual," I told her, "I don't think I've ever looked this good. Thank you!" I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

Tia patted my face, "You're welcome, dear. If this boyfriend of yours doesn't sit up and take notice, check his pulse because he might be dead."

On the limo ride home, it occurred to me that now I was no longer a parole officer, I didn't need to go find another job right away! Having lived ten long years with pretty much no social life, I had quite a bit of money saved up. It was time to spend some; I'd been kicking around an idea for a vacation, and who would be more fun to travel with than Tia?

"You know, Tia, I've always loved the movie Dirty Dancing. It was filmed at the Mountain Lake Lodge in Virginia, about 250 miles from here. When the weather gets nicer, like late May, wouldn't it be fun if the two of us booked a cabin for a week like they did in the movie? We could drive down there in my Triumph. On their website it says they offer dance lessons; I could sure use some, and you could take them with me and pretend like you were learning! It'll be fun, what do you think?"

I was certain this was music to her ears; Tia was an accomplished ballroom dancer; when Uncle Arthur was still alive, the two of them had won some local dancing contests in Hoboken. She grinned and clapped her beautifully manicured hands. "Araceli, that sounds like a marvelous idea! Let's do it!"

Her tone turned a little more serious. "Maybe you should invite Alejandro to come up for a few days while we're there, get him to loosen up a little. I know he's your boyfriend, but he needs surgery to get that stick out of his butt, mi sobrina." We both laughed.

I agreed, "Yes, Tia, Alejandro has been more than a little edgy lately. We've been dating for a couple of months now, and he's been strongly insinuating that he wants to do more than kiss. I'm just not to the point I feel ready for it yet."

Tia shook her head in agreement, "I can't blame him of course, you're gorgeous Araceli, but your young man needs to remember Ochoa girls are proud Zamboangueñas, not common barmaids. Our passion must be earned, but when it is, we make the pleasure worth the pain of waiting; we don't spread our legs for just anyone, now do we?"

I laughed, "No, Tia, we do not!"

"Damned right," she replied back, "Before your man can taste the wine, he's got to tend the vineyard!"

++++++++++

Alejandro and I had started seeing each other regularly after I'd given my resignation notice. I certainly enjoyed his company; he was polite and respectful, never making crude remarks in front of me like most make cops do. If Alejandro was like that, he did a good job of hiding it, which I appreciated.

We kissed a lot, and I let him caress me with those big hands -- they felt wonderful. I'd even allowed him to undo my bra, cup my breasts, and rub his wonderful fingers across my nipples. Things would get pretty heated, but I would always put a stop to it before we crossed the line; I just wasn't ready to sleep with him.

If Alejandro was truly going to be my 'settle down' guy, I wanted our first time to be really special, not some teenage fumbling in the backseat of his Geo Metro. I felt a little guilty when he'd get all worked up, but he was hardly alone; my hormones were as active as his. I just felt like something was missing - getting naked with him didn't feel right yet.

One day, I decided it was time to introduce Alejandro to my Triumph. I had it stored in a rented garage not far from my apartment. I called him and let him know I was bringing a treat; firing it up, I drove it to his place. He came out and saw the TR2, was amazed at what great shape it was in.

I asked a passing mail carrier to take a picture of the two of us with it and emailed it to the former owner Jacob Leopold, just to show him and Arianna that the car remained in good shape. I also wrote "Me and Alejandro, mi nuevo amor!" in hopes it was true. We certainly had fun riding around in it that day, (it's a TR2, how could you NOT?) but as small and spartan as it was, getting frisky with Alejandro in it was clearly out of the question.

++++++++++

Philippine courtships are conservative in nature, even for Filipinos and Filipinas in the United States. A suitor is measured on his being a gentleman, ability to respect her family and willingness to take care of his love. If our relationship was going to go anywhere, in lieu of meeting my parents Alejandro definitely needed to meet Tia!

I set up a Sunday brunch after church for the three of us. We met at the New Amsterdam Pancake Factory, the newest and trendiest brunch place in Hudson County, New Jersey. We arrived early and secured a table; arriving after Tia would be extremely disrespectful.

Tia walked in right on time, spotting us right away. She was dressed in a beautiful red silk dress printed with a sophisticated flower design, high necked but translucent and flowing to give a teasing hint at her fabulous figure. She was also wearing sunglasses with red lenses that matched the dress perfectly, as did her designer pumps. I was her niece, but she took even my breath away!

As Tia approached the table, Alejandro's instincts kicked in just in time. He jumped up and pulled her chair back for her; had he not done that he would have been just another piece of toast on the buffet. We ordered off the prix-fixe menu, Alejandro having the South Jersey Breakfast Skillet, I had the Creme Brulee French Toast, and Tia chose the Monte Cristo Benedict. Mimosas were served all around.

We engaged in polite small talk, and I thought it was going well until Tia's protective nature showed itself. Sitting upright with perfect posture, Tia began to lecture Alejandro.

"Since you're dating my little sobrina, Alejandro, I wanted you to be aware that although you may have heard Filipina women make perfect wives, the history of Philippine society is very matriarchal. Before the Spanish colonizers arrived, women knew power; they owned property, ruled entire tribes and even went into battle, but no man would ever think of them as anything but fully feminine. Tread lightly with my niece's heart, amigo. When you win a Filipina woman's love you may expect the music of love to be a harp, but you're getting the whole orchestra. ¿Entiendes?"

"¡Sí, Tía, mucho!" Alejandro seemed to comprehend both Tia's words, and their intensity as well.

Looking at her watch, Maria Regina apologized for leaving but needed to be elsewhere. With a stylish spin, she grabbed her purse and was on her way.

With Tia now departed, Alejandro turned to me and remarked, "Wow. Everything about your aunt is pretty intense. She's gorgeous, but man, she's a shark in heels if ever I met one."

I smiled; "Yes, she is intense. She's the one who taught me how to handle a firearm. She used to compete in skeet shooting tournaments, so when she found out I was pursuing Criminal Justice as a major, she took me through a gun safety course and then every weekend to the local firing range until I was good enough to meet HER standards. When I went through the police certification courses, I aced them because her accuracy requirements were tougher."

I took a chance and turned on the charm, "Now that you've met her, I have a proposal for you," I said, using my sweetest seductive voice, "in a few weeks, Tia and I are going to stay at a resort in Virginia, the Mountain Lake Lodge. We'll be renting a two-bedroom cabin and taking dancing lessons all week. What would you think about taking some time off and coming up with us? You could relax, sleep in, do a little fishing and maybe even take a dance lesson or two. Pleeeeeease?"

To hammer home the point, I ran my finger along his chin line and I stuck my lower lip out like a pouty bad girl. This was totally out of character for me, but I was trying to be alluring.

My boyfriend's reaction left me cold; "Oh, um, I don't know, babe. It's opening day for the baseball next week and my fantasy baseball league will be starting up. I'd hate to miss the start of the season. Besides, I suck at dancing."

Now my blood began to boil. I'd just introduced him to my most important family member, invited him on a mini-vacation where it was entirely possible that we'd be sleeping in the same bed, and he was clueless; I was basically signaling my willingness to give him my body, something he'd been whining that he wanted for two months, and he was refusing me!

Unless Hell froze over or Alejandro somehow managed to do the most romantic thing since the invention of romance itself, when I got back from Mountain Lake Lodge he'd find his name listed in my diary under the heading "Dumbass Ex-Boyfriends".

The day finally came when it was time to leave on our trip. Alejandro and I had gone out on a few more dates after he'd declined my invitation, dinner and a movie, things like that, but he seemed preoccupied and wasn't particularly good company. I imagine he was still determined to get into my pants, but I was just as determined not to let him. It was going to take more than a handsome face and being a good kisser to take that next step, and so far, he had definitely fallen short.

I picked up Tia and loaded up her bags. My bag was a fairly small one and fit in the Triumph's trunk; her first small bag fit in next to it, however she also had a second large trunk that we had to strap down on the car's rear luggage rack. Once that was squared away, I turned the key, shifted it into gear, and we two Filipina queens were headed west on Interstate 95 towards Pembroke, Virginia.

The weather was still a little cool, so we kept the top up and the side curtains in place. Over the engine noise, Tia remarked "This car's a little noisy inside."

I nodded my head, "Yeah, it's a true sports car, made for performance, not comfort."

As I downshifted on an incline I mentioned, "You know, the previous owner told me this car was charmed. It supposed to make the owner lucky in love or something like that."

Tia laughed, "Well, hopefully this little vacation of ours puts it to the test!"

We made good time, arriving just as the mid-day meal was being served on the patio. Suddenly I heard a voice from my past.

"Officer Ochoa! Is it really you?" I stood and turned around, and there stood Jeremy, replete in his white kitchen uniform, with a chef's toque on his head tilted at a jaunty-but-cute angle.

"JEREMY!" I cried, delightfully surprised, "What are you doing HERE of all places? I thought you were working on that cruise line!"

"I finally quit! After years of being on the water, I got tired of it, wanted to work on dry land again. A shipboard friend of mine got a job here, and he recommended me!"

Seeing Jeremy again lit a little fire inside me. I hadn't realized how much I missed him, but I was certainly overjoyed to see him now! "We're staying here for three weeks so we need to catch up when you're not working! By the way, I retired from being a probation officer, so no need to call me 'Officer' any longer, just please call me Araceli!"

Tia held up her hand. "How do you do? I'm Araceli's aunt, Maria Regina King.

He shook it, "Delighted to meet you, Maria Regina, I can see beauty runs in your family!"

Tia laughed, "That line is as old as I am, Jeremy. However, after all these years it's still flattering. Thank you!"