The Date

Vince knocked at Jen's door wearing his Sunday's finest. When she answered it, his breath was taken away by the vision of her in a long, black strapless evening gown. He took her hand in his and, looking into her eyes, he raised it slowly to his mouth, and gently kissed it. "You look absolutely radiant tonight," he said. The pics she had posted on her Facebook page did her absolutely no justice.

"As do you," she replied.

He offered her his arm and she took it. He escorted her to the car and held the door open for her. As she was getting in, she asked, "Will you tell me what the plan is for tonight is?"

"Do you trust me?" he responded, smiling.

"Yes, but..."

Shaking his head, Vince interrupted her thought, and said, "All I'm going to say is that tonight is all about you."

About ninety minutes later, they arrived at an intimate restaurant on a beach. The place was dimly lit and crowded. At one of the tables, stood a well dressed man playing a guitar and singing. The maitre d' escorted them to a small circular table out on a deck that was lit by tiki torches. Each table had a candle as a centerpiece. A big, full moon hung just above the the horizon in a high clear sky. It's light was dancing on the water's surface.

Vince held Jen's chair for her as the maitre d' lit the candle. He handed them each a menu. Taking the menu from him, Vince requested for the best bottle of wine the establishment had to offer. "Will that be all?" the maitre d' asked.

"I don't know." Vince looked at Jen and asked, with a smile, "Would you like anything to drink?"

Jen smiled and laughed slightly. He looked at the maitre d' and motioned for him to leave. As the maitre d' walked off, he said something, but Vince was to taken by Jen's beauty, as she looked out at the water, to hear what he said.

"This view is breathtaking."

Vince looked around and said, "It is. But not nearly as breathtaking as you, milady."

Jen smiled shyly, "Why, thank you."

"I love that smile."

Their eyes locked and a moment of tension built. She could see in his eyes that he wanted to kiss her and awkwardly shifted a bit in her chair and broke the moment. "It's a full moon tonight."

"You're safe," Vince chuckled. "I assure you."

"What?" she inquired.

"I won't bite. At least, not hard and then only if you want me to."

She blushed at the thought that ran through her mind.

Vince smiled. "Why are you blushing?"

"Because," she replied, "I may actually let you."

"Ooh"

Her cheeks turned a darker shade of red. "Did I just say that out loud?" she asked.

"I kind of hate to say this but, yeah, you did."

"Oh, my God," she said, slowly, in disbelief as she lifted her menu and sank down behind it.

He overheard her say to herself, "And I didn't even so much as have a glass of wine yet."

Vince laughed half to himself, saying, "It's okay, sweetie."

He then cleared his throat.

"I don't know if this is a good thing or not," he said, tapping on her makeshift hideout, "but I think our wine is on it's way."

She put the menu down and straightened up as the waiter opened the bottle and poured out two glasses of the vintage.

"Are the two of you ready to order yet?"

Vince looked at Jen with a half smile, and, jokingly asked, "Did you put your time behind the menu to good use?"

Jen gave him a funny look and kicked him playfully in the leg and answered in the negative.

After they placed their order, the guitarist came by and asked Jen if she had a request. Jen asked Vince if he would sing her a song. Vince asked the gentleman if he would mind and he said that he didn't.

At that moment, the sky lit up for a brief second as a brilliant streak glided through it. The gentleman asked. "Did you see that?"

Jen said, "That was a beautiful shooting star."

"Spectacular," Vince agreed.

"You need to make a wish," he told them.

Vince stood up.

"I already have," Jen said. She looked up at Vince and asked him if he had. Vince responded by whispering something into the guitarist's ear. The man nodded his head and strummed a chord.

Vince looked into Jen's eyes, took her hand in his, and sang. His voice was velvety as he sang about how his wish came true when he met her. She lowered her head and turned it slightly, blushing. He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers and as she looked back at him. He went on about how he searched his whole life for her. Pulling her to her feet, held her close and continued on with the song. He finished it up by stating about how he "found true love at last".

They stood there, within an inch of each other, gazing into each others eyes, as the last chord was strummed. Electricity charging through them. The tension building between them again. They both pulled back at the same time and then Jen nervously stammered, "I need to go powder my nose." She started off and then came back, grabbed her pocketbook and hurriedly said, "I forgot this." As she went off the guitar player asked, "Your first date?"

"Yeah, kind of..."

Oh, my God, Jen thought as she entered the ladies' room. I must be losing it. No guy ever made her feel the way she was feeling at that moment since her days in high school. That was twenty-five plus years ago. She cringed, slightly, at that thought.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look her age. She was forty-four but could pass herself off for thirty-four without a problem if she wanted to. Which was exactly how old she was when her world came crashing down around her. Her husband, the man who she had devoted herself to for thirteen year, dumped her for another "woman". He left her with a ten- and twelve-year-old to raise on her own. And raised them she did.

She had to take on a second job to make ends meet which put a big damper on her social life. Not that she had any difficulties in getting dates. She just didn't have the time. And, after a handful of blind dates that her girlfriends set her up on and another handful of online dating service disasters, she found, quite frankly, she ran out of interest.

They were all after one thing. She was worth more than that and she knew it. So, she decided to devote all of her time and channel her energy into raising her daughter and son. But now, with her daughter having a husband and baby of her own and her son being away at college for the past two years, she was finding herself all alone and lonely. That's where she was at mentally when she saw the friend request from Vince on her Facebook

She didn't know how to take it at first. Unlike all the other guys who had sent her friend requests, Vince had nothing in his introduction note about how "hot" she looked. The only thing he wrote was that he noticed when he was on her page how much they had in common and that he would like to get to know her better. So, she added him to her "chamber of torture".

Her best friend, Chandra, jokingly came up with that title. Jen figured she had a good point because all she ever did was flirt with the "men" unmercifully. Leaving them suggestive comments and messages. Hell, why not toy with them, she thought. Based on the way the men in her life treated her, she figured that all guys wanted to do was play games anyway. So, she thought, she would do just that. Play with them.

It would never fail, they would last, on average, two months before they would start begging her for her phone number. That's when she would cut them off at their knees. Her girlfriend said she was a "damn good cock tease". But she objected, vehemently, saying that she wasn't "cock teasing...just teasing big dicks".

But Vince?

Vince was proving himself to be different from the rest of the guys on her wall from the very beginning. When she logged back onto her page the evening after she approved his request, she noticed he had left her a flirty comment saying: "Thanks for the ass...I mean add" and a message.

The message's subject line read: "GOOD MORNING". In the body itself, he simply wished her a pleasant day and again expressed his wish to get to know her better.

She saw that he was online and she found herself bored and a bit curious and wasn't really in the mood to "play" with her "victims", as Chandra liked to call them. So she sent him an IM invite.

She typed, "hey". And waited. As she was just about to turn off her computer, Vince responded:

vince: hey there...how was your day?

Jenny1975: it was nice thx

vince: cool

Jenny1975: urs?

Vince: well?

it was a day let's put it that way

Jenny1975: o...k

vince: so whatcha up to?

Jenny1975: nm...just bored

lol

only my first day of vacay

vince: well that sucks

Jen sat there looking at her monitor screen wondering why Vince's friend request introduction played on her mind so much.

vince: you still there?

Jenny1975: yeah...lol

vince: you ok?

Jenny1975: yeah...just thinking

vince: 'bout?

Jenny1975: UGH!!!

can I ask u a?

` w/o it upsetting u?

vince: sure...shoot

Jenny1975: u aren't a girl r u?

Lol

og...i'm SO sorry

vince: well...when I got out of the shower 2 hours ago, I was all man :D

lol

y u ask?

Jenny1975: wow

u r different ☺♥

vince: i take it that that's good

Jenny1975: oh yeah ☺

just not used to it that's all

i'm kinda use to men making comments on my looks when they

befriend me

vince: well if it makes you feel any better...

Jenny1975: yes?

Vince: I was taken by your pic when I stumbled across ur page

that's what made me scroll down to read ur interests

but it was ur interests alone that made me send the friend request

Jenny1975: np

She went on about her experiences with men.

vince: ahhhh I see

men can be so crass

don't get me wrong...i flirt

but it's no way to make a good first impression though

and I admit I want to impress you :D

Jenny1975: so far, so good ☺

vince: cool :)

The night flew by. But, before it was over, she knew he held a business degree, was five years divorced, had two boys, and currently wasn't working because he was taking care of his ailing mother.

Jen glanced at her watch and did a double take. Damn, she scolded herself, he's going to think I abandoned him. She freshened herself up and left the bathroom.

When she got back out to the deck, Vince was putting his cell phone away. He stood up as she approached the table and got her chair for her. As she sat down, she asked, "Were you calling for a rescue party?"

Vince chuckles, "I was thinking about it."

"I'm sorry it took so long," she said.

"That's okay. It gave me a chance to touch base with my sister and see how mom was doing."

"Oh, is she okay?" Jen asked with concern.

"Yeah, yeah," Vince replied. "She's fine. Just after caring for her for six months, it feels weird not having her around. You know?"

They spent the meal making small talk about their lives, hopes, dreams, and ambitions. Not that there was much left to talk about there. They had known each other for a little over six months. There wasn't much they didn't know about each other already. During lulls in the conversation, Vince thought about how, before Jen came along, he scoffed at the very idea of soulmates. Whereas, he considered himself a romantic, the thought that there was someone out there to truly complete him seemed impossible. It was just a cute little notion, just like the cherub that fluttered around with his little bow and arrow, taking pot shots at unsuspecting couples. But, if the last few months hadn't changed his mind, tonight, as he held her in his arms and sang to her, sure as hell did. And that arrow hurt.

After they were done eating, Vince ordered another bottle of wine while Jen got up and went to the deck railing to look at the moonlight dancing on the water. The waiter refilled their glasses with the fresh bottle of wine. Vince took both glasses and offered one to Jen. She took a sip as Vince slipped an arm around her waist. She interlaced her fingers with his as he took a hit from his glass. He then nuzzled the nape of her neck. She tilted her head giving him access to it and sighed peacefully.

"It really is beautiful," she said, sounding distant.

Vince looked out as he took another small sip of his glass. "Yeah. It is."

Jen reached her hand up and caressed his cheek and he took it kissing it delicately. She laid her head back on his shoulder, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and sighed again. She then turned to face him. A slight breeze kicked up and blew Jen's hair into her face and he brushed it back. Taking advantage of it, he stroked her cheek as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes and said, almost to himself, "You're beautiful."

She looked down, blushed,and silently replied, "Thank you."

Vince put his finger under her chin and lifted her head back up. They looked deep into each other's eyes and, again, felt the electricity. Jen's lips quivered.

As they rode the wave of the moment, they slowly moved their lips closer together. Just as they were about to meet, the wave crashed on the rocks of their waiter's voice. "Would you care for dessert?'

Vince pulled back from Jen and paradise muttering in frustration, "I was just about to get some."

Jen smiled and said she would rather take a walk along the beach. Vince was about to protest when he reminded himself what he said to her earlier. "I did say that tonight was all about you."

"Awe," she replied. "I'll be right back. I promise."

As she walked off, Vince talked to the waiter.

When she returned, Vince was sitting at the table with a small box and a bottle of champagne. "What's all this?" she inquired as she gestured towards the table.

"It's a little something for later."

"What's in the box?"

With an amused look and chuckle, Vince playfully chastised her. "Boy, you're just full of questions." He flirtatiously continued. "Do I need to give that beautiful mouth of yours something else to do?"

"Ooh," she responded, teasingly, "so much for your gentlemanly facade."

He stood up, chuckling, "Let us depart, milady."

He grabbed the box and bottle of champagne and they left.

When they got out to the car, Vince handed Jen the bottle and popped the trunk. In the trunk was a case of water, a light blanket, a heavy quilt, some towels, a little CD player/radio, a guitar, and a duffel bag. Putting the box down in the trunk, he said, offhandedly, "I was a boy scout. I'm always prepared."

"So I see. But a guitar?"

"Well, that's because I was a musically inclined boy scout," he responded with a smile.

He opened the duffel bag and put the box in it.

"I need to get rid of this," Vince said, while undoing his tie. He took it off, threw it in the trunk, and closed it while he undid the top three buttons of his shirt.

"Ooh. Are you going to completely strip?" Jen asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Bet you'd like that?" he jokingly responded.

"You never know."

He unlocked the passenger door and held it open for her. "There you go, sweet stuff."

He smiled and shook his head as he watched her gracefully slip into the seat.

They drove a little way and found a lit parking area with trees on both sides of it. Vince pulled in. He could see small fires burning on the beach with people huddled around them and as he opened up his door, he heard music playing and people having fun.

As Jen met him at the trunk, two guys were stumbling across the parking lot, talking and laughing. Vince kept an eye on them as he popped the trunk and started gathering the stuff together. As the two guys got closer, Vince could smell the sweet undeniable scent of pot. When the two strangers got to Jen and him the first guy stumbled into Vince, spilling some of his cup of beer on the sleeve of Vince's jacket.

"Whoa, dude, I'm lie, so tolly, sorry," he said, apologetically, in a slurred, mellow voice.

"No problem, pal," Vince responded.

Spying the guitar, the second guy said, "Oh, hey, do you play, dude?"

It was painfully obvious that they were both wasted.

"Yeah, a bit."

"So coo," said the first one. "Our band is throwing this party. We're set up in the pavilion down the beach a way. You ought to come n sit in with us."

"Oh, hey, yeah. That would be so coo. What are you into?" asked the second one.

"A lot of different stuff," Vince said.

"Lie?" inquired the first one.

"Elvis, Motley Crue, KISS, the Scorps, Billy Idol..."

The second one interrupted and said, "Oh, hey, classic rock."

Vince said, painfully, "Yeah."

Jen tried to stifle a little giggle.

"Coo," said the first one.

"Thanks. But I'm more of a singer than a guitar player though," Vince said, trying to wiggle his way out of the invite.

"Whoa, heeeeeey," said the first one, "that's, lie, so coo. Lie, Tony, our lead vocalist, is so tolly fried."

"Yeah, he wun't know his ass from a ho' in the ground ight now. Ya know?" the second one volunteered.

"Yeah," said the first one.

"Oww, fuck," screamed the second one, shaking his hand while looking at it, causing the rest of them to jump and more beer to be splashed on Vince's jacket. The first one, again, apologized.

"Here, let me hold that for ya," Vince said, taking the cup from him.

"Oh, coo," he replied, as if he had an epiphany. "Lie, thanx, dude."

"Yeah, no problem."

As the second guy mumbled on continuously about hardly smoking the joint, the first one asked, "So would you croon a few tunes with us?"

"Dude, come on," Vince said. "I'm on a date here."

The fellow looked at Jen who looked at him. "I would love to see you perform."

"Perform for your g-f, dude," the first guy interjected quickly.

"I don't know," Vince said. "It's been a long time since I played with a band backing me and I don't know your material."

"Come on, dude. Lie you would tolly save the party," he said.

Vince looked down at the lively partiers and replied, "Doesn't look like the party needs any salvation."

"C'mon..."

He stood there thinking about it as Jen ran her hand up his arm. He looked at her and she gave him puppy dog eyes that made him melt. He recalled saying that tonight was all about her.

"Do it for me, baby," she cooed.

"Yeah. Do it for your g-f," the guy said.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay. I'll do it," he relented. "I'll sing a few numbers."

The second one mumbled off his train of thought and said in unison with the first one, "Coo, coo."

The first guy then, finally, introduced himself as Jessie, the drummer, and his buddy as James, his guitarist.

Vince returned the favor.

He then handed Jessie's cup back to him and the two strangers started stumbling off towards the front of the car. Vince lowered his head a bit and muttered, half to himself, as he pulled out the duffel bag, CD player, and light blanket, "I hope they play better. Oh, how I hope they play better."

He looked at Jen and said, teasingly, handing her the blanket, "And as for you..."

She took the blanket and draped it over her right arm. "If you do this, I'll, lie, tolly let you bite me anywhere you want," she said, mocking their style, with a mischievous grin and slight giggle.

Vince hoisted the duffel bag over his shoulder and grabbed the CD player.

"Whoa, coo," he responded, while shutting the trunk.

"We can call it 'Karaoke With a Live Band'," Jessie said to James, sweeping his right hand through the air like he was envisioning it in lights. Vince envisioned he was going to be wearing some more of Jessie's beer. He thanked God he was wrong.

"We're ready," he said to them.

"Oh, coo. Follow us, dude,"said Jessie.

"Yeah," said James.

As they were following them down the steps, Jessie looked back towards Vince and continued on about their current situation. "Yeah...so, lie, Tony is all fucked up, dude. When we came up here, he was sitting down there rocking back and forth looking at his hands lie he jus discovered 'um. We've been pumping canned jams through the..."