We had Our Time

"'I loved you all the summer through

I thought I'd found my dream in you

For me you were the one

But that was yesterday and yesterday's gone...'"

Sure, he could wait until Whitney returned to Pennsylvania. Not that he had much choice. But damn, he missed her so. She missed him, too, she said, but he'd feel like an intruder going to Orlando. Her girlfriends were nice, but he figured there'd be only so much intrusion they'd tolerate.

He began to launch into the second verse when his cell went off. Whitney again.

"Whitney, hi, I was just thinking--″

"No Chad, it's Jasmine. I'm calling on Whitney's phone because mine is recharging. She's downstairs in the snack bar. Look, she really misses you."

"And I really miss her."

"I'm sure you do. So, is there any way you can extend your vacation, come to Orlando and surprise her? The Hyatt Regency Grand has vacancies. She'll be thrilled."

He couldn't believe this. "You and Sarah wouldn't mind?"

"Mind? We're tired of hearing how much she misses you. It would be a relief." She laughed.

"Oh, come on."

"Honestly, Chad, this is no joke. Now look, we want this to be a surprise. So let's coordinate. If you can make reservations, and then be here tomorrow morning at around nine, we'll still be in the room. Knock, I'll answer the door. If you can't make it, call me on my phone." He keyed in her cell and room number.

His blues vanished like smoke into thin air. Can't make it? Not an option. He wasted no time in calling Southwest Airlines to book another flight, then called Enterprise to extend his car rental, then called the Hyatt to book a stay for three nights. The price was affordable split three-ways per the way Whitney and her friends were doing. For Chad, it wasn't cheap but not exorbitant either considering the amenities. He knew his room wouldn't be ready until around two, but he wasn't worried. There'd be plenty to do between nine and then.

Surreal. Just when he thought the fun and excitement was over for a while, he gets this call that tells him otherwise. He could barely sleep. Just as well, he knew Orlando was about two and a half hours away.

He got up early, packed up his stuff and then checked out. He set his GPS, then drove off just past six. No breakfast, but then he wasn't hungry at this time of the day. That rush of excitement he felt before seeing Whitney the older had returned as he drove north on I-95, then west on route 528., heading for One Grand Cypress Boulevard.

And there it was, this grand pile of a hotel. It was close to twenty stories high, surrounded by palm trees and situated next to a man-made lagoon. From his online search, he knew it included all the amenities anyone would want--a resort within a resort.

He left his luggage in the trunk, then went to the lobby to check-in. It was ten minutes to nine, almost perfect timing. Heart racing, he took the elevator to the sixth floor and stepped down a carpeted hallway. After a few moments of hesitation, he knocked.

"I'll get it," he heard from inside. It was Jasmine. She opened the door, still in her PJs, greeting Chad with a huge grin. "So glad you made it," she whispered.

She scooted him to the side, away from the entrance. Then she turned and announced, "Whitney, there's a guy out here saying you ordered room service."

"Room service? Not me."

"Well, he says it's for you. Better come here." Jasmine moved out of the way.

Chad could hear her step toward the door.

"Room service, I didn't--″ Whitney froze in her tracks, mouth agape, hands against her head. "Ohmygod!"

Chad, standing there in his khaki shorts, blue short-sleeve and cross trainers, tried to keep a straight face. "You mean you didn't order room service?"

Whitney began to laugh, then cried. Chad took her into his arms. They hugged and kissed, standing in the hall, while Jasmine and Sarah stood by the door, emotional as well.

Moments later, they were all inside the room, telling Whitney how it went down. She and Chad sat on a sofa, arms around each other. Jasmine and Sarah sat cross-legged on one of the two queen-sized beds. "I'm strumming my guitar," Chad explained, "depressed about going home the next day and thinking how much I missed you. Then Jasmine calls, tells me to be here around nine. So then I scramble, make calls to extend my stay, including making reservations here."

Whitney, in pink PJs, turned her head to kiss him. Then she said, "I hope that means I'll be staying with you for those three nights."

"Only if you want to," Sarah said, tongue-in-cheek.

"No, not much," Whitney said. Looking at Jasmine and Sarah, she added, "You guys are the best. I hope you're not jealous."

"Terribly jealous. But we'll get over it," Jasmine said.

*****

'If things work out, maybe this will be yours and Whitney's time,' Whitney Lyons had told Chad. Perhaps it was too early to tell. Still, with every passing hour over the next few days, her words rang true enough.

They did Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios and water parks. They relaxed by the hotel pool with Jasmine and Sarah. By request, Chad played his guitar. In between, he and Whitney made love like two people who were falling in love. Even in his middle-age, when the youthful sense of wonder begins to fade, he felt he was living in a magical time in a magical place, thanks to this amazing girl.

On the flight home, gazing out the window at the billowing clouds, he wondered how things would play out once she returned from Florida. He was right; these types of romances, as a rule, had a short shelf-life. Was 'yesterday gone...over and done,' as the song went? Or would there be more tomorrows?