Danny, short for Daniela stepped out of the rear seat of her Cadillac that pulled in to the entry court of the old Townsend house. She was dressed in a modern interpretation of a 1920's flapper dress. Several cars were unloading with people rushing to enter the party. Danny was attending what the invitation said was a night in Old Havana.
It was a charity event sponsored by a rum distiller and a Cuban cigar company. Many things changed when President Margaret Patterson finally signed the legislation eliminating the final embargo of Cuba and all relations were normalized. The event organizers rented the old house in the Bayou Oaks area of the city for their event. Bayou Oaks was full of stately homes built in the 1920s for the area's oil and gas barons. Ray Townsend, founder of Fleet Oil built the house in the 1930s but the descendants moved out. Since then it was being used as a location for parties. It sat on a large lot on an empty street.
Danny moved to the reception area and surrendered her ticket and was handed a satchel of poker chips of varying denominations. She would use them for tips and to purchase things not included. Danny was supposed to be with her significant other David Porter but he was called away on a business trip so she was flying solo. She walked through the reception hall on her way to the pool area when a waiter passed with a tray of daiquiris. She picked a glass off the tray when it was offered to her. These were not the icy slushies' from college but real daiquiris straight and in a proper cocktail glass. She downed the drink in almost one swallow and handed the glass back to the waiter and took another drink from his tray.
Out in the patio/pool area she smelled the cigar smoke as both the women and men were tasting the company's products. There were several large tables scattered around the pool and she found a table occupied by a couple. She sat down across from them and exchanged greetings. A waiter came by and enquired if she wanted another drink. "Strawberry daiquiris with aged rum." The waiter left and was back with in ten minutes with her drink. It was in a tall glass with ice. It tasted good going down. In the background there was a band playing Afro-Cuban music with several couples dancing adding to the atmosphere of the party.
A young woman approached and put the humidor she was carrying on the table. She displayed the contents inviting those at the table to take a cigar. She explained the kinds of cigars she had. She noted that the cigars that were long and fat would draw slowly and would display the flavor of the tobacco. As the woman suggested Danny picked a long thick cigar the woman handed her a cutter and she nipped the end off. Danny held the cigar in her lips while the woman held a torch against the end and after a few puffs the cigar was lit. Danny reached in to her pouch and handed the woman a five-dollar chip. There was a flash as a photographer snapped a photo of her just as she was taking a puff on her cigar. She struck several poses and allowed the photographer to take several pictures. She got the woman's business card so she could get prints.
A tall man walked by but she recognized his rear having seen it unclothed several times. "George are you looking for someone?" said Danny taking another drag of her cigar.
The man turned and leaned down and kissed Danny's cheek "I am looking for you darling. David said that you would be here."
"And where is Beverly?" asked Danny
"Possible in bed with David as they were both sent to that meeting in New York," said George.
"So your saying that our significant others are banging each other on the same business trip," said Danny.
George signaled another woman with a humidor and selected the same cigar that Danny was smoking. After getting it started he took a large drag and released a large cloud of smoke.
Danny and David were in a committed relationship going on three years. George and Beverly were also in a committed relationship. The two couples had shared several vacations together. David and Beverly worked in the same advertising agency, which is how the couples met. Danny was a bank Sr. vice president and George ran a media production shop.
A waiter came by with a tray of daiquiris and George took one and Danny pointed at the glass that was in front of her. She also took another drag from the cigar. Another waiter returned with the new Strawberry daiquiri. With the glass in her hand Danny rose and George followed they walked around the pool sipping their drinks and smoking their cigars. The band continued to play and then came to the end of a set. A man came to the microphone and identified himself as the Vice President of sales for the rum company. He welcomed folks and explained about the poker chips and mentioned the silent auction for boxes of cigars cases of rum and a painting from a Cuban American artist.
George took Danny's hand as they toured the auction tent. She wrote several bids not expecting to win. They went into the sponsor tent and Danny took about five sample cigars for David and for her.
Danny disposed of the cigar and they both continued to walk around the party. They ran into some friends and stopped and talked but then moved on. Danny grabbed another daiquiri and sipped it slowly. Waiters were distributing different finger foods and they sampled those.
"So it is your opinion that David and Beverly are making love in New York, What do you think that we should do about that?" asked Danny who was lighting another cigar.
"You and I are smart we can figure something out?" replied George.
In the background someone was saying that the auction was closing. Danny got up and went to the auction tent and scribbled several new bids and dropped them in the box. She returned to the table after stopping by the ladies room. She was sitting down as they began announcing the winners. "For a winning bid of $200.00 Daniela Masters wins two boxes of El Presidente Cigars.
George and Danny erupted in joy. The MC finished announcing the winners and told everyone that they could pay and pick up their prizes as they left.
"So whose house are we going to end up in yours or mine," said Danny.
"No one's house, I have reservations at the Twin Oak Lodge," said George as he showed her the key card.
"So you thought I was going to be that easy," said Danny.
"I never thought you would be easy, darling. I just thought that you would not want to go home alone," said George.
She rose from the table and walked back to the sponsor tent; with the remaining poker chips she purchased another box of the cigars she won. She found George and kissed him and whispered to come. George rose and grabbed her arm and walked back to the entrance. Danny whipped out a credit card and paid her bid and received her prize.
They walked out and found Danny's Cadillac. The driver held the door for them and George assisted Danny in to the car. He handed the driver a slip of paper with directions to the Twin Oaks Lodge. The woman started driving and merged into traffic.
Danny moved her hand up and down George's leg and finally came to rest on his crotch and was happy to find it almost at attention. "I did not see your Mercedes, how were you going to get home if you and I did not hook up?"
"I would have taken a cab" replied George.
"Did you know that I was going to accept your invitation?" asked Danny.
"I had a good idea," said George.
