It's Friday, 7pm and Rebecca is just arriving home. She unlocks the door. As she is shutting and locking the door for the night, she kicks off her shoes and throws her purse and keys on the entry table. She can't believe another week has gone by and here she is, alone again. No dates, no idea of what she's going to do. She'll probably spend the weekend shut up in the house, bored out of her mind.
She goes to the kitchen and opens the fridge. Nothing there entices her. She grabs the bottle of wine that has been chilling in the bottom of the fridge for a few days. She opens the bottle and leaves it to breathe for a few minutes while she starts a hot bath for herself. As the water is running, she pours herself a glass, grabs the bottle, stops to get her big, soft bath towel from the linen closet and retreats to the bathroom to soak her cares away.
She has always kept candles in the bath so she decides to light them. She turns off the bathroom light and starts to enjoy the calmness of the candlelight. She turns off the water and starts to undress. As she is undressing she catches her reflection in the mirror. She hasn't notice just how much her boring life is starting to show in her face. She leans in toward the mirror to inspect her face closer. She's starting to see every one of her 37 years. She used to be a vibrant and exceptionally well looking young lady. Now she's developed into a lonely, sad woman. She gently puts her hair up into a ponytail and climbs into the tub.
She takes a sip from her glass and leans back to relax a little. As she drifts off into a calm place, she thinks of the last time she was with a man. She misses being touched, kissed. She has a hard time remembering what it feels like to be loved. It's been so long since she's felt desirable. Even longer since she's had a man make love to her. She sits up in the tub, gulps down the last of her wine, shaking her head.
"Don't think about those things, there's nothing you can do about it. No one wants an old woman like you."
She climbs out of the tub, wraps her towel around herself and exits the bathroom without a second look in the mirror.
She settles in on the couch with her wine and the remote. As she's flipping through the channels, complaining that there was nothing on, she decided she would run out and rent some movies for the weekend. She quickly dresses in her jeans and a tank top, the weather has been unusually warm for this time of year. She grabs her purse and keys, locks the door, and heads down the stairs. The rental place is just a few blocks away so she decides to walk the short distance. Even though it's a little muggy outside, it's a nice night for a walk, time to clear her mind. Rebecca enters the store.
"There's a really big crowd in here tonight. Guess we all had the same thought at the same time," she says to herself.
As she is spanning the racks on the wall, looking for the right movie for her mood, she notices a gentleman at the next rack. As she is checking him out, he looks at her and their eyes meet for a second. Rebecca's heart skips a beat and she looks away, avoiding him. She continues looking over the racks, careful not to look in his direction again. As she moves down the row, she bumps into someone.
"Excuse me," she says.
"Not a problem, young lady," is the reply she receives.
The voice was deep, soothing and, oh my, made her heart skip again.
"Would you be a dear and help me, please," the voice asked her?
She turns and replies, "Sure. What can I do to help?"
Her eyes lock with his. She draws in a deep breath as she gazes into the most beautiful blue eyes. It's Him! She drops her gaze, sure that she's blushing like a school girl.
"Have you seen this one?" he asks.
She reaches for the video cover, looks at it and shakes her head no as she hands it back to him.
He took the cover back and said, "Thank you for your help. Would you care to join me and we'll check this one out together?"
Startled at the question being posed at her she looks at him again. She notices that he's an older gentleman, probably in his late 40's. He has this gorgeous hair, dark with a wonderful proportion of silvery grey scattered throughout. He has a warm and inviting smile that reminds her of the Cheshire Cat, looks like he's up to something. Then there are those blue eyes. She just melts when she looks into those eyes.
"Well, is it a date?" he asks, snapping her back into reality.
"Sorry sir. I'm just going home. It's been a long week. I wouldn't be much company. Thank you anyway."
She turns and starts to walk away, he takes her by the arm and stops her.
"Please, young lady. It would be my pleasure to spend an evening with you. No strings attached, just dinner, a movie and a little company for a little while."
"Sir, I don't know you from Adam. I don't think that it would be appropriate for me to accept your invitation. Again, thank you, but no thanks," Rebecca replied.
"Okay. Then, there is a coffee shop just down the street. Let's meet there in 10 minutes, talk and see what happens. You can grant me the benefit of the doubt can't you?"the gentleman states.
What could it hurt, it would be better than spending the evening alone.
