She stood five foot eight and one half inch. A former cheerleader, she now taught at the local Catholic school. Her blonde hair, green eyes and large 36DD breasts were the cause of many a wet dream for the teenage boys in her class, but Dede wasn't taking any chances with them.
She and her best friend Jennifer worked together and always made sure they were never alone with a student one on one. It wasn't hard for Dede to ignore the attentions of these adolescents, they were mere boys, and she was forty-six.
She moonlighted as a bartender on weekends at the local watering hole. She was sure to wear tops that accentuated her natural assets, which in turn, got her more tips, which in turn got her more suggestive comments. She would pretend not to like them and treated most of her customers in a bitchy manner. This also seemed to draw more tips.
One Friday evening Joseph walked into the bar. He had just finished football practice where he was the head coach at another public school in the same city. He immediately noticed Dede behind the bar and sauntered up to the bar. She deliberately ignored him for several minutes.
She could tell just by his body language that he thought he was something special and Dede hated those type of guys, so she made him wait.
"Excuse me, bartender. Can I get some service?" he said loud enough to be heard over the cacophony of noise.
"What can I get you?"
"Normally, I'd say beer, but tonight I want something special. What do you suggest?"
Dede recognized a pickup line when she heard one. She rolled her eyes and said she'd make him her best drink. She laughed inside knowing that she would make a woman's drink, her favorite drink in fact, an Amaretto Sour. She turned her back and said something over her shoulder
"I've got just the thing"
"Sounds good. Will you join me?"
"Can't drink while I'm working." she hollered back as she walked to the other end of the bar to make his sissy drink.
She brought it back and saw a couple of regulars hitting on him. She knew exactly what to do.
"Here's your amaretto sour sir." She said loud enough to be heard over a jet engine.
"That'll be $12 dollars" she continued. She would make this loser pay.
He gave her a twenty and told her to keep the change. He took his drink, put his arm around one of the regulars and walked to their table. Surprised, Dede simply said thanks and stared at him as he walked away.
The crowd was rowdy that night and a fight broke out near the bar. Joseph was not one of them, but when a bottle was broken, he stepped in, grabbed the drunken man by the collar and escorted him to the front door. Roughly!
The crowd gave a loud cheer, but he ignored it. Disgusted by the actions of the drunk, Joseph went back to his table, but the 'regulars' had already moved on to their next free drink victim.
Dede had watched the whole thing and was a little more than impressed. She took another look at the stranger and decided to make an effort to apologize for being such a bitch earlier.
She brought him a beer, something dark and bold. Her bar carried the local Micro Brewery's beer, Lazlo's Porter. She brought him a pint on the house.
"What's this for?"
"Just a thank you from the bar staff for helping with those jerks."
Dede turned to walk away, but he was quick. He grabbed her arm in his strong hands and held her. She jerked backwards, almost falling. She looked at him and simply said,
"Let go"
"I'd really like it if you joined me, but I understand you're working. Maybe when your done?"
He let go of her arm, but held her gaze. Her green eyes had softened a little. She didn't say no, she just turned and went back to her station behind the bar.
From time to time, Dede would look Josephs way and each time she saw him in a different light. Maybe, she thought. Her thoughts were distracted by another customer flashing money and asking for a drink.
The evening ended peacefully and Dede pulled in a tidy sum of tips. She spent the next couple of days with her husband, that's to say, she was home doing laundry, cleaning house, making dinner while he was out running.
It had become his routine. Go to work, come home, change and go out and run. He would be gone for some time before returning all sweaty. It was gross she thought. He'd then take a shower, eat and do some work that was always waiting for him.
On the rare occasion that he wasn't running, he'd do a few chores around the house. Mow the lawn, clean his garage and take out the garbage. It didn't help that he travelled, a lot. Dede found herself home alone more nights than she cared for.
The week came and went uneventfully as usual. Dede would get up at 5am, jog for about an hour, come home, shower and get ready for work. She would pause and look at herself in the full length mirror in her bedroom. Not bad for a woman of my age she would silently think to herself.
She still saw herself as fat, even though everyone would tell her otherwise. Her job as a teacher occupied most of her time. Jennifer was a teachers assistant who had her own issues with her boyfriend.
He was very controlling and according to Jennifer, not all that good in bed. Jennifer had become quite the flirt and Dede noticed which she had to admit made her a little jealous of Jennifer's new freedoms, if you could call it that. She didn't have the same commitment that Dede was in.
Twenty plus years to the same man who she wasn't even sure still loved her. Sure, he said he did, but his actions said otherwise. She never thought she'd have to practically beg him for sex.
It was Friday night and Dede was behind the counter at the bar again. Lot's of regulars were in that night and naturally most of the men would hit on Dede. This time she would flirt back more than usual. It wasn't for bigger tips, but to fill a void that her husband had created. She needed intimacy.
While Dede wasn't looking for the strapping red haired man from the previous week, she wasn't surprised when he showed up. Dede gave him a friendly wave, which was so unlike the previous week. She was rather bitchy to him.
He smiled and sauntered over to the bar and leaned on railing and asked for a drink.
