I had just begun a relationship with a man. Everyone at work calls him Sodium, the nickname I had given him. Just like the element, Sodium is a shiny white metal that is extremely reactive and explosive when mixed with water, yet when mixed with chlorine gas, that same metal reacts to form the most essential spice of life: Salt. And acting very much like the element, which is a good conductor of both heat and electricity, his touch can send millions of pulses through my nerve endings. His presence is so strong that I can sense his entrance into a room without ever seeing him. When I look into his blue eyes, they sparkle with a devilish danger. He has a smile that's warm enough to melt the polar ice caps, and each time I see him, my heart skips a beat. At 6'2", he appears to intimidate most others, yet I feel comfortable in his shadow. One cannot help but notice how sensual his forearms are, and how the veins on the backs of his hands roll whenever he talks about anything with a passionate tone. He looks good dressed up, dressed down and maybe even undressed.
Which is why I planned this special weekend to the last detail, beginning with a quiet dinner Friday evening, and ending up in my aunt's little beachhouse at the lake Sunday morning. I planned to have him dressed up for dinner by 7, dressed down for the short trip to the beach by 10, and then completely undressed for me by midnight. We had reservations at a quaint little place on the bay where privacy was as much a part of the service as the exquisite food. I had arranged for the maitre d' to seat us at a cozy table in the corner. A vintage bottle of Merlot would be chilling on ice. I spent the afternoon shopping, so that I would be able to look my finest. The new skirt I picked out showed just enough hosiery to be tantalizing but tasteful. And I sized it a bit smaller to show off my firm, yet rounded butt.
And just as the moment my plan was going to be set in motion and become reality, I received an emergency call to return to the environmental lab where I worked. There had been an accident on the highway, where a truck transporting contaminated oil overturned on the road. The spill was contained, but the Department of Environmental Resources needed immediate confirmation that the environmental damage was minimal in order to reopen the highway to traffic. I was the only chemist they could depend on to analyze the samples. My boss declared over and over that he owed me one. Boy, did he ever! I was extremely disappointed that my well-made plans were unraveling before my eyes, but a little part of me deep inside was thrilled to have Sodium see how valuable I was to my company and what an asset I was to my community. He not only understood my frustration at this untimely event, but he even offered to keep me company while I ran the tests.
"Dinner can wait," he said.
"But I'm not sure how long I can," I replied.