Two months flew by in a snap, and soon I was off to the Philippines for the third time inside of six months. This trip wasn't as uneventful as the first two. An emergency landing on the first leg of my flight caused me to miss my connection, so I had to be rerouted to LAX with a seven hour layover! Ugh. When I finally arrived in Manila, all I wanted was a warm shower and a nap.
I crashed hard, slept soundly for four solid hours. When I woke my stomach was growling, yearning for something other than airport and airplane food. I slipped on a pair of jeans, a tank top, applied some semblance of makeup and placed my hair into a ponytail before heading downstairs to the lounge for dinner.
My ever-friendly barmaid Jessel greeted me with her usual smile.
"Welcome back, ma'am."
"Hi Jessel. Thanks. Good to be back. I hope you've been well. I'll have the usual."
Jessel brought me a glass of pinot grigio. Thank goodness for Jessel!
"Will you be dining with us tonight, ma'am?"
"Definitely. I'll have the turkey club and fries please."
I savored my first sip of wine when I noticed a rather attractive man sitting across the bar. He looked to be in his early-forties, maybe mid- forties. Tall and thin with salt and pepper hair, he sported a well-groomed salt and pepper mustache and goatee. He spotted me glimpsing his way smiled. I smiled back; a bit embarrassed that I was caught. I lowered my eyes and took another sip, and when I lifted my head, I saw him walking in my direction. '
Oh gosh. What was I thinking?'
He sat in the empty barstool next to me and extending his hand, introduced himself as Steve.
"Hi there. Steve. "And you are?"
I shook his hand. "Natalie. Well, I go by Nat."
"Nice to meet you, Nat." Steve asked Jessel for a Knob Creek, neat. "What brings you to the Philippines?"
"I'm a trainer for a large US-based bank. This is my third trip this year. And you?"
"I'm here on business too. Outsourcing, like you. This is my second trip this year. How long are you here for?"
"Two weeks. Just arrived today."
"I'm here for a month. Got here last week," Steve said.
The waiter arrived with my dinner. "That looks good. I'll take one of those too please," Steve said to the waiter.
"Here, take half of mine and some fries and we can split yours when it arrives."
I handed Steve my linen napkin which he opened and used for a plate. "Well, thank you Nat. I'm starving."
We chatted for a while, talking about our businesses, where we were from, what activities we would do in Manila.
'He's a nice guy,'
I thought while I continued sizing him up. It was clear that he took pride in his appearance. He wore a navy blue blazer Ralph Lauren and a blue cotton oxford dress shirt. His dark gray slacks were carefully pressed and his hair freshly cut and neatly combed. The stainless steel Rolex submariner was a nice touch too. I looked down at my watch and it read 9:00 pm. Wow, were talking for almost two hours!
We finished our sandwiches and Steve asked Jessel for another bourbon with an ice water on the side. He took the liberty of ordering me a glass of wine too, my third of the evening. We talked for about another half an hour, and when I finished my wine, I asked Jessel for the check.
"I got this. It's on me," Steve said.
"Thanks, but you don't need to do that."
"Nonsense. Let me get this. Perhaps you can treat tomorrow."
"Deal," I said with a smile. I was just buzzed enough to innocently caress his hand.
After paying the tab we left the lounge and walked to the elevators.
"So, dinner tomorrow, same time?" I asked nervously.
"Sounds like a date, Nat."
"Ok. Sounds good."
We exchanged cell numbers shortly after entering the elevator. The elevator reached Steve's floor and he gave me a peck on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, Nat.".
'That was nice, I said to myself. Perfect gentleman.'
The elevator continued climbing until it reached my floor, and I headed to my room for the night.
When I woke around 8:30, I had a text from Steve.
'How about we go to Greenhill's shopping center today? Maybe we can get some deals on jewelry and other stuff.'
'
Sure,'
I replied.
'That sounds good. Meet in the lobby at 10:00?'
A few minutes later Steve texted,
'Ok.'
Steve and I spent the day together. I got a good deal on some saltwater pearls and treated Steve to lunch at an authentic Philippine restaurant. We sampled many local staples such as chicken adobe, lechon, and crispy pata. All were delicious.
I was exhausted by the time we returned to the hotel so decided to take a nap. I slept soundly and woke at 4:30, leaving me plenty of time to get ready for my dinner date. I took a quick shower, dried my hair, and put on some fresh makeup. Next, what to wear?
What do I feel like tonight? I feel like casual. Yeah, casual will work.'
I slipped on my favorite pair of Lee jeans; they fit me so well. Then I put on a lacy bra that I packed for such an occasion and slipped on a white and blue vee neck tee. I accessorized with a silver bracelet and matching earrings, then tied my hair into a small bun and rode the elevator to the lobby to meet Steve.
Sure enough, Steve arrived just a couple of minutes after me. He looked nice, wearing a nice fitting pair of khakis with a white polo beneath the same navy blue blazer from the last night.
"Always nice to have a woman be on time," he joked.
"Yeah, yeah wise guy. You look nice."
"As do you, Nat. I took the liberty of making a reservation at the Chinese restaurant across from the lounge. I hope that's OK?"
"Perfect. Let's eat!"