I knew I was in trouble when I entered the hotel room and the stench of sewerage hit me like a wave. A swift inspection found the source; ruptured plumbing that had spilled down from above my room, primarily into my closet. All my suits for the week-long business trip were ruined.
They relocated me, with apologies. They paid for my new clothes, with apologies. In a final act of kindness, they offered me three nights at any of their locations inside the US. I accepted their apologies, and the free nights.
Now it was time to do some planning. A long weekend sounded marvelous, especially when a major expense was taken care of. I loved Vail, Colorado and put it at the top of my wish list, especially when I confirmed the hotel in question had a resort there.
The hardest part, perhaps, was finding a traveling partner. As a fifty one year old divorced man, I didn't exactly have an assortment of women to choose from. Oh, sure. I had THAT wish list, too, but I wasn't sure if Jennifer Aniston was available. So I went to my backup list.
Once I got home I considered calling the first woman I had in mind, a former secretary who always seemed more than willing to do anything to stay in my good graces. But before I could, I got a call from a woman I didn't expect to hear from.
"Hi, Dad. It's me," the young female voice said.
"Hi, Kristin. What do you need?"
"What makes you think I need something just because I'm calling," she said. "Maybe I just wanted to say 'hi.'"
I knew she was faking her sincerity. "And maybe I'll hit the Mega Millions lottery this week."
"Do you buy tickets?"
"No."
"Then probably not," she assured me. "Hey, can you do me a favor and..."
"I told you," I interrupted.
"Shut up. Can you do me a favor and take me to work on Friday while they work on my car?"
"Sure. What's wrong with your car?" I asked.
"I don't know. They named a part I never heard of. Luckily I had one of my favorite sweaters on and I think I'll get a break on the cost," she said with obvious glee.
"Kristin, you need to start wearing a bra with your sweaters."
"But it comes in so handy sometimes," she whimpered like a child.
"What time on Friday?"
"Seven. Thanks, Dad. I owe you."
Kristin was my youngest daughter. She had just graduated from college in December and had moved into an apartment in the same town as me. She was twenty one, ten years younger than her sister, and spoiled rotten. Unfortunately, she had the brains to use that to her advantage and my disadvantage. On top of that, she was absolutely gorgeous, like her mother. But at least she wasn't an alcoholic, like her mother, so I was very optimistic about Kristin's future. I liked her, a lot.
But it wasn't until later in the day that a thought struck me. Why risk being turned down by every woman in town on my vacation invitation? Why not ask Kristin to join me? We really did need to reconnect away from home and I could stand to go an entire weekend without sex. God knows it was becoming rare to have sex anyway. This would be good for both of us.
On Friday morning I performed my fatherly duties and drove her to work.
"Vail?! Are you kidding me? Of course I'll spend a weekend in Vail with you," Kristin exclaimed when I asked her.
"What are the chances of me ever seeing you once we arrive?" I asked.
"Oh, Dad. I'm not the slut you apparently make me out to be. We'll have fun."
"I didn't mean it that way, hon. But a single girl, with your looks, in Vail..."
"And I'm not packing a single bra," she said with a smile.
I just rolled my eyes.
###
The reservations were made and Kristin cleared her calendar. I wondered how she perceived the whole thing. Was she dreading spending three days with her Dad, but would put up with me in order to spend three days in Vail? Was she planning on making this a three day shopping spree, which almost certainly would end up involving my credit card? Did she envision three nights of wild sex with men she didn't know?
I started thinking about how little I really knew her. Kristin was secretive when it came to details of her private life. She dated constantly, but never attached herself to any one guy. I knew very little about her favorite hobbies, or favorite foods. The weekend with her would prove to be either extremely enlightening or it would just add to the mystery around her.
The day finally came and the flight to Denver was bumpy but worth it. The sun was shining brightly on a frigid day as we pulled out of the car rental area and headed west on Route 70. We'd taken two family vacations through the area when the kids were younger and I was surprised at how much Kristin remembered. She laughed when I told her my memory of it was of her whining the entire time.
"I still do," she told me. "It works with you every time."
"Maybe I'm easy. I'll see if I can go the entire weekend without giving in to you once," I replied.
"Wanna put money on it?"
"No way," I said firmly.
We approached Vail with the same sense of awe that I always felt in the Rockies. The mountains, with snow everywhere, were fabulous. The trees looked artificial and the lodges, resorts, and luxury homes seemed right out of a greeting card. We found our destination and I prepared myself for the suspected hassle with the front desk staff.
Instead, everything went smoothly and Kristin and I pulled our bags into the elevator. At the appropriate floor, we weaved down a curvy hallway until finding the room. A swipe of the key card let us in.
"Oh my God! This is awesome!" Kristin gasped.
She spent the next minute or two exploring the three-room mini-suite. Like any woman, she even had to check out the bathroom and closets.
"I may not leave this room," she said when the inspection was over. "And look at that view!"
She scrambled to the sliding glass door that led to the balcony. In front of her were a multitude of ski slopes and mountainous vistas.
