Chapter 1 - Someone Special

Hands slipping into the steaming water, Diane grabbed a dish and scrubbed. Saturday nights had become tedious, filled with chores. Bubbles came in the form of dish soap not champagne or fragrant bath beads. It had been two years since her husband died and still she hadn’t gathered the courage to enter the singles scene. Her best friend Shannon had introduced her to plenty of eligible bachelors, all handsome and successful. She told herself she wasn’t ready to move on, but in reality, she was scared.

At thirty she was no longer the hot young thing she had once been. Her waistline was thicker, her hair thinner and new wrinkles appeared with every glance in the mirror. Dating was intimidating. It required dressing up, and makeup, areas where lack of experience translated to insecurity.

After Larry died her appearance faltered. She no longer had anyone in mind when dressing for the day. The first outfit she saw was the one she wore. Her hairstyle had not changed in those two years. She had once taken great pride in having the latest style. Larry teased her about changing her look frequently, saying it was like being with another woman. Her hair no longer had a style, it fell in a straight line to the middle of her back and the color remained a dull brown.

It was time for a change, if only she could find the courage. Realizing the water had cooled while she pondered her situation, she added more dish soap to the tepid water and turned the hot faucet up high. The scent of oranges filled the tiny kitchen. She reached for another dish as her mind slipped into the past.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They met on her eighteenth birthday. He was three years older, recently out of the Army. He wasn’t overly handsome but he had charisma. His gaze made her blush. It wasn’t sexual, but made her feel as if he saw her soul and knew her intimate thoughts. It was disconcerting; she wanted to leave and stay at once.

Diane was taking a walk through the neighborhood with her younger sister, Amy, when she met him. Amy was a born flirt and comfortable in every social situation -- Diane's complete opposite. She knew him and the two guys with him, which was not surprising, as she knew almost everyone in the neighborhood.

She introduced them, “Diane this is Larry, Larry, my older sister Diane.” Diane knew she should respond in some manner but couldn’t think of anything witty so she simply blurted “Hi” and looked away feeling stupid.

Lucky for her he didn’t have any such problem. He responded smoothly, “So what are you two beautiful ladies doing today?”

Amy responded, “We’re taking a walk while my parents get our sister ready to go out to dinner for Diane’s birthday.”

“Oh, happy birthday Diane. How old are you?”

“Eighteen today.” A short response, but at least she didn’t have to think about it this time.

“Oh, so you’re legal now” he said, winking at her. Not able to think of a response, Diane smiled and nodded.

“An eighteenth birthday should be something special. Are you having a party?”

“No, dinner tonight and movies with friends tomorrow afternoon.”

“Well, what would you say to dinner and dancing next weekend?”

“I don’t think so. I barely know you.” She could not possibly sit through an entire meal with nothing to say! Besides, she wasn’t willing to put him through the grilling her parents gave to every guy before a date.

He asked her out the next couple of days. She turned him down. He didn’t give up. Everywhere she went; he waited to ask again. Finally, a week later, she took pity on him and invited him to the movies with all of the neighborhood teens and twenty-somethings. They were going to see Total Recall, an action adventure movie. With ten other people going, it was a safe bet. He agreed to go and didn’t even seem upset the entire neighborhood was coming along for their first date.

Diane took her time picking out her outfit and making sure her makeup was perfect for the occasion. She had settled on a dark green sweater that brought out the green in her hazel eyes. She paired the sweater with a long flowing cream skirt and ankle boots. Her hair was up in a ponytail, ends curled to give it body and small wisps framing her oval face. It still had highlights from the sun, although summer was months behind. She wore very little makeup. She liked the natural look, even though bold colors and frosted lips were the rage of the day.

Diane took so long her sister Amy, who was going to the movies with the rest of the crowd, complained to their parents she was hogging the bathroom. They shared a bathroom on the second floor of the townhouse and this was a common complaint. As soon as Amy emitted a high-pitched “MOOOOOOMMMMM”, the doorbell rang.

Diane ran down the stairs to get the door but her father reached it first. He opened the door and there was Larry, a bright bunch of white and yellow daisies clenched in his hand. He had a big smile on his face as he handed the flowers to her. She buried her face in them and inhaled the light fragrant scent. After setting the flowers on the counter, she introduced him to her parents who immediately threw questions his way.

While her father grilled him, Diane sat on the stairs and appraised his outfit. He was wearing blue jeans and a cream cable sweater covered with a light blue windbreaker. The jeans were well-worn, lighter patches of blue on the thighs and knees indicated years of use. His sweater wasn’t tight but clung in all the right places, outlining the muscles in his arms and chest. The cream in the sweater matched the natural highlights in his hair and brought out the amber in his eyes. Before he noticed her staring, she tore her eyes away and concentrated on the conversation.

“So where are you from Larry?” asked her father.

“Originally from Philadelphia sir, but I’ve been living in the neighborhood for the last two months at my mother’s house until I get a place of my own.”

“Hmm, a place of your own,” Diane's father glanced her way, his eyebrow raised. Then on to the question weighing on his mind, “How old are you son?”

“Twenty one next month.”

“Where were you living before you moved in with your mother?”

“I’ve been in the Army for the last couple of years, just got out and headed right for home.”

The questions came faster and by the look on her Father’s face, the responses were not well received. “So you are a military man, what made you choose the Army?” Her father had been in the Navy and any military man, especially an Army man, was naturally suspect. They had all heard the stories of the misadventures from his military days. His common sentence to follow any story from his military days was “I was young and made many mistakes, hopefully you girls can learn from those mistakes and not make the same ones yourself.” To which they always responded dutifully, “Yes Dad.”

Without thought, Larry quipped “It really wasn’t much of a decision sir, I was headed in to meet with the Navy recruiter when an Army recruiter called me over. He asked if I was going to enlist in the Navy. I said I was and he asked me why I wanted to be a good humor pussy when I could be a soldier. There really was no option for me but to enlist in the Army after that comment, it was obvious real men went into the Army.”

Diane could tell she needed to interfere; in one move Larry had insulted the Navy and used a word not to be uttered in her parents house. This was not going well. If she couldn’t change the conversation they would not be going anywhere, tonight or any other night. Her eyes searched frantically for her mother, silently begging her to help.

“Mom, can I borrow your white sweater? I think the temperature is supposed to drop tonight and I always get cold in the theater.”

“Sure, Mark, run get my white sweater out of the closet for her.” Her father shot one last disgusted look in Larry’s direction before heading up the stairs.

Where was Amy? They needed to leave quickly. “Amy, are you coming with us or not? We’re leaving.” Diane yelled.

Larry looked up with a strange expression on his face. She didn’t have time to interpret the look, her dad would be back downstairs any minute. She headed for the door, motioning for Larry to follow. Amy came running down the stairs, her short blue skirt flapping behind her. They waved goodbye to their mother and bolted out the door.

As the door closed behind them, Amy asked, “Where is everyone? We were supposed to meet at the house ten minutes ago.”

“I don’t know” Diane replied looking around. “Let’s go over to the park, it looks like some of them are hanging out over there.”

Larry looked very uncomfortable as he said, “Um, wait a minute. There has been a change of plans and apparently someone forgot to call Amy.”

“What change in plans?” Diane asked suspiciously.

“Well, everyone knew you would never go out with me alone so we set it up so you would think the entire neighborhood was going to the movies.”

“So everyone in the neighborhood was in on this plan?”

“Everyone except Amy” he responded laughing.

“Good thing, cause I wouldn’t have gone out with you alone. Come on Amy, we’re going to the movies. You joining us Larry?”

Laughing, he put an arm around each of them and said “I’d be honored to go to the movies with two beautiful women.” They headed over to his beat up gray Oldsmobile, Amy called shotgun and ran ahead. Larry whispered under his breath, “I don’t suppose you would be willing to sit up front in the middle?”

“No way,” Diane laughed, “you got yourself into this mess and now you just have to deal with it!”

Chuckling, she crawled into the backseat for the short ride to the movie theatre. The interior was as beat up as the exterior; rips in the red vinyl upholstery had been sealed with duct tape. The springs could be felt with every bump in the road. Bouncing along, Diane enjoyed the glances Larry threw her way in the rearview mirror. Amy, oblivious as usual, changed the radio station and began singing along.

At the movies Larry was a perfect gentleman, paying for the tickets and the snacks for all three of them. Once in the theatre, the seating arrangements had to be negotiated. Diane sat in the middle but Amy wanted to sit next to Larry so she switched seats with him so he could sit between the girls. The movie was very entertaining but Diane had a hard time concentrating. This was their first date and she couldn’t help but wonder if he were at all nervous. She wanted him to put his arm around her but despite many attempts to lean into him, he wasn’t getting the hint. She decided to try another tact. She rubbed her arms and looked pitiful, hoping he’d notice she was “cold” and put his arm around her. Larry took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. Nice but not exactly the response she was seeking.

After the movie, they headed home, Amy once again occupying the front seat. The drive back to the house was filled with conversation about the special effects in the movie. Diane didn't have much to add so she sat quietly in the back seat, wondering if she had gotten her signals mixed. She wasn't a very experienced dater, having only had one serious relationship throughout high school. She wasn't sure if she should say goodnight in the car or if he would walk them to the door. Having Amy there helped. She distracted him, allowing Diane to plan her exit.

She decided saying goodnight in the car was the best thing to do. There would be no awkward pause at the door and no chance she could say anything embarrassing. After he pulled into a parking space in front of the house, Diane said goodnight and thanked him for the movie, all the while tugging at the door handle. The door wouldn't open; she was trapped. Larry laughed, "the door sticks sometimes, but the car runs like a dream, not bad for a '78 Olds." He got out of the car and came around to open her door. Amy had gotten out already and was waiting for them in front of the house.

Stepping out of the car, Diane begin babbling again about how much I liked the movie. Larry smiled and thanked her for going with him. The streetlight created a halo of gold on top of his already golden hair and the full moon in the background set the scene for a romantic parting. Throwing caution to the wind, Diane pulled his face to hers and gave him a kiss. What was intended as an innocent gesture of thanks, quickly turned into a deep, heated melting of mouths.

His arms sheltered her, while her hands moved up to graze the back of his neck. He was six inches taller than her and they fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. Amy's voice broke into the moment; she was ready to go inside. Diane moved away slowly, feeling like she was walking underwater and went into the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hot water splashed over the lip of the sink and down her legs pulling her back to the present. She turned off the water, picked up a towel from the counter and mopped the soapy mess from the floor. She needed to get out of the house. Too many nights were spent daydreaming in front of the kitchen sink. Gathering her courage, she picked up the phone and dialed Shannon’s home number.

Shannon had tried setting her up on blind dates in the past. Diane knew that she’d be thrilled at the opportunity to introduce her to someone. The answering machine picked up, Shannon’s voice filled the receiver. “Hi, Al and I are out, leave a message and we’ll call you later.”

“Hi Shannon, it’s Diane. I want to get out of the house. Call me.” Diane hung up the phone and wiped the sweat from her palms onto her pants. She paced around the room, trying not to look at the phone. The message had been vague. She could always back out, say that she wanted to go to a movie with Shannon. No, she was ready to date and there was no going back. When Shannon called, she’d tell her to find someone and set the date.

She went back to the dishes. She needed something to keep her occupied while waiting for Shannon to call. After she finished the dishes, she tossed a bag of popcorn into the microwave. While it popped, she stared out the window into the backyard. They had purchased the house the year Larry died. They saved their money for five years to put down on their first home. The bank approved their loan and two short months later they had purchased this home. It had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The extra rooms were for the family that they dreamed of having one day. The backyard had two enormous oak trees, their branches shading the cedar deck. Her favorite place in the entire house was the Adirondack chairs on the deck. She loved reading a book in the shelter of the oaks, smelling the wood smoke from the neighbor’s fireplaces.

The microwave beeped, bringing her out of her reverie. She grabbed the popcorn and headed to the den. The house was built in the seventies and had baseboard heat. To save money, she heated only the rooms she used. The den had double doors that could be closed to trap the heat in the room. The brown recliner couches had been passed down from her parents. Most of the furniture in the house had come from relatives or auctions. The only other furniture in the room was the beech wood bookshelf in the corner holding the television.

She snuggled into the couch, beneath the orange and pink crocheted blanket given to her at Christmas by her grandmother. It was not the most flattering of colors; Grandma’s sight was failing in her later years. The volume on the television was turned all the way up, the current sitcom blaring at her from the corner of the room. She searched for the remote between the couch cushions and found some change but no remote.

The phone rang. Diane abandoned the search for the remote, ran up the stairs to grab the phone. It was Shannon. She told Shannon the truth. She was ready to start dating again and wanted to dip into Shannon’s pool of available men. Shannon was thrilled. She said she’d make a list of eligible men and bring it to work on Monday.

Diane hung up the phone and retreated to the den. The only light in the room came from the flickering television. The dark paneling on the wall made the small room even smaller. She would have to do some redecorating if she planned to invite people into the house. She had lived like a hermit the last two years, only leaving the house to go to work and on occasion meet with a friend. She had not changed anything in the house since Larry died. Now it was time for change, both in the house and her life.

"Chapter 2: Someone Special"