Chit Chat

With Earl’s zippo in my pocket I could feel those roots burrow just a bit deeper. As I wasn’t a smoker I didn’t really need a lighter but I’d be damned if I was going to turn away a gift like this. Sometimes a lighter isn’t just a lighter.

As I knew the rooms were already prepared for guests but I go through them anyway, double checking every little thing to ensure our guests would find their homes away from home as welcoming and possible. I was just finishing up with 104 when my ear catches the unmistakable throaty rumble and wheezy air-cooled whistle of an old flat four boxer engine, the exact kind belonging to an old VW Beetle! I rush to the propped open door just in time to see the rounded orange nose of Mei’s bug roll into view. My heart soars even as my palms become instantly sweaty. It is with a twinge of disappointment that I watch as she slows before the motel to pull in to park in front of the The Great Wall. I couldn’t have stopped the stupid, ear to ear grin on my face if I wanted to so I don’t even try. I step out to cross my arms and lean against one of the support pillars for the upper walkway.

My soul nearly leaves my body as the woman who had barely left my thoughts appears in the flesh. Mei steps out of her car in the most adorable mustard yellow corduroy overall dress emblazoned with two giant daisy flowers with a plain white sweater beneath, on her head a wide brimmed sun hat. While the dress went down past her calves and hardly curve hugging, for Mei, who usually sported layers upon layers, the ensemble was down right revealing! I’d seen a smokin hot younger Barb’s splayed coochie and big titties earlier yet just that glimpse of those elegant ankles was enough to blow a fuse inside of this smitten man.

She stands a moment to adjust her dress. Slowly she raises her head just enough to peek out from under the brim of her hat. Her eyes pan across the motel, stopping the moment she spots me out front. Though I was too far away to really see her eyes, especially behind her glasses, I just KNEW they were smiling. She holds my gaze just long enough to acknowledge me then turns away and casually enters the restaurant.

“You little tease.” I chuckle.

Staring at the door to her parents’ restaurant I ponder whether I should go over there or not, my only hesitation being that I wasn’t sure if she’d want to introduce me to her folks before she was ready. Before I’d come to a decision she was back outside again with her lunch in a paper bag in her hands. Pretending not to notice me she walks to the passenger side of her bug and puts her food on the seat then strolls around the back of her car to the driver’s side. At the door she pauses, shines the handle with the sleeve of her sweater then glances over at me with a look as if to say ‘you just gonna stand there gawking, boy?’.

I didn’t need anymore convincing than that. I jog across the road and come to stand in front of her. She looked SO fucking good!

“Dusty.” She nods, her eyes were indeed smiling like I thought they were.

“Mei.” I nod back.

There is a moment’s pause, the sexual energy crackling between us.

“You’re looking well.” She says, looking me up and down in a way that turned my legs to jelly.

“You too.” I play along. “Grabbing some lunch?”

Her voice flat with playful sarcasm she answers. “How observant. You got me.”

“Can’t get one over on old Dusty.” I quip. “I’m very good at finding out secrets.”

She fights a grin as she gives me a look to say ‘behave’. “Hm.”

“Turning out to be not a bad day after the rain.”

“Indeed. Did you need something, Dusty?” She says, an amused glint behind her glasses. “I’m actually very busy right now.” Her cool facade is betrayed by the way she nervously grips at her skirt and she was clearly in no genuine hurry to leave.

Thinking fast I say. “I was wondering if I could take a picture of your car.”

“Oh?”

“I told Ric there’s a woman who drives around town in a tangerine.”

Her left brow slowly raises in mock offense. Eyes flitting to my Honda across the road she says. “Better than sitting in plain oatmeal.”

I can’t keep it together any longer and let out a laugh. “Hey now. It’s boring but reliable.”

“Reliably boring.”

“Like oatmeal.”

“Pf.” With a warm smirk she says. “Fine. But hurry up, as I said…”

“You’re very busy.”

Tilting her head she says. “We’re going to have to do something about your interrupting.”

“Oops.” I give her a guilty grin. “Heh! Sorry.” She steps to the side as I take out my phone. “Actually, could you stand by the door.” When she gives me a look I explain. “So Ric has a face to put with the driver.”

“For Ric, huh?” She says dubiously.

“Who else?” I reply innocently.

“You’ll probably post it online or something.”

“I’d never do that without permission.”

“Hrm.” She looks away as if searching for an escape route.

I smile. “Please?”

With a sigh she rolls her eyes and returns to stand by the driver’s door as I back up to get both her and her car in frame. “Wait.” She says as she fusses with her dress and hat self-consciously.

It was clear that Mei was not comfortable having her photo taken, clear to me at least as she acted just like my mom did when someone took a picture of her. The similarity warms my heart as I wait patiently, not wanting to rush the moment. If she was anything like Mom she’d hate the results not matter how amazing she looked. When Mei was at last ready I snap the picture.

“Beautiful.” I say, staring at the photo and not even seeing the orange car in the background. “Absolutely beautiful.”

“I didn’t know you were such a car lover.” She says as she unconsciously adjusts her skirt again.

“I’m not.” I say. Every fiber of my womanizing being was screaming at me to ask her out on a second date. But she had told that she would tell me when that was going to happen, and I truly believed that she wanted it that way. It was so WEIRD being the pursued and not the pursuer. I was going to have to have patience. GAH! But a second date wasn’t my only option. “Hey, I’m practicing with the baseball team tonight. Just after 6 out at the diamonds behind the school.” I shrug. “If you, um, I don’t know…want to come watch or whatever.”

“Watch?” She says flatly.

“Sure. Could be fun. Bring Marigold if you want. Make a thing of it, if you’re not doing anything else.”

“Marigold?”

“I thought I was my biggest fan until I met her.”

“Ugh.” She groans. “I should have known. What did she say to you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” I say, then when her eyes narrow I add. “That’s what she said when I asked about you. Wouldn’t you like to know. Obviously!”

Again she rolls her eyes, her body language growing ever more relaxed as we inch closer to each other. “Yeah, that sounds like her.”

“Bring her out. Cheer Terry and I on.”

“Cheering for practice? As if the game itself wasn’t boring enough. I think not.”

“Well, you could see me in action or…um…whatever.”

Crossing her arms she says. “I saw you ‘in action’ plenty last night.”

“Ha! Yeah, anyway.” I say, my heart hammering.

Stepping closer she reaches out and brushes my chest, leaving my pec tingling in the spot she’d touched. “Mosquito.” Lightly biting her bottom lip she gives me a long look up and down, licks her lips and swallows. For a moment she hovers at the edge of my personal space, leaving me to guess if she was going to move closer or move back again. I prayed for the former but got the latter as she steps back. “No.” She says. “I’m so busy, you understand. Plus I don’t even like baseball. Even compared to other sports, which I hate, it’s pretty boring.”

“Just takes a bit to get into it is all. They say it’s a thinking person’s game.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“Sure, sure.” I say after my swing and miss. “I just thought, maybe. No biggie.”

She gazes up into my eyes for a few seconds, those dark pools behind her glasses beckoning me to dive into them, then looks to the restaurant then back to me and takes another step back. “I should be going.”

“Right. You’re a busy woman.”

Mei turns, gets into her car and starts up the engine. “I’ll see you around, Dusty.”

“Count on it.” I smile.

She puts the car into reverse…then pauses before backing away. “After 6 you say?”

My smile widens. “Yeah. I’ll be there right after my call home.”

With a nod she says. “I highly doubt it, but if I’m in the area maybe I’ll stop by for a minute.”

“Sure, great, yeah. No pressure.”

A smile threatens to break through, though she quickly turns her head away from me to hide it as she looks behind her to back out of the lot. The old Beetle putters up the road then turns down her street. My grin threatening to become a permanent facial feature I look back at the photo I’d taken then back up to the corner around which she’d disappeared.

I let out a swooning sigh and I’m about to head back to the motel when a stern woman’s voice as frigid as a South Dakotan February says from the door of The Great Wall. “Can I help you with something, young man?”