Fairly early in my career, I took a two-year position to oversee construction on a new building in Iowa. I was single but involved in a relationship when I accepted the position, which required me to, at least, be in town during the week. So, I rented out my house in Chicago and leased a townhome where the project was for two years. This was great for me because effectively the renters paid my mortgage, and the project gave me a stipend for housing over and above my salary. Well, financially, that was good for me.
Unfortunately, the woman I was in a relationship with moved to Iowa with me, but after a year she was bored to tears. She badly wanted to get married and start making babies. I wasn’t ready to do that. Ultimately, she decided to return to her home town. She delivered that message to me on my birthday. Sort of a kick in the head as she left as I turned thirty-six.
Well, life was going pretty well professionally and financially, and I had made a few friends on the team I was leading for this project. Mostly, the team was older engineers in their fifties. But there was one very young engineer. Tim was a sharp kid building his career to support his wife and new baby. He overheard me talking about my girlfriend splitting town. He knew I was alone in Iowa, and he invited me to join his circle of friends for a Saturday cookout.
Well, let me tell you that there is not much that was interesting to do in farmland Iowa, unless you play golf, and I don’t play golf. I didn’t have a girlfriend to consume my time, and work was strictly a 7-4 thing. So, my only interest was in a nice German sports coupe and a matching sport touring motorcycle.
Anyway I decided to go to the cookout and it was a nice day so I took my bike for a ride to the outing. I got there, and I was probably eight to ten years older than most of the folks there. They were mostly couples in their mid twenties. Friendly folks, but I didn’t have much in common with young couples building families, playing golf, throwing corn hole, cutting grass, chasing kids at activities and school.
Tim introduced me around and I chatted with most all of the couples. There were enough couples that I couldn’t keep track of who was partnered with whom. Most of the men were interested what I did on the construction project, or what I was driving.
While most of the women asked about my last relationship and why I wasn’t married. There was one woman that I saw talking with Tim. I assumed from a previous description it was his wife. I must admit that she was lovely. She worked in hair and makeup and knew how to dress to accentuate her… assets. She had a nice figure, a sweet face, and an ass to die for! I must say she looked a little younger than I expected. Tim was twenty-five, and she looked to be maybe twenty-one. As if I didn’t feel old enough, I just thought “Damn” and tried to get my mind out of the gutter. I thought they were a nice couple together.
Then I looked back and thought I was seeing double. Two women were there with Tim. They could have been twins.
Tim waived me over to introduce me to his wife and then her younger sister. I was right. The wife was Denise and just barely twenty-one. Her sister Diane was just a little shorter but just as stunning. The conversation migrated from the work that Tim and I were involved, to the fact that I was effectively his boss, and how bored I was in living here. and how much I missed Chicago.
Before long the sun was starting to set and the party needed a beer run. Since the liquor store was near my apartment and it was starting to get chilly I offered to make the run. I figured that I could take the bike home and switch out for the car and pick up the alcohol on the return. As soon as I mentioned the sport bike, Diane asked if that was my ride in the driveway. I told her it was, and she asked if she could ride along. She loved sport bikes. I jumped on the bike and fired it up. She climbed on the back and held on, and we were cruising the short distance to my house . As we pulled into the garage area and parked in front of my car. Diane was a bit surprised at the car. She said you don’t see many of these out here in farmland. She admitted that she was really impressed with the car and I told her it’s just a car.
We went upstairs to pick up the keys for the car and drop off the helmet. she kept talking about the car and the motorcycle, saying that they were both so sleek and smooth looking. I finally told her I hoped she wasn’t taking the measure of a man by what he drove.