He was one of five professors in the tiny Spanish department at Iowa State. I had him for both semesters of Spanish Two, and I’d just landed a summer job, selling books door to door in a mystery state after a week’s training in Nashville. The bus for me and the other recruits was leaving… Continue reading Me Too
Category: firsts
False Alarm
Donnie, a firefighter, had a date with a woman from Match.com. The date was just okay, but he knew there were only two kinds of women, those he would sleep with and those he wouldn’t. Lisa was in the first category. According to Donnie, men never had a wait-and-see attitude about a woman. Women could… Continue reading False Alarm
Worst Quake Ever
1989 — We’d been in California for almost four years, two Midwestern transplants with a split-level house and two babies. It was our daughter’s third birthday, so Hubby took the day off, and we went to the Oakland zoo. The birthday party with playmates would be the next day. After as much fun as anyone… Continue reading Worst Quake Ever
The Double Dump
They’d met on Match. His name was Ready for Adventure. Larry chose a classy woman who turned out to be several weeks older than he was. “How does it feel to be a cougar?” he teased her. Julie liked nice things. She liked to dress up. She liked to stay home and cook. Larry talked… Continue reading The Double Dump
You’re So Hot, You’re So Not
He was cute enough. I’d seen him at several meet-up dancing events. Thor seemed interested. He texted me for several minutes one day, but I grew tired of his games. After telling in him I was probably older than he was, I asked him by text. “How old are you?” “Guess,” he said. “55?” “No.”… Continue reading You’re So Hot, You’re So Not
Moon Over Lafayette
Trudy worked at an engineering firm. Joe was the visiting copy machine repair man, or as her office mates called him, the Xerox guy. One day Trudy had to make copies. Joe was at the machine, repairing away. “Oh,” she said. “No copies for me!” “Hey there,” Joe said. “We should catch dinner sometime.” “Okay.”… Continue reading Moon Over Lafayette
Blind Date in a Castle
Lynne was studying abroad at a university in Sweden. One of her friends convinced her plus another young woman to be blind dates. The friend’s boyfriend’s military school was hosting a fancy dinner and ball at a castle in Stockholm. The Swedish school was inviting guys from Denmark and Norway for the event, and they… Continue reading Blind Date in a Castle
First Boss, Worst Boss
Aside from the old-man boss I had at my ten-day job at the Iowa State Fair, who took one look at my giraffe legs in my short culotte jumper I’d made in sewing class and demanded that I bend over to see if my butt would show (it didn’t), George was the worst boss ever.… Continue reading First Boss, Worst Boss
Spin the Bottle
Andy and Tony were thirteen. Shari and Candace were twelve. The four of them played together all the time. Shari was always at Andy’s bedroom window or backdoor, waiting for the next adventure. The foursome had played touch football and were tired of that game. Someone had heard of Spin the Bottle. Shari wanted to… Continue reading Spin the Bottle
Asinine Aspenite
Pam was living in Aspen Colorado, being a ski bum by day and working as a waitress by night. It was her early twenties, and life was an adventure. She met a nice guy on the chairlift. He was a part-time construction worker and a part-time ski instructor. He asked her out for that night,… Continue reading Asinine Aspenite
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 