Ellen was in charge of the ski cabin for the Inskiers in San Mateo. Mark joined the Powder Hounds even though he was just a beginner. Mark called Ellen to arrange for a room in the Inskiers cabin. Ellen had a cold and sounded like Lauren Bacall when she answered. He liked that. On New… Continue reading Long-playing Ski Buddies
Category: firsts
Drive-in Movie Blues
Linda would start high school in the fall. She was doing summer stock at the Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa. The play was Bye Bye Birdie, and she was playing the part of a show girl. Jeff, one of the good-looking stage hands, drove a blue ’66 Cadillac convertible with a white top. Thinking she… Continue reading Drive-in Movie Blues
Six – Love
Alan was in a dark disco bar in San Jose on a November night. He asked Donna, the woman with an amazing tan, to dance. Had she been to Hawaii? Mexico? The Bahamas? Alan didn’t ask her but admired her bronzed skin. The topic of tennis came up. Alan loved to play. So did Donna.… Continue reading Six – Love
Me Too
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
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 DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 