"RED EYED FLIGHTS" (standard:romance, 2812 words)
Author: denis holzhauser	Added: Jul 28 2001	Views/Reads: 3631/2570	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A CHANCE MEETING BY TWO STRANGERS MAY BE THE START OF A LONG ROMANCE.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

the chairs and sofa.It,also,had a coffee table with some very old 
magazines and yesterday's papers.At each end of the sofa was a floor 
lamp,he turned one on and reached down and slipped off his 
loafers,wriggling his toes.Before he sat down he undid his belt and 
zipped his fly half way down.He sank down in the cushioning of the sofa 
and closed his eyes.He would rest them for just a minute before he 
returned to his morning paper. 

"Excuse me".He woke with a start and before he even looked at the woman
who belonged to the voice,he checked the clock.He had been sleeping 
less than a hour,it was two a.m.He still had a hour and forty five 
minutes,he was fine. 

"Excuse me,I'm sorry to disturb you,but I was concerned that you might
have fallen asleep and might miss your plane." She said. 

"No,thanks just the same,i'm alright for time,but i'm glad you woke me."


"Really,i'm embrassed that I bothered you,should I leave,I was just
looking for a quiet spot until my plane left,I didn't think I would 
find anyone up here." 

"No,please make yourself comfortable,i'm fine and glad you woke
me,really."He smiled,looking at her now,a tall fortyish woman,dressed 
in a dark blue dress with high heel shoes,rather plain,not thin but not 
fat,medium,in fact that best discribed her,medium,none threatening, 
someone's older sister.He relaxed and said,"please make yourself 
comfortable,do you have a long wait?" 

As she moved to one of the chairs facing the sofa,with its back to the
railing overlooking the rotunda,he saw her pick up to large brown paper 
shopping bags with what looked like heavy brown twine for handles.They 
appeared to be quite full and heavy.So he asked,"can I help you?" 

"No thank you,I can manage.I don't know why I always make things so hard
for myself,I guess I should have gotten a box and put everything in 
it.If I had just shipped them,It would have been smarter,but I'm a 
compulsive person,I must control everything.I think only I can handle 
everything correctly,I wish I could be like other people,trust that 
everything will come out alright,and really,if it didn't,most of the 
time things can be put right anyway.But I'm not,I really hope you don't 
have to deal with many people like me.I know I annoy other people with 
my little hang ups." 

He looked at her more closely,almost smiled when he thought that her
brown hair was the same color as the paper bags,but he stopped 
himself,"Do you have long to wait for your plane to board?".He decided 
to make polite conversation,to keep it light,try not to make her 
nervous.She appeared to be very tightly winded,maybe,really,just 
extremely tired.Whatever it was ,he felt her to be one of those 
harmless average women who let minor inconveniences totally throw 
them.A woman who may have been married to the same man for a very long 
time.That their marriage had become more like a brother and sister 
relationship.Not that she would be the type to mind that,she would 
probably have welcomed being relieved of having to do her "wifely 
dutied",God forbid that she would ever have to put that thing in her  
mouth again.He felt himself grinning and quickly changed his 
expression,as she sat herself down in a chair facing him. 

"Now,let's see,my plane should board in about" ,she turned in her seat
and looked at the clock facing them,"almost exactly one hour.I'm fine 
and how about you?" 

"Well it seems I should be leaving  about forty minutes after you."He
answered. 

She looked at him for a minute,she seemed to be trying to decide
something."Do mind if we would talk for awhile?I have had a 
particularly trying ten days and I have not had one conversation with a 
normal human being.It has always seemed to me that the most open,honest 
conversation one could comfortably have would be a stranger whom one 
would almost certainly never see again.Would I bother you?" 

He really didn't want this but there was something about this woman that
he felt compelling.He liked her,this stranger had touched him,in some 
way,that made him not want to hurt her feelings."If you feel that my 
listening can,in anyway help you,of course we can talk." 

She took a very deep breathe and looked hard at him a long moment and
began,"I have been in and out of this town four times in the last two 
months,my father,who was an only child,has been dying with cancer.He 
and my mother divorced when I was a very small child,she remarried a 
few years later,but he never did.He was the prototypical macho male.He 
was the assistant superintendent of the homicide detectives for this 
city when he retired from the force,twenty eight years ago.I was 
seventeen at the time."She smiled,"Don't do the math,I"m forty five and 
look everyday of it. 

"He and two other detectives bought an old steak and bar.It became,very
quickly,one of the most successful night spots in this very large 
city.With time the building the business was in passed on from the 
original landlord to his heirs. They approached my father and his 
partners,after a while,and asked if they would be interested in buying 
the building.The two other partners weren't interested,but my father 
was.So,he bought the place and turned around and gave the business a 
long term lease.A few years later one of the two partners sold his 
interest to my father and his remaining partner.The remaining partner 
was married,but childless.His wife died about seven years ago.He died 
about two years ago and named my father,in his will,as his only heir.If 
I have explained  this clearly enough,I think you can see thay now my 
Father owned everything,business and property. 

Through all of those years,my Father tried to keep a relationship going
between us.I would visit him two or three times a year.I loved and 
admired him.He was a smart,hard working man with hundreds of people who 
knew,loved and respected him.He was constantly laughing and joking, 
always surrounded by both male and female admirers.He was that rare 
sort of man who could have been described as both a man's man and a 
lady's man,if you had known him would would have agreed with that 
discription.He died yesterday,with only me at his side.He didn't suffer 
much,it was a brain tumor and he had very little pain but he had other 
pains,pains that racked him with remorse.He loved me but I was a 
daughter and as I told you he never remarried.His name,my family name 
has died with him.Their is no male descenda to carry on the line.This 
bothered him,maybe foolishly,but this brave proud man,felt a failure 
for not producing a son." She stopped and looked at him,"am I boring 
you?"Her voice now almost a whisper. 

He had been completely enthralled by her story,but habit,a deeply
engrained fixation,had made him glance at the clock.He knew at once 
that she had caught the glance. 

"I'm very interested,but do you remember earlier when we first began to
talk that you said you were compulsive?" 

She said,"Yes." 

He continued,"So am I.I constantly check the time,it's a habit,nothing
more,please continue.I really am interested in your story." 

This time she turned and glanced at the clock."I've been talking for
twenty minutes and I haven't even reached the point of all of this,are 
you sure you want me to go on?" 

"Pleas,I really do." 

"I've been married since i'm twenty five,I have two children,both girls
whom I love dearly,but I do not love my husband anymore.Without going 
into the reasons,my husband and I have not had sex in many years.Its 
not a great hardship for him.He has been sleeping with his secretary 
for years.Not the same secretary,but with which every secretary is 
there at the time.I have never had sex with any one else in my life.I 
was a virgin when I married him and I have never thought about having 
an affair,more fool I.What I did not know was that my father  was a 
confirmed lady's man.He slept with hundreds of women,and what 
surprised, no that's not true,what shocked me was while he dying in the 
hospital,was that many of these women visited him.They would laugh and 
cry and joke with him and leave him in a better mood than he was ever 
in with me. 

"It finally occured to me that these casual relations,the sex,had made
bonds that my mother's marriages and my marriage did not create.I felt 
really cheated,not by my husband,not by life,but by my lack of,how 
shall I call it.My lack of human curiousity.I decided,I should have 
wanted to have sex with other people.My lack of desire was my 
failure."She stared at him,as though lost in her own memories,shook her 
head and smiled at him,"have I shocked you,I am aware that I am a 
rather matronly looking woman,not old but no longer young.Talking about 
not rolling around in the bed with more men,you must be appalled at 
me,please forgive me",she ruefully shook her head. 

"You are the most interesting person I have talked to,in a very long
time.I think the things you are trying to deal with,are things all 
people,both men and women are trying to come to grips with.You are 
talking about things that as I grow older I think about.I'm human but 
feel I have no real warm or exciting human contact.I wonder if the 
excitment of life is suppose to die at nineteen,it sure seems to go 
down hill from there.Don't let me shock you but it has occured to me 
that the increasing frequency of the lack of an erection on my part is 
not aging,but lack of imagination.I hope I haven't offended you",he 
looked at her from under his eyelashes. 

She smiled,"You are an amazing man,to have been lucky enough to find a
kindred spirit by chance.You're a great listener and an empathetic 
person.I only have a little more to tell you can you bear it a little 
while longer?" 

"Please",he said as he lended back and prepared to listen to her some
more.She took a long slow breathe,sighed and began again. 

"So today,after the burial,as I made plans to return home,I suddenly
came to the realization that I was probably a very wealthy woman.The 
land,building and business,plus his bank account or accounts,his other 
assets,his insurance,I was over whelmed and had to sit down,my heart 
pounding.I came to a conclusion that from that moment on,I would not 
live my life passively anymore.I would try to relish life.Does that 
seem selfish? I decided to return here and live in my new home and run 
my new business.Does that seem foolish? 

He hesitated for a second,the said."Not to me,in all honesty,I'm more
than a little envious of the excitement you must be feeling ,facing 
what could be a new and wonderous life.If you commit to your 
decision,don't look back.Put all your energies into your new life 
and,most importantly,I think,try to relish every moment." 

She had a small but bright smile on her face,and very softly said,"I
will,yes I will.I wish we had some wine so we could toast my new 
life.You have made me feel smart and brave and interesting.I want to 
thank you for being so kind to me." 

He looked at her,silently,for a long time,and in a hoarse voice
said,"Would I frighten you,if I tried to kiss you?" 

"I can't think of anything I would enjoy more",she smiled. 

He rose from the seat and sat close to her ,took her face into his hands
and gently kissed her.She responded,eagerly and placed her hands 
between his legs,cupping his maleness. 

"Do we have time?Do we have time?" 

"We're going to take all the time we need"and kissed her again.She
unzipped his fly and embrassed his penis with her soft hands.He stood 
and removed her panties,dropped his trousers and mounted her.Two middle 
aged people,strangers,had soft,wet and warm sex,one flight up from the 
main concourse of one of the busiest airports in the world. 

It was over and they lay,silently,holding each other.She looked at him
and said,"Before you say anything,I want you to know that was the most 
exciting,satisfying emotional experience of my life,I will never forget 
it,nor will I ever forget you." 

He Said very softly,"I have worried about my manhood lately.You have
charmed me into a young man for a wonderful moment.I cannot just let 
you go."He rose and helped her up. 

As they reassembled themselves,she stood and took his face in her
hands,"The name of the restaurant is "Fireman's Ball Steak House",it's 
on 27th and Poplar,ask any policeman you see for directions.If you ever 
come in,I'll feed you for free." Then she kissed him. 

"I"ll be back here in about two weeks,that's three Mondays from now.I'll
come for my steak,Monday night,Okay?" 

She kissed him and touched him,again,and said,"I'll be there",and turned
and walked away.He sat for a moment,letting his breathing return to 
normal.He stood,took his carry ons and went downstairs to the men's 
room.He washed his face,relieved hisself and checked his time.He headed 
to the boarding gate,smiling like a fool,all the way. 


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