That wink. Sometimes you know when you see it, that it means something mischievous. This was the case when I first met Jennifer, the teenage daughter of a commercial insurance salesman who had an office right across the hall from mine, in a multi-tenant office building. I had met Chris several times in passing and we had chatted about working in the insurance industry. I had met his very lovely wife and then one day not too long ago, during Spring Break, Chris introduced me to his daughter.
I jokingly kissed he needed to keep the shotgun handy. Chris understood the phrase, being from the country. Jennifer blushed and smiled. The she winked. The wink got me. It stayed in my psyche for days.
“So are you on spring break,” I casually inquired after Chris introduced his daughter.
“Yes,” she replied.
“So… what grade are you in?” I asked.
“Freshman in college” she replied.
“What are you studying?”
“Nursing,” she replied.
“Great career choice,” I said.
The conversation was a light one and casual.
“Check you later,” I casually remarked said as they started to leave the office. “It was great to meet ya.”
“It was great to meet you as well,” she replied proffering another pronounced wink in my direction.
That wink. It drove me crazy.
Several days later, I decided to work late and after work, I strolled down the sidewalk to a nearby bar. I was about to step into the bar when a familiar voice called out, “Hey you.”
I turned and it was Jennifer and two of her friends, who were sitting at a table in front of a closed-up sandwich shop.
“Do you remember me?” Jennifer called out. How could I not remember her? Jennifer had long brown hair, model good looks and a knock-me-out svelte body and that wink.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Do you want to join us?” Jennifer asked. I’m thirty-five and she was nineteen. I was way out of my age bracket, but that didn’t seem to matter to Jennifer, who insisted I join her and her friends.
“What are y’all up to?” I inquired.
“Just hanging out,” Jennifer quickly replied. “What are you doing?”
I had to admit I was on my way into the bar for a drink.
“We can’t get in,” Jennifer said. I pretty much already knew that, but acknowledged her sadness by saying, “Wait a year or two.”
“I would,” Jennifer replied, “but the wine will be all gone by then.”
“So you’ve tried wine?” I inquired.
“Oh yes,” one of the other girls replied. “We are your neighborhood wino’s.”
I offered to buy them some soft drinks. They were cool with my offer, so I segued up to the bar, ordered a pink Chablis and the colas. I paid for the drinks and settled back into my chair at the sidewalk café patio table. The waitress was right behind me and placed the drinks on the table.
Jennifer spied my Chablis.
“Can I try it?” she asked.
I didn’t see any harm and since there was no one else around, I allowed her to sample my Chablis. She licked her lips after drinking a large gulp and then she smiled.
“Ohhh,” she said, “That’s good!”
She handed it to one of her friends, who also took a drink from the glass and then she passed it to the third friend who did the same. By the time the goblet made it back to me, over half of the Chablis was gone.
The conversation was light-hearted, and mostly about guys and going to school. I ordered up a second Chablis and of course, was forced to share it. (Not really, but I didn’t mind doing so). I cracked a couple of jokes about college-aged guys and their attitudes, drawing laughs from each of the young ladies.
I looked at my phone and decided it was time to go.
“Where do you live?” Jennifer asked.
“On the west side near Spring Creek,” I replied.
“Hey, I live over that way as well, in Bayside Estates,” Jennifer exclaimed, asking, “Do you think you could give me a ride home?”
Before I had even thought about my answer, I blurted out, “Sure.”
It never dawned on me I was inviting a single young female into my car and that I’d be alone with her.
