We had been seeing each other for over ten months now. While we still kept our own places, we did spend a lot of time together, mostly at my place and I had given her a key to the house. Thursday was generally “girls’ night out” and after that Mandy would generally stay at her place. As we finished the last bit of breakfast that morning I had no reason to believe tonight would be any different than any other Thursday. My plan was to stay a little late at the office, clearing up some paperwork I had fallen behind on due to the major client presentation we had just finished, grab something to eat and head home.
The day had gone better than I expected. There were minimal interruptions and the day seemed to fly by. I was brought back to reality when the ping from my cell phone told me there was a message waiting. I brought it up and was more than puzzled. The message seemed to come from a text line, and I did not recognize the number. The message was very succinct, an address, time 8:00 pm and a note “Reply ‘Yes’ to accept.” I pulled the address up on the computer, looked at the time and saw that I had more than enough time to get something to eat and get to the appointed address. I thought why not, Mandy was with her friends and then home, I had nothing planned. Curiosity got the better of me; I texted “Yes” and touched “Send.”
About an hour later I was driving into the neighborhood of the address. It was an older section of town; there were small apartment buildings, houses as well as houses converted into offices. From the signs in front of the various offices the occupants were a mix of doctors, lawyers, accountants and other professionals. There wasn’t a sign outside of the house I was headed for. Lights were on with some rooms dimly lit, most of the blinds were drawn. I found a parking spot down the street and checked my watch. The short walk back to the house would get me there right on time.
As I approached the two-story house, I saw there was nothing distinctive about it. It seemed to blend into the neighborhood perfectly. I came up the walk to the front door. A brass plaque fixed above the bell read “Please press once to ring the bell.” The windows surrounding the door were frosted and gave no indication of what awaited me inside. A smile came to my face and I pressed the button and waited.
About a minute later the door swung open. The person opening it was standing behind the door out of my sight. I stepped inside into a foyer. The floors were hardwood, there was a large circular table in the center with a piece of artwork displayed there. Under the table was a thick wool oriental rug. The walls were painted in medium to darker colors. The crown molding was original and told me that the original owners were people of means.
As I walked into the room, she was closing the door behind me. She was a very striking woman, tall, a lithe body, blonde hair to the middle of her back. She was dressed in black slacks, a silk pearl gray blouse open at the neck. Her breasts were pert, not large; her makeup was not excessive and her lips painted a pale pink. I turned to her and offered her a “Good Evening” and before I could say more she responded with “Welcome and good evening, John. We have been expecting you. I am sure you have many questions and if you will come with me into this room, I will do my best to answer them for you.” With that she stepped to a doorway and pushed open the heavy curtain hanging from the frame and ushered me inside.
Joy & Love,
Goddess Mandy 🙂 XO
PS. John’s story is a great deal longer than I have requested your stories/poems be (100-1000 words). I decided on this length in order to make it both fun & manageable for all of us. I only have so much time and energy in my days; true for all of us I would say! 🙂 So, moving forward I will ask that you do your best to share within these confines. And if your story is longer…I will indeed do my best…but no promises.
PPS. Don’t forget…if your story/poem appears on my blog you have earned 10 free minutes with me!!
Okay… I know without a doubt that a story has grabbed my attention -and is definitely holding it!- when, while having a little snack as I read, I suddenly realize I’m on auto-pilot and chewing entirely too fast, in sync with the growing anticipation that’s building like the increasing speed of an avalanche down a mountainside!
Where is John? Shame on him for going? I don’t know… But he did go, so… Who’s the woman? What’s she going to do? …And I just know Mandy’s got something to do with this! She’s there, isn’t she?
I love the story-sharing, Ms. Mandy! Now, I’m off to the next post to hopefully get myself some answers!
Thanks so much for stopping by Ms. EmmaJane! And I am loving just how taken you are with John’s story!! Glad you like the story-sharing, too. It’s so much fun to get them and read them and share them. I think the sharing is the best part, for me! 🙂