Soccer Mom - Chapter Two By Pac (pac) Eric and Terri's impromptu first date Poor Haylee is a trooper. The backseat of this car really wind-blasts the passengers when the top is down, and the girl looked like she'd been sucked up a tornado funnel by the time we got there. Terri must have been a Girl Scout as a girl, God Bless her. She had a hair pick out, picking her own daughter's hair, then got a wet wipe from her car, cleaned the pick, and took to Haylee's bedraggled tresses without missing a beat. I liked her more every second, and vowed to get both hair pick and wet wipes for my own car. We walked into the restaurant, one I'd never tried before, and were greeted by the cool air conditioned atmosphere. It had a light airy feel, thank to strategically placed skylights, and a nice bar at one end. It looked like a yuppie watering hole, but I wasn't complaining, being one myself. We were seated fairly quickly, despite it being dinner time on a Saturday, and the girls immediately were off in their own little world, talking and playing. Terri and I sat next to each other on one side of the table to let the girls cavort, and I got the greatest vibe from her. Her eyes were warm as they regarded me, and I had the distinct impression that we were pretty much an item from the way she pulled her chair so close to mine that our legs touched. "You know Eric, I don't think I've had this much fun since before Jordan was born." She said to me, and her leg moved slowly against mine. "I've been so busy juggling her schedule and mine that I haven't taken time out to just stop and enjoy things. I think I really like your outlook. Maybe I should find myself a hobby, too." I looked at her breathtaking beauty and my mind whirled with the hobbies I would like to share with her. "Hmmm... hobbies..." I mused aloud. "Well, do you enjoy sports? There are many leagues of sports for adults in both of our towns. I used to be in a softball league that was co-ed. That was a while ago, but I remember it being fun." Terri looked a little nonplussed at the suggestion. "I've never really been a sports kind of girl. I mean, I can watch them, and I understand the rules of most, but I never really felt the need to participate in any other capacity than spectator." Frankly I was surprised by that answer, having felt that incredible body. I would have pegged her as some sort of uber-athlete, at the least a fitness competitor, like I said before. I mean, she was rock solid, and the last woman I knew who was even close to that kind of muscle tone was an old girlfriend from college who was into competitive weighlifting. Even SHE wasn't as solid as Terri, though, so I wondered what kind of exercising she did. "You keep so fit that I'm surprised you're not some sort of athlete." I said. "I do enjoy working out, but I just never wanted to participate in sports." She said. "I definitely have that level of drive and dedication, but I just never saw the end- game. Yes, you win a match, or tournament, but what does it ultimately do, besides entertain people? It doesn't affect an outcome. It is a pastime for most people, so I just don't have... value for it. Does that make me weird?" Yeah. "Um, no, I don't think so," I said as convincingly as I could. "I think your rationale is that anything worth dedicating yourself to to that extent should have some sort of tangible net asset as a result." "Exactly!" she said, excited, like nobody ever pieced that together before. "You got it exactly! My ex-husband could never figure that out, as Machiavellian as he was.... Of all the people I ever explained that to, you're the first one who pretty much repeated my thought back to me. I need to have something to show for the investment. Like exercising: I can see the payoff." I sure as hell saw the payoff... and felt it as well! "I think that's such a unique outlook," I said, thinking more about the payoff I wanted to see! She wrinkled her nose at me. "What?" I said, seeing her response. "Uh-oh... unique." She said, but there was mischief in her eyes. "That is tantamount to calling me weird." "No!" I backpedaled, off-balance. "It's just not a view that is widely shared in a society like ours: one that deifies athletes and celebrities." I felt us just connecting, even through our little difference of opinion. I may not agree with her viewpoint, but I definitely knew where she was coming from. She was a very results-oriented person, and liked to see the end-product of her efforts. She would have been a great businessperson with that work ethic and outlook. Terri changed gears on me. "You strike me as a sporty person. You said you did triathlons, right? That's cycling, running, swimming in a circuit?" "Yes," I said, "the first leg is a swimming event, and in Ironman it's 2.4 miles. Then comes the cycling, which is usually a 112 mile course, and then the final leg is the run, which is 26.2 miles, like a marathon." "That sounds like it takes a lot of time to do one," she said, and I could see that she was totally unimpressed... damn! That usually got an "ooh" at least from most women I've told about it. She really didn't hold any value for athletics! "Yeah, they are long events. I usually start training months out to work up to those distances at competitive pace. Poor Haylee always knows when I'm in triathlon mode, because she ends up with sitters or grandma quite a bit. I've already started training for Louisville in August. I always wanted to compete in one of the internationals, but there just never seems to be enough time. Someday...." I got a dreamy look on my face, thinking about the Zurich Ironman. Ever since I read about it, I'd wanted to go: to see those mountains, test those waters. When I came back to the present, Terri's face was very close to mine, almost alarmingly close, studying me with a rapt expression. "That was fascinating," she said, her face so tantalizingly close. I had to fight the urge to lean in and kiss her. "Er, what was?" I asked, looking into her stunning blue eyes. "That look.... You were somewhere else completely. I just watched you drift away. You really love to compete, don't you?" she said softly, and the understanding was there on such a fundamental level... I could see the fire in her eyes, inches from mine. "I think you do, too," I said, my face getting closer to hers. Such a change happened that I was almost startled. Terri pulled back, and abruptly looked away from my face. I couldn't understand what I had done, but it looks like I really said the wrong thing! "I don't compete very much," she said, and that burning light extinguished in her eyes faster than I could snap my fingers. "I've never had any luck with that." What the hell? Maybe she had a horrible accident as an athlete or something.... "Really?" I asked, stunned. "I'll bet you could do anything you set your mind to." She looked up sharply at me, and I puzzled over such a defensive look. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" I asked, trying my best to be disarming. Her face softened, and she got a sheepish grin. "No... sorry. It just brought back bad memories," she said. "I'm not going to dump that on you." "Okay, I understand," I said, not wanting that kind of weight on our first date. I suspected it had to do with her marriage, and I had to figure she was a relatively recent divorcee, too. Things were still pretty raw for me, so figured she must be in the same place. I had fumbled a bit getting back into the dating scene, but I guess it didn't occur to me that she would fumble at it, too. I mean, as good as she looked, I would figure she'd have more dates than she would know what to do with. I realized how unfair a judgment that was as soon as I thought it. I tried to steer the conversation in a different direction, because I could see the storm clouds gathering in her lovely eyes. "Yeah, daydreaming... I don't get much time for that any more. You know what makes me just drift away even more than thinking about triathlons?" "What's that?" she asked, thankful for the rescue out of her reverie. "Sitting on my deck, beer in hand, watching the fireflies at night. It makes me feel like a kid again, back when the whole world was just stretched out in front of me like a big painting... that gets my mind buzzing... this is the perfect time of year as far as I'm concerned." Terri surprisingly leaned into me, putting her head on my shoulder! I got the distinct impression she was extremely lonely, just from the look on her face. My gut was telling me her marriage wasn't rosy from day one. I'd be happy to take her mind off that. "I haven't cast my mind adrift like that since before law school," she said with a sigh. "You're a romantic, aren't you, Eric?" "I am now," I said, and she looked up into my eyes, laughing. "No, I meant..." I stopped and had to laugh myself. I really had a point I was going to make, but I figured I'd let that little cheesy line go unexplained. It wasn't intended as such, but backpedaling now would just make me look bad. Besides, the explanation had the dreaded "d" word in it, and what better way to pull a woman's head off your shoulder than to talk about your ex? The girls giggled from across the table, and I glanced over to see them both watching us intently. Terri held her head on my shoulder for a bit, then lifted her up and put her lips close to my ear. I hadn't noticed her put it there, as intent on her face as I was, but her hand pulled off my thigh as well! Oh my God was I hot for her! "I want to kiss you so badly right now, I almost can't control myself," she whispered, and I got goosebumps. Holy hell! That's what I call a first date! As much as I wanted to indulge her, the two little faces watching us like hawks from across the table disarmed that sexual tension as surely as any bomb-squad technician on the job. I leaned in toward her, and I swear she was getting ready to pucker up in front of the girls! Instead I diverted to whisper in her ear, to the disappointment of us both. "Let's get a sitter for that one, okay?" I said. She pulled her head back, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was ready to ROCK! My heart rate went up like I was sprinting for the finish line! Her smile was sweet, but her eyes screamed "I want you now!" It was electrifying. "Okay," she said, demurely, but the look in her eyes could have melted ice cream. So, I defused one tense situation, only to fall right into another! Though, if I had my pick, this would be the kind of tension a date really should have. I downshifted into a little smalltalk, and things cooled down after that. Thank God, because at that point I couldn't stand up from the table! I almost breathed a sigh of relief because I kept getting images of the luscious Terri straddling my hips as I staggered through the doorway of my house, us kissing like the world was going to end... that unbelievable body pressed up against me.... "Eric?" she said. "You're drifting away again." Terri's smile was just dazzling as she watched my face, and she could turn aim that heart-rending charm with marksman's precision. "Yeah, I really have my head in the clouds today, don't I?" I said. "I think it's because it's just been such a good day, wouldn't you agree?" "Yes it has," she said, her eyes gazing into mine. "Thank you for that. They are few and far between for me right now. For us." She made a slight gesture to Jordan, who sat laughing with Haylee. They had twisted their straw wrappers into little stick figures and were moving them around on the table, giggling at each other. So we had our meals, and our wonderful day stretching into a wonderful evening. We must have spent two hours at dinner, which was amazing: six year olds don't spend more than fifteen minutes doing anything before they get bored and start climbing the walls. Tonight, though, the girls were so engrossed in playing they didn't complain once. Terri and I were just riveted to each other. Honestly, the girls could have climbed the walls, and we may not have noticed! Two hours passed in a heartbeat. We kept looking for ways to extend our time together: dessert and coffee were ordered, but alas, all good things must come to an end. We split the bill: I tried to be gallant, but Terri wasn't having any of it. She tolerated my chivalry, but it didn't win me any points. Thankfully, it didn't lose me any, either. I filed it away for future reference so I didn't repeat the same mistake twice. We walked out of the restaurant, and Terri took me by the arm. It was a painfully quick walk to the cars, and when we got there, Terri gave me a lingering kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for our impromptu first date," she said, almost gushing. "The pleasure was definitely mine," I said, and we embraced. Again I got to feel that hard body in my arms, and those full firm breasts pressed enticingly against me. I almost wanted to groan from the repressed desire, but with some effort I relented, and we held together for as long as possible. It couldn't last, though. The kids had started to get bored, so, reluctantly, the best first date ever finally came to an end. "I'd love to call you when you're free, Terri." I said as we parted. She pulled out her Blackberry. "You're already in my contacts," she said, and tucked it into her shirt pocket, drawing my eyes back to that wondrous chest. I was surprised she could actually get her phone in that pocket, as tight as that was against her chest. I pulled my own phone out and looked at my calendar. "Would you like to get together next week?" I asked her. "Maybe a play date... or we could share a sitter and have a night out...." "I really like choice two," she said, looking at her calendar, "but I'm not free until Thursday... sorry." There was real regret in her voice. "Thursday it is," I said. "I can't wait." We embraced one more time, her Blackberry making it not as exciting this time around. The kiss that followed, though, that made me forget all about a hard piece of plastic poking me in the chest. We held in a kiss until the girls' giggling made me realize I wasn't as strong as I thought. "Me neither." She said in response to our upcoming date. "Good night, Eric." "You too. Drive safely," I said, and unlocked my car. We loaded up kids and left the parking lot, Terri, pulling out first. I saw her hand raised in farewell as she left the lot, and I made my way home, daydreaming most of the way. "Daddy, I really like Jordan," Haylee said. "She's like my best friend ever!" "That's wonderful news, honey," I said. 'I may have just made a bff, too,' I thought.