I tried sitting down and watching TV. A college football game was on. I didn't like sitting, however, since I was afraid I'm wrinkle or rumple myself. By now it was after one. Since it was so nice and cool outside, I decided to walk over to the apartment complex's mail boxes and get my mail. I opened the door, and was a little surprised that it was still as chilly as it was. I went back in and put my jacket on, then headed back out to the mail boxes.
As I opened my mail box, into the vestibule came two girls, sisters, who shared a place down the breezeway from me. I'd seen them and spoken to them a number of times.
"Oh my!" one exclaimed with a slightly Spanish accent, both of them looking me up and down. "Don't you look nice! You had to work today?"
"No, not exactly," I replied, as one of them reached up to slightly touch my bow tie, causing the butterflies in my stomach to flutter even more.
"So what's the occasion?" the second sister asked. I proceeded to tell them. They were both surprised but apparently intrigued.
"Can anyone come?" one asked.
"Sure!" I replied, taken a little off guard. As we walked back toward our part of the apartment complex, I gave them the time, location, and directions. It must've been a slow Saturday for them, since they said they would come, and seemed quite thrilled.
It was almost 1:30 by the time I got back to my apartment. I hung my jacket back up and hung it in the living room. I watched a little more football, and when I eventually looked in the kitchen at the microwave, it was almost two-thirty.
Since Linda would be there at any time, I went ahead and put my jacket back on. I went into the bedroom and checked myself out again in the mirror. Suit looked sharp, bow tie still perfect. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Poking my head around the bedroom doorway, I yelled, "Come in!"
I heard the door open and heard heels on the tiles.
"Where are you?" Linda called.
"Right here," I replied, stepping out of the bedroom and into the living room.
Linda stopped in her tracks between the kitchen and living room, gaping.
"OH my!" she gasped. She walked over to where I stood, ramrod straight, and ran her hands lightly up my lapels. "You're already dressed! You look PERFECT!"
"Thank you," I breathed, feeling a little short of breath. "You don't look so bad yourself."
Linda was wearing a black skirt to the knee and an embroidered black vest over a white tuxedo blouse, buttoned to the collar.
"At least I'm not the only buttoned-up one today," I said.
"No," she said, tugging gently at the ends of my bow tie, "but you do it so well. Oh man, could you have possibly have tied this thing any higher and tighter?"
"That's how I like it," I said. "Why? Does it look all right?"
"No, no, no!" she said. "It's absolutely perfect! Don't touch it!"
"What time do we have to be there?" I asked.
"It starts at five," she said, "but I should be there as soon as I can to oversee everything. We should probably get going soon."
"Okay," I said. "Let me grab a drink and we'll head out."
I slipped my jacket back off and put it back on its hanger, then grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and drank a few gulps.
"Ready?" said Linda.
"Yeah," I said. "Let's go."
I grabbed my jacket on its hanger and we left. We walked down the breezeway and out to the parking lot to Linda's car. I hung my jacket from the hook in the back seat and got in the passenger side and Linda started the car and we pulled out. She headed to the interstate.
"I can't believe I'm doing this!" I smiled at her. "I can't believe you talked me into this!"
"I can't either!" she laughed. "It'll be cool, though! Just go with it!"
"You OWE me!" I laughed back. "BIGtime!"
"I know I do," she replied. "You look great, by the way. Couldn't look more perfect."
"How many people are going to be there?" I asked. "Any idea?"
"I really don't know," she said. "I wouldn't expect too many, I guess."
"I get the feeling this is going to be quite a bit bigger than you originally expected," I said.
"We'll know in a little while," she said.
We drove across the bridge and continued down the interstate. There was alot of traffic for a Saturday afternoon. We exited the interstate, and drove through downtown. At one traffic light, a car carrying three teenage girls pulled up alongside us. The driver caught sight of me sitting there in my stiff white collar and bow tie and apparently pointed me out to her friends. I caught them looking and smiling and one of them blew me a kiss and I couldn't help smiling while I could feel my face blushing intensely before the light turned green.
We finally arrived at the Metropolitan Community Church and pulled into the parking lot where three cars were already parked. Getting out, I removed my jacket from the hanger in the back seat. Linda came over and helped me on with it. We walked to the main door of the church and entered.
"There you are!" exclaimed a petite young woman with long straight red hair, coming out of a room across the church lobby from where we'd entered.
"Hey, Becky!" smiled Linda. Becky was wearing a very conservative dark grey business suit. "You must be Frank!"
"Yes, I am," I smiled.
"Linda's told me all about you," she smiled. "You look SO nice!"
"Thanks," I smirked nervously.
"There's a very comfy sitting room down the hallway here," she said. "We'll keep you in there till it's time."
Linda took my arm and took me down the hallway, following Becky. In the lobby, there were double doors that I assumed led into the main church.
Linda and I went into the sitting room. There was a matching sofa, loveseat, and armchair, a full-length mirror mounted on one wall, and a bathroom. One wall contained a couple of windows, but thick shrubbery obscured any view.
"Think you'll be okay in here?" Linda asked.
"Yeah, I think so," I said.
"Take off your jacket and relax for a while," she said.
"Relax?" I smirked. "Yeah, right! What time is it anyway?"
"Quarter till four," she said. "Won't be long now!"
"I can't believe I'm doing this!" I said a little shakily. Reality was starting to sink in.
"I know," she said, "and I appreciate it."
"I know you do," I said.
"I'll be back shortly," Linda said as she stepped out of the sitting room and closed the door.
As I opened my mail box, into the vestibule came two girls, sisters, who shared a place down the breezeway from me. I'd seen them and spoken to them a number of times.
"Oh my!" one exclaimed with a slightly Spanish accent, both of them looking me up and down. "Don't you look nice! You had to work today?"
"No, not exactly," I replied, as one of them reached up to slightly touch my bow tie, causing the butterflies in my stomach to flutter even more.
"So what's the occasion?" the second sister asked. I proceeded to tell them. They were both surprised but apparently intrigued.
"Can anyone come?" one asked.
"Sure!" I replied, taken a little off guard. As we walked back toward our part of the apartment complex, I gave them the time, location, and directions. It must've been a slow Saturday for them, since they said they would come, and seemed quite thrilled.
It was almost 1:30 by the time I got back to my apartment. I hung my jacket back up and hung it in the living room. I watched a little more football, and when I eventually looked in the kitchen at the microwave, it was almost two-thirty.
Since Linda would be there at any time, I went ahead and put my jacket back on. I went into the bedroom and checked myself out again in the mirror. Suit looked sharp, bow tie still perfect. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Poking my head around the bedroom doorway, I yelled, "Come in!"
I heard the door open and heard heels on the tiles.
"Where are you?" Linda called.
"Right here," I replied, stepping out of the bedroom and into the living room.
Linda stopped in her tracks between the kitchen and living room, gaping.
"OH my!" she gasped. She walked over to where I stood, ramrod straight, and ran her hands lightly up my lapels. "You're already dressed! You look PERFECT!"
"Thank you," I breathed, feeling a little short of breath. "You don't look so bad yourself."
Linda was wearing a black skirt to the knee and an embroidered black vest over a white tuxedo blouse, buttoned to the collar.
"At least I'm not the only buttoned-up one today," I said.
"No," she said, tugging gently at the ends of my bow tie, "but you do it so well. Oh man, could you have possibly have tied this thing any higher and tighter?"
"That's how I like it," I said. "Why? Does it look all right?"
"No, no, no!" she said. "It's absolutely perfect! Don't touch it!"
"What time do we have to be there?" I asked.
"It starts at five," she said, "but I should be there as soon as I can to oversee everything. We should probably get going soon."
"Okay," I said. "Let me grab a drink and we'll head out."
I slipped my jacket back off and put it back on its hanger, then grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and drank a few gulps.
"Ready?" said Linda.
"Yeah," I said. "Let's go."
I grabbed my jacket on its hanger and we left. We walked down the breezeway and out to the parking lot to Linda's car. I hung my jacket from the hook in the back seat and got in the passenger side and Linda started the car and we pulled out. She headed to the interstate.
"I can't believe I'm doing this!" I smiled at her. "I can't believe you talked me into this!"
"I can't either!" she laughed. "It'll be cool, though! Just go with it!"
"You OWE me!" I laughed back. "BIGtime!"
"I know I do," she replied. "You look great, by the way. Couldn't look more perfect."
"How many people are going to be there?" I asked. "Any idea?"
"I really don't know," she said. "I wouldn't expect too many, I guess."
"I get the feeling this is going to be quite a bit bigger than you originally expected," I said.
"We'll know in a little while," she said.
We drove across the bridge and continued down the interstate. There was alot of traffic for a Saturday afternoon. We exited the interstate, and drove through downtown. At one traffic light, a car carrying three teenage girls pulled up alongside us. The driver caught sight of me sitting there in my stiff white collar and bow tie and apparently pointed me out to her friends. I caught them looking and smiling and one of them blew me a kiss and I couldn't help smiling while I could feel my face blushing intensely before the light turned green.
We finally arrived at the Metropolitan Community Church and pulled into the parking lot where three cars were already parked. Getting out, I removed my jacket from the hanger in the back seat. Linda came over and helped me on with it. We walked to the main door of the church and entered.
"There you are!" exclaimed a petite young woman with long straight red hair, coming out of a room across the church lobby from where we'd entered.
"Hey, Becky!" smiled Linda. Becky was wearing a very conservative dark grey business suit. "You must be Frank!"
"Yes, I am," I smiled.
"Linda's told me all about you," she smiled. "You look SO nice!"
"Thanks," I smirked nervously.
"There's a very comfy sitting room down the hallway here," she said. "We'll keep you in there till it's time."
Linda took my arm and took me down the hallway, following Becky. In the lobby, there were double doors that I assumed led into the main church.
Linda and I went into the sitting room. There was a matching sofa, loveseat, and armchair, a full-length mirror mounted on one wall, and a bathroom. One wall contained a couple of windows, but thick shrubbery obscured any view.
"Think you'll be okay in here?" Linda asked.
"Yeah, I think so," I said.
"Take off your jacket and relax for a while," she said.
"Relax?" I smirked. "Yeah, right! What time is it anyway?"
"Quarter till four," she said. "Won't be long now!"
"I can't believe I'm doing this!" I said a little shakily. Reality was starting to sink in.
"I know," she said, "and I appreciate it."
"I know you do," I said.
"I'll be back shortly," Linda said as she stepped out of the sitting room and closed the door.