A Stranger, A Fountain, and a Random Kiss
The day I locked lips with a stranger
One Saturday morning, I decided to spend my personal time at a nearby park. The scene was beautiful. An amalgam of flowers spanned the outskirts and park benches lined the walkways. I chose to sit by a fountain with a statue of a harp player in its center. Not sure who designed her, but the strings of the harp were replaced by the streams of water from the fountain.
It was a cool day but not smoldering like it could be. A gentle breeze blew and people were intermittently walking by. I admired my surroundings as I drank my hibiscus tea from my blue to-go cup brewed hours prior and nibbled on a dry-ass donut from Dunkin’. I really need to stop going there as they're awful.
Anyway, I noticed a man about 15 feet away staring at me from one of the park benches. At first, I thought maybe he was daydreaming or had his eyes set on something else but within a few moments, he began to wave. It seemed harmless so I awkwardly waved back. He smiled, tilted his head slightly then rose to his feet and began making his way toward me.
“Oh no”, I mumbled to myself, “what is this fool up to?”
As he got closer, the man was towering — he had to be roughly 6ft. He wore a white v-neck t-shirt, covered by a black blazer, light blue denim jeans, and white sneakers. I had to admit he was hitting all the stylish points that intrigued me, especially with that blazer. As he got closer, I noticed his bold wavey hair that was pulled into a ponytail. It had hints of silver throughout but was more prominent on the sides near his ears. His facial hair was well-trimmed and trailed along his jawline meeting his goatee. He had a very distinguished look and if I had to guess he looked to be in his late 40s or early 50s. I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at what I was viewing — pleasantly of course.
At this point, I was gawking with that dry-ass donut in my hand. He smiled at me once he finally reached my vicinity, motioned to the fountain brick edging, and asked if I minded if he’d join me.
I nodded slightly confirming that it was okay, then he sat down. We didn’t say anything for the first few seconds but he stared intently. At this point, I was both concerned and intrigued. What was this man up to and why the impromptu interest in the donut-bearing woman by the fountain? My thoughts started getting the best of me until he spoke. “If you only had a few moments with a stranger what would you do?” Well, that was a very forthcoming and odd question I thought, but unique all the same. I guess my facial expression reflected my thoughts because he began to smile. You would think I would be a little alarmed by this but the longer I sat there the more interested I became.
“I guess it depends”, I finally mustered to say.
“Depends on what?”, he responded.
“The initial encounter, the energy, and…”, I paused and dropped my gaze to the half-eaten donut I was still holding.
“And?”, he questioned, searching for my eyes to meet his.
I felt a warmth rush through me as I couldn’t believe the next thought that came to the forefront of my mind. It was feral and unbecoming and I liked it. So I said, “The potency of the attraction.” I slightly glanced up after the words left my lips.
His eyebrow raised slightly followed by a seductive smile. It wasn’t creepy but it did exude a welcoming dark essence almost one of a chance taker.
“Hmm,” he echoed. “Well, that’s a very interesting response.” He moved closer to my left ear and whispered, “And how potent is the attraction between us?”
I shivered as his words did something fiery to me, my thoughts raced and I was torn between aborting the mission or delving deeper into this fast-paced engagement.
My body must have had a mind of its own as I turned toward his closeness and right into proximity of his lips. He repeated, “How potent?” And without giving myself room to hesitate I found myself lip-locked with a stranger.
And these are the things I imagine as I wander about my day as a midlife woman.
Until next time readers.
