He had been at ease talking to her for the two hours she was there with him, but just as soon as she had gotten up about midway through her visit and walked past him towards the bathroom, he took the opportunity she had given him to steal a glance at her shapely behind, only to suddenly notice her eyes in the mirror in front of her having caught him.
Perhaps that was why she had only spent two hours there. Maybe it explained why she had left with just a mild hug and no real enthusiasm about having met him. His desire for her had inspired him to retreat to the bathroom after she had gone in order to relieve the erotic tension, but the thought that he had really blown things by getting caught looking at her ass was enough to dampen the mood.
That night he had gone out looking for some place to go, something to do that would take his mind off Linda for a while. Afterall, he was on vacation. But each time he came across a mall or store that seemed to beckon to his habit of spending money recklessly, he would quickly find that his only thought was on what he might buy Linda to give her the next day.
He didn’t want to be too obvious, and certainly roses or flowers were out of the question. Surely a nice card would be a good start, but what kind of gift would be appropriate to give your mother, especially when he happened to have nearly unrestrained thoughts of the both of them giving their bodies up to each other with wild abandon?
He finally settled on a gift pack from a body store located in a strip mall along Blanding Boulevard. He had always loved the scent of Cucumber Melon, and in this gift were body lotion, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, and body spray, along with a few other little things. And that would have to be it for now. Too much would be foolish.
Once he had returned to the motel, he ordered a pizza from a local restaurant and had it delivered to his room. While he waited for the food to arrive, he found the movie ‘Solaris’ playing on HBO and was happy to see something he enjoyed watching repeatedly at home.
The movie hadn’t done well at the box office, and he had always thought it was due to this love story being a little too complicated and hard to follow by the masses. But for him it was simple. Kelvin’s angry reaction to the abortion of his child had convinced Rheya that he would not be coming back to her, leading her to commit suicide and him to discover her body after he had changed his mind about leaving her. Years later, his visit to a space station in orbit around a mysterious planet that seemed to read people’s minds and recreate someone from their past would bring Rheya back to him for a second chance. Despite the science fiction background, the love story was almost the whole story.
He had eaten his late-night snack while watching the film before deciding to conclude the day with a shower. Despite the fatigue that would send him quickly off to sleep, John could still feel the knot in his stomach as he imagined seeing Linda at his door the next day. He had no delusions that anything was ever going to happen between them, but that didn’t stop his imagination from running wild as he closed his eyes and let his fantasies deliver him to the Sandman.