Love: Unparalleled

She was seated in front of Doug’s desk with her back towards me.  At first glance, all I could see was the back of the chair with a very attractively crossed pair of legs coming forward from it.  Once more I caught myself with that “boy are you shallow and insensitive” feeling, similar to the one I’d had when I first saw her at the dinner party.

“Eye contact only,” I kept telling myself as she stood and turned to greet me.

“Marty, this is Elena Vilatino; Elena, this is Martin Helliman,” Doug introduced.

“It’s nice to meet you Martin, Doug has told me a lot about you,” she said, extending her hand, which I took and pressed gently into mine.

“The pleasure’s mine, and please, call me Marty,” I told her. “Maintain eye contact,” I told myself.  “So Doug, what have you been telling Elena about me, nothing too terrible I hope.”

As she turned away from me to catch Doug’s response, my eyes dropped.  She was very professionally attired in a navy-blue pinstriped suit with her skirt cut a couple inches above the knee. In my quick and shallow evaluation, I noted no excess baggage in the rear of her skirt, and also a distinct, yet moderate curvature to the front of her suit jacket.  As Doug completed his pleasantries, I had thought that I had returned my line of vision back up above her shoulders before she turned back towards me, but from the hint of a grin I detected on her face, I may very well have been busted right then.  I took the chair next to hers and our focus turned from idol pleasantries back to business.

**********************

He slid his hand under my calf and lifted my right ankle slowly onto the icebag.  “Do you mind if I take off your shoe?” he asked.  Right then I didn’t mind what of mine he took off, but I corrected my earlier mistake and instead of saying what I was thinking, simply said, “Thank you, please.”  He slowly removed my right shoe, careful not to turn my uninjured ankle.

“My name’s Vincent... Vincent Vilatino, my friends call me Vinny.”

Not exactly Irish!  “I’m pleased to meet you Vinny, my name’s Gwen... Gwen Nieves.  Thank you again for your help. I feel kind of foolish; I’m not sure how I lost control of that treadmill.  I guess my mind wandered off somewhere.”

“That kind of thing happens a lot.  I mean, letting your mind wander during a workout, not flying off the back of a treadmill.” He said it with a grin, but it was a tired grin that showed the difficulty he was having with enjoying even his own humor.  I wanted to know more about him.  I wanted to know why this puppy seemed strong and yet somehow disheartened.

“Can I buy you a drink up at the juice bar?” I asked him. “Yeah, that would be great, but I don’t know if I can let you buy. You know, that wouldn’t be right.”

Oh boy, I just had to get more of this.  Was he really so gallant, so old fashioned?

He offered me his arm with a “here, let me help you.”  For a split second I thought about milking this and letting him carry me up to the juice bar, but then I came to my senses and, holding his muscular arm, limped up the stairs, making sure not to favor the wrong ankle!