I was real calm and cool about it, but I had to look around the room to make sure no one was into our conversation, especially Paula and Kim. Once I saw that they were not paying that much attention, I had to ask TaShay how old she was again.

“How old are you again?” I started smiling before she even answered. She sounded much more mature than her age, and I was sure that Paula and her mother already knew it. In fact, I doubted I would have that much time alone with her before her aunt would break us up. I kept waiting for that to happen.

TaShay chuckled and said, “I wish I didn’t have an age. I can’t even drink as it is. Just two more years.”

She could get a drink brought to her, though; plenty of them. And I’m sure she would accept a few of them if given the opportunity. Hell, I was tempted to give her a sip of my drink if she had asked me.

She said, “How old are you, if you don’t mind telling me?”

I grinned. “I’m Jesus’ age when he met the cross.”

“Thirty-three.”

I didn’t expect her to answer correctly so quickly.

I said, “Obviously, I can’t talk to you too much right here, but I’m assuming that your aunt and your mother don’t know you as well as they think they do.”

All she did was smile at me. She said, “I get older men, and they get me.” Then she did her disappearing act and moved away again, leaving me with a tingle of vibration under the table.

Did she mean that figuratively or literally? I asked myself. I had to shake my head to deny my curiosity about her. Leave her alone, Johnny. Leave her alone, I told my big boy downstairs. And I took a sip of my drink.

A Crowded Room of Women

FOR THE SATURDAY-NIGHT BANQUET, I had my penguin suit cleaned, pressed, and ready to go. Guys all looked the same at formally dressed affairs, so I jazzed my look up with a striking, lime green tie and a matching handkerchief. You also want to make sure you have a tight shave and a haircut in a dinner jacket. I had the shave down, but instead of a fresh haircut, I sharpened up my edges with my travel clippers.

“You’re looking good, guy, looking good,” I told myself in the mirror.

Right before I stepped out of the hotel room to head for the waiting limo, I got a call from Victoria.

“Hey, are you ready?” she asked me. She sounded ultra excited.

“Ahh, yeah, I’m good. So, who did you get to come with you?”

I was wondering if she had any black girlfriends she could have invited just to blend in a little more when I greeted them.

“Oh, I invited my girlfriend Jill. She’s a tall blonde, green eyes, pretty nice-looking.”

There goes that idea, I thought.