The Divorcé part 4

   I sat down in a booth at the Black Bear Diner, a place where I had met many out of town friends when they had a moment or 2 to spare with me between slot pulls or shows. It was fairly close to the Strip, so Uber or taxi access was easy for them. The place itself was average family restaurant family fare, and that was what I liked about it. Some good oldies were ususally playing so that was a bonus.

   As I decided on a French dip, Tessa appeared before me. She was almost exactly as I had remembered her, except the brown long shaggy hair had more than a few gray strands in it. "Sam! You came!"

  I smiled. "Why wouldn't I?" I stood up and put out my arms to which she ran to and gave me quite a tight hug. After a long minute, I eased back. "You are looking good."

   She laughed. "Yeah, good and gray!" She sat down and so did I. She glanced at the menu I'd had put there for her. "Did you order?"

  "No, but I know what I want. Take your time."

    As she looked through the menu, I could tell she wasn't really interested in the food, her raised eyebrows couldn't have cared less. After a minute of fake looking, she closed it. "A burger looks good to me. You?"

  "French dip."

  "I haven't had one of those for a long time! Maybe I'll do that instead." She looked at me intently with her smile.

  "As you wish. I love them here."

   She looked at me some more, then said, "I bet you are wondering why I wanted to meet with you."

  "Yeah, I've been thinking about that."

  "Any theories?"

  "Well, you and I had no real romantic or sexual nature to our friendship way back when, so I was thinking this is money or business related."

   Tessa's smile shortened a bit. "Really? You didn't get any relationship vibes from me?"

  "I remember us meeting on  a dating site and that you were very cautious, even sending me to meet a friend who was busy at work. We got together a few times for a friendly meal and your son Doug. Most of our phone conversations revolved around him. I do remember helping you move to a new place once and shortly after you were moving to Phoenix and had fallen in love with some online gamer you'd never met. No, I think you and I were the perfect definition of platonic." I took a sip of my beer. "And there's nothing wrong with that, mind you. When you come back into my life 20 years or so later, I rule out a second shot because the seed for a first shot wasn't really planted."

   She nodded in response, then stayed quiet for a long while, in fact she didn't speak until our sever took our orders. We both got the French dip. After the server left us, Tessa's eyes were a bit wet. "Wow, the way you sum that all up sounds pretty cold."

  "Not cold, just matter of fact after so long."

  "Well, were you into me at all?"

  "As far as I know I was, but in the dating era of my youth, I was into a lot of women, figuratively and literally."

   She raised an eyebrow. "A bit TMI there."

  "Sorry. What I mean is, during the time I knew you, I was actually dating other women, going on actual dates. So while I was interested in you, I wasn't waiting on you."

   She nodded again. "OK, I can see that."

   I took another pull. "You've been back a year now?"

  "Yeah, the job brought me back, still servicing slot machines, or rather I'm back to that."

  "What took you so long to contact me?"

  "Oh! Well, I was getting settled in my apartment and the job again, and-"

  "And after burying yourself in all that for all that time, I'm the first guy you contacted, right?"

  "Um, no. Why do you ask that?"

  "Oh, nothing, just taking a survey. While we are waiting for our meals, let's get down to it."

  "Get down to what?"

  "Why we're meeting."

  "I-I wanted to see you."

  "Why?"

  "Oh my God, why are you so suspicious?"

   I smiled. "I'm not suspicious, but I'm not a dummy or a fool...well, except for not seeing a dead marriage for what it is. Now, as I am an experienced man and an old acquaintance, do me the respect of telling me why we are here together at your insistence."

   Tessa opened her mouth to speak, then closed it and looked away in thought. Afrer a while, she looked back at me. "I've been doing a lot of...looking."

  "OK, what have you been looking for?"

  "Not really for so much as at...I've been looking at myself the past year. Been meeting some guys, both new and from my past."

   I nodded in understanding. "You're trying to see if you're broken."

   She flashed me a fierce glare for a quick second, but relented and nodded gravely. "Everyone else from my past wanted to get together for a fling, but nothing else. No interest in talking. The new ones, well, I'm not even up to their standards, especially the younger ones."

  "They wanted the flings. Pardon my question, but did you grant them?"

 "Yes...not that it's any of your business."

  "It's not, and you didn't have to answer. But after the flings, how did you feel?"

  "Jesus! What are you, my shrink?"

  "No, just following up on what you said about looking at yourself. The question fits."

   Tessa just shook her head for a moment. "This is not the Sam Chapin I remember!"

  "That man is long gone, for better or for worse. Right now I'm more aware of people's motives. It's one of the perks of the divorce, almost a super power, though I don't know if it's being used for good or evil."

   We were interrupted by the arrival of our food. We paused the conversation and ate in silence for a few minutes. I savored the au jus with every bite. Tessa picked daintily at her food, eating a bit here and there. After a while, she put down her sandwich and folded her arms on the table. "I'm not really hungry."

  "I know. You didn't expect to actually eat. I'm guessing you wanted to," I lowered my voice, "screw."

   For the first time in a while, Tessa laughed. "Yeah, I did. I decided to give my past another try by giving more and...I think I lost more."

   I finished my chew and decided I'd had enough. "One thing I've learned from my marriage is that my past is merely an accumulation of who I am now, but I can't go back and change it. That's what the twenties, maybe early 30s, are for, for some people anyway, to enjoy when you can, because you can't get them back. What you CAN do later on is evolve from that."

  "Sounds depressing."

  "It can be if you dwell on things like what could have been. Instead, think about what could be, not STILL be, but could be."

   She thought about that for a bit, then grinned. "Are you and me a could be?"

  "Tonight?"

  "Why not?"

   I smiled back. "Could be. Let's get dessert first. I haven't eaten much today."

To be continued.

The Divorcé part 3

  "Hi...Sam?"


   It wasn't a phone conversation, but a chat window on Facebook. "Yeah, it's me. Who is this?"

  "Tessa. Do you remember me?"

   I sure did....in my pre-marriage dating days! I had met her online, chatted frequently, and had dinner with her and her son a few times, then she up and moved to Phoenix for what I assumed was job related, and I haven't seen or spoken to her since. "Vaguely," I typed.

  "I know, it's been what, 20 years?"

  "Give or take. How are you?"

  "Pretty good. Yourself?"

  "Recently divorced."

  "Oh! I am so sorry."

  "Thanks, but I think it was better for all concerned in the long run. How is life in Phoenix?"

  "Well...I am back in Vegas."

  "Ah, nice. Just get back?"

  "No...actually been back for a little over a year."

   I was amused by her 3 period hesitations, almost liek she was feeling guilty. "Well, nice to hear from you. How is your son?"

  "Oh, he's good, long moved out with a family of his own. Still in Arizona."

  "Glad he is well." The small talk was getting borning.

  "Hey..." Those 3 periods again. "How do you feel about getting together sometime?"

  "I really don't know."

  "Oh? Are you seeing someone?"

  "Nothing serious, but you move a bit fast for me."

  "I'll make it worth your while, I promise."

  "How so?"

  "Is there a reason you're being nasty?"

  "I didn't know I was, but you popping in after 20 years without a word after you moved away is a bit much for me right now. But you take care." I closed the window.

   Twelve hours later, I was sitting at my desk at work when Gil popped in. "Yo, how goes the lady life?"

  "You know, I had dinner with that Donna person last week, but apart from that nada. I didn't hear back from that psycho Wendy, either."

  "Oh shit, don't get me started on her! She sent me one fuckin' axe murder email about you. "

  "Axe murder?!"

  "Just means psychotic. I get the feeling she was anxious to meet you because she's repelled a lot of other guys."

  "Sounds right, Gil. Hey, a question, speaking of women."

  "Shoot."

  "If someone comes to you out of the blue after 20 years, what does it mean?"

   Gil laughed. "Probably means he or she is hitting you up for money."

  "I got that feeling, too."

  "Oh, this happened?"

  "Just last night. I cut her off."

  "Hung up?"

  "More like closed the chat window."

   Gil shook his head. "You and social media, I don't get it."

  "Neither do I, man, neither do I."

   About an hour later, Val stopped by. "Hey you!" She leaned over and planted a peck on my cheek.

   I blushed a bit as I replied, "What did I do to earn that?"

  "Well, I was talking to Donna last night, and she said your dinner last week was the best time she's had in a while."

   I grinned. "Ah! Then the kiss should be from her, right?"

  "It was...I was just passing it along from her."

  "Well, in that case," I leaned over and planted one on her right cheek. "Pass it back to her, when you see her next."

  "But if you see her first, I'll be carrying that message for nothing." She winked and blushed simultaneously.

  "If you don't find a recipient, give it back to me, I could use more."

   Val looked around a moment, then put her lips full into mine. No tongue, but it was getting me quite aroused. After what seemed like a pleasant eternity, she slowly pulled back. "Could you use more like that?" she asked in a husky voice.

   I gazed at her as I nodded. "Definitely!"

   She winked again as she walked away. I just sat there for a while dazzled and, as I looked down, still aroused!


   That night, I decided to try Donna on the phone. After three rings, she answered, "Hello there!"

  "Hi, just wanted to check in to see what was going on."

  "Just work really, as usual. I told you my life is hectic."

  "I know. That's why I wanted to get in a hello when I could."

   She laughed. "Well, hello back." A short pause, then "I really don't know when and really if we'll get together again."

  "Oh? I get the when, but confused by the if."

   Another pause. "Well...I was talking to Val the other night. I got the impression that she had some repressed hots for you."

  "Interesting."

  "Do you find her attractive?"

  "I do, but I try to keep that stuff to myself when it comes to colleagues. These days it can mean job security."

  "I get that, but I don't think you'd have that fear with her. What I'm getting at is I don't want to get into a triangle. I have no time for it."

  "Sure. But I'm not losing your number."

  "Please don't! I like us being friends, and I don't want to exactly friend 'zone' you, either...just let it ride, ok?"

   I smiled. "You got it!"

   We clicked off and then I went on to Facebook. I saw my messenger icon blinking, so I opened it. It was Tessa again.

  "What is your problem?"

   I sighed. "No problem," I typed. "Just too much going on."

  "Oh. I thought you said there wasn't anyone."

  "That doesn't mean I don't have things going on! I told you I recently got a divorce, and I'm not exactly recovered from that."

  "I understand that. I was married for a bit too in Arizona. I totally get you need some space for yourself."

  "Thank you."

  "That said, I would like to meet sometime. Not tomorrow or the next day, but sometime soon. Please?"

  "All right. I generally treat myself to dinner out on Fridays. Want to meet then?"

  "You bet! Name the place."

To be continued...

Laughlin

So where and what is Laughlin? To the out of towners that come to Vegas, get their jollies and fly back home in a flash, it does not exist, Las Vegas is their playground. However, for the desert denizens of the southwest, it is a hidden paradise that offers much...all depending on what you look for. And I mean hidden! Nestled in the Colorado River Valley between U.S. 93 and U.S. 95, you have to WANT to get there to find it. There are signs all over the place advertising it. The problem (for many) is the drive.

The drive is a LOT of empty desert, about 95 miles from Vegas via U.S. 95 and NV 163, and about 130 miles via U.S. 93 and AZ 68. It is best to have some drinks and maybe a snack before beginning the trek. One may ask, "Why in the world would you leave Las Vegas for another, even emptier, desert land?"

I believe the simple answer to this is WATER! Laughlin and its Arizona counterpart Bullhead City lie along the Colorado River at the north end of a very long valley. Despite the fact that these 2 towns are often the nation's hot spots, the river never really gets warmer than the low 50s due to coming out of a dam-created lake that's in a mountain shadow.

The river is what draws us there fairly often, though not often enough. This past weekend, we finally made it back there after a 2 1/2 year absence. What is there to do on the river? For many, jet-skiing is the water sport to do. There are a few scattered beaches on both the Nevada and Arizona sides to sun on as well.

And then there is a river cruise we love taking. For 90 minutes, you get a recorded tour and history of the Colorado River and the town of Laughlin itself, while enjoying cool beverages, a nice snack, or a full meal! Vickie once surprised me with the dinner cruise several years ago. It was quite the experience in the evening, hearing the tour and enjoying a salmon dinner. It was late summer and the sun was setting, creating a gorgeous red hue on the mountains to the east. Since then, we have tried to do the dinner cruise again, but it was canceled due to low sign-up volume that day. However, we have done the afternoon cruise many times since. The breezes from the river when you're on the upper deck create a quite pleasant experience.

Apart from that wonderful activity, what else does Laughlin have to offer? Well, as it is in Nevada, it has become a major gambling center in its own right. About 7 hotel/casinos line the river's west shore. Lots of slot, table, and sportsbook play make it a Vegas-like experience. There is a major difference I have noted, however, between the 2 towns. Laughlin is the Lambda Lambda Lambda to Vegas's Alpha Beta.

While Vegas has all of the glitz and glamour (skin-deep only, mind you) with golden revolving doors almost forcing you into it, Laughlin's main hotels pretty much have you opening regular doors yourself. While Vegas has gorgeous cocktail waitresses, Laughlin tends to have the middle-aged post-glamour set serving the beers and cocktails. While Vegas has the limos, fancy valet dropoffs and pickups, and sense of transportational style, Laughlin has the sense of regular people coming from Fresno to get away for a day or so, with tight parking garages and laid-back valet drivers.

Also, some of the hotels in Laughlin are good, some need TLC. For the most part, we have stayed at either the Aquarius or Don Laughlin's Riverside, both pretty good in terms of basic but comfortable rooms. One time, we stayed at the Edgewater which wasn't all that great, and another time at the Colorado Belle which, while great-looking with it's riverboat motif at night, is rather run-down in its hotel itself. Down further are the Golden Nugget and Harrah's, both hotels we avoid due to high cost per night in the past, though in summer during the middle of the week there are some sweet deals! Down the valley about 15 miles away, there is a place called the Avi, which is on a reservation. We've stayed there a few times, and it is decent. The only problem is it is far from Laughlin's main river action. On the plus side, the Avi has a bowling alley and movie theatres.

Across the river is Bullhead City, Arizona, which looks thrown together at certain places, not really atractive, and is stretched out over about a 20 mile length. That said, Bullhead has most of the major businesses such as restaurants and gas stations that Laughlin does not contain. On the subject of gas, it is always better price-wise to fill up on the Arizona side due to lower costs. Example: in Laughlin yesterday, the gas was $3.39 a gallon, In Bullhead, many stations were below $2.50 a gallon. Let's be smart here! I think one of the reasons Arizona has good gas prices is because their stations don't have the detergents that Nevada stations get from California refineries (you know, where all those refinery problems happen yearly?).

If one desires, they can trek further south about 20 miles from Laughlin to Needles, California. Unlike the town's Route 66 heyday, it is pretty run-down and depressing...and VERY HIGH gas-wise! Even the locals trek over to Arizona to save a buck or more per gallon! There are some halfway decent eateries there along with some cooked-up Route 66 memorabilia shops, but unless the state of California gives Needles some TLC, it will be a ghost town soon.

Trekking a bit southeast, speaking of Route 66, one can get a glimpse at a classic 66 town in Oatman, Arizona. It is small to be sure, but contains a lot of wild burros orphaned originally by the desertion of the gold mine decades ago. The town is quite alive thanks to bikers who love taking on the switchbacks of the old highway betwene Oatman and Kingman. 66 was rerouted to a straighter alignment in the early 50s as the Oatman path was the most dangerous part of the entire highway due to the steep grades along with the switchbacks.

In closing, we love Laughlin because of the river, time spent together, and places to explore outside of town while not getting too far away. It is far from perfect, but so are we, so it is a perfect match!