Larry was surprised, yet elated about the simplicity of the transaction. He asked, and received in turn, a date for that evening. He would pick her up at the parking lot of the restaurant after her shift ended at 8:30 pm.
.
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“Ask and you shall receive.” How many times Larry had thought of venturing out of his comfort zone and risking, and reaching out to someone, and had refrained from doing so? Too many to count was his immediate answer.
He had several hours to spend before his date. He stopped at a Rite Aid to get condoms (just in case). Then he went home to shower and change for his date. With the spare time on his hands, he sat down at the kitchen table with a notepad and a pen. He listed the things that needed to be done before he checked out for good.
He started with the basics. It all came down to money. He despised his job which had sucked dry his youth, ideals in pursuit of higher profits, and his time. He needed to quit working there, and start living – whatever was left of it.
For a moment he was sorely tempted to steal. It would be so easy to do so. He could wire the money to an off shore account and be out of the country in 24 hours, but he desisted of the notion. He had never been a religious type of person, but he knew the day of reckoning if there was such a thing, would be upon him soon. That would elicit bad karma.
Another option would be to sell his home which with the inflated prices of today, would yield a handsome profit. Yet again, the housing market was soft, and the buyers were stalling - waiting for prices to free fall. Listing the house would take months perhaps to see the cash in his hands. Those were precious months which would evaporate too soon.
He opted for the idea of getting an equity loan from Bank of America. He had banked there for decades and he thought the reason they were gigantic now, enough to swallow Country Wide whole, was due to their elaborate schemes. They charged an arm and a leg for services and fees to their low income clientele. Their policy to put a hold on checks deposited and charging exorbitant fees for bounced checks, these due to the former in most cases, had obviously made them very solvent.
He did not feel guilty at all for devising this plan. He had enough equity to get a considerable amount, and that along with his moderate savings, 401K, and his multiple credit cards, would suit him fine for his last six months. Larry refused to misspend another day, another week, or month. Time was too precious a commodity for him now.
He opted for the idea of getting an equity loan from Bank of America. He had banked there for decades and he thought the reason they were gigantic now, enough to swallow Country Wide whole, was due to their elaborate schemes. They charged an arm and a leg for services and fees to their low income clientele. Their policy to put a hold on checks deposited and charging exorbitant fees for bounced checks, these due to the former in most cases, had obviously made them very solvent.
He did not feel guilty at all for devising this plan. He had enough equity to get a considerable amount, and that along with his moderate savings, 401K, and his multiple credit cards, would suit him fine for his last six months. Larry refused to misspend another day, another week, or month. Time was too precious a commodity for him now.
Larry had a big smile on his face when he saw Melanie walking up to his car. He had always thought she was nice and cute, but really not up to par for relationship material. It's funny how perspectives shift when one is in dire circumstances.
He proposed getting a drink at a local Karaoke place. After the first drink, Larry went to sign up to sing. When his turn came up, he did a decent version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.” He sang without an ounce of inhibition, and belted that tune masterfully, even shaking his hips in rhythm to the tune. Melanie too was psyched about trying her latent singing talents at the microphone.
After several more tunes, and a few more drinks, they moved their song to the privacy of a motel. Melanie had, had a very long day. She excused herself and ran a bubble bath with the shampoo provided for their convenience. She had purposely left the door slightly ajar, and Larry could not help himself from looking at the bathroom mirror to see Melanie taking off her clothes, one item at a time. He gulped in anticipation of what was to come, and sat at the edge of the bed, voyeur of Melanie’s dunk in the bathtub.
When Melanie called out his name and asked him to help her scrub her back, Larry was only too happy to oblige her. He sauntered casually into the bathroom and the first thing he did was drink in Melanie’s nude form with his eyes.
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To be continued…
Open link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk8VZgJkpeg
Open link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk8VZgJkpeg
