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“I like that. It’s kind of sexy. It makes me think of a fig leaf. That doesn’t hide much on a man.”
He laughed, understanding what a leaf was, if not the exact tree it would come from. “No, I guess it wouldn’t.”
“As I said, it’s lucky for you that I’m not fifty years younger. I was once a looker. Forget my twenties. I still had bad acne, and all those hormones were hell. I think I was kind of a bitch until I mellowed at thirty. That was my favorite year. Most women dread hitting the big three zero, but not me. Mature enough to be wise but young enough to want to enjoy life still.”
“Did you have a good life?”
“I wish.” She took another sip of her drink. “Ralph kept me reigned in. His idea of excitement was watching a game for entertainment and barking out orders that usually involved me making him food. Here’s a tip for you: Life is too short to be miserable. Change it before you find yourself old and with regrets. I’ve got plenty of those.”
“Like what?” He was enjoying their talk. She fascinated him with the things she said and the information about herself that she just blurted out. It was as if she decided to keep no secrets private.
“You don’t really want to hear me go off about that. It’s nice of you to ask. I bet you have better things to do than spending more time with me. Thank you for not rushing off right away. I appreciate that. I was getting a little lonesome.”
“I know all about that. I work by myself. There’s no one to spend time with. I like talking with you.”
She reached out and rubbed his arm. “You shouldn’t be alone. Find yourself a woman. It won’t be hard with your good looks.”
A bit of bitterness surfaced. “That’s not true. My station in life isn’t something that draws someone to me.”
She shook her head. “Young people these days are stupid. I would have chased you down and caught you if I’d met you when I was your age. Then again, I never knew someone who looked like you do, or I might have divorced Ralph to talk you into marrying me. You’re a sweetheart for putting up with an old lady. I couldn’t even get my husband to say more than two sentences in a row that didn’t involve food or to complain about something.”
“Why did you stay married to him?”
“I made a commitment, and I always keep my word, come hell or high water. I suffered both, but I stayed until the end. I tried to make it as pleasant as possible, but Ralph wasn’t a happy person. We were fire and water. He put me out.” She laughed. “In so many ways. You need a pretty girl in your life, Fig. Make her laugh, treat her good, and she’ll be yours forever.”
He wished it were that simple. The idea of having someone to share his life with made his chest ache with longing. It was terrible to always be alone. It left him too much time to think of everything he wanted but would never obtain.
A slower song came on the speakers around the bar, and Anna swayed again in her chair. She seemed to really enjoy the song.
He slid off the barstool. “Would you like to dance with me?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, why couldn’t I have met you when I was young?” She glanced around. “I don’t want to embarrass you.”
“I don’t care about what anyone thinks. You’re the only person I know here.”
He ended up helping her off her chair. She was so frail that he worried she might slip and fall. The smile on her face when he pulled her out onto the nearly empty dance floor warmed his heart. The top of her head didn’t reach his shoulders, but she put one hand there, and he offered her his other to hold.
“I’m not good at this. It’s my first time. Be gentle with me,” he teased. “I’ll avoid stepping on your feet, though. I’ve seen people dance before.”
She leaned in as they started to slow-step in a circle. Anna rested her cheek against his chest. “Thank you so much for doing this. You don’t know what this means to me.”
He did. The basic lack of physical contact and the burden of constantly being alone tended to get to a person after a while. It caused depression and a lack of motivation to sometimes get out of bed. He wrapped his arm around her frail waist a little tighter in case she needed the extra support.
“Where’s a time machine when I need one?”
“What does that mean?”
She lifted her chin and smiled. “I’m telling you, Fig. You’d be in serious trouble if I were thirty again. I’d climb you like a tree and keep hold of you.”
“A tree?” He was amused again.
“That’s probably too outdated a saying for someone your age. It means I’d be all over you. I might be old, but I’m not dead yet. Those regrets I mentioned wouldn’t be so many if I’d had a nice man like you in my life.”
“Tell me about what you would change if you could.”
“I don’t want to make you blush. That’s no way to thank you for doing a good deed for the elderly.” She suddenly stopped dancing.
“What’s wrong?”
