Chapter 6/ The Collar

CHAPTER 6

The Collar

Craig and Whitney spend a lot of time together.  Whitney and Melissa spend a lot of time together as well.  They are neighbors.  Their townhomes are spitting distance from each other.  Melissa and Whitney are so close in height and build they can share the same clothing. Perfect fits. 

Whitney called to borrow a dress from Melissa.  Melissa was out with Hunter at a mommy and me play date held at the local Community Center.  Craig was home though and invited Whitney over so she can peruse through Melissa’s closet. 

Whitney comes to the door and the two exchange pleasantries.  “Hi, how are you today?” Craig asks.  “I am good.  Harland has Sara for the day. They are out at the park”. Whitney responds.

“Melissa is out at mommy and me” Craig states.  “Oh, that’s right.” Whitney had apparently known and maybe it slipped her mind.

“I have dinner plans with my dad and some others later this evening and the outfit I was planning to wear is at the cleaners”.   Whitney tries to explain and Craig is seemingly listening but his mind is elsewhere.

They walk inside and then up the stairs of the townhouse to the master bedroom. Craig walks toward Melissa’s walk in closet and tells Whitney to look inside to see what she wants.  Craig sits down on the bed as Whitney goes into the closet and starts to look around.

“If you see something, try it on”. Craig offers.

Whitney notices some leather outfit hanging in the closet and pulls it off.  “What is this?” She asks.  Whitney had pulled an S/M costume that Melissa had in the closet for “private fun”.

Whitney was quite amused by the outfit.  “You would look so hot in that”. Craig states. 

Whitney smiles and says, “really?, you think?”.   “Yes, you should try it on”.  I even have some extra accessories for it”.  He says.  Whitney proceeds to pull off her tee shirt and shorts and try on the outfit. She does it right in front of Craig as he sits on the bed watching.   Whitney is so nonchalant as she removes her clothes, briefly revealing her naked breasts and g-string  panties. 

She quickly slides into the black leather mistress outfit and models the outfit for Craig.  “Wow, see I told you that you’d look great in that outfit”.  He says.  “I have a spiked collar for you to wear with it”.  He adds.  Craig hands Whitney a black leather collar with metal spikes. The collar looks like a dog collar.

She turns to the mirror to admire the look.  As she admires her outfit and how it shows off her features, Craig comes up behind her.

Craig fixes the buckle around the collar and then slides his hands to Whitney’s waist.  Whitney looks at Craig through the reflection in the mirror.  She does not remove his hands. She does not say anything.  He proceeds to kiss Whitney on her bare shoulder.  Still she does not say anything. Instead, she closes her eyes. Her body starts to tingle with excitement. Craig begins to caress her and fondle her breasts. 

She is turned around and they kiss. Their lips locked. Her hands wrapped around him.  His hands caressing her and grabbing her ass.   Craig helps Whitney out of her outfit. And Whitney reaches for Craig’s belt.  They strip down; their clothes removed and they fall to the mattress embraced.  

The two spend about twenty minutes before they quickly realize that Melissa might be returning soon.  Whitney finds a cocktail dress in the closet and quickly tries that on. Craig puts the mistress outfit back on a hanger and returns it to the place in the closet.

Whitney finds the dress fits and takes it with her.  As she’s leaving, Craig states “ you can keep that collar”.  I like you in it”.   Whitney smiles, she had forgotten that the collar was still around her neck as runs out the door home.  Whitney was still spellbound by the encounter when she got home.

Dorrie would see Whitney and Craig together more often after this encounter. Dorrie was unaware of the new found connection between the two. But, she frequently saw Whitney jogging in the neighborhood with her collar on.  The collar was Craig’s idea. It was his hold on her.  

Dorrie brought up the fact that Whitney and Craig are spending an awful lot of time together during one Saturday morning at Starbucks.  She was concerned for Melissa. 

Dorrie, stated to the crew “I need to talk to Melissa about this”.  She was suspicious of an affair between Craig and Whitney since they were spending so much time together.   “Melissa needs to know that Craig and Whitney are always together when she is not around”. 

Dorrie discussed this with Stacy, and Stacy decided it was important that the two of them talk to Melissa together.

Dorrie and Stacy invited Melissa over for a late afternoon cocktail at Dorrie’s house, and told her what Dorrie had seen.  “Melissa, people are talking”. Stacy said. 

“What exactly do you mean?” Whitney would say.  “There is nothing going on”.

As the days and weeks went by, Whitney and Craig’s games got more and more intense. Craig purchased Whitney her own S&M outfit.    Whitney was a submissive and had developed into Craig’s slave.  Her outfit reflected her submissive character. Craig wanted to get Melissa involved as well.

Craig decided to orchestrate a late afternoon encounter whereby all three of them could be together. It would have to be a day and time that Harland was with Sara and Hunter was occupied as well.

 * * *

The threesome apparently happened.  Soon thereafter, word spread about their exploits. It was not long before Dorrie, who suspected something along, was telling us all at Starbucks.

Craig was this monster, according to Dorrie. He had both Whitney and Melissa’s minds controlled and they were acting out his sexual fantasies.  Dorrie was concerned about the young children they had.  Most of us were all fascinated by the whole thing.  It was a soap opera right in front of us.

Somehow Craig was in control of the girls’ actions.  They seemed to enjoy his manipulation. What he offered to secure their control was beyond us. Nevertheless, he instructed his “girls” to stay away from Starbucks.   Not all Starbucks, just our Starbucks.  He did not want his “spell broken” by outsiders….or our group.

The three of them were often seen in public as well. Even at local bars and restaurants.  Whitney with her collar on. Melissa in a butch outfit.  Seems Melissa had become the dominatrix in the relationship along with Craig.  She would assist in the slave training of Whitney. The two controlled Whitney’s mind and body.

Harland was not totally oblivious to the situation. Harland had discovered the ménage à trois. And, while Whitney at first denied the affair, she quickly blamed Harland. He was no fun and she needed excitement. Harland decided to slowly get his ducks/affairs in order.  He had spoken with a lawyer and would resolve the situation in his own way.

Before Harland could file for divorce or separation, there was tension developing between Whitney and Melissa as a competition for Craig’s affection started to get in the way.  Craig loved this tension for as long as it lasted.

Weeks went by and we did not see or hear from Whitney, Harland, Melissa or Craig.  Dorrie had heard some yelling and screaming at Whitney and Harland’s home down the street but did not know what it was all about. 

It was not until Ira stopped by Starbucks one morning and advised Stacy that that Whitney and Harland had separated.  Harland filed for divorce. He was seeking full custody of their daughter Sara.  He was upset for his daughter and embarrassed by what was going on.  Stacy was sympathetic. She tried unsuccessfully to reach out to Whitney and Melissa.  Craig would have none of that.

Melissa made sure she “unfriended” everyone from Starbucks on Facebook.

Chapter 5/ Blue Martini

CHAPTER FIVE

Blue Martini

The parking lot in front of Blue Martini was filled with fancy cars.  BMW’s, Mercedes, Lexus, a few Audi’s.  There is a black Bentley and an orange Lambroghini parked right in front.  The Blue Martini is the latest hotspot in Boca Raton.  It is part of a chain of upscale bar/restaurant/clubs.  There is already one in Ft Lauderdale and one in West Palm Beach.  But this Boca Raton version was greatly anticipated by the locals. It is attached to the Town Center Mall at the Northeast wing; a new wing developed as the real estate market hit its downturn two years earlier.  The bar features nightly entertainment, attractive bar staff, attractive furnishings, and overpriced drinks.  But it attracts the beautiful people of Boca Raton.  Fancy cars, beautiful women, grey hairs looking to flash cash and young FAU college students alike.

As my wife Arlene and I approach the entrance to the bar, Arlene is already telling me how long she wants to stay. Since the Starbucks crowd is my little group, and Arlene does not know anyone, she is already dreading the evening out.  “I have work tomorrow, I do not want to stay too long” she says to me.  

We enter the bar, luckily for us it was before 8 pm when we arrived so we did not get hit with the ridiculous $10.00 cover charge.   Looking to the left at the outdoor bar, Stacy was already there with several others.    She was mingling from table to table, cigarette and martini glass in hand.

Melissa and Craig are there.  Solomon and Dorrie, a husband and wife legal team,  are at the same table.  Solomon and Dorrie have a small law practice in Boca, have two children…..little boys…. but can only make it to Starbucks on the weekends.  They live in the same townhouse community with Melissa and Craig and a few doors from Wendy and Howard.  More about them later.

Just like at Starbucks, we have apparently commandeered three tables for our group.  Richard and his girlfriend Terrie are there at another table talking to Gary the real estate broker.  Gary joins us periodically at Starbucks.  Gary is a divorced man in his last 30’s, dark hair, medium height and build. He has a young boy and is already thinking about remarriage. 

I say my hellos …..I introduce Arlene to the crowd.   Then Arlene and Terrie realize they know each other.  “You look so familiar, Arlene says”.   Terrie replies, “Of course, we spent a few years at the Jewels Dance studio with our girls”.  Oh what a relief, Arlene knows someone.  Now she won’t feel so tortured by this occasion.  Terrie and Arlene are of similar age; Terrie is recovering from a messy divorce and is still a bit bitter.  This is perfect for Richard, since he is bitter from his divorce as well.  Arlene sits next to Terrie to chat as I mingle among my Starbucks faithful. 

“Do you want anything to drink”? I ask Arlene as I head to the bar.  We both get martinis.

Whitney and Harland show up soon after me.  Whitney is dressed like my daughter would dress when she was 18.  Her long blonde hair has sheen to it and looks like it was just done. She is wearing a tight mini black print dress. The dress is skin tight.  She is showing off her tits and shapely legs. You can see her nipples through the material.  While she is fun for me to look at, I am not sure how Harland feels about that look.

Harland appears as a regular guy in a Tommy Bahamas shirt and slacks.  They seem happy but totally mismatched.   Whitney comes to sit with Craig and Melissa as Harland mingles with the crowd and makes small talk with everyone.

Craig does not really drink but is quick to order shots for the others.  He likes to watch and direct. Craig and Solomon chat and call over the attractive server to order drinks. Craig and Solomon still talking about the big real estate deal that might change their lives. Craig orders a half dozen Lemon Drops to go along with the Martinis that we had already ordered. 

The bar is completely filled by 8:15 pm and the high top tables around the bar have been all taken as well.  The server waits at the side of the bar along with another server for the bar tenders to fill the orders. Looking at the crowd, it is hard to believe that the economy is so bad. 

At the entrance to the Blue Martini I can see the Zohan has arrived.  The Zohan has his same dark blue suit on; same Gucci glasses and loafers without socks.   Stacy’s divorce attorney, the Zohan, walks in with a smile on his face like he is the conquering hero returning from battle.  He walks over to embrace Stacy and gives her a kiss on the cheek.  Stacy introduces the Zohan to others around her that have not met him.    Nobody seems all that interested in chatting with him.  And he squeezes his way to the bar to order a drink.  The Zohan is at home and yet alone.

The waitress returns with our drinks and the shots.  The shots are handed to the ladies.  Arlene is offered a shot, but graciously declines.  Definitely not my wife’s scene and she is not anxious to do shots in any event.  Others take their drinks, toast each other and down the shots. They all sip their Martinis and the party is underway.  Stacy walks around and mingles as it is her celebration of divorce that has brought us all together.  Not that we really needed to celebrate her divorce, we just look for an excuse for a night out. 

Jackie has appeared, but she has come alone.  Apparently Alfred was with their son at a game and could only drop off and pick up Jackie.  Jackie explains that her visit will be quick but she would stay for one drink before she had to leave, as Alfred would be picking her up soon.

The group was already on their second round of drinks by the time Jackie has her first. And, I can ``see the drinks taking their desired effect. The conversations are getting louder. Some of the group members seem to be getting a bit more touchy-feely.  Lot’s of arms around shoulders, etc.

After an hour or so, photos are beginning to be taken. Stacy has pictures taken of her and each of the crew from Starbucks. Stacy walks to each table and makes sure she is the center of attention in each photo. Her tight little dress and chest flashed front and center in each photo. She jumps on a bar stool for a picture, looking a little unsteady from the multiple drinks she has consumed, as she tries to stand with her high heels.  

After a while, the music gets louder and Stacy starts to dance.  She is dancing alone; but having a great time.  All at the bar are watching, and Stacy is enjoying the attention. It’s her party and everyone needs to know that.

Others are starting to get into the photo ops as well.  Within an hour or so at the Blue Martini, the reserved and quiet adults that had walked in, had become kids again.  The couples were having a good time and conversations went from serious to playful.

Talia and David showed up late.  David is freshly tattooed down his arm and shows off his art work to all that are interested. He is out of uniform and so he sports his own colorful self.  His ears pierced, with fishing hooks. His tattoo is a nautical scene with a mermaid.
He has several piercings as well.  In fact he is not too shy to show them off.  Talia turns her head and smiles as David shows off the pictures of his piercings to the group.

Over at another table, Craig asks Melissa and Whitney to stand next to each other. Both in their tight dresses and blonde hair.  They could be sisters. They dressed alike.  They are built the same, they are the same height, same big fake tits and all. They had both been drinking, and they embrace arm and arm for the picture.

Melissa with a drink in hand and Whitney with a strawberry from her drink.    “Melissa, share the strawberry with Whitney”, Craig directs.  “ Let’s see a little lesbian action” he adds.  Melissa pulls Whitney closer and the two blonde “sisters” share a strawberry until their painted red lips touch. They both have bedroom eyes as they look at each other for the embrace. There is a smile between the two after the kiss.

“Great picture” Craig applauds.  I watch with both amazement and with typical guy excitement about the prospect of two women going at it.  They continue to pose for the camera.  Whitney has her arm around Melissa’s shoulder as she lifts her bare leg for Melissa to hold; Melissa showing off her chest for the camera.  Her erect nipples quiet visible for the camera lens.  Neither of them seem uneasy about the direction from Craig.  And I am enjoying the show.   Craig seems so at ease directing his wife and Whitney.  As if they had performed this scene many times before. 

Howard, Whitney’s husband seemed amused by the activities of his wife.  Seemingly unsure what to make of all of it as his attention was half on the scene his wife was making and just simple conversation he was having with others.

Whitney and Melissa embrace for one more kiss in front of Craig’s camera before they split up and go to respective corners (or spouses).  Will these photo’s make it to Facebook? Or just the private collection of Craig and Melissa’s.

Chapter 4 Shit Happens

CHAPTER FOUR

Shit Happens

Debbie is a 40 something widow with 2 young boys.  For several years after her husband died from an illness she sheltered her boys and gave up any sort of a normal social life.  Debbie was devastated by the sudden and fatal illness of her husband.  She stops by Starbucks on occasion after she drops the boys off at school or is not doing carpool that day.   Debbie is an attractive blonde haired woman with a nice figure. My Jewish mother would call Debbie a typical “schicksa”.   A former cheerleader, she still has that upbeat personality.

Debbie joins us on this day; she walks by us quickly to the café, giving a quick smile and wave hello as she enters to get her coffee.   When she returns, she stops briefly to talk to Stacy.  Stacy tells her about our party next week.  Debbie thinks for a moment and then says “I think I can make it, the boys are actually with my sister that weekend. But I need to get something to wear”.  Stacy tells her to check with me. “Debbie, do you know Larry?  You should check out his car, he usually has some nice clothes in the trunk.”  Stacy says.    “Really, let me see.” Debbie responds.

Debbie follows me along with Stacy to my car and checks out the array of clothing I have in my trunk.  There must be a dozen different shirts and dresses wrapped in plastic in my trunk. We pull out a few different t-shirt dresses before Debbie finds one she likes.  She shows to Stacy for approval.  “Stacy what do you think?” She asks seeking approval.  Stacy tells her it is perfect for her.  They both take items back to the Starbucks bathroom to try on. 

When they emerge about ten minutes later, Stacy says “Debbie looks so hot in the dress”.   Debbie has a shy grin on her face as she hears the compliments. She pays me for the dress, thanks me, and says I will see you all at the party.  It was a quick visit.  But for me, a sale nonetheless.

Debbie lives in a community not too far from Starbucks. She is writer for the local newspaper. She does not work full time, instead she lives and supports the boys with the widow benefits she receives from her husband. She has a hard time and many issues that still revolve around her loss.  She wants a social life, but only on her terms. Unfortunately no one she meets can compete with her dead husband. 

After seeing Debbie a few times at Starbucks and then at social events outside of Starbucks, she began to speak with me regularly.  Asking for advice about her boyfriends or ex-boyfriends or blind date.  Asking me from a male perspective.  “ Do I text back? Should I return his call?  Is it ok to drunk test? Why is not calling me?” she will ask.    Periodically, I will receive a random text to my cell phone asking for advice.

Debbie has had problems dating.

Debbie dated her neighbor Anne’s ex-husband Joe for a short while.  Unfortunately for Debbie, Anne, thought the dating began before the divorce or even the separation.  Anne called Debbie out in front of their neighbors. A serious verbal altercation occurred and the local police came by to calm the situation. 

A few days later the word “Slut” was written across Debbie’s front door.   Debbie could only surmise where it came from.  She scrubbed the door clean and moved on. She spoke to Joe about the incident. She pleaded with him “please talk to Anne”.  “Please set her straight!” she demanded.

I suppose there was a conversation because, after a week or two of quiet between the neighbors, a package was left at the door for Debbie. It contained dog shit. 

Debbie finally broke it off with Joe, and found other guys to date. 

She became quite fond of the boys baseball coach. She would get into conversations with him at the ball field.   Coach Ron, was the father of one boy who was the same age as Debbie’s oldest. They weren’t the closest friends but they were teammates.

Debbie dated Ron for several weeks, we all knew at Starbucks when Ron and Debbie went from being friends and fellow parents to boyfriend and girlfriend.  We also knew when they had sex for the first time.  Unfortunately, it was not what Debbie expected it to be like.  They were really good friends. But, the sex thing sort of changed the dynamics.  And since the sex did not blow Debbie away, she had regrets.

Ron wanted to become closer, Debbie started to create distance.  Debbie would find reasons to be too busy to get together.  She needed her space to sort things out and to figure out how she could go back to the way things were.

“I just don’t feel the same way about him” Debbie would say to me one morning at Starbucks.  “It was nice when we were just friends, now I don’t know”.

Then one morning, Debbie announces “I am going with Ron and the boys to Colorado for the holiday”.    “Ron paid for the trip”  she added.  “ I don’t know if I want to go” she pondered. “I really don’t have that strong of feelings for him.”  “I really need to find someone else to date”. She decided. 

A few weeks later, Debbie came to Starbucks sad, depressed and stated “ Ron dumped me” . “Why do these things happen to me?” she asked the group.

We were of course all somewhat sympathetic.  But we did remind her, “Debbie weren’t you planning to leave him?”  “Yes, but not right away” she replied.

Then she turned to Stacy, “would you like to go to Colorado with me over the holidays, I got to keep the trip”.

Debbie turned to me and asked, “do you think it’s wrong for me to keep the trip?”.  Needless to say, she went.

Chapter 3 The Starbucks Chronicles cont.

CHAPTER THREE

Meet Melissa

I can see Stacy’s car already in the parking lot this Wednesday morning as I drive up.  I park my car and as I am exiting the vehicle I can see Stacy sitting with a couple with a baby stroller at the tables that have been drawn together.   There is a blonde baby boy sitting in a baby seat at the table, his face showing the remnants of the food he just finished, the floor around the baby is filled with cookie crumbs, half eaten banana, some raisins,  and other debris.

As I approach, Stacy makes an introduction for me;

“Larry, this is Melissa and Craig” Stacy says, “they have been away for a few months.”

Melissa is tiny bleached blonde girl, thinly built with large sagging breasts and sunglasses. Seems like everyone in Boca has had a breast enhancement and Melissa is another one of them. Melissa is about 5 ft. tall, wearing light blue color sweatpants and a faded Ed Hardy pink t-shirt.  Her husband Craig is a big guy.  He is about 6’2” fairly stocky with a full shaved head.  Craig has a mobile telephone receiver in his ear and is dressed extremely casual like a tourist, with Bermuda shorts and a collared golf shirt.  He shakes my hand as I approach and says:   “ Hi,  Larry   nice to meet you.”

Craig and Melissa had just returned from a 4 month visit in New Jersey with Melissa’s ill father.  Her father was dying and Melissa was staying with him to the end and through the funeral.

Craig and Melissa live a few doors down from Wendy and Howard.  When Melissa and Wendy are together they look like sisters.  Both are the same height. Both have a similar body shape, and both with bleached blonde hair.  As I am told, they are the best of friends.

I exchange some brief pleasantries before I go inside the café for my coffee.  Melissa is feeding Hunter as we have our introductions.    I go inside to grab a coffee for a few minutes.  When I return, Melissa has just about finished feeding Hunter and the floor around the table is filled with fallen food from Hunter’s breakfast.   The table has a stack of napkins from the café, enough napkins to wipe the hands of 20 or to clean the spillage expected from a young child. Stacy is working on the crossword puzzle and Craig is texting on Blackberry.

I take a seat in between Melissa and Craig, and resume my conversation with Melissa for a while.   Melissa does most of the talking. 

Melissa tells me she is an attorney, although not really practicing now that she has Hunter, her baby.   Melissa and I speak about the legal profession a bit.  She advises me that her specialty was with worker’s compensation.  That she recently closed her office and now works from home. She has a website to advertise her services still, but is about to close that as well.   I speak about my past experience as a litigator up north and some of the things I am currently doing.  After almost 8 years of not practicing law, I am still uncomfortable about discussing what exactly I do for a living.  I seem to have so much going on at any one time.

Melissa and I continue our conversation and I discuss the fact that I have several situations where a Florida bar license could be helpful for clients that I have for my consulting work.  I have a Used Car business that I work with that could use the services of an attorney and I also have a debt consolidation business as well. We discuss how we can work together possibly in the future on some simple matters.  Melissa seems quite enthusiastic about the additional business.  I am not sure exactly what kind of business I can send her way, except asking her to just sign off on work that I have done already.

A few weeks later I would ask Melissa to help me in a bankruptcy matter for a client of mine.  The owner of the Used Car business was trying to recover a car from a customer that had defaulted and filed bankruptcy. I asked Melissa to appear with me at a creditor’s hearing, on a motion for relief from the bankruptcy stay. We drove to Court together, a 45 minute drive.  By the time we got to the Courthouse, I realized Melissa was completely clueless as to what was necessary.  Moreover, she would not stop talking in the car. The full 45 minutes was a non-stop conversation with only one person really talking.    When we were in the Court, and Melissa had to stand up and speak, she froze. No words came out of her mouth.  Moreover, she did not know what to say and finally the Bankruptcy Trustee put words in her mouth and told her to talk to one of the other creditor lawyers in the courtroom for some free education. 

Craig is looking to get involved in a business.  I am not quite sure what he previously did prior to living in New Jersey for a few months.  But, it appears that he is looking to purchase a coin Laundromat.

Stacy and Melissa carry on their own conversation as I speak with Craig.  Melissa is complaining about some estate and probate issues she is dealing with.  Her father had died and left money to his new wife. There appeared to have been a last minute change in the Will leaving most of the estate to the new wife instead of the children; Melissa and her brother.   Stacy lifting her head periodically from the crossword puzzle as they talk.  Melissa with her hands on Hunter’s food as she feeds him.  Not really watching what Hunter is actually eating or dropping as she talks about her issues.

Craig starts to talk to me about my business, almost a halfhearted attempt to learn some gossip, but I have none to tell him.  We do speak about some “deals” that I have been presented with and Craig tells me about a lender he is working with that is looking to loan money for commercial projects.

I tell him I believe that I have some good solid deals I can refer to him.  

I actually had several deals. I referred to him two of them. I ultimately learned his source was too good to be true. And while there were a few moments of dreaming how to spend the commissions we would share on the deal, there was no chance of receiving any finance money from Craig’s source, who was himself a broker.

Jackie is walking up as I am talking with Craig, she says hello as she strolls past us into Starbucks for her morning tea.  I pull another chair over so there is room for her to sit.   

Jackie comes to the table with her tea.    There is food and left over food from Hunter all over the table by Melissa and the floor under the tables.  One would think an army of kids was being fed.

Jackie tries to find a “clean” area to sit.

Melissa is oblivious to the mess. She is doing several things at one time, but not really doing anything.  She is however talking a mile a minute. 

Stacy is with her crossword puzzle and has the rest of the newspaper in front of her as well.  Stacy is particularly happy today as she is signing her divorce papers.  Jeff, her ex-husband, wanted to reconcile before the divorce was final but Stacy had refuse.  Jeff was apparently abusive during the marriage and Stacy was happy to be able to finally move on. Zohan was such a good lawyer that, notwithstanding the abuse, it was Stacy that paid to get the divorce. It was Stacy that turned title to a Porsche truck over to Jeff in their settlement.

“I would like to celebrate my freedom. Who is up for a party at the Blue Martini next week, Friday night”?  She asks.   One by one we all seem to be free and think of it as a good idea.

Richard strolls up to the table.  He says a quick hello, sees a baby and walks inside to get coffee.  He does not stop to massage Jackie, nor does he even ask if anyone wants anything.  He sees Melissa and the baby and just walks into the café.

Melissa starts to pack up her stroller. She places the box of wipes in the stroller bag; the baby’s drink cup is also placed in the stroller.  Hunter is pulled out of his highchair and given to Craig to hold as, Melissa puts the remaining items away.  Craig puts Hunter down, he is not ready to walk on his own but the big bruiser of a baby stands on his own holding the seat of one of the metal chairs from the café.   Hunter begins to push the chair, using it as a walker; he pushes the chair and walks away from Craig.  Everyone around can hear the loud noise of the metal legs scratching the concrete floor.   Craig like a typical proud parent, smiles as his boy is taking his steps.  Totally disregarding the noise the boy was making at such an early hour.

After a few minutes of pushing that chair, Hunter is red in the face and obviously tired.  Melissa and Craig start to pack up the rest of their items and make their good byes. Just as Richard comes outside, Melissa and Craig start to walk away.  Richard seemed to time the arrival perfectly.

Richard sits down and looks at the stack of napkins left behind and the food and garbage left under the table for someone to clean.  Richard was annoyed with the wasted napkins and takes the stack back inside the café. “How can they just leave this mess and walk away?” he asks.

We are all pretty much in agreement, although only Richard voiced his opinion on the matter.

“Richard, next Friday night we are all meeting at Blue Martini.  Bring your girlfriend”. Stacy says.   “Actually I think I can make it, I will check with Tina”.  He responds.

Chapter 2/ The Zohan

CHAPTER TWO

The Zohan

I arrived at Starbuck’s early this Tuesday morning.  At 7:30 am, I am the first to arrive. Stacy’s car is not there in the parking lot.  In fact there were no familiar faces as I approach the café with my lap top in tow.   Bobby is there behind the counter, and there are some familiar faces inside reading the morning newspaper.   “Good morning” I say.   “Tall coffee please”.   “How are u today” Bobby asks.  “Very good, and you?”.  I respond.

Bobby is preparing a new photography exhibit.  Actually, it is a new exhibit of his old works. He has samples of the photos on display in the café. And on his Facebook page.   Ah yes, most of our Starbucks group also stays connected through Facebook.  Bobby is no exception.  He even attends many of our gatherings outside of Starbucks.

I fill the coffee with my usual additives, cream and sugar, and proceed to stake a claim to our tables.

I put the two tables together, assemble enough chairs for the regulars and take my seat.  I pull my computer out and start to busy myself with countless emails from customers.  I communicate with my suppliers (they are still awake in China) and they ask me to send funds. I go through a constant battle with shipping and sending funds.  I tell them to ship goods, they say send money. I say I can’t send money unless I get paid for the orders. I can’t get paid unless you ship. Anyway, it’s a constant battle for pennies.

Thus, I decided this book is my ticket to financial success.  So if you were getting bored. Do not stop now.  I have a family to support!

Back to the café………….Stacy pulls up in her silver Porsche. Top down; her hair blowing in the wind.  She parks her car near mine and well within site. 

Stacy is wearing a denim skirt and tight t-shirt.  She is showing off her muscular legs.  Stacy has the morning paper with her, a large shoulder bag and is chatting on her blackberry as she approaches.  She says a quick good morning, puts the paper down in front of me and continues her cell phone conversation as she walks inside to get her morning coffee.

Although she is engrossed in conversation, she did seem to be in a very positive mood.

By the time she comes back outside with her coffee and cup of ice water, I have finished the sports section to the Sun Sentinel and have resumed my emails and instant messenger conversations. 

“My divorce is almost final”.  Stacy says with a sigh of relief.  “Just need Jeff to sign some papers”.

“My lawyer will stop by with them for me to give to Jeff.”    She continues. 

I had seen Stacy and her lawyer conversing at Starbucks before.  Stacy’s lawyer’s name is Zohar, but I call him the “Zohan”.  He is a cocky, I am too cool for myself, lawyer.  He dresses in the same European cut blue suit and dark blue shirt with black suede loafers each time I see him.  He wears no socks and has a five o’clock shadow.

The Zohan has a lit cigarette in his hand and dark Gucci style sunglasses and a Bluetooth receiver in his ear as he approaches our table with an envelope for Stacy.  The Zohan does not look like an attorney, more of an advertising executive. He can’t be over 35, and seems to be spending more time flirting than actually providing legal advice today.

I feel saved from listening to the Zohan when Unice arrives.  Unice is a cute young southern girl, with straight long blonde hair.   She is about 30 years old and still has her baby fat.  She is not fat nor skinny.  She is married, but unless you are looking to buy pot, you generally do not see Unice’s husband Sheldon.  He has never appeared at Starbucks.

Unice originates from New Orleans, and with the popularity of the HBO series True Blood, she reminds us of Sookie Stackhouse.  She bakes for a living, works at another Starbucks part time and is a Yoga instructor as well. 

Unice has spent time trying to capture a niche in baking healthy cupcakes.  Her cupcakes are gluten free.  Healthy comfort food.  Unice also does some catering for private parties.

The one good thing about Unice for me is that she has a passion and weakness for handbags. My website has a number of inexpensive handbags that fit Unice’s style and budget, and over time I will sell several of them to her. 

Zohan and Stacy stand and walk a few feet away from the tables to light up cigarettes.  The stand close together, and chat like they are gossiping rather than like a lawyer chatting with his client.   The Zohan has a flirtatious way about him.  He was talking to Stacy as though subtly trying to hit on her.  He was not, at least I don’t think so, it was simply his manner.  I find Zohan repulsive so it is good that there is a distraction for me.

I turned my attention to Unice.  She was more interesting and refreshing.  She has such a positive energy about her, and usually a smile as well.  She opens a folder and shows me a mock up of advertising material for her business.  “Larry, take a look at this” she says as she gives me some sketches to look at.  “Tell me what you think of the designs”.    The cupcake designs she has prepared are cute, but slightly amateurish.  They reflect Unice.

By 8:15 am Jackie arrives;  she is dressed for work in her jeans and t-shirt.  She is ready to open the Lucky Jeans store at the mall.    She is a part-time manager there.  Working generally from around open ( 9:30 a.m.) to about  1:00 pm.   She is stopping by for her daily tea.  Jackie also assists Unice from time to time.  She will ice some of the cup cakes, maybe even provide delivery services for her from time to time.  Occasional favors.

“Good morning” I say as she walks by.   Our usual morning crowd is filling the tables now. 

The line inside Starbucks is relatively short and Jackie was able to reemerge rather quickly from the café. She takes her usual seat diagonal from Stacy and across from me.  Seems like after awhile we all have our seats.   Stacy has her Obsessive-compulsive disorder. She needs to be in same seat each time otherwise her day is a mess.  But when she is in her seat, we all seem to gravitate to the same seats as well.

From a distance I see Richard strolling over with cigarette in hand.  He had been in the office almost an hour already by the time he was ready for his morning break.  He drops his cigarette as he approaches the tables. He walks behind Jackie places his hands on her shoulders. He proceeds to give her a massage of her shoulders. He does not stop to ask if she wanted a massage he just proceeds.  Jackie is seemingly enjoying his touch.  Apparently, among other attributes and skills, Richard has the touch of a skilled masseuse.  In fact Richard has told us that he studied massage technique. The massage does not last overly long, as Richard is still without his morning java. He makes some small talk to us all.   He pauses and asks “does anyone want anything inside?”.   Thus, the massage ends and he walks into the café.   

I think to myself, the liberties and assumptions some people take.  I would never have walked over and just assumed that Jackie would want a massage.   Richard is the biggest guy in the smallest package.  Perhaps this is his way of being big?

 Other people have joined us on occasion and have also taken liberties that I found annoying.  Israeli Miki for one.  He is a self employed broker for motorcycles among other things.  He is married but his wife never seems to be home. He is always dressed extremely casual in the morning as though he is on holiday or vacation.  He generally sits down next to Stacy or Jackie, pulls an extra chair over just so he could rest his feet.  Miki takes his feet, he is wearing open toe sandals, and lifts them on to a chair. They are staring at me as I drink my coffee.  They are practically touching Jackie’s leg as she sits on the chair next to him.   I am sorry, but I am just not into looking at guys’ feet while I am sitting and having my coffee or eating.  Those feet planted so comfortably next to someone else that is not a true familiar person…not a girlfriend, not a wife.  Is that my OCD? Or is he just plain annoying?

I clear some area for the others to sit and feel relieved that the Zohan will probably feel too uncomfortable or out of place to sit and join us.   There is safety in numbers.

Sitting around the tables with me now is Jackie, Stacy, Richard and Unice. 

Jackie takes a moment to pull the paper from Stacy to read all of our horoscopes for the day.   Stacy takes a look at Unice’s sketches and provides her two cents on the designs.

Talia F  is a young late 20 something mom that has been friends with Stacy and Unice for a while. She lives 20 minutes south of Boca but works in the area part time. When she is working, she joins us at the Starbucks.  She is thin, with long legs and a page boy hair cut with blonde streaks. She is dressed in her True Religion jeans and a plain white blouse. 

Talia F pulls up in her big SUV and walks over to our group of tables.  Talia’s husband David is a fireman. When he is not working he is an avid fisherman and a lover of tattoo body art.  He is constantly doing work and Talia is showing pictures at the table of the tattoo work in progress. 

She also shows off the latest pictures of her little boy, Hayden.  He looks like her husband.  Hayden is about 24 months with a very big smile on his face.  His hair is spiked and he sits on the floor with their pit bull puppy. The personality of the parents expressed so clearly in the baby.

Richard emerges from the café and joins the rest of us at the tables.  Stacy is finishing her cigarette and saying her goodbyes to the Zohan.  

Richard has also known Talia for a while, and when he sees her it is like a father giving his daughter a hug and kiss on the cheek.  He puts his coffee down and slowly walks over to Talia to give her a hug.  

I notice that Richard has three women of the group that he shows affection for.  Tammy, Jackie and Talia F. seem to be his favorites.   Others, like Unice and Stacy don’t warrant the affection.

Richard hugs Talia, makes some small talk and sits down across from me. He grabs the sport section from the table in front of me as I was not reading it at the moment.

There is no real main topic of conversation for the day.  Talia’s appearance seems to occupy everyone’s attention. There is lot’s of small talk. I feel like I am living an episode from the Seinfeld show.

Chapter 1/ The Chair

THE STARBUCKS CHRONICLES

CHAPTER ONE

THE CHAIR

Stacy is already at Starbucks as I pull up for my morning coffee.  I can see her silver Porsche parked with the convertible top down.  It’s 7:45 on Monday and there are only a few cars in the parking lot at the Boca Center Starbucks.   The sun is out, temperature in the 70’s and the humidity is still low on this spring morning in Boca Raton, Florida.  I park my car and carry my laptop to the café.

I lost my job in the car business a few months ago, and decided to work from home with an internet business.  My wife Arlene works nearby at the shopping mall.  She has to dress for work each day.  But not me.  For now, there are no more white dress shirts and ties.  Now I am dressed in a t-shirt and jeans.  No more dress shoes, I am seen most days in flip flops.    I needed to be around other people, so I started to go to Starbucks in the morning for coffee.  Not that I am a lover of their coffee, in fact there are other coffees that I am fonder. But the atmosphere and the people is what draws me to Starbucks.  I can sit with my laptop and people watch for hours.

“Good morning” I say as I walk by Stacy to go inside to grab my morning fix. Stacy is seated outside the café.  She has a small circular table to herself. Stacy is seated with her back to the café so she can watch the patrons as they walk inside.  Stacy has a thing about where she sits.  If she is not in her usual seat, she is a little disoriented.  She needs to be with her back to something, no one should be able to walk behind her. She needs to be able to see the pedestrian traffic in front of her.  Her oversized purse is placed on its own chair next to her.  There is a newspaper on the table, a large (or “Venti”) coffee and a similar sized cup of water sitting on the table with an ashtray as well.

Stacy’s wavy red hair is still a little wet from the morning shower and is draped over her shoulders and enhanced chest.  Stacy has an outgoing and inviting personality.  She knows most of the morning patrons at Starbucks.  She is the mayor of Starbucks.  She smiles, says good morning to me and buries her head back inside the NY Times crossword puzzle.  Stacy has the NY Times and the Sun Sentinel newspapers almost every morning. She reads the horoscopes and does the crossword puzzles.  She is not interested in the rest of the paper.  Lucky for me.  I always have the sports section to read without having to buy the rest of the paper.

There was a light rain earlier in the morning, but Stacy made sure the tables and the chairs were dry for us and in their proper places. She borrows a towel from the baristas and wipes them down; she slides the tables together and arranges the chairs for most of us to sit.

I am only getting a tall coffee as I wait in line, listening to the parade of coffee drinkers ordering an array of different Lattes. Many of the customers are regulars and the baristas are familiar with their orders.  They are making a pit stop on their way to work. One by one they enter the café.  By 8:00 a.m. the line is 6 deep and growing.  Bobby is behind the cash register, totally unfazed by the growing line. Much of which is simply because Bobby has trouble operating the cash register. Bobby also likes to converse with many of the regulars with each of their purchases so that slows things up a little as well.  Bobby is a short 53 year old man with thin hair. He is also a photographer that has his works shown in galleries.  Bobby was part of the Andy Warhol crowd of the late 70’s.  He also has his photos hanging on the walls of this particular Starbucks café.   He had done too much partying in the 70’s and 80’s, and now is living a much more sedate life.  He seems to have moments where he just is not all there. Bobby lives with his mother and his dog. He works a few hours each morning, probably just enough to secure health insurance benefits.

Bobby sees me every day, he knows me by name and what I want.  I am a creature of habit. “A tall coffee for you today?” he asks.     We have the same people coming to this Starbucks almost every day. The barista’s have developed a sort of kinship with the morning regulars.

I take the coffee outside and sit with my laptop computer at a table that has been moved close to Stacy as others are expected to join us.  We have a fairly regular group each Monday through Friday.   The group differs slightly on a Saturday and I am never there on Sunday.   We have a diverse group of people that join us.   We have many different backgrounds, nationalities, sexes, ages and ethnic backgrounds.  Everyone is connected to Stacy.  She is the magnet that seems to draw us all together.

“How was your weekend? “   I ask her.   “It was ok” she says.  “ I took Steph shopping and then stayed home waiting for Jeff to bring Steven and his dog home”.  

Stacy is going through a divorce.  Her third.  Jeff, her most recent casualty, was apparently an on again off again boy toy that eventually resulted in a marriage.  He is a fireman and several years younger than Stacy.  The marriage lasted only a short while and they had no children of their own.   After they separated, Jeff was not allowed to visit this Starbucks. He was also barred from several other places that Stacy liked to frequent.  There is no protective order, it is simply an understanding that they have.

 Steven, Stacy’s son from a prior marriage is fond of Jeff and they spend time together.  Steph is Stacy’s 20 year old daughter from the same prior marriage.   

Everyone that is acquainted with Stacy is familiar with the drama in her life.  We are all her sounding boards as she expresses the latest news of her troubled relationships and new adventures.  Our crew is like an extended family.

Richard slowly walks by, cigarette in hand.  Richard is a stock trader that works in an office building behind the strip mall.  He has already been to the office, and now is having his morning break before the stock market opens.  Richard is a short 59 year old divorced man with a Napoleon complex.   He is quiet, but with a strong knows it all personality.  Richard has experienced almost everything.  Just ask him. Or, better yet….don’t.  He will just tell you. He was a landscaper, a masseuse, a firefighter, a semi pro hockey player, an star softball player and baseball coach.   As I was sitting down to write this story, Richard advised that he too has written a book.  “About this thick!” Richard showed with his hands, showing about 3 inches worth of thickness.  While clearly full of himself, he has an otherwise pleasant demeanor.  And, besides boasting about his own success, he enjoys conversing about the latest sports news.

  “Good morning” Richard says as he walks toward the tables.   He stops a few feet away so he can finish his cigarette.   “Anyone need anything in side” ?  he asks.   No thank you, I say as I open my laptop to check my emails.

Richard comes outside with his coffee and breakfast and sits at the table with Stacy.  He brings an extra chair over so that Tammy has a seat.  Tammy is a late 40’s former medical practitioner and now a stay at home mom with a young son.  She is a thin blond woman and generally in her tennis outfits in the morning.  She is soft spoken and seems to be enjoying motherhood late in life.    As she approaches the tables, Richard’s face brightens like a schoolboy with an adolescent crush.    “You look so nice in that outfit “  Richard says. Tammy smiles and thanks him as she sits in her reserved seat by Richard.  She is waiting to go inside for coffee as the line inside has already grown more than 8 deep. 

“How was everyone’s weekend?”  Tammy inquires.    “I had to wait around all day yesterday for Jeff and Steven to come home” Stacy immediately responds.    “ He tells me he wants to get back together, but then he is so inconsiderate…. . “    “I had a little league baseball game for my son yesterday, it was so much fun” Tammy says.  

“My son Steven was a fantastic baseball player”.   Richard jumps in.  “I coached him throughout little league. …..  He was even invited to play in the Maccabi games a few years back.”  Richard proudly adds. The Maccabi games is sort of Jewish Olympiad.

Jackie is another regular to the group.  I remember the first time I met Jackie, I was on line at Starbucks and she was sporting a very nice handbag that I commented on.  Since I sell women’s clothing and handbags on line, I occasionally take notice of interesting handbags.   Jackie is a tall thin mid 40’s woman. She is originally from Canada, married with 2 children.  Her son is 14 and her daughter is 17 years old.  She is also somewhat bohemian in her style and works part time at Lucky Brand’s store in the mall nearby. 

Jackie’s is a doctor’s daughter and married into a fairly wealthy Canadian family besides.  There is an aura of wealth about her.  Not in a pretentious way, just the aura.   Jackie is a very bright opinionated lady that is always able to help Stacy with the answers to her daily crossword puzzle.

Jackie drives up in her blue Mercedes with the top down to enjoy the morning Florida sunshine. She parks her car near mine.  When she gets out of the car, she is already holding an empty Starbucks coffee cup.  She recycles.  It is her contribution to the environment. 

With a rather fast gate, using her long strides, Jackie walks towards us. Jackie walks practically every morning for exercise around 5 am.  Why anyone would want to walk or voluntarily exert physical activity at that hour of the morning is beyond me.   But then again, I am one who has trouble making it to the entrance of a gym more than once a week.

“Good morning”,   Jackie says as she puts her car keys and a book on the table where we are sitting and the proceeds to enter Starbucks for her morning tea.  Jackie is an avid reader; she is a member of a book club and will read at least one book a week.  However, she never gets to read her book in the morning but still brings it along. 

Jackie has been frequenting this Starbucks much longer than I have and knows each of the baristas by name and they (at least most of them) not only know her name but know her morning flavor.  Chai flavored Tea.

“How was everyone’s weekend? “  Jackie asks, as she sits down at the table next to me with a “Venti” cup of tea (a large in Starbucks language).   “I went to dinner on Saturday with {Simon and Paula}” ( some other couple and not a member of the crowd so why even mention their name?) .  “I drank a little too much wine, but felt I needed to make up for the fact that Alfred did not drink”.     Alfred, Jackie’s husband is a tall stocky guy.  Looking at this guy, you would think this guy could put away a six pack of beer or down a few cocktails with ease.  But, he does not drink.  He does party a bit (smokes a joint or two on a regular basis).  We all have our vices. 

Alfred rarely comes to Starbucks, but through Jackie we know all about him.  He plays basketball (he is tall enough to play a forward position on an over 40 men’s team) and is a country club golfer with a very respectable handicap.  He took over his father’s jewelry manufacturing business and travels regularly. More than that, at this stage of my writing, I can’t say.

Jackie enjoys the movies so frequently my conversation with her will center on the latest flicks that are opening in the neighborhood theatres or movies we have seen.

We sit at the tables, making small talk about the news of the day, the weekend, and watching the passersby’s.  We read sections of Stacy’s paper and help Stacy with her crossword puzzle.

   
Stacy’s neighbor Danielle walks by.  Danielle is a single late 30 something girl that is still trying to hold on to her 20’s. She is always dressed like she is about to go to the gym.  She is not all that attractive in the face, a borderline butta face.  But she has a body that makes most women envy.  She has a totally flat stomach; shapely legs;  fake tits that always have their headlights on; and is dressed in the skimpiest outfits to show off these assets.  She has virtually no fat anywhere.  She walks by to be noticed by all.  No one really says hello to Danielle but everyone stares ….and Danielle give a forced acknowledgement to Stacy.

Apparently Stacy and Danielle do not get along. Accordingly, Danielle is not invited to join the table.

Other familiar faces continue to walk by. We see the same people almost every day.  Most we don’t know by name, only their look; their car; or the kids they have in tow.

There is the lady with harem pants that looks like actress, Francis McDormand, and drives a red Jeep.

There is Harvey the chiropractor who arrives most mornings with hospital scrubs.

There is the lady with the 4 year old little boy that reminds me of the little kid “Ray” from the movie “Jerry Maguire”.  “D'you know that the human head weighs 8 pounds”?  I keep hearing that line in my head every time I see that little boy.

There is “Jody”, the athletic looking women, that dresses as a tennis coach each morning. Turns out she is both a tennis coach and gym teacher.  She pulls up in an SUV with someone driving most days.  The driver is her husband and fellow teacher.  They are newlyweds. He is also dressed as if he is going for a workout or to the tennis courts. She gets out runs to get coffee and returns to the SUV. The driver of the SUV doesn’t just wait outside, he parks in a parking spot and then, in stealth mode, pulls out to pick Jody from the front of the café as if he had just pulled up.

There is the guy in the Mercedes that walks with a limp to the café.  He is a well built guy, dressed in a shirt and tie but has a limp like he just got off the football field.  Like his muscles or knee are hurting from the day before.  He limps going in, but does not have as noticeable a limp returning to his car.

There is the Boca police officers that congregate as well; about 3 or 4 of them each morning.  Stacy knows one of them from her paddle boarding on the weekends.

We see the same people almost every day.  Some stop to say hello, but most are in there own little worlds and are just routine passer byers.  Only a select group seem to migrate to the tables and actually sit down.  Some stop to say hello, most simply go about their business without even an acknowledgement that they have walked by us.

 Our conversations this morning have, as usual, moved into so many different directions it is hard to keep up. There is very rarely a theme to the morning conversations.  We are not members of a book club.  We do have our gossip though as most groups have.

 I can see in the parking lot Whitney and Harland getting out of their SUV with Sara. Whitney is a young 30 something mom with a body that a teenage girl would die for.  She is a former teacher in a local high school that retired from teaching after giving birth to her daughter two years ago.  I am told that Whitney used to be fat.  I have not seen a picture, but several confirm that sighting.  Harland on the other hand is an overweight guy.  He is dressed in shorts and an Ed Hardy Tee. He looks as though he just woke up.  Well, both Whitney and Harland look like they just woke up. Whitney gets away with it. Harland does not.

Sometime after giving birth, Whitney went through a major metamorphous (and plastic surgery) to have the kick ass body she has now.  She appears this morning, as she does each morning, with extremely short jogging shorts and a tight t-shirt that shows off her nicely enhanced breasts.  She is braless and there is some visible nipple action seen.

 They walk toward us, Whitney with a pack of cigarettes and her keys in hand; Harland pushing the stroller with Sara. 

 Whitney sits down at the table, while Harland goes inside to gather vittles.  Whitney is still a party girl.   Her conversations generally relate to some club or bar she and Harland or she and some girlfriend visited that week or plan to visit.  Whitney is the daughter of Ira Schwartz.  Ira  is a retired businessman and sometimes local politician.  He frequents Starbucks, but not till later in the morning.

Whitney asks Richard for a light, as she pulls a cigarette from her pack.  She stands so as not to smoke in anyone’s face and proceeds to begin a conversation with Stacy over a bar she was at over the weekend. 

Our tables are full and the conversations are in full swing when Harland returns.  He grabs a chair and sits near the stroller to feed Sara.   Harland is also a work at home guy. Not exactly sure what he does, but I believe it is marketing related.   He has a flexible schedule and a job or business that does not require a shirt and tie in the morning.  

Whitney seems to either go out a lot or talks as though she is going out a lot.  Who knows? But when I have seen her at parties, she seems to have a good time.

Our tables are just about full.  The lone empty chair is next to Stacy and occupied by her purse. Stacy needs that chair for guy who may or may not be coming to visit this morning.  The chair is always set in place and occupied by the purse until that special person comes.  In fact, during the next several months the chair right next to Stacy takes on a transient occupancy. 

There is Steve, an older semi retired guy that Stacy met through a friend.  Steve seemed to have it all, at first.  He was a well built guy around 50 years old;   had money from a business he sold; drove a late model red Mercedes SL55; and had a very big cock for a white guy.   But, he had a problem.  He complained about money and the prices of things a little too much for Stacy.   They would go out on a date to a local restaurant and all he did was complain about the prices for food.  At first it did not bother her, but over time (the third or fourth date) it became too much.

There was Texas, a guy she met on Facebook.  Long distance relationships don’t usually work, but Stacy made a go of it. She went to visit him in Texas to meet face to face .   Despite the long distance relationship, Texas fit the mold of most of Stacy’s boyfriends.  He was a weight lifter, and very into fitness and outdoor activities like Stacy.  Stacy likes extreme sports, rock climbing, paddle surfing, kayaking etc.  She never met him before her trip to Texas. Although they spoke on the telephone.  When she left for Texas, she promised to check in with several of us periodically in case Texas was a serial killer. All was ok, Stacy return thinking of a long term relationship with a guy in Texas.

However, the chair for Texas only was occupied on one weekend.  The weekend he came to visit Stacy in Boca Raton, we had a party for him.  We don’t know what happened but suffice it to say one weekend in Boca Raton was enough for Texas.

There is the gas station guy.  He is a guy that Stacy met while filling her car with gas.  The guy supposedly works in the same industry as Stacy, so she was able to “check him out”.  He fit the mold, a weight lifter between his mid thirties and mid forties. 

There is Tony.  Tony is a friend or boy toy of Stacy’s that she met at the gym.  He is an extremely well built black man in his late 30’s. He Look’s like a professional athlete.   Tony and Stacy know each other from the gym for a while. But once she separated from Jeff they started to hand out outside of the gym.  One happy hour they went for drinks and before you know it, Stacy was back at her townhouse with Tony.  The next morning the chair was reserved for him.  According to Stacy the myth was true.  He was extremely well hung as well.   Tony would become a regular fuck buddy for Stacy.  No real relationship just occasional drinks or a breakfast and hot sex.

There is Craig from New Jersey.  He is a guy that Stacy used to work with in Boca and according to Stacy has been trying to get into her pants for years. Craig made a lot of money in the market and travels to Florida often.   It took a lot of wining and dining and some drinks for him to succeed. They remained friends and occasional bed partners and therefore the chair was occasionally occupied when he came to town.

Finally, there is Jimmy.  Jimmy is the current prime candidate for Stacy, he is 2 years older than Stacy at 47 and as much a gym and fitness fanatic as Stacy. He is a career military man. Back from a tour in Iraq and getting ready for training to go to Afghanistan.  The stories he tells about his training and his operations are quite interesting.   Jimmy is 6’4 and built like a football player or “Rambo”.  He drives a classic Porsche from the 70’s that he fixed up.  And, Jimmy has been the apple of Stacy’s eyes as of late.  However, Jimmy does not want to start a serious relationship with Stacy because he is traveling overseas soon.  While Jimmy is in town, the seat is always waiting for him and the possibility he may show up.

There has been so many during the six months it is difficult to keep track of the entrants to thru this revolving door.   The one constant is the chair. Today it is being occupied by a purse. But dare anyone to try to sit in that chair, even a regular and they will get a look and notice that “someone” maybe be stopping by.

Stacy takes a call on her blackberry as we are sitting around the group of tables.  It was Jimmy, he is not coming but wanted to say hello.   Her facial expression changes and she stands up.  She is ready to leave.  It is time to go to work….soon others begin to leave as well.

It is already 9:15 am, how the time flies and we all begin to disperse.