Chapter 1: Tony

It may not of been spring, but it was a welcome change. After what had been a series of cold nights with no relief in sight? Freedom was finally upon Tony Joel. He was dressing for a night out. He paused and mentally acknowledged his accomplishment. This was from the fact that he could finally enjoy the silk dress shirt he had purchased for himself as an incentive. After all the hard work at the health club, he was finally able to fit into it. The television was playing in the background. A bad habit Tony had developed as a result of spending many a night in his apartment with his Sony as his only company. Well tonight that was all going to change. As he slipped on his new jeans. He mentally patted himself on the back. The plain truth was Tony had to buy new jeans because his old ones were just plainly too big. He paused by the mirror and gave himself a last look. As he looked in the mirror, he began to laugh. "Ok, I'm not the Lady Killer, like Chandler Bing, makes himself out to be." But Tony Joel made his own way. After a minor adjustment to his collar, he grabbed his jacket and out the door he went.

The evening turned out to be a lot less than what Tony had hoped for. He ventured out to this "cool" club. That he had been told about from his co-workers. But the Club 57 was anything but that to Tony. It started out all right; he spent a majority of the evening watching a drop dead gorgeous red head. She reminded him of this girl he had a thing for in High School. The blonde bartender, whose nametag read "Stacy", told him that she was a regular and her name was Terri. He then noticed the red head was staring at him while he was standing at the bar. Tony finished his third beer and asked Stacy to give him one of those silk roses for sale in the vase behind her. He then took that rose and crossed the smoke filled room. He paused for a moment and thought to him self, "Ok, I can do this." "Don't be scared " he reassured himself as he began to venture towards the woman.

As he approached her table, he asked her" May I join you?" as he handed her the rose. Terri then replied with a giggle in her voice, "Why an I coming apart?" He proceeded to sit with this incredible red head and got to know her over the course of the next hour. As a lull came to the conversation, Tony offered to get another round of drinks. Terri replied. " Sure". As Tony picked up the glasses and started to walk away, Terri grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear. "While you're up, will you get me the blonde's phone number, I could stand a little action with her." Tony was shocked beyond belief, not only by Terri's request but also to the fact that he relayed the message to Stacy the bartender as he was leaving.

As Tony exited the club he paused for a moment to reflect on the evening's events. It was about 11:00 pm as he climbed into his red Grand Am. Tony hit the roof of the car out of anger and screamed, "What is this world coming to?" He started his car and began to back out. He suddenly stopped and shook his head as he watched Stacy and Terri leaving the bar together. They saw him leaving and waved while yelling" Thanks for getting the two of us together". Tony threw his car into park and sat there for a moment. Thinking to him self, "Why do I sit myself up for these falls?" " I've worked long and hard at the health club to lose 50 pounds." Grumbling to him self "Why do I bother?", He put his car into gear and pulled out on to Grant Boulevard. He was thinking of going to the White Castle on the highway when the weather took a turn for the worse. A sudden downpour made it hard to see, so he pulled his car over to the side of the street. Turning on the radio and waiting for the worst to blow over. The radio began to play, "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant". Tony's mind then began to drift back to a simpler time. A knocking at his window interrupted his meditation. Tony opened his eyes startled to see a small brown haired woman, who was caught, by the rain. She yelled over the sound of the rainfall," Can I sit with you till, this stops, I'm soaked to the skin." Tony felt sorry for the young woman. He knew if the roles were reversed he would be glad for a little shelter. Tony replied "Sure" as he unlocked the passenger door for the woman.

As she climbed into the car, Tony couldn't help but notice her physical appearance. He was hypnotized by the looks. Her hair was the color of wheat shimmering in the sunlight, as it shimmered in the dome light of the car. Her body was small but firm. This was emphasized by the wetness of her clothing. He couldn't help but notice that she was wearing no bra. Tony began to feel strange at that moment. His heart began to beat faster and faster. His breathing became shallow. The woman giggled and said" You better close your mouth of a bird might just fly in and set up shop." Tony then snapped out of his dream state and just looked at this woman in his car. She was by far the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. As she was attempting to dry off she quietly said." By the way, I'm Sarah." She extended her hand and Tony took it and gently shook it.

Sarah then continued to dry off in vain. Tony said "Hold on a sec". He reached in the back seat of the car and opened his gym bag. He took out a towel and handed it to the woman. She accepted it and began to dry off. Tony then noted, Gee you're soaked to the bone." He then rummaged through the bag and pulled out one of his t-shirts and a sweatshirt. He offered them to Sarah saying" Here put these on." Sarah accepted and began to pull up her top. Tony freaked and turned around so he would not see. Sarah giggled" Oh a shy one, how sweet." Tony watched the rain hit the street and could hear the young woman next to him undressing in the darkness of the car. He wanted to see, but could not bring himself to sneak a peek.

After Sarah had removed her wet clothing and slipped on the dry ones Tony had provided. They began to chat. It started with the weather, then moved on to pretty much a good portion of their lives. Then the first rays of the sun began to come through the windshield. Tony looked up and realized they had talked the night away. The rain had stopped and it was going to be a beautiful day. Sarah then began to gather up her wet things. Tony then offered to drive her home., She then quietly replied "No" to his offer. She then proceeded to get out of the Grand Am. As she began to walk away, Tony jumped out of the car and yelled," Can I call you?" Sarah paused in her tracks and began to shake her head. " You don't want to get mixed up with me", turned and headed down the sidewalk. She stopped and blew a kiss to Tony. Then with a slight remorse in her voice, yelled, " I don't think you could afford it." Sarah turned on heel at that moment and dashed down a side street, dropping her wet things as she went. Tony dashed after her to see her turning onto a side street. All he saw then was a flash of naked skin of her behind from under the sweatshirt. By the time he reached the street, she was gone.