Once upon a time, in a hotel bar not so far away….. a woman nurses her drink.

I suspect I am stuck here for the night. Although, I am unable to see outside from the windowless bar, I do have a clear view of the hotel lobby. People are still arriving, stomping their shoes on the mat, shaking out their coats, trying to rid themselves of the thick wet snow.

It’s the first big storm of the winter and I’m stuck on my way home from a conference. My lay-over should have been two hours; it may well turn out to be two days. I watch as irate would-be travelers try to persuade the beleaguered desk clerk to provide rooms he no longer has available. One man appears to be imminent danger of suffering an aneurism, his face is purple, his arms wave wildly as he berates the poor clerk. I, on the other hand, am quite relaxed. Maybe it’s the martini, or maybe it’s because I don’t have anyone or anything to rush back to, but it’s most likely to be the fact I have a warm, dry room ready and waiting for me upstairs.

My bags have already been deposited, I’m showered, fed and have nothing to do until the storm passes. It’s a nice feeling, to have no where to be, no responsibilities. Forced to do nothing, I settle back into my seat, take another sip of my drink and pick up the pencil to take another stab at the crossword.

The arrival of the hotel manager a few minutes later is a welcome distraction. As it turns out, I’m not so good at crosswords. The manager is apparently offering aneurism-man a workable compromise as his face pales from purple to red. Aneurism-man moves to the other side of the lobby to convey whatever the plan is to his traveling companions.

One of them looks vaguely familiar. I know I should know him, but I can’t place his name, he’s out of context and my brain is being asked to make connections it would rather not. The martini isn’t helping. He leans over to pick up his carry-on bag. Then it hits me. We work in the same building, not for the same company but I have seen him in the elevator and once or twice in the coffee shop on the first floor. He’s has a very nice smile and a fine ass. I can’t help it, I notice these things… I’m a sucker for a fine ass.