Sox, stars and Jamie Stringer

[brad_chase]

from hereJudge Harding's canceled golf game was the monkey wrench in my date with Jamie and the universe. By noon, the Boston skies opened up, dumping three inches by the time his clerk called and said the judges calendar opened up and he could take our arbitration case if I could get my client to his court within the hour

Comments

[jamie_stringer]

there he is. The knock on my door causes my spirits to brighten considerably. Not that I had been pacing the floor or anything . . . I figured the rain had most likely snarled traffic.

"Hi!" I smile, opening the door with a slight bounce. "Oh no. Your tie is wet!" I wonder if he is intentionally giving me his best puppy dog eyes. He looks wet and cold. "Would you like to come in for a minute and dry off?"

[brad_chase]

"I, uh - " *I look back over my shoulder, vaguely pointing toward her street* "I'm, you know, double-parked." And with that logic laid out, I stepped in. Similarly disregarding traffic laws, she closed the door behind me.

There's an energy in Jamie's presence. That's not to say she isn't calm. It's a positive force and, coupled with our chemistry and being in her now-familiar living room, I simply followed her suggestion, unknotting the tie. "Sorry. I was held up in an arbitration. Believe me, I was kinda hoping for that courtroom bomber to show up so I could get outta there." Stuffing my tie in my overcoat pocket, I just looked at her, admiring the view. "Did you get off early?" One second later, my smile stiffened, praying she took that statement at face value.

[jamie_stringer]

It feels so normal to have him in my living room. It's suddenly as if we've known each other for years, yet there is still the apprehensive thrill which accompanies meeting someone new. He looks so distinguished in his coat, despite its having just been soaked.

His comment causes my mind to wander in a slightly nefarious direction, and I notice his almost imperceptible wince after saying it, and I want to set him at ease. I raise an eyebrow and smirk. "Did you? Just kidding. I actually did leave early. For some reason" innocent smile "I was really tired this morning." Before he can protest I take his coat, remove the crumpled soggy tie, and hang them both by the radiator. "I'm sorry to hear about your arbitration. I know how that goes. Do we have time for coffee before we go?" I motion toward the already percolating and steaming pot in the kitchen.

[brad_chase]

It wasn't until she turned back from the radiator that I was able to stop reliving the answer to Did you?.

"Coffee. Yes. Coffee. Certainly." I remained where I was. She hesitated, then turned to her kitchen. That got me going and I followed. I don't think the umbrella was the only thing I left back at the firm. Not that I felt a particular need to be in control. Watching her pour, then retrieve creamer from her fridge, it occurred to me why I liked being in her presence. It was the closest I'd come to uninhibited in many months.

"Thank you." I took the offered mug and looked around. "How about a tour?"

[jamie_stringer]

A tour. "Ummm . . ." I hesitate before answering, trying frantically to recall the status of my usually-kept-hidden rooms. I have a sudden mental image of him innocently opening a closet door only to have piles of shoes, badmitton rackets, towels, tupperware, christmas decorations and whatever else tumbling out and burying him completely. And then there's the dilemma of whether to show him the bedroom . . .

". . . sure. You've seen the kitchen already, so I guess we can skip that." I look around. "Oh. Check this out." I proudly open the living room curtains. "A balcony!"

[brad_chase]

"Hey, whatdayaknow. It's raining." The heavy gray clouds hung low over Boston and the view from her balcony made me even less inclined to leave her warm, dry living room. She was looking at something street level, so I stepped closer to the slider and followed her gaze. The dreaded BPD three-wheeler was next to my car, the traffic cop, no doubt, either fining me or calling in the tow truck.

"Rain check on the tour." Dreading it, I pull on my mostly dry overcoat. My hand on the door knob, I turn back, mouth open but not quite knowing how to word it. "D'ya want me to - " Stay. Go. Repark. Stay. Make out. "I'll, uh - I'll just find another place and be back in a minute."

[jamie_stringer]

"N-n-no! This is completely my fault. We'll go out there together. This guy -" motions toward car "I'll talk to him. We should be going anyway." glances at watch, relieved the tour is over. "Let me grab my coat."

[brad_chase]

Helping her on with her coat, I'm happy to see an umbrella propped in the corner. We both make a mad dash to the scene of the crime. Jamie, as it turns out, has charmed half of Boston and makes light work of Daryl, apparently a fan of hers. Something about a cousin who is a past 'associate' of Lenny Pescatore. I am going out with a girl from the hood. One that owns a company bat

[jamie_stringer]

“Brrrrad Chase,” I say in a scolding tone. “Here I thought you were so uprighteous. But I promise not to tell.” I take one of the bottles and examine it, as if trying to determine its authenticity. “Ok, we’ll save these for Floyd. This is so exciting. You know, I’ve never gone to a laser show. I remember in college a bunch of friends going to see Laser Zep, but I was too busy studying. And now I finally get to go!” Big smile as I return the mini bottle.

As Brad’s “unique” car pulls up to the Hayden, we notice there is a very meager line at the ticket office. A few youngsters with notebooks, who appear to be suffering through this as an obligation to astronomy class, a pudgy, unshaven man who’s carrying a protractor and a comic book, and . . . us.

But I smile at Brad as we walk toward the building, our clasped hands swinging slightly.

[brad_chase]

"Hey, I jumped 75 million years!" A kid with a 'Jeter Sucks!' t-shirt wobbled a bit on his landing spot on the cosmic pathway. "Justin, get off Jupiter's rings this instant," demanded the harried adult in charge. Amused, we meandered after the writhing knot of field trippers, eavesdropping on the guides narrative.

Exchanging glances, grinning sometimes for no reason except the innocent thrill of the shared experience, we moved from exhibit to exhibit. "I'm not really a museum guy. Before moving here, the last one I'd been to was the Marine Corps Historical Center in D.C. I guess I like to come here sometimes and unwind. It's pretty much... not Crane, Poole and Schmidt, you know?" Squeezing her hand gently, I led us toward the domed theater, anticipating the illusion of being under a canopy of stars with Jamie.

[jamie_stringer]

The noise of the school kids' laughter and authoritative narrations from the tour guides instantly vanishes as we step out of the bright exhibit area and into the dimly lit enormous capsule which would soon catapult us into the cosmos. The only sound is the eerie hum that seems to always be present in theatres before the show and the unneccesary "shhh" of the childrens' chaperones.

There are two seats in the back row which seem to be waiting for us. We both look at each other and raise our eye brows in mutual understanding.

"I'm so glad we're here," I whisper, squeezing his forearm. "You're right. It does make you forget the daily lawyer grind. I can't believe I've never done this before."

As we snuggle into our seats I feel completely relaxed. We both recline to the extent that we can, being in the back row, and I rest my head on his shoulder.

[brad_chase]

The feeling of her laying against my shoulder... let's just say the room went to pitch black just in time. We shifted slightly and wrapped my arm around her, my fingers caressing her shoulder. In the closed-in darkness, an incongruously familiar voice boomed in surround sound:

"Space. The final frontier." I coulda sworn Denny was moonlighting. I leaned down, whispering near her ear - really an excuse to press my lips against her blond hair - "They usually have Sheriff Woody narrating." I heard a huh? vibrate against my chest. "You know - Toy Story. Tom Hanks. He's like the voice of NASA," I deadpanned. Most people Alan Shore took my dry delivery to mean I was humorless. Blame Kuwait. Less slapstick, more gallows. My subconscious shoved me back to the present and Jamie. To the stilted cadence of James Tiberius Kirk, one by one our neighboring planets appeared above us until the full array of our solar system covered us. I literally could see nothing in the theater around me - or of this woman leaning against me. I think they call that

[jamie_stringer]

I wasn't sure if he was kidding about Sheriff Woody or not, but the overwhelming power of the celestial display and the lovely booming baritone voice made me realize a response wasn't necessary.

The only distraction more powerful than the solar system whizzing by was the feel of Brad's hand, snugly between my own. I was also very aware of the proximity of his thigh, which was only millimeters from where our hands were resting. I shifted, moving my upper hand under the guise of scratching my nose, and then, instead of returning it to the same position, I nonchalantly let it fall to the side of our hands, landing just above his knee.

I liked what I felt. It was exactly how I imagined. Very strong. I closed my eyes and smiled, my hand becoming more deliberate, suddenly preferring the image of his warm thigh's surface over that of pluto's desolate icy surface.

[brad_chase]

As if sucked into a black hole, the impact of her hand on my leg vacuumed all my attention to that one landing spot. I looked down and, of course, seeing nothing but pitch black, safely grinned. If someone on the planets above had the alien eyesight to see us, they'd think humans needed each other. Without actually intending to make like a couple of teenagers, our hands were happily all over each other

[jamie_stringer]

Aww. Back home again. I had kinda been hoping the space ship would continue to travel into the far outer reaches of the universe, leaving us hurtling into the unknown. Neither of us move as the lights come on and the soothing voice of Captain Kirk is replaced with an obnoxious nasal one rudely informing us that Laser Floyd will be starting shortly and folks who have not yet purchased tickets must leave the theatre immediately.

We are set with our tickets and our rum and everything else we need. I close my eyes and nestle my head more comfortably against Brad. It's as if we've somehow been combined into one being, not entirely sure where one begins and the other ends.

[brad_chase]

More of Jamie pressed against me had an effect - and my hand left her shoulder and stroked her hair slowly. It surprised me with its intimacy.

One kid, four rows ahead of us, was taking his sweet time threading an arm into his hoodie. Finally noticing him from my fog of desire, I gave him a wink and a smirk. Yeah, grown-ups do it, too, son, I thought. That unnerved him enough to get him moving.

The theater now became refuge for another sort of crowd. University students found hidden enclaves where they could illegally enhance the already trippy laser show. Then again, who was I to judge. Roger Waters may be feeling comfortably numb, but I already was comfortably excited. Turning my full attention to Jamie, I looked down at her resting against me. She was a full-on litigator, a smart, independent professional. These very appealing traits didn't block her soft side.

"Hey," I whispered. "How're you doing down there?"