~ Sue Watkins: Over-The-Hill Biker Bride ~

by

Sherry Derr-Wille

“Don’t look now,” Anne said, “but that same guy is at the bar and he’s staring at you.”

Instinctively, Sue turned around to see the man Anne was talking about. She’d seen him at the bowling alley for the past three weeks. She decided he must bowl on a team that used the lanes on the other end of the building. “He’s just having a drink before it’s time to start bowling. We do the same thing. He certainly isn’t staring at me.”

“And if you believe that, I’ve got swamp land in Florida that I’ll sell you really cheap,” Ellie teased. “He’s been staring at you ever since his team finished bowling just before us. I tell you, he’s interested. Everyone else from his team was leaving just as we got here, yet he’s just sitting at the bar watching you.”

Sue laughed at Ellie’s comment. “From the way he looks, he’s younger than my kids. He’s probably just killing time before he hooks up with some chick for the night.”

“Well,” Dee said, “don’t look now, but he’s staring at you like you were a T-bone steak and he’s very hungry.”

Sue turned to see the man, who looked like a big teddy bear, staring at her from his seat at the bar. He looked as though he would be tall, perhaps well over six feet and his full beard hid what she decided must be a round face that matched his massive body. He wasn’t fat by any stretch of the imagination, but he was solid.

As she studied the man at the bar, she saw the waitress coming in her direction. She certainly wasn’t ready for another drink as she’d hardly touched her coke, but the girl carried a tray with a glass of soda on it. She must be bucking for a good tip from me. If that’s the case she’s got another think coming. I can hardly afford the drinks I order, to say nothing of ones that come on their own.

“The guy at the bar sent this over to you,” the waitress said, as she placed the glass on the table in front of Sue.

“Me? Are you sure?” she questioned.

“Positive. He said to take it to the cute blonde and you’re the only blonde at this table. I think you have a secret admirer.”

“It’s only a coke, Suz,” Ellie said, pushing the glass closer to Sue’s right hand. “It’s not like he’s trying to get in your pants. Smile sweetly and nod your thanks.”

Sue did as Ellie suggested. Before returning to her conversation with the girls, she saw the guy smile broadly and wink at her.

“For some reason I have the feeling I just made a terrible mistake,” she confessed. “Did you see him wink at me?”

“You gotta admit he is kinda cute. You could do worse,” Anne teased.

“I’m not looking. I have my hands full with work and taking care of Danny. I certainly don’t need a man in my life, especially one who isn’t much older than Danny. Let’s face it, I have shoes older than that guy. There’s not even a gray hair either on his head or in his beard.”

“Well, at least you’re looking enough to notice something about him, that’s a start,” Dee said.

Everyone at the table laughed at the good-natured teasing, but Sue still felt uneasy about the whole thing. Sue finished the last of her coke and eyed the full glass that still stood on the table. Before she could give it any more thought, her ball returned and she got to her feet to bowl the next frame. All thoughts of the young guy at the bar were relegated to the back of her mind as she concentrated on making a strike.

~ * ~

“What do you think you’re doing, Russ?” Joe Tomlin asked. “You’ve been raving about this chick for weeks now and when I finally drag my ass down here to see what she looks like, you send a drink over to a gal who could be your mother.”

“She’s the one, Joe. That’s the woman I plan to marry.”

“Now I know you’ve lost it. I think the beer has gone to your head. Let’s get the hell out of here and go somewhere that we can hook up with real chicks.”

Russ shook his head, but went along with his friend. The expression on Joe’s face had been one of disbelief as was the expression on the blonde’s face when he’d sent over the drink. At least she’d smiled at him and that smile said volumes.

Joe was halfway out the door by the time Russ got the attention of the bartender so he could settle up his bill.

“Callin’ it a night Russ?” Carol Perkins asked as she took his money.

“Looks like it. Joe is my designated driver and he’s ready to roll. Before we do, who’s the gal I bought the drink for?”

“You’re kidding, right? Are you telling me you bought a drink for Sue Watkins and you didn’t even know her name?”

“Guess I’m just shy. Let’s hope that coke was an icebreaker.”

After paying his tab he went out to Joe’s truck.

“It’s time to blow the lid off this pop stand. It’s Thursday night and the girls down at Kelly’s are hot. Let’s face it, you’re one of Minter’s most eligible bachelors and I intend to ride along on your coat tails. If I’m lucky I can get laid tonight.”

“Good luck to you old buddy, but count me out. I have to get up early tomorrow morning for work. You were right when you said I drank too much beer. I’d be a real drag at Kelly’s. Why don’t you drop me off at my place on your way?”

“That old chick’s got you bummed, hasn’t she?”

“Maybe she does. At least I found out her name. Maybe sometime before next week I might get up the courage to talk to her. Just remember, I want you to be my best man.”

“Again?” Joe teased, as he pulled up in front of Russ’s apartment complex.

After thanking Joe, Russ entered the building that housed his apartment. He wondered if the other singles that occupied his building were out on dates or if they were getting ready for the weekend by staying in on a Thursday night.

He knew he should have gone to Kelly’s with Joe, but none of the girls there could begin to compare with the woman from the bar. None of them were Sue Watkins. Just knowing her name was enough.

You don’t even know if she’s single, his inner voice cautioned.

Yes I do, he silently replied. There’s no ring on her finger. She’s not married. At least not yet.

He slipped his key into the lock of the door to his apartment. Inside, the bachelor pad that had been his pride and joy seemed terribly lonely.

After closing and locking the door, he found the phone book and looked up the number for one Sue Watkins. After underlining the number and dog-earing the page he headed for the bathroom to brush his teeth before going to bed.

As he ran the brush over his teeth, he thought about the day he’d first moved to this apartment five years earlier. His first wife had announced she was leaving him for another man. After their fifty-fifty split that seemed more like eighty-twenty, with him getting the fuzzy end of the lollypop, he’d been left with just enough for the security deposit on this place along with his motorcycle. He’d always considered this to be his haven, so why had he come to want more out of life over the past few weeks?