From the old days

I guess you could say this isn't my typical story. I’ve been in a thoughtful mood lately. This is a story from the old days but I’ll warn you now it has no spanking in it and it may come off sounding a bit sad, although it really shouldn't. So you may want to skip this one and try again later. This is just a story from our past. It's really Tom’s story to tell but that’s not going to happen so I’ll do my best telling you about something of which I have no personal memory.

The story was really brought back to my mind by a song Allie played for me. It is by The Avett Brothers and the song begins,

‘You sent my life a whirling when I saw you twirling on the floor.’

It’s a beautiful song and Tom, who was listening with us, smiled and said “Well I guess you could say that’s what happened to me. The first time I ever saw Cassie she was dancing and twirling on the dance floor and my life’s been whirling ever since!”

You see I’ve told you about the first time I ever saw Tom, but I never told you about the first time Tom saw me. We were so young, in our 20’s. I had happily been a widow for nearly 5 years and if you had looked up the words ‘party girl’ in the dictionary you would surely have seen my picture. My world revolved around too many parties, too much drinking, too much gambling, too many adventure, and too many men.

I was already good friends with Sue and Steve and Annie and Andy. Tom joined the firm where Steve and Andy were working. He had known both men for several years but he had recently moved to our area. He was invited to a party and as he tells it he walked into see a wondrous sight. He says I was dancing and for a moment that was all he could see. I suppose I did look pretty good back then, I was young, thin; I had countless hours and money to devote to my wardrobe, my make-up and my hair. I liked to look good when I went out. But Tom claims he wasn’t only attracted by my looks. He said it was the whole package. He liked the way I danced (I was a pretty good dancer back then – still am!), the way I smiled and the way I laughed. He tells me it wasn’t love at first sight, but it was certainly infatuation. Now I’ll admit the first time I saw him it was lust at first sight, but Tom had higher moral fiber.

Tom is one to study a situation before plunging in. So he says he spent the whole party watching me from a distance. He noticed several things right away – I drank too much, I could be very forward and my language would not be considered ladylike. After a time he made his way over to Steve and Andy. Motioning over toward me he ask one question “Who is that?”

Both men turned to look at the subject of Tom’s interest and burst out laughing. “That my friend is Cassie – and she’s one of a kind. Very interesting woman – she’s a beautiful, rich, widow. Wild as a hare and someone you definitely don’t want to get tangled up with!” Steve answered him. “Men that get involved with Cassie say it’s like cozying up to a wood chipper – she’s grind you up and spit you out.” Steve laughed again and shook his head. “Come with me.” he told Tom. “I’ve know a beautiful woman that will be much more to your taste.” Tom frowned at him and looked back at me. Then he turned to Andy and waited.

Andy had laughed too, but in a much nicer way. “Steve’s not wrong. She’s hard as nails if you cross her, she got a temper for sure. But there’s a sweet, gentle, loving side of Cassie too. I think the temper may just be a cover because she’s scared. I don’t know of what exactly. We dated for a while and I think the world of her but I swear dating Cassie is like trying to herd cats! I think she’s obstinate to the point of being self destructive. I tried to get her to stop drinking one night and instead she began doing shots. She’s like a kid who won’t turn down a dare. Another time she and I had had a minor disagreement and the next thing I knew she had pick up some guy on a motorcycle and took off with him. Her dress hiked up around her ass. Couldn’t find her for two days then she called Sue to pick her up at the hospital, had a dislocated shoulder. Never told any of us how it happened, not even Sue. She’s too wild to deal with Tom. I think she’s determined to kill herself before she’s through.”

Even today I can just picture the look on Tom’s face at all the tales they were telling him. But I still wonder what was going on in his mind. Why didn’t he run for the hills as fast as he could? Instead he wanted to know more and more. “You say she a widow? She’s young. What happened?”

Steve turned serious for a moment. “Now her husband was a real prick. Used to beat the shit out of Cassie. He died of a heart attack and every last one of us wanted to throw a party in celebration. Left Cassie a ton of money though, I guess she can party for the rest of her life – however long that may be.”

“How did she end up with him?” Tom wanted to know.

Andy took up the story “That asshole was hand-picked by her loving father. The guy was in his 40’s and Cassie was barely 20. Her old man wanted a merger with the guys company and I think he threw Cassie in to sweeten the pot. That sick old bastard knew the guy was beating Cassie and never said a word to him. Once she escaped her family and the abusive husband I guess she decided she’d have to take care of herself. I just don’t know if she can keep it up.”

“Quite a story.” Tom mused.

“She’s quite a woman.” Andy agreed. “But honest Tom, she’s got more baggage than even you could help carry. She not for you. You’ll get hurt. And I don’t want to see that happen.”

Andy wandered off leaving Tom with his thoughts. Tom stayed at the party mulling over everything he had heard and watching me until I left the party sometime after 2:00AM. The party was in the hotel where I was living and Tom watched me until I entered the elevator. He told me that he just sat in the lobby after I left thinking. He told me he wondered what he hadn’t gone up to his room but he just sat. It was maybe 40 minutes later that the elevator opened and I came back out. I had change into a simpler dress and I was alone. I went into the bar and a few minutes later Tom followed. He was concerned. He said I had had so much at the party he couldn’t believe I could possibly be drinking more.

Tom told me I had gone to the back booth and sat with my back to the bar. I had ordered a bottle and a glass and I sat alone drinking. Finally Tom could stand it no longer and approached my table. Standing by my booth he said “Cassie?” I didn’t look up. I just looked straight ahead. Tom took the seat across from me. He said I didn’t ever look at him. I was just sitting and crying quietly, not making any sound, just crying. Strangely enough, Tom says that might be when he fell in love.

Tom said I acted like he wasn’t there. As I started to pour another drink he took the bottle out of my hand and reached for my purse. He found my key and helping me to my feet he said “It’s time to stop.” He said I was a bit like a zombie but I came quietly to my room. He turned back my bed and undressed me to my slip and put me to bed. He said I never said a word. He said he sat watching me until he was sure I was asleep and wouldn’t be getting up again.

Over the next several days he found out all he could about me and he was at every gathering I attended. It was over those next few days that I became aware of him, his intense scrutiny and frown whenever I tried to get his attention. Of course I was trying to gain that attention through decidedly unladylike methods but I was trying – I didn’t know I already had it!

It was over a year before Tom told me about that night. I have absolute no memory of it what-so-ever. I know it sounds like I was in terrible shape but I don’t remember being unhappy or scared or anything like that. I remember enjoying most of that time in my life. Okay maybe I glossed over a few incidents in my memories but I just don’t remember being in as bad a shape as Tom and some of my friends remember.

Tom and I were married less than two months later. I think I can truthfully say it was a shock to both our systems. Up to that point Tom had lead a calm, orderly life. I put an end to that as definitely as he put an end to my wild ways. I’ve mentioned it here before but I hadn’t realized what I trial I had been to my friends until our wedding. Andy walked me down the aisle but when the minister asked ‘Who gives this woman to be married?’ all my friends declared loudly “We all do!” I suppose after failing to talk Tom out of marrying me they were content to turn their ‘problem child’ over to him to deal with.

I think it’s fairly obvious today that I’m the luckiest woman in the world. There was no reason for Tom to have ignored the advice of his friends and pursue me but I surely thank heavens that he did! What a life we would have missed. Hope you don’t mind me brushing out the cobwebs of my mind occasionally. It seems to free my mind for more stories to come.