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"Fine," I accepted. "But no more talk about Neil Diamond.
I'll take 'Delilah' over 'Sweet Caroline' any day."
"Agreed." And we were off. I popped in my brand new Tom Jones CD and cranked the volume way up, oblivious
to anything else but his magnificent voice. Minutes later, we pulled into a nearby Westin. I guessed it was the
closest bar Sheila could find and, with all the night's excitement, I really did need a drink and I wasn't about
to start complaining. Besides, I'd never had a drink in a hotel lounge before. All of a sudden I felt very grown
up. And to think, it only took thirty-two years.
The lounge, it turned out, was very nice and very crowded. We were lucky to get two stools at the bar. There was,
apparently, a large convention of lawyers staying at the hotel, so the place was teeming with men.
"We start the night with all gals, and we end it with all guys," Sheila said and promptly ordered us
our drinks.
"Better than the other way around," I added and gladly started sipping mine.
"Agreed," she said and lifted glass up. "A toast."
"To Tom," I said.
"To Tom," she echoed. And we turned around to face the crowd.
After a few minutes Sheila said, "You know, these attorneys are kinda cute."
In truth, some of them really were kinda cute. And quite a few were giving me the eye. Granted, we were practically
the only female of the species there, but still, it was nice to be noticed. Up to a point.
"They sure are looking our way a lot," Sheila said, saying what I had been thinking.
"Well, we're two hot women out on the town."
"I wouldn't call the Westin the town, but I'll take it as a complement. Still, I'm starting to feel a bit
like a rabbit in a wolf's den. It's creepy."
"Relax, there probably just lonely," I said, but it was getting sort of creepy, as Sheila had said. And
it wasn't that a few of them were looking over at us; it was more like the vast majority of them were. One would
make a quick peek and then quickly turn away when I'd nod a hello, and then another guy would do it, etc., etc.
You'd think one of them would make eye contact or come over and say hi, I thought. But no, they just kept making
casual glances our way without ever making full, head-on stares.
Just before we started to pack it in and head on out, the free drinks started arriving. And creepy or not, a girl
should never turn down a free drink, especially when she doesn't even have to talk to the guy who's buying it for
her. There was, however, a price we were paying, but we didn't find out what it was until thirty minutes and three
drinks later; and by then the staring thing wasn't bothering us as much anymore.
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