In the midst of my aloneness, he walked into the bar. He was immediately visible and bright within the crowd. He was tall, lean, and clean. The bar lights shimmered off his incredibly long, beautiful hair. He was the most gorgeous creature imaginable, so much so, that it took effort to dismiss him from my thoughts. Alas, to my way of thinking, he was far too young to even hope for an iota of attention, to one so old and battered by life, as myself.

He spoke. His voice sounded deep, soothing, magical and enchanting. I found myself once more, drawn to his aura and presence. Oddly, as I watched his interaction with my neighbor at the bar, a bubble appeared and engulfed the two of them. Although their banter was trivial, his attention to her was not. I wondered, why the bubble? Suddenly it came to me. This mystical, magical stranger was actually listening attentively. He was truly interested in what she had to say! As he turned to my neighbor's husband, I watched one bubble pop and another capture the two of them. This strange bubble man, with his penetrating eyes and his calm, peaceful aura, had my complete attention. It was with effort that I tore my eyes away, lest I be caught starring.

I checked and scanned the rest of the bar, only to be disappointed by the site of the usual sea of strangers. Each and every one, blended into a mass, completely indistinguishable from one another. The desolation and fear of having never tried or attempted to touch or know this totally unique stranger, prodded me with a sudden surge of impulsivity. I turned to my bar neighbor, whom I had befriended only an hour ago. I glanced towards the stranger, who was currently without a bubble and looking about, perhaps considering a sudden flight to points unknown. Having observed my neighbor’s manners and sense of propriety, I asked her who her friend was. She happily complied and introduced me to James.

Suddenly, I was gifted with a look from the depths of those dark, liquid, brown pools. His eyes were like doe eyes, soft and languid. His hand engulfed mine and I felt a twitch and the quick movement of electricity jolt up the length of my arm. I soon found this gorgeously handsome specimen of the male species, seated next to me! He focused on me and seemed genuinely interested in my trivial small talk. With utter joy and a secret giggle, I found myself swept up into one of his bubbles. I marveled at the structure, texture, and feel of the bubble for a moment. Until the lyrical notes of his voice, drew me back to his penetrating gaze.

The absurdity of this glorious strangers attention caused me to recall my horrid appearance and apparel. I had NEVER intended to be out in public this evening. I had spent the entire day grubbing in my flower garden. A gal pal dropped by and interrupted my digging with an offer of a beer break.
As I whipped up a quick meal on the grill, we laughed and downed a few beers, my friend became overly intoxicated. Feeling concerned for her safety as she left, I insisted that I walk her the few blocks to her home. En route, she adamantly insisted to stop by a local bar. In dismay, I looked down upon my dirty, disheveled condition and hesitated. Yet, I cared little about the non-entities the bar would hold, and I assumed there was no one inside I could possibly care to impress. At least I felt that way until James arrived with his magical bubbles.

Initially, I could not tell if James was blind as to my appearance, or just trying to be polite. But as his voice and eyes lulled me into an utter trance, I realized he had depth and was able to see the real me, through my veil of dirt. His uniqueness and value to my heart tripled as my heartbeat raced to keep up. My God! Love at first sight, does it really exist???

Abruptly the bar closed and it was time to leave. As my bubble burst, I suddenly recalled my friend, and guiltily looked around for my responsibility. James gently took my arm and informed me that she had left a moment before in a huff, after a slight altercation with another bar patron. Feeling guilty and momentarily ashamed, I looked down and mumbled that I hoped she would make it home. James stopped abruptly and turned my body to face him fully. His fingers trailed firmly from my collarbone to my chin, pulling my gaze upward to meet his eyes. He assured me that all was well and softly insisted that I let go of my responsibility. His gaze seemed to plead with me to re-join him on the merry path we had been on. Impulsively, I reached for his hand and clasped his palm in my own. Shyly, I glanced back up to gage his reaction. His eyes lit up and his smile spoke realms. As I began to giggle, James joined me. We laughed until our eyes watered and sparkled. Within that moment, our eyes met and locked. He leaned down into me and brought his face close to mine. I felt his breath warm on my face. The kiss began gentle and sweet. It became warmer as his tongue took on a life of it's own, and began to explore my moist insides.

While he delved and probed the contours of my mouth through his kiss, I quivered, feeling a response and wetness from the folds of my femininity. We moved hungrily towards one another and embraced. As one, we felt each other’s hearts pounding and felt the heat intensify. For several moments we clung to each other, as though we were lovers with prior knowledge of what pleased us. As we reluctantly pulled away, he spoke huskily with the heat of the moment still on his tongue. “I had better see you home, else you may disappear and I may never find you again.”

We walked hand in hand to his jeep, which struck me as a funny looking chariot. Sharing the joke with him openly and laughing together once more, he helped me into the jeep. I told him where I lived and we started the short, six block, journey. At the stop sign he paused an extra long moment. We gazed at each other in wonderment and I knew we shared the same thought. Where in the world had you come from??

He resumed the drive and was soon parked in front of my home. Crying silently within. Thought of the evening ending made me miserable, yet too shy to verbalize anything to prolong it. I opened the door and stood there looking at him. James leaned far out the open doorway and reached for my hand. Eyes misting with the sparkles of residual passion, he spoke once more. “ I doubt that I shall sleep but a wink, with thoughts of you lying alone and not by my side”. I laughed softly, nervously, and bantered back without thought. “I doubt you would get any sleep if I had you lying next to me. Care to consider a sleepless night and join me?” I could not believe that I had just uttered my thoughts out loud! But the thought and feel of James was far too sweet to pass and not taste. He gladly parked, swept me into his arms, and swiftly entered my home and my heart.

It goes without saying, that after joining me in the shower and culminating our newfound feelings in our bed. James and I are still together. Years later, we can still recall a piece of magic from the mystical night. We giggle together as we recognize the mischievous glint in each other’s eyes, and we open another bubble in time. As once more, we are swept away on another mystical, magical adventure.