The alarm went off at 6 a.m. Alan struggled to press the snooze button for another fifteen minutes. Amy was on the other side of the bed, sleeping soundly. Alan rested on his non-allergenic pillow, staring at the ceiling, then leaned over to kiss Amy on her bare shoulder. Their daughter, Erin, was in the next room, sleeping on Cinderella sheets underneath her pink and white canopy bed.
Alan had held the same managerial job at a telephone company for twenty years. Over that time, he dealt with many problems and several difficult employees. He constantly reminded himself to be patient, count to ten when he starts to get angry, and not fly off the handle.
At 6:45, he left the house. Alan knew he should walk to the R7. He was twenty pounds overweight and had high blood pressure. Over the years, he had gotten lazy, developed a potbelly, and wore pants that slipped below his waist. He hated to exercise and preferred to watch Netflix with Amy while snacking on Doritos.
Alan drove to the train station and waited for the 7:30 Blue Line to Center City. He stood on the platform with slumped shoulders. He wore a blue suit and held a black leather briefcase. He always noticed the pretty young women waiting for a train, analyzing their bodies and wondering what it would feel like to be with them. He graded each on their sex appeal. Although he knew it was creepy, he couldn’t help himself. It had been a habit since high school.
She’s a 6, he told himself, checking out a petite brunette in tight jeans. And that one’s a 7, he mumbled as a skinny blonde passed in a tank top. He knew he shouldn’t objectify women, especially being a married man with a daughter, but it took his mind off the wait.
Once the train arrived, he took the window seat near the conductor, where he could have enough room to stretch his long legs. As the train sped along, he gazed out the window at the houses and stores in the small suburban towns. Alan enjoyed the train’s screeching wheels and rollercoaster rattle. It made him forget his current life, a lousy job that stressed him out, a body he resented, and a wife who showed no affection.
He remembered when he lived in Center City during the ‘90s, had a lot of friends, and shared an apartment with a girlfriend. Alan dreamed of being young and confident again and recalled the time he had sex with a cute co-ed in a Queen Village elevator and an exchange student on the front steps of the Art Museum before sunrise. He would never do that now with Amy. She’d think he was crazy.
As Alan aged, he approached life reluctantly, unsure of himself, and often fatalistic. He was afraid to have sex with his wife for fear he couldn’t perform. He didn’t know what to say to her anymore, having repeatedly apologized for disappointing her in bed.
Alan was depressed. It started when his mother caught his father five years ago with another woman. He loved his father very much, but he stopped speaking to him when his father moved in with his girlfriend. He felt he needed to be loyal to his mother since she had been all alone and miserable since the divorce.
At the next train stop, something strange happened. An attractive young woman, tall and slender, moved from a different section of the train to sit next to him. She wore jasmine perfume and a short floral skirt that revealed shapely legs. She looked at him, waiting for Alan to turn and make eye contact.
“I saw you undressing me with your eyes on the train platform,” the young brunette said in a sultry voice. “You were checking out my body before I got on. How did it measure up? Did I meet your approval?”
Alan blushed. He knew one of these days, someone would find out. He felt ashamed. “I’m sorry,” he said. Then, the most surprising thing happened. She parted her full lip into a smile.
“You’re not angry?” he asked.
“I liked you looking at me,” she said. “You’re a handsome guy. Are you aware of that? What are you, fifty? Is your background Scandinavian? You have that blond, masculine Brad Pitt look.”
Alan was old enough to be her father and could barely button his pants. He told her his parents were German and Russian descent and thanked her for the Brad Pitt compliment.
“I’ll bet there’s a lot of muscle under that suit. I bet you lift weights, or are you naturally buff?”
With each compliment, Alan grew more smitten. He looked at her long brown locks and cherry-red lips as she kept talking, which glistened from sunlight through the windows. His body tingled, and his heart quickened as his leg touched hers.
Despite the train racing toward Philadelphia, everything came to a halt for Alan. She made him feel twenty again. Her presence was intoxicating and confusing. What was he supposed to do with this surprise admiration? Next to him was a ten, and his sex appeal was a three at the most. Alan feared hurting his wife the same way his father broke his mother’s heart. What if his daughter ever found out? He didn’t want to be the kind of male role model that cheats on his wife.
Despite his good intentions, Alan still wanted to make love to this nameless brunette sitting beside him, although he doubted he could go through with it.
The train pulled into the downtown station. He planned on leaving quickly, saying goodbye, and not looking back. She would only be a memory for nights when his wife and daughter were away.
As he got up to leave, the woman grabbed his coat jacket, looked at him, and said, “I won’t let you throw away your dream. I can see you want me.” She left him her card and told him about this discreet hotel at 222 E. Alpine Street. “I’ll meet you there at five sharp.”
Alan’s jaw dropped and mouth wet dry. Not only did she desire him, but she was shamelessly throwing herself at him. He thought he was in some parallel universe where fantasies were reality. Alan smiled, nodded, and got off at the Market Street exit.
***
Alan had a surprisingly good day at work. Usually, his employees showed up late and took too many breaks, especially David and Sally, but not today. Although Alan caught both of them giving him weird looks, he wondered if they had planned a party for his twentieth anniversary with the company, hoping it was at Fogo de Chao for lunch. He would refuse if they invited him to dinner since he had other plans.
But there was no mention of an anniversary party, not a card, gift, or congratulations. Alan felt hurt, but the nameless woman would make him feel better. As long as she showed up, everything would be okay. Who needs recognition when he has a number 10 waiting for him in a downtown hotel room?
Alan left work several minutes early and stood in front of the Center City Hotel at 222 E. Alpine Street at five sharp with the woman’s business card in her sweaty palms. He arrived ten minutes early and waited thirty minutes, wondering if she would show. Maybe it’s for the best, he thought. He worried about his flabby midsection and saggy underarms and feared he would disappoint her in bed. He thought about leaving, but he couldn’t resist the temptation. This kind of thing comes around once in a lifetime. So, Alan kept waiting.
At the end of the block, he saw two familiar people approaching. As they drew closer, it was David and Sally, his employees. He must have thought up a hundred lies to tell them why he was standing around in front of a hotel.
They both walked toward him and had odd grins.
“Hi, boss,” said David. “What are you doing standing around?”
David turned to Sally, trying to keep from laughing.
Alan wasn’t a good liar.
“Waiting for an old college friend,” he said.
The two couldn’t restrain their laughter.
“It doesn’t look like she’s showing up,” David said.
“What? I’m waiting for a male friend,” said Alan Alan’s face turned bright red when he lied.
David and Sally bent over in laughter.
“You were pranked, Alan. That was my younger sister on the train,” said Sally.
The two hugged Alan.
“Happy twentieth anniversary, Alan,” they said. “This is from the team.”
Alan was mortified as Sally handed Alan an envelope.
“Well, aren’t you going to open it, Alan?” said David.
Alan tore open the pink envelope. He stared at it for a moment, not knowing what to say. It was a reservation for a weekend at the Inn of the Luv, a romantic getaway for Alan and his wife.
“They have a hot tub, a fireplace, a heart-shaped bed, and ceiling mirrors in your suite if you want to get kinky,” said Sally.
“And this time, take your wife,” David said, rubbing Alan’s shoulder. “I dated Sally’s sister. She’s no bargain; you’re not missing anything.”
Alan stood stiffly, holding the envelope, watching David and Sally walk away, and feeling like a fool. He was happy his employees didn’t forget about him but worried about them knowing his secret. He considered giving them a raise or a promotion to keep them quiet.
