It had been a little over a year since that steampunk party where I met Anna. Julie, our mutual friend, had set us up to meet there, slyly telling each of us that she would meet us there and then not showing up!
But it worked out for the best for us both–we did meet and we found out we had a lot more in common than just the crazy outfits we wore!
Anna and I started dating and things were going great–I thought I had met the girl I was meant to be with. But Fate had other ideas.
Anna got word one day that the law firm she worked as a secretary for was shutting its doors in the local area and moving to Atlanta where there was more opportunity for growth.
Anna had moved away from Philadelphia because she didn’t want the “big city” hustle and bustle, so she wasn’t interested in moving with the company.
Her grandmother lived in a small town in Tennessee and she decided she would go there. Her grandmother was getting up there in years and she had always been very close to her. She wanted to spend as much time as she could while Grammy was still around.
Of course, I understood. We hadn’t made any solid commitments to each other, just enjoying being together. I would miss her, but I totally understood.
On the day she left I went to see her off, and after some tears and promises to stay in touch, she headed to Tennessee.
We did write and stay in touch for a while, but we both knew it wouldn’t last long. The letters came in three or four times a week at first, then once a week, then once every couple weeks… then nothing. We had both moved on, I guess.
One day, I was watching the evening news and a commercial came on for another steampunk party put on by the same people. Only this time it was going to be held on an old refurbished train instead of a hotel conference room.
The commercial said the first part of the party would be in the Santa Fe train station, then those that wanted to could board the train and go for a three-hour ride to Albuquerque and back.
At first, I brushed it off, but the more I thought about it the more fun it sounded. After all, I was hesitant about the last steampunk party I went to and it turned out to be a pretty fun time–both at the party and afterward!
As a kid, I had always loved trains and I guess I still had a soft spot for them because before I knew it I had called up the organization and reserved a spot for myself.
Maybe something in me hoped that I could find another Anna at the party but realistically, I knew that would be near impossible. Anna and I clicked as if we were made specifically for each other!
As the day for the party grew close, I once again enlisted the help of my friend Julie in my wardrobe ensemble.
I wasn’t able to repeat the same costume I used the last time which was fine, the shop had a ton of things to mix and match and Julie was pretty good at putting together a pretty cool look for me.
We decided on a leather “duster” coat, knee-high boots that had buckles all the way up, a leather motorcycle helmet, and round, blue-tinted sunglasses.
I had a friend in the local theatre company hook me up with a fake Van Dyke style beard and mustache from their makeup department and I got a replica (non-functioning) double-barrel shotgun to complete the look.
Finally, the day of the party came and just like the last time, I was a nervous wreck! This time would be even harder since I knew Julie wouldn’t be at the party–I was definitely flying solo this time! And I still didn’t “get” the whole steampunk thing!
I knew that people enjoyed dressing like this and it had something to do with the mixture of the Victorian past and steam-powered technology but after that, it was a mystery!
But I just remembered the logic I used the last time… this was not my crowd, and once the party was over, I wouldn’t ever see any of these people again unless I wanted to.
My anonymity was my ace in the hole. And with these clothes and the Van Dyke, it would be hard to recognize me even if they did stumble across me somewhere around town!
The train station was closed for business by the time the party was to begin and so there was plenty of parking.
It was odd to see that old steam engine and the train cars parked in front of the modern train station. I drove past it every day going to and from work and was used to seeing the modern train there, but this was a mixture of old and new!
I went inside the building and was surprised to see the number of people there. It was about twice as big as the one I met Anna at–I didn’t realize steampunk had grown so big here!
I walked around a bit, trying to get a “feel” for the party. I had no idea what I would do here and I didn’t know anyone. I may as well have been at a Chinese wedding for all I knew!
I meandered around for a while, looking at everyone’s costumes and checking the place out before finding myself at the buffet table.
The Steampunk Society, the organization hosting this shindig, put out a good spread–there was all sorts of food… from hors-d’oeuvres and appetizers to finger sandwiches, chicken wings, and things like potato salad and baked beans.
I made up a “walk-around” plate and continued to mingle. I had just finished the plate and tossed it a handy garbage can when I turned around and saw a woman standing at the end of the buffet table looking even more lost and out of place than I was!
She was obviously uncomfortable in these surroundings and was standing there all alone, so I walked up to her, figuring I could at least try to make conversation with the poor woman.
“A lot of people here tonight!”
“Yes, there are. I’m a bit surprised–I wasn’t counting on this many people showing up!”
“Yeah, I guess this steampunk thing is really catching on! I was here last year and there wasn’t nearly this many people.”
“So are you a regular at these things? Do you know what’s going on? This is my first time and I am completely lost!”
“Actually, I don’t know much more than you. This is just my second one of these parties. But if you’d like we could find a table and keep each other company–two lost souls in this sea of confusion kinda thing.”
“I’d like that. My doctor tells me that I need to start getting out to more social situations. I suffer from social anxiety disorder… a fear of large groups of people.”
“My uncle has agoraphobia too. He is homebound and on disability because of it. So I know a little bit about the condition. Try not to think about being in a room full of people. Just focus on this table and us. Let the rest of all this fade out. My name is Daniel… Daniel White.”
“Nice to meet you Daniel, My name is Becky Martin. And thank you.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Becky Martin. So if you aren’t a steampunker, how did you find out about this party?”
“I saw the ad for it in the newspaper. It looked like fun and my doctor suggested I go to it when I told him about it.”
“Remind me to thank your doctor for such a charming prescription!”
Becky blushed at my remark.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“A mojito would be nice, thank you.”
“One mojito coming up!” I went over to the bar and ordered Becky a mojito and got myself a Jack and Coke. I brought the drinks back and handed her drink to her then sat down.
“So what do you do for a living Daniel… when you aren’t charming innocent women, that is!”
“I’m a firefighter.”
“A firefighter! Oh, that is so sexy! I just love firefighters! But I guess you hear that a lot, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but not all of my fans are as pretty as my newest one!” I got another blush for that comment.
“I like it when you blush, Becky… it looks good on you.”
We talked some more and I found out she was originally from Minneapolis, but she had moved down here to Santa Fe because she got tired of the cold weather and snow.
Being from upstate New York myself, I totally understood. When I got out of the Fire Academy in New York and had put a couple of years in, I’d had enough of playing in the water in the wintertime and I moved down someplace warmer.
I found out that she didn’t have any family anymore–she had been an only child and both her parents had passed away. “I think I have a couple of cousins someplace, but I’ve never heard from them and have no idea where they live.”
I told her that my father had passed away but my mother and sister still lived in Albany.
I had tried to get Mom to move down closer to me where it was warmer but she wouldn’t move. She wanted to be near Dad and my sister wouldn’t move because she was taking care of Mom. I come from a very stubborn family!
“Yeah, my folks were like that too. Both were very set in their ways and didn’t see any sense in changing!” she said.
We laughed at how similar our parents were and talked some more. I was getting a really good feeling about Becky and it seemed she was loosening up around me as well.
Or maybe it was the mojitos she had. But after a couple of them, she was a lot more comfortable. Maybe she just felt safe with a firefighter, I don’t know. But whatever it was I was glad.
Just then the band played The Woman In Red and Becky perked up. “Oh, I love this song!”
That was my cue, I stood up and offered her my hand. “Want to dance?” She looked up and smiled, taking my hand. I walked her out to the dance floor and took her into my arms.
As I wrapped my arms around Becky and pulled her close, she put her arms around my neck. God, she felt good!
Anna had been gone for nearly six months now and I hadn’t had anything more than a couple of meetings over coffee to my dating credit–in fact, there was talk around the station that after Anna left, I’d sworn off women!
That was the reason I had come to this steampunk party in the first place. I knew that if I wanted to find someone, I had to go out amongst people. There was no line of hot women outside my apartment door!
And now I had a very attractive woman in my arms again and I was thoroughly enjoying it. We danced the whole song and even when it was over, neither of us was in a hurry to leave the dance floor.
When we went back to our table, I noticed that Becky moved her chair closer to mine. In fact, she was so close that she could rest her hand on my leg, which she did. Things were looking up!
I pretended not to notice her advances–I didn’t want to embarrass her or scare her off. I was liking what she was doing… rubbing her hand over my leg from just above the knee to about the middle of my thigh.
She didn’t get so close to be slutty or easy, but she let me know that she was interested!
And in my own special way, I let her know I was equally “interested”. She noticed that there was something going on in the crotch of my jeans.
She looked at my crotch then up at me, then back to my crotch again. She was too shy to say anything but I could tell by the way she stared at the growing bulge that she was definitely thinking it!
I guess the tension got to her because after a couple of minutes she asked “Where is the restroom in this place?”
Being a gentleman, I got up and walked her to the ladies’ room, waiting for her outside the door. When she thought she was safely inside and out of earshot (she wasn’t), I heard her say “Oh my God, Becky, get a hold of yourself!”
I had to smile. I knew at that point that I needed to pursue this. Here was a very attractive and interesting woman who I obviously had made a favorable impression on.
I was single and I was fairly certain she was as well. So why not see where this might lead? It might only go a date or two but it might lead to something more substantial. The last girl I met at one of these parties did!
She was in the ladies’ room for about five minutes or so presumably to gather herself and calm down. I was beginning to wonder if she was all right when she came back out.
“Oh Daniel, you didn’t have to wait for me!”
“That’s okay, I didn’t mind.” And I didn’t, it gave me a chance to walk Becky back to our table. As we started, I felt her slip her hand into mine. I looked over at her and she smiled. I took her hand in mine and we went back to our table holding hands.
We were back at our table for about another half hour when the head of the Steampunk Society came up to the band and took the microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention. For all of you who have opted to take the train, we will be leaving in about twenty minutes. So if you still haven’t bought a ticket and you wish to go on the train, you’d better hurry!”
“Are you going on the train, Becky?”
Becky looked down at her lap. “No, I can’t afford the ticket. I really shouldn’t have even come to the party, but a girlfriend of mine gave me the money for it.
“And she gave me some of the things for this outfit too. I can’t work because of my disorder, and my disability check doesn’t allow for much in the way of entertainment.”
“Well, if you think for a moment I’m going to let you get away that easy, young lady, you have another thing coming!”
I got up and went to the ticket counter and plopped down my credit card to buy another ticket on the train. What the hell, it was only $20.00 and it was going to a good cause anyway.
“Daniel, what did you do?”
“I got you a seat on the train right next to me. I’m having too much fun to let this party go so soon.”
“Oh, Daniel! Oh, that’s so nice of you! Oh, thank you! But I don’t know how I’ll pay you back!”
“Don’t worry about that. Just having you in the seat next to me is payment enough.”
“Thank you, Daniel, for making this party so much fun. When I first thought of coming here, the idea was terrifying. But meeting you and talking with you has made it a lot of fun.”
“To be honest, Becky, I was having my doubts about the party too. You see, my first party wasn’t my idea either. I was pretty much goaded into coming by my friend who was concerned about my lack of a social life.
And, in fact, she said she would come with me because I had no knowledge that steampunk was even a thing! She said she would meet me at the party in case one of us wanted to stay longer.
However, once I got to the party, I learned that she never showed. Instead, she told one of her girlfriends the same story and stood both of us up, hoping we would meet. We were steampunk’d!
But this party was my own doing–I guess I was hoping to recreate that first party and find someone here like I did the last time. And I guess I did!”
“I see. And what happened to that first steampunk girl?”
“We dated for a while and things were going really good. But the place where she worked shut down its office here and she didn’t want to go with the company. Plus her grandma was getting old so she moved to Tennessee to be closer to her.”
“Well, Daniel, I don’t have a grandma anymore and I don’t work, so my job won’t be moving. I am here and I like Santa Fe. And I like you… I’m not going anywhere.”
“That sounds real good to me, Becky, honey. I am liking the way this is going too. It’s turning out to be a lot better party than I first thought it would!”
A few minutes later, the announcement to start boarding the train came. “Shall we?”
“Yes, let’s get a good seat before it gets too crowded!” I offered Becky my arm and we walked out to the platform. We showed the conductor our passes and boarded the train.
This train had several cars, I guess they were expecting a lot of the partygoers to take advantage of the train ride. Some did, but most of them stayed at the party at the station. So everyone on board the train got to spread out.
Becky and I settled on a train car about two cars from the back end of the train. There was only one other couple in the car with us at the other end so we had plenty of privacy to talk.
I knew the route the train would take so I put us on the side with the most interesting scenery and gave Becky the window seat.
I wasn’t sure if she had ever been on a train before so I was prepared to tell her some interesting facts about what we were passing by… sort of a personal tour guide!
The train started with a lurch that Becky wasn’t expecting. “OH! We’re moving!”
We pulled slowly out of the station and moved along the tracks slowly at first. Moving through town, she got a chance to see Santa Fe in a way she never had before.
It took us a few minutes to get out of town–the depot was in the middle of town and the train had to go slow through town until it got out into the open country where it could speed up.
Once the train had settled into a good speed, I walked forward, acting as if I wanted to see the countryside from the open area between the cars.
The space had half-doors that securely latched once the train started moving and didn’t unlatch until it came to a stop, so people were allowed to watch from there. It was also the designated smoking area so there was usually someone out there.
My main reason for going there, though, is that I wanted to see what our fellow car-mates were doing. I was pleased to see the man engrossed in some sports-related movie on his iPad.
The woman, not at all interested in sports, was listening to music on her mp3 player. So they were both very occupied and oblivious to the world around them. Perfect for my plan.
I went back to my seat and as Becky watched the country go by outside the train, my hand began exploring some “country” of its own…!
