…continued from Braxton Lewis.

At first Priscilla didn’t even realize the stranger was talking to her.

“I am serious,” he repeated, “I will take you anywhere you want to go for New Year’s Eve.”

Holy crap! Priscilla thought to herself. He’s old enough to be my father, maybe even my grandfather. But, not so bad looking. Actually pretty handsome. And in a nice suit.

On any other occasion Priscilla would have told the old man to take a hike. And that’s when the platinum Visa sitting on the bar caught her eye. The hologram on the the front caught the bar lighting just right, and it winked at her like a diamond ring.

“Unless you have other plans.” Billford was starting to feel stoopid and wanted to give the young lady an easy way out, and without causing a scene.

The words stung Priscilla. She did not in fact have other plans. Quite the contrary. Two days before the New Year and she had no plans. She panicked.

“No,” she replied. “I have no other plans and I would like to go on a cruise.”

They were both stunned.

“I have to go to work now, but here is my cell phone number.” Priscilla pulled a pen out of her pocket and grabbed the bankers hand and wrote her number in big curly script in his palm. “Text me where you want to meet and when.”

And she was gone.

Billford had a lot of contacts in maritime, but was at an immediate loss as where to book a New Year’s cruise on two-day’s notice. His secretary would know who to call. No, he couldn’t involve her. He had to do this on his own.

***

When Priscilla got to the taco joint where she worked, Kirby was waiting for her. She could tell he was high.

“Hey Prissy, you got five minutes we could talk?”

She tried to walk past him, but he blocked her way.

“I was thinking we could go hang at Waterfront Park for New Year’s.” He knew she was pissed at him and was trying to make it right.

“I have plans for New Year’s Eve.” There she said it.

“In fact, I have plans for all of next year, so get out of my way!”

“What about us?” he whined. He had no idea how pathetic he sounded, and if he wasn’t stoned he would have had the sense not to ask a poignant question at such a juncture.

“We are through.” There she said it.

“If you don’t get out of my way, I’m calling the cops.”

And she was gone.

She’ll be back, thought Kirby. They had had similar conversations before.

But it was the last time they ever saw each other.

***

It took Billford most of the afternoon to research year-end cruise departures from the Atlantic seaboard. The next Carnival cruise from Charleston did not leave until the morning of the first and he did not know enough about his young date to book her on a flight or a cruise. Hell, he didn’t even know her name.

The New Year’s Eve cruise on the Spirit of Sumter seemed to be the only remaining options, and while it had been sold out since Thanksgiving, one phone call scored him two premium passes.

The docks at Mt. Pleasant were a little too close to home, but he couldn’t think about that, at time like this.

Now, all that was left to do, was figure out how to send a text.

###

This story continues with Clinton Hayes.

2016 Kirt Van Buren