It Was 2052 Read Online Free PDF

that twisted and curved to below her ears. Long lashes swept over round blue eyes that peered at her own reflection, a face without wrinkles or any makeup.
    John cleared his throat and said, “Mam, if it was you I stepped all over, I apologize again.”
    The woman reached in a robe pocket, pulled out a skinny pair of glasses and placed them on her slightly tilted up nose, “Not mam---it's Mamie. Don't fret, these old toes have been stepped on before.”
    He smiled and she returned it, reflected in the mirror. “I'm John, nice to meet you. I assume you live on level three or do you just come down from the young people's loft to shower?”
    She rolled the big eyes, “I live way down at the end of hall. Just arrived last week, I work in the market.” When she turned from the mirror the robe swished around her, she peered over the glasses and looked him up and down.
    The man with only a towel around his waist was instantly reminded of that fact and that he stood with his wet hair all matted down, water dripping from his gray peppered short beard. He grabbed for his bundled clothes on the bench, “Excuse me,” darted into a toilet stall. His head against the closed door, he mumbled, “Sorry again, I don't usually meet someone in a towel.”
    A sweet toned choppy laugh sounded, “I thought your towel was very nice.” It was quiet for a few moments and he attempted to get clothes on his damp body. Obviously, he needed to invest in a robe of some sort if he was to continue to use this co-ed facility.
    “Mamie? are you still there?”
    “Yes.”
    “Have you had supper, yet?”
    It wasn't until much later that he realized she could've been married, he had bumbled right in and not even asked. What had possessed him to ask someone to dinner minutes after they met? He was going to have to assume that she would've declined his invitation if she was attached. After they each went to their rooms and dressed, they met back near the restroom. Mamie was not a skinny woman, she seemed so appealing and soft around the edges to him. Her hair all dry and fluffed out, gold earrings in her ears, her lips were tinted pink. A loose fitting white blouse with embroidered flowers at the neck tied and left a tempting oval of cleavage, dark pants draped to the top of slip-on brown shoes. Just the nice clean smell of her made him want to be close.
    This was not a shy person, she ate heartily like she enjoyed and appreciated the food. Without so much as a twinge, she sipped the bourbon and water they ordered after dinner.  By the end of the evening as they made their way back to level three, he felt like his cheeks were aching from the constant smiles and laughing.  At the door of her room, he didn't have time to think about being unsure of how to proceed. Mamie said, “Thanks John. It was a great night.” She stretched up and kissed his cheek, “Let's do it again.” She disappeared into her room.
    He stood there in her lingering scent for a moment. Down the hall, he saw his old militia friend go into his room. He hadn't thought of their earlier conversation all evening. As he moved down the long hall towards his room, he found himself looking with a more critical eye at the few third level residents he passed.  The likable maintenance man knew the majority of the people who lived on his level and where they worked in the village, not as many on the fourth or second floors. He liked to joke sometimes that the upper floor was the child care center and the lower was the nursing home.  Shouldn't do that, I suppose. There are plenty of productive young people here and I'm not so far away from qualifying for the old folks floor, myself.
    He encountered the couple, Jason and Larry, just as they turned to go to their room on the end of the short side hall.  Arm in arm, they gave him their usual friendly greeting, “Evening, John.”
    He nodded and smiled.  There were two side halls that branched off the lengthy main hall. At the end of each,