River of Love

Chapter 3

Chapter 3Avery thought about taking a leisurely walk around town, and perhaps entertain the idea of some window shopping. She knew it was going to be quite some time before she saw him again. Even though he would often become such a jerk, she did convince herself time and again that he was at least a decent friend when he wanted to be and it was nice to have someone to go out with on occasion. Glancing at herself momentarily in the mirror, she said, “You are here to have a good time, and meet new people, so go do it.” She slightly chuckled at herself, and just shook off all thoughts of what happened beforehand.

Avery decided to take a quick shower to freshen up. She had taken out a sheer sleeveless olive blouse, and a burnt sienna skirt; and then proceeded to towel dry her shaggy strawberry blonde shoulder length hair. Low black heels, a silver necklace with Celtic knot pendant, and an intricately knotted silver band on her left wrist completed her ensemble. She looked at herself with a pleasing eye in the full-length mirror. Her black satin bra was showing beautifully and subtly through the blouse. The whole package made Avery feel rather sexy. Grabbing her small black leather purse, she left the room, and on her way to new adventures.

Some of the streets in Hannibal were still cobblestone, and it made Avery smile when her heels clicked on them. The street lanterns were beginning to glow as the sun made its slow decent in the western sky. There were dozens and dozens of tourists walking around, going in and out of all the shops. There were families with children laughing and eating ice cream, sitting on the various benches that lined the sidewalks. A pleasant and refreshing summer evening breeze gently blew across Avery’s exposed arms and legs. She smiled at how quaint and beautifully historic the town appeared. Visiting a few of the shops, she lingered in one particular antique shop, and enjoyed a lovely little chat with the gentleman sitting in a rocker behind the counter.

It wasn’t long before Avery got hungry, and began looking for an interesting place to eat. A short distance ahead, she saw an elderly couple selling hot roasted nuts from a little vending cart. She stopped and asked where a good place to eat would be within walking distance.

The couple both smiled, and the gentleman heartily pointed behind the buildings just over Avery’s shoulder. “Dinner on the riverboat is mighty nice around these parts, miss,” he said with a deep and soft voice.

“They have live music, and ya get ta ride down the Mississippi for a ways,” added the woman with a shimmering smile.

“Thank you very much,” Avery answered. “I think that sounds wonderful.”

“Just keep walking down yonder, and turn right at what looks like the next intersection. You’ll see the dock right there.”

“Thanks again. Have a good evening,” she addressed them, as she walked away.

Avery purchased a ticket for the dinner tour in the little shop located right at the dock. The posted sign in front of the shop indicated to all passersby that the riverboat tours began with the ticket purchase, and it also displayed the scheduled times for the tours.

The young blonde felt a sense of exhilaration, as if this night was going to be filled with excitement and adventure, as she stepped onto the outside deck of the massive boat. She went ahead and followed the other passengers who were filing into the main dining room area.

The riverboat was exquisitely refurbished. Everything from the woodwork on the railings to the detail of the lighting fixtures and the painted borders along the walls was worked on and restored perfectly.

There was a large crowd now that gathered into the dining room area. It appeared the boat was going to be full for this tour. Since Avery was on board by herself, the cruise Director had kindly asked her if she wouldn’t mind sharing a table. Grateful she wouldn’t be eating dinner alone; she gladly took a seat at a table with three women who were celebrating a birthday. She was happy to listen to them tell stories of all the crazy things they’ve done together over the years.

During the course of the dinner, Avery couldn’t help but notice a particularly intriguing and radiant individual tending the bar. Every once in a while she would glance over at this tall bartender who was working gracefully with each drink order.

At first glance, it just didn’t strike the young blonde that the bartender was female until she saw the beautiful smile and the sparkling eyes. She also was beginning to notice that she continued to glance towards the statuesque beauty more and more often. By the time dessert arrived, Avery had a desire to meet this striking stranger. She couldn’t help but find the woman to be so attractive, and yet Avery wasn’t sure what she was feeling. She wasn’t clueless to the whole gay scene, and she did have her share of a couple of women who have asked her out; but never before has she experienced a warm fuzziness inside of her. As she continued her now open gaze, there was no other word she could form in her mind for this stranger except handsome. Yes, this woman...this female was extremely handsome with her high cheekbones, chiseled features, and Grecian nose. She was definitely not feminine looking yet had enough femininity in her features to make it clear she was a woman. Avery knew she had an attraction to women, especially after the experience in her first year at college when she experimented with her roommate’s best friend. She fingered her pendant as she thought about that experience from a couple of years ago, and began to wonder if the reason she wasn’t able to find the “right guy” is because she was really wanting a woman.

One of the women at the table leaned over towards the young blonde, and said, “She sure is something to look at, huh?”

The words brought Avery out of her thoughts of the past. Looking a little puzzled at the older woman, she began to smile when she saw the woman giving her a knowing smile in return. “Yes, she is very striking.”

“Why don’t you go on up and order a drink, and start chatting with her?” The woman asked.

Avery smiled with some embarrassment. “Oh, I don’t think I’ve got the guts for that.”

“Well, you should give it a try. You can’t always wait around for someone else to take the first step.” The older woman casually stated with a wink.