The curse is broken!!

I broke the curse! I can’t tell you how excited I am. I keep seeing last night in my head in vivid detail. Finally. It’s been months.

I’m on my way back from vacation today, so I appreciate your patience with my erratic posting this week. I went on a cruise with a notoriously abysmal male to female ratio- unmarried men not currently on Medicare were spotted only in fleeting glances. When spotted, every single lady on the ship sucked in her stomach and pushed out her chest, competing for her vaca-romance. I was ready. I was willing. I was looking at a lot of wrinkled women and no chiseled men. Damn.

The Night Before Last: I was in the casino. As usual, I was screaming “give me a yo!” at the dice as they spun across the green felt table. And there he was. I immediately did a ring check – Pass! – nothing but lovely masculine skin and a smile that said, “it’s on!” We chatted. I flirted. He moved to play blackjack behind me. The casino closed at 4:30 a.m. In my chardonnay haze I said to myself out loud, “Why didn’t I meet you earlier? I really wanted to make out!” He didn’t look over. I couldn’t tell if he was mortified and was therefore faking momentary deafness or if he didn’t hear me.

Last Night: I wandered back to the casino at 6:00 p.m. the next day, sobered up, skirt hiked up, and looking for love. Or lust. Whatever. He happened by and sat next to me at Blackjack. I thought we were flirting – I kept touching his hand and he didn’t pull away. I went back to craps. Knowing it was the last night and I had little to lose besides my dignity and self-esteem, I amassed my courage and asked the waiter to bring VacaMan a jack and coke. I couldn’t look over. I was terrified and exhilarated. What if he rejected it? Or took it back to his room without me? Or hurled it at me while spitting on the floor in disgust. The waiter returned with my credit card and a glass of champagne. “From the gentleman,” he said. It’s on. It’s on like Donkey Kong. I giggled like a fifth grader.

I went back to blackjack- I could sit next to him there and we could flirt. Some time later it was last call and last hand. Oh God. Now what??? He looked in my eyes, turned to the waiter and said, “I’ll take a bottle of wine to go please.” YES!!!! Presumptuous perhaps but soooo take charge sexy. YES, YES, YES.

Upstairs: He took our bottle and glasses to the roof of the ship- it was just as I’d imagined —2:00 in the morning under a blanket of stars, a bottle of wine and a beautiful man with his lips pursed and moving forward toward mine. I only slept an hour by the time we had to leave.

Today: I saw him at the airport this morning on our way out. He walked up to me, gave me a huge hug and took my earrings out of his pocket. With a twinkle in his eye he said, “You left these on my nightstand last night.” I went all gooey like a molten chocolate cake.

The curse has been broken. Today, I am a new woman. I remember that I can, in fact be hot, both to myself and to a smokin hot date. Was it sad that it was only the one night at the end? Perhaps. But perhaps that was exactly what I needed to feel beautiful and remember that I’ve still got it. And baby, what I got is gooooood.