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building with no sign of him anywhere, I make my way back toward Max’s Bar where my car is parked.   I search through my phone to call Jean.   After six rings it, goes to voicemail.   I just leave a quick message, letting her know I am heading to the car and to let me know if she needs me to pick her up.
    I feel so embarrassed walking the street in last night’s clothes.   I can hear the thoughts screaming out at me from the pedestrians walking by.   Walk of shame!   I still haven’t put on my shoes in hopes of reaching the car faster.   I don’t even think about what I may be walking on.   Keeping my head held high, I walk the last block to the car when my phone beeps.

    Jean: Shannon will drop me off at the car in ten. She has to meet her family for brunch.

    Me: Ok. See you in a few.

    Waiting in the car for Jean, I think of Parker and last night.   I wonder if he does that sort of thing all the time.   Pick up random strangers at the bar.   With my heart racing at the thought of Parker doing that, I can only hope he doesn’t think I do that all the time.
    Of course, he probably does!
    Shannon’s red SUV pulls up behind me.   Jean gets out, making her way to the car.   She’s smiling.   Queue the squeals and questions in three … two …
    “Spill it!”
    “What?   No, ‘how are you this morning?’” I tease.
    “Umm, no!   I want the dirt!   Spill!”   I roll my eyes as I watch her buckle in.
    With a soft laugh, I pull out of the parking lot.   Once I’m out onto the main road, I tell her all about the night, from meeting him at the bathroom, twice, the walk to his apartment, the conversations, and small details about us having sex.   By her wide eyes, I think she gets the idea of just how amazing my night was.
    “So it was good?”
    “Better than good.”
    “Hot?”
    “Way hot!”
    “You made him wrap it up, right?”
    I roll my eyes.   “Yes, Mom.   He used a condom.”
    “Good.   Did you get his number?”
    I turn to face her with my mouth open.   After a split second, I close it, turning back toward the road. “No.   Last night was all about just sex.   It was me letting go.”
    “Well, you could have gotten his number.   Especially if the sex was as hot as you made it sound.”
    “You’re the one who said to have meaningless, sexy, one-night sex.   Now you’re saying I should have gotten the man’s number?”
    “You don’t always have to listen to me, you know.”
    “Oh my god.   You’re so frustrating sometimes!”
    She bursts out laughing at that.   “But that’s why you love me!”
    “Yeah, that’s it,” I mumble sarcastically.
    “Well, did you at least have another round with him before you left this morning?”
    “Are you kidding me?   No!   I ran out of there so fast after I scrambled around looking for my clothes.   Do you know how embarrassing it was to walk the streets looking the way I do?   This is not a church outfit!”
    She laughs even harder now, tears coming to her eyes.
    “What’s so funny?”
    “Nothing. It’s just…”   She pauses to try to control her breathing.   “It’s just, I can see you running around his place, frantically trying to pick up all your clothes before he woke up!”
    I have to admit, it is pretty funny now that I look back on it.   I start to laugh with her.
    After we calm down, I ask if Shannon mentioned talking to him last night.
    “No.   She didn’t say anything.   Just talked about the guy she met on the dance floor and how she got his number.   We pretty much passed out the second we walked into her place.”
    Okay.   So, he didn’t leave a lasting impression on her then.   That’s good, right?   I try to convince myself that I don’t care because it’s not like I’ll ever see him again.   I make a mental note to never go to that bar again on the off chance that I might run into him.
    When we get back to Genna’s, I notice the garage door is open.   Her maroon G6 is gone, but