Love Me Tender - Please Pt. 05

Melody came out of her bedroom and looking across the hall at him, she said, "Mom's in there."

"I just found that out," he replied and turning his body away from her, he walked awkwardly past her and down the stairs.

Melody saw his red face and noted his erection pushing out the front of his shorts. She grinned as she followed him down the stairs.

He busied himself with make work while he waited for Kari to finish getting dressed and come downstairs. He checked his watch for the tenth time just as he heard her calling him.

"Ray," she called from the top of the stairs.

"Yes," he replied and walking over he looked up at her.

She was wearing a pale yellow, cotton dress with a narrow halter holding up the top. Even from below her, he could see the beginning of her cleavage as she leaned on the banister.

"I'm finished in there. I'll put on my makeup in the guest room. OK?"

"Sure," he responded and walked up the stairs towards her. As his head cleared the landing he could see that she was barefoot and was wearing a toe ring on the index toe of her left foot.

"Is this too daring?" she asked indicating the neckline of her dress. "Is it too low in back?"

Turning she showed him her bare back covered only by a strap going across her shoulder blades.

Another image of her standing in front of a mirror with a gold chain holding the two sides of her dress together danced before his eyes. Shuddering, he shook his head and willed it to go away.

"I have a jacket that I'll wear if it's not too hot."

"No," Ray forced the word out of his suddenly dry mouth. "No, you look fine. Very nice."

"Thanks," she said over her shoulder as she padded down the hall to the guest bedroom.

Kari was already down stairs when Ray came down dressed in a pair of light slacks and an open-necked, short-sleeved shirt. He stood behind the sliding screen and watcher her and Melody standing on the patio talking to each other. It was easy to tell that they were mother and daughter and a stranger might even think they could be sisters.

Melody was wearing Capri pants and a camisole top with flip-flops on her feet. Kari had added high-heeled sandals to her outfit and the heels made her legs look fantastic. He could not detect any makeup or jewelry on Melody but Kari wore earrings and a gold chain with a little heart hanging from it. Her face had a glow to it that he had not seen before.

She turned when she heard the screen slide back, "Hey, you look pretty handsome for an old man."

"I try," he laughed in reply. "If I didn't know you two I wouldn't be able to tell which one is the mother."

Kari actually felt herself blush at his comment. She could not figure out why everything he said impacted her so deeply but she knew it had to do something with getting his approval. She felt that she needed that to validate her new image.

"Y'all ready?" he asked and getting his keys from the hook near the garage door, he watched as they gathered their purses and Kari picked up her jacket.

"Let's go," Melody said. "It's not too hot so maybe it won't be so bad out there."

The passenger side seat and floor of Melody's car were covered with books and papers but she insisted on driving. They climbed into the small back seat and fumbled with the seat belts.

"I can't get this thing on so drive carefully, the life you save may be mine," Kari said and they laughed as Melody bounced over the speed bump causing Ray's head to hit the roof of the car.

"Take it easy," he said and rubbed his head.

Kari reached over and ran her fingers over the spot where he hit his head.

"It feels OK," she said she but did not remove her hand for a half-a-minute.

Ray enjoyed her touch and slouching down as far as his knees against the front seats would allow, he tilted his head towards her.

"Am I bleeding?" he asked.

"No, just a little red spot. If you had more hair it wouldn't have made such a dent," she said jokingly.

"Yeah," he replied. "I know. You don't have to remind me."

For an instant, Kari regretted joking with him and she watched carefully to see if he took offense and was relieved to see that he did not. She was still feeling her way around him and she did not want to say anything that would upset him.

Melody chimed in, "You should be proud, dad. You know what they say. When men are born, God gives each of you the same amount of testosterone and some guys use it for growing hair."

Amidst the laughter, Ray reached up and gently swatted the back of her head.

"Watch where you're going and learn to respect your father," he said.

Kari was still laughing so hard she had to get a tissue out of her purse to dab at her eyes. Tucking the tissue back into her purse she reached over and placed her hand on Ray's forearm without thinking.

"That was funny. I never heard that one before."

They both looked down at her hand and she was about to take it away when he placed his other hand over it and just held it there and looked back up at her. Their faces were only inches apart and, once again, Kari thought he was going to kiss her but at the last second he faced forward again.

"Take the next left and we can park in the side lot of the school," he told Melody. "That way we won't have to walk very far."

After parking the car, Melody and Ray got out and Ray waited as Kari slid across the seat towards the door he was holding for him. He watched as her dress pulled up around her thighs. When she put one foot on the ground she realized that he could see up her skirt. She almost pulled it down but decided to let him look and she caught his eyes when she looked up at him.

"Yellow is nice," he said in an obvious reference to her panties and taking her hand he helped her out of the car.

"I shouldn't have worn heels," Kari remarked as they walked over the gravel path leading to the bleachers on the football and track field. "I'm going to break an ankle."

"Here, hold onto my arm," Ray said and moved closer to her so she could link arms with him.

"Thanks," she looked at him with a smile.

He stayed next to her as they walked up the steps of the bleachers near the center of the field. Melody was visiting with friends and nowhere in sight when a woman's voice stopped them.

"Karen? Karen Royals? Is that you?"

Kari and Ray stopped as a large-sized woman stumbled over the feet of seated spectators to reach the aisle.

"Karen, it's so good to see you. I didn't expect to see you here?"

"Why not?" Kari asked defiantly. "My son is graduating today."

"No, I'm sorry, I mean, that's not what I meant. Well it's good to see you again."

Kari held on to Ray's hand as he turned and continued up the steps.

"Who was that," Ray asked when they found three seats together.

"Lorraine Belmont. She's a big mouth who thought I didn't deserve to be the Vice-president of the PTO. She thought her daughter was Miss Princess until she got herself arrested for dealing pot. Don't you remember?"

"I remember the incident but I don't remember her."

"I'm sure rumors about you and I will start circulating. She's probably on her cell phone right now, stirring up something. Oh, well, I don't care. I'm happy to be here."

"I'm happy you came," Ray responded and squeezed her hand.

The speeches were mercifully short and the 300 plus students received their diplomas in record time. Ray put his arm around Kari's shoulders and held her close to him when they called Brian's name. They looked at each other's tear-streaked faces and burst out laughing at their mutually emotional display.

There were more tears and cheers when Brian received a baseball scholarship to Texas State University.

"I knew they had scouts at the games and TSU and another college interviewed us but I didn't know he got a ride," Ray gushed. "Wow, I can't believe it."

As soon as the graduate's hats went into the air, they hurried down the bleacher steps to find Brian. They spotted him in the sea of gowns with his arms around a girl.

"That must be Madison," Kari commented as they approached the couple.

"Congratulations," they said in unison and gave him a hug.

"Uh, thanks," he responded. "Uh, mom and dad, this is Madison. Oh, you know her already, dad, I forgot. Anyway, mom this is Madison."

Madison seemed stunned for a minute as she looked back and forth at Ray and Kari. Kari noticed that when they shook hands, Madison glanced at her finger to see if she was wearing a ring. She obviously knew that they were divorced and was wondering what was happening.

"Nice to meet you, I'm visiting from Texas," Kari said by way of an explanation.

"Nice to meet you too," Madison responded. "Brian's told me a lot about you. There's my parents. I'll see you later."

"Did you know about the TSU scholarship?" Ray asked Brian.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to tell you. I wanted it to be a surprise. Are you OK with it?"

"I'm more than OK. I'm, I mean we're, very proud of you."

Kari looked at Ray and smiled at his inclusion of her in his comment.

Holding Brian's face between her palms, she kissed him and said, "My little baby's all grown up."

Brian blushed at her public display of affection and pulled away.

"Aw, mom," he said but inside, he was happy that she was there.

"We'll see you in a little while," Ray said to him and taking Kari's hand, they walked back towards the car.

They did not see Melody following along behind them while pointing at them and whispering to her girlfriends. They only realized that she was near when the locks popped open and the lights flashed as they approached her car.

"Now, isn't that sweet," she joked. "Two lovebirds."

"It's hard walking in these shoes," Kari explained, still holding onto Ray's hand.

"Sure, mom, sure," Melody sarcastically agreed.

Ray watched once again as Kari thighs were exposed when she maneuvered herself into the back seat of the car. Pausing for a moment, she looked at him and smiled before sliding across the seat and making no move to pull her skirt down.

"Did you guys know that Brian was getting a scholarship?" Melody asked on the way home. "It was a surprise to me."

"It was a surprise to us too," Ray answered. "He's worked hard and he deserves it. I don't know about him going all the way to Texas though."

"It's only a couple of hours from me," Kari said. "He could visit on weekends if he wanted and you're welcome too."

"It's a little too far for a weekend visit for me but maybe we can work something out."

The party went well and everyone appeared to have a good time. Ray and Kari drew more attention than the graduate. There was much whispering and conjecturing as to the state of their relationship and at times they seemed to be the main topic of conversation.

The grandparents were there and, true to Ray's word, his parents did not seem to remember that their son and former daughter-in-law were divorced. Kari, acting as the hostess, took care of everybody and everything as if she had not been gone for two years. She took over and made sure everything ran smoothly.

It was awkward when Mike and Donna arrived but as they shared what had been happening for the last several years it became easier. The hardest part was for them to remember to call her Kari but she told them it did not matter what they called her. Adele was happy to see her and she brought along a guy who she had been dating for a while. Kari was happy that she had found someone and they seemed to be in love.

Donna managed to catch Ray outside on the patio with no one else around and asked him what the deal was with him and Kari.

"She is just here helping with the party. Nothing beyond that."

"Yeah, sure," Donna said sarcastically. "You know we could have been good together but I don't think there's a chance now."

"You're right. There is no chance. Enjoy the party."

There was one moment when Kari almost lost it. She went out into the garage to get some more soda and remembered the last party she had attended there and what she had done in that very same spot. She froze when the door closed behind her and the images came back into her head like a slow motion movie. She could almost taste Montrell's kiss and for an instant, she thought she was going to throw up.

Guilt and remorse filled her with shame and she fight against the tears. Gathering herself, she swallowed the bile that filled her throat. After finding what she needed, she went back into the kitchen to continue with the party. Ray was standing at the door when she opened it and he reached to take the case of soda out of her hands.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I did," she confessed. "The last time I was in that garage was at Melody's party and I was not alone. I'm scared."

"Of what?" he asked and putting the soda down on an ice chest, he led her into the den and closed the door behind them. "Of what?"

"I haven't thought of that day in years and when I remembered what I had done, I almost threw up out there."

Wrapping his arms around her he said, "It's all in the past," he consoled her. "Let's work on forgetting all of that, OK?"

"I'm trying, oh God, I'm trying," she said with a break in her voice. "Please don't hate me, please."

"I don't hate you. In fact, I'm having a problem keeping my hands off of you. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

"Sorry? For what?" she looked up at him and smiled. "Don't let me stop you from doing whatever you want to do with your hands."

Ray looked into her eyes for a moment before lowering them to her lips and then back up to hers. She smiled and closing her eyes, she moistened her lips and leaning forward, she offered them to him. Accepting her offer, he gently touched her lips with his and pulled back a little to confirm her consent. She opened her eyes and a little smile curled the edges of her mouth. Once again, she closed her eyes and they kissed with a little more intensity.

It was if they had silently agreed to test the waters, or their lips as it was, to see if it was pleasurable to each other. It only took a few seconds for them to reach the same conclusion and their lips softened and opened to share their pleasure. Her tongue tentatively searched out his and he responded with his own, as they tasted each other's essence.

Kari pursed her lips and drew Ray's tongue into her mouth with a sucking sound while he dropped his arms and grasped her waist with both hands. She helped him by moving against his groin where she could feel him hardening down his leg. Reluctant to break the kiss, they were gasping for air through their noses when the door opened and Melody stood there with her hands on her hips.

"I can't let you two alone for a minute, can I?" she jokingly accused them. "There are people out here wondering where you are and I find you in here making out like two teenagers playing two-minutes-in-heaven. Get yourself together and come back to your guests."

Ray and Kari stood there looking at her with guilty faces until she turned and started back out of the room.

"Never mind, take your time. I'll cover for you," she said over her shoulder and closed the door behind her.

Ray and Kari burst into laughter at what had happened. Ray rained kisses all over her face and then their lips were again pressed against each other's. They continued the kiss, much less passionately than before, while their minds came to terms with what they were doing.

"Well!" Ray finally exclaimed with his lips only a breath away from Kari's. "I guess my hands are welcome."

"Anytime, my love, anytime."

"Melody's right, we'd better get back out there. People will talk."

"Let them," she said. "Let them talk as much as they want."

Brian left with some friends at about six o'clock and the rest of the guests started leaving soon after that. Melody volunteered to take Kari's father home and Ray's parents drove themselves. The final guests were leaving and Ray and Kari stood on the porch with their arms around each other's waists as they waved goodbye. It seemed natural for them to turn towards each other and enjoy a warm kiss, congratulating each other for a successful day.

"Thank you," Ray said. "I couldn't have done it without you. I'm so glad you came."

"I think you would have managed but thanks anyway. I'm glad I came too. Now for the clean up."

Kari's heart was doing flip-flops as they turned and walked, hand-in-hand, back into the house. She never expected Ray to react to her the way that he had. She was very near losing control and spilling tears of gratitude.

"Wait a minute," she said and holding onto Ray's arm, she took off her shoes. "My feet are hurting."

Once inside they fell into the routine of straightening up the house as if they had never had a break in their relationship. They were almost finished putting the last of the dishes away when Melody returned and informed them that she was going to take a shower and go right back out with some friends.

"You'll have the house to yourselves," she said with a grin. "I won't be back until after midnight."

Ray and Kari were sitting on the patio when Melody came down to tell them she was leaving.

"It's so nice seeing you sitting there," she commented with tears in her eyes. "I love you both and I so want us to be a family again."

"Thanks, honey. Goodnight. Don't stay out too late, OK?"

"I won't, daddy. Goodnight, mom."

They sat quietly for a few minutes before Ray got the courage to speak.

"Kari, I think we'd better talk a little. Do you want to?"

Not sure exactly where he was going, Kari cautiously agreed, "OK."

"I can't deny the fact that I have feelings for you that I did not realize that I still had," he said. "I'm actually surprised with myself and I don't know where we go from here. I'm anxious to pursue some kind of relationship. At the same time I'm afraid that it may not develop the way that I want it to or at least the way that I think I want it to. I'm not at all sure how you see us and I don't want to do or say anything that might offend you or give you any false hope. I guess I'm confused about what I want."

Still not sure what he was trying to say, Kari responded, "I see."

"I mean that, I'm afraid that after this initial surge of emotion that I have been feeling for the last two days quiets down, my craziness will return. I'm afraid I will destroy whatever hope we may have for the future."

"Craziness?" she questioned.

"Yes, craziness. That's the only way that I can describe what I went through after you left and I found the videos. I wanted to hurt you and your lovers in the worst way. I wanted to make you hurt like I was hurting. I wanted to make you feel what I was feeling. It took a long time and a lot of talking with a counselor to start to get my head on straight again."

"I didn't know you had counseling," she said. "I had no idea. I knew that you were hurt by my disrespect for you and for our marriage. I always figured that once I left, you would accept the fact that I had cheated on you and go on with your life.

All I can say is I'm sorry and I agree with you that I don't want us to do anything that will jeopardize the new relationship that we have. It is already more than I ever hoped and prayed that it could be. I'm grateful to you for your kindness and as much as I would like it to develop into something else, I'm also afraid."

Kari could hear the emotion in Ray's voice as he said, "When I walked in on you when you came out of the shower I fell in love all over again. I can't tell you how beautiful you are to me. Beautiful, not only in appearance but also beautiful in the changes that you have made within yourself. You are a different person than I remember and I like the new person you've become."

Kari blushed and could only say, "Thank you."