Steak House Anniversary

After the evening clean up, Loretta gave me a cold long-neck and we sat to talk.

"In case I forget, I want to thank you for helping me out of a bind today. I really appreciated you being here."

"No problem, for twenty dollars an hour, I am willing to do just about anything."

"Whoa, pony. Where the hell did the twenty-dollar figure come from? "

"Just trying to get a feeling of just how thankful you really were."

"Charlie got six bucks an hour. I don't have to, and I can't afford to pay that damn minimum wage. I can bump it up a little, but don't get greedy on me."

"Six is fine, Mrs. Fields. My big problem is a place to stay."

"The boys and I live in one of the trailers across the street. Mabel, the lady that owns the whole shebang here, lives in the big one. I rent the restaurant from her. Her son Clyde runs the gas station. He lives in the third trailer. There is a storage room upstairs, but no furniture or plumbing. You can use the toilet in the restaurant and I can let you shower in the trailer."

"And how much are these luxurious accommodations going to cost me?"

"How about free overtime. I pay you for a forty hour week and anything over that you do for free."

"Are you open everyday?"

"I close Mondays. It is my day at the beauty spa."

I found her humor to fit her personality. How could I not like this woman?

The first night in the storage room was rough. It was dusty, dirty, and the floor was hard. Beat the hell out of the Subaru though. The nice thing was that I had a full kitchen to cook my breakfast.

After a week, I was pretty well settled in. I called Grace and gave her the address. She had a half-dozen pieces of mail to send down, that I hoped held checks. The first Monday, I went into Palatka and opened a bank account and a safety deposit box. I finally got rid of all that cash I was carrying around. I took the boys with me and got some used furniture. They enjoyed helping and I enjoyed their company. Using Loretta's trailer to shower was uncomfortable for me. I felt as if I was imposing on her. With some PVC pipe and a little time I was able to put up an outside shower behind the restaurant. It looked like a cabana set up and worked out pretty good, as long as it wasn't too cold out. The boys helped me with the shower and even tried it out first.

Loretta's husband was killed on an off-shore drilling rig eight years ago. He stayed on the rig during a hurricane and things didn't go well. She got some insurance out of the deal and used it to get the restaurant started. Mabel and her seemed to get along fairly well.

Josh and Terry spent a lot of time with me. I guess they were looking for a father figure. My relationship with their mother remained strictly professional. There were a few times when I thought about her a little differently, but I didn't want to chance ruining a good thing.

It was time to check in with my daughters. Luckily they were both at Penn State, so I would only have to call once. I could tell by her voice that Rachel answered the phone.

"Hi. It's your dad. I just thought it was time to give you guys a call. Is Janet there too?"

"Janet's in class. We were wondering when you were going to call? Mom is hysterical, but also evasive. Janet and I think we need your side of the story. What the hell is going on?"

"Sorry for the screw up, honey. To start off, what is your mothers explanation of what is going on?"

"She claims that she set up a romantic anniversary diner for the two of you at a steak house. Your boss helped her make the arrangements. When you got to the restaurant, you saw them together and freaked out. She didn't get a chance to explain to you what happened. She seemed to be really upset."

"Wow. That is a great story Rachel. Unfortunately, that's just what it is, a story. Your mother had no idea I would be at that restaurant. When I showed up she was shocked and surprised. I called her inside the restaurant, before she knew I was there. She told me that she was at home doing laundry. When she found out that I was watching her from across the room, she was frantic. It was no surprise party. My boss and your mother arranged for me to be out of town, so they could get together. I caught her and she is scrambling to cover her ass."

"That makes more sense than her version. What do you want us to do, and why are you calling from Savannah?"

"I am not in Savannah, that's just where I got the phone from. Try not to be too rough on your mom, but see if you can get her to tell you the truth."

"That's it. Nothing else that we should do?"

"If you are going home for Thanksgiving, go into the den and dig out my passport, birth certificate, and the title for the Subaru. Mail them down to your Aunt Grace's place. She can make sure that I get them. Don't let your mother know and for goodness sake, don't give your mother my cell phone number. I don't want to have to change it again."

"Sorry about everything Dad. Janet and I are here for you, if you need anything."

"Thanks. Oh, by the way. I have all your tuition money, so you don't have to worry about that."

I felt better having that all taken care of, although I did not like having to tell Rachel about her mother. There was no doubt in my mind that Rachel believed what I told her. Marcie's story was interesting, and I guess the best she could do under the circumstances, but it would not hold water. I was dying to know more about the affair, but it was not worth the agony.

Things continued to go well at the Catfish House. I got the checks from Grace and also the documents the girls sent down. I would be able to get new Florida car tags when the PA tags ran out. I put my paychecks from the restaurant into my bank account, but all the other money was in the safety deposit box. The interest rates were so low that I didn't feel I was losing out on anything, and the money was safer there.

All week long I was eating at work, so on Mondays I looked forward to going out for something different. I had no trouble getting the boys to go with me. Loretta just naturally tagged along. It was my treat and although neither one of us would admit it, it was sort of a date. Chinese buffet's seemed to be the favorite, but they were all getting to like sushi, too. Sometimes we ended up driving quite a bit, but I didn't mind.

Loretta had mellowed out a lot. I had not seen her nasty side again, since that first day. At times, I thought I caught her looking at me while we were working, but she would quickly avert her eyes. I was still married, but Loretta was starting to look good.

The restaurant did a steady business, but hardly made enough to meet expenses. I was living on next to nothing. The money that Loretta paid me went into the bank. I had virtually no living expenses. A tank of gas every month and Monday night out, with the family. I have no idea why I started to think of Josh, Terry, and Loretta as family. It just happened. Mabel ate lunch at Sadie's everyday: gratis of course. You could tell she was getting a little tired of the menu. I was just an employee and the place belonged to Loretta, so I kept my mouth shut, but my eyes and ears open. Most of our clientele were local boys, who, I think, were more interested in the beer, than the catfish.

Just before Christmas I got a call from Janet.

"Dad, how is everything going?"

"Okay, I guess. I have no complaints. Is it tuition time again?"

"Next month. Just wanted to make sure you were going to be all right for the holidays."

"I'm good. I assume you and Rachel will be with your mother?"

"Yeah, but we are not looking forward to it. Especially now that we know the full story."

"Care to bring me up to date?"

"Your not going to like it, but you were right about the whole situation. Mom and Mister Torrenson were going out together for over a year. She finally admitted that it was a full, sexual relationship. She didn't want a divorce, but didn't want to stop seeing him, either. She said she was hoping to keep everything like it was forever, because it was perfect for her. The main attraction was apparently, sex. She started telling us things, and Rachel and I had to ask her to stop. We didn't want to know the details. Rachel is barely talking to Mom any more."

"You're right. I didn't want to know that. What is her relationship with Torrenson now?"

"Oh, there is none. He got fired from his job and blamed her. His wife filed for divorce, and he blamed Mom for that too. Last I heard, he moved to Chicago and didn't ask Mom to go along. Mom got a job at an insurance company answering phones. She ran out of money very quickly after you left and couldn't even pay the utility bills. She is just getting by now, but I think she is selling off her jewelry and stuff. The bank told her she didn't have to make the house payments anymore if she would sign a release. I think she is going to try and sell it instead."

"I'll send you a power of attorney form so that your mother will be able to sell the house easier. You can give it to her when you go home for Christmas."

"She will probably appreciate that. She was wondering why you hadn't filed for divorce yet."

"I am not going to. When she is ready, she will have to do it. I have no money, no job, and I am living off what I took from the bank when I left. It will run out very soon." I didn't see any reason to let my daughters or my wife know that I had a very nice stash in a Palatka bank, waiting for my day of freedom. My wife had never shown an interest in our finances, and unless she got a really good lawyer, she would never know. I figured she would go for the cheapest lawyer she could find.

"I'll let her know when we go down."

"Janet, I'm sorry I didn't get you girls anything for the holidays this year. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"After the first of the year, let us know where you are and we can come see you on Spring Break. You can make it up to us then."

"It's a deal. Have a great Christmas."

For the last month or so, I had been forced to take my showers at Loretta's. She was always finding something else to do while I was there, so there was no opportunity for improprieties. It gets cold in Northern Florida, so I needed to use her facilities for a couple of months. I had reached the point where a little inappropriate behavior on her part would be appreciated. I was not suave enough to set something like that up. I was worried, that if did something wrong, it would piss her off. Normally when I showered, the boys were at school.

After not getting my daughters anything for Christmas, I felt guilty when I got the boy's new Game Boys, and Loretta a turquoise, concho belt. She always wore her blouses out, and I couldn't help but imagine how good she would look with the right accessories. We closed the Catfish House early on Christmas Eve and opened presents. Loretta and the boys got me a GPS for the Subaru. We pigged out on boiled shrimp and whole crawdads. It was fun for a while but the boys wanted to play with their new toys. Loretta told them to go home and not wait up. Terry winked and gave me a thumbs-up when they left. Looks like it was going to be a good holiday.

Loretta and I talked for about an hour. We avoided any mention of previous spouses. Even though I was still married, Loretta didn't seem to mind. Since I was extremely slow on the pick up, she finally took my hand and led me upstairs. Both of us had months of penned up frustration that was about to erupt.

It was a race to see which of us could get their clothes off first. Loretta had the body of a female weight lifter. She had well defined abs, like the girls on the Bowflex commercials. Instead of soft breasts, she had wonderful, firm globes. Even after having two kids, there was not a hint of sag. My fascination, with her lack of chest adornment, was unfounded. She was truly beautiful.

Although we were both naked, we found ourselves passionately kissing. I had no idea what to do with my hands while this was going on. She was prone on her back, when I started lavishing kisses on every inch of her body. I didn't want to miss a spot. I worked my way down until I came to the full, dark bush. I thought all girls, nowadays, shaved down there, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Loretta wasn't like most girls. She spread her legs and let me get closer. Before I knew it, she had her hands on both sides of my head, in a death grip. I knew now, that I was obligated to finish what I had started. I alternated between licking and sucking; trying to determine which action got the best response. I was never able to arrive at a conclusion. She shuddered and squeezed my head, as she had several orgasms. I assume it was only one, but I really couldn't tell for sure. My face, and her pubic hair, were covered with sticky, sweet moisture. She was covered with sweat, despite the chill in the room. Loretta never let go of my head. She pulled me up, like I was a rag doll, and our lips met again. I don't consciously remember how it happened, but somehow, my long deprived pecker ended up deep inside the hard bodied, goddess beneath me. Her legs instantly wrapped around my waist and again I found myself in her powerful grip. It only took a few seconds until her body was shaking in ecstasy. She came at least three times before I could hold back no longer. It was sweet relief as I unloaded my seed into her.

Our two sweat-covered bodies lay side-by-side, not noticing the lack of heat in the room. I reached over her and pulled a light blanket on top of us. Loretta made a slight purring noise to show her appreciation.

The sun was coming through the window as I felt my amazon maiden manipulating my private parts. As I opened my eyes, she smiled and took my member in her mouth. It was hard in no time, enjoying a long-missed pleasure. I had expected her to mount me as soon as I stiffened up, but she had other ideas. She continued bobbing her head up and down until I could stand it no more. With every stroke she went deeper, until her lips were buried in my pubes. I was in doubt as to what action to take at the time of eruption. Remembering her lead the night before, I put my hands on her head and gently pushed down as I blew my seed into her warm mouth. She let out a small cough and then quickly swallowed.

We cuddled for a few minutes under the blanket, and she looked up and said: "Merry Christmas, John Wilson."

Hearing the boys downstairs, Loretta jumped out of bed and started dressing. By the time I got down, the boys were already eating breakfast. Terry gave me a big grin and another thumbs-up sign. I don't think Josh had a clue what was going on. I ate with the boys while their mom went home to take a shower. I had a terrible thought about that time, concerning birth control.

Sex between Loretta and I became a regular thing after that. She didn't usually stay over night, but it was nice occasionally. I think Terry explained the facts of life to Josh shortly after the holidays. Both of the boys seemed all right with the arrangement.

Grace forwarded divorce papers after the first of the year. Marcie included a small note thanking me for the power of attorney and informing me that she had an offer on the house. The divorce was simple and to the point. I was responsible for the girls school tuition and that was about it. I signed it, and mailed it back to Marcie's lawyer. I realized that I gave away my secret location, but I no longer cared.

Loretta asked me if I had any ideas about the restaurant menu. She more or less gave me carte blanche to change whatever I wanted to. I was hesitant about asking her if I could do it, but I appreciated her confidence in me, when she suggested it.

The seafood wholesaler was more than happy to add a few bags of frozen whitefish portions to our weekly delivery of catfish. Terry was excited about learning how to do "fish 'n' chips". Of course, it was only the American version of a British staple. Loretta and I ran everything during the school year. Business was slow, but steady, so we could handle it with no trouble. Neither one of us had anticipated the consequences of increased business.

During the weekends, I coerced the boys into painting. My standards were not too high, so I was pretty happy with whatever they did. The whole place belonged to Loretta, but I got the feeling she wanted me to take over more of the operation. At first I just suggested things, but as time when on she seemed relieved when I just made the decisions on my own. She never criticized or complained about anything I did. I had never been interested in running a business like this, however, it seemed to be becoming my destiny. I apologize if that sounds a little deep.

Clyde caught the fever and even repainted the gas station. A quick call to his distributor got him shiny new signs and even some new pumps, which took credit cards. After he got it cleaned up, a salesman talked him into installing some racks selling all sorts of tourist stuff. It was at no cost to Clyde, and he got a cut of everything that was sold. It made the place look a little less low class.

Terry turned sixteen and got his learners permit. I got a big kick out of teaching him how to drive the Outback. I think Loretta was relieved that she didn't have to do it. In two years, it would be Josh's turn.

A good old boy, from near Moss Bluff showed up one day with a freezer full of gator tail meat in the back of a pick up. He spent thirty minutes trying to convince me of the nutritional merits of eating reptile. He knew the subject matter pretty good but he was a terrible salesman. I tried to look as if I was interested, so that I wouldn't hurt his feelings. He also had some frozen cooter in the truck. I got the feeling that he didn't feel things were going too well, when he made a smart move.

"I'll leave you ten pounds of gator tail and ten pounds of turtle for you to try out, free of charge. I'll be back in a week to see how things go. Would that be Okay with you Mister?"

He completely caught me by surprise. Here I was being cocky and he hit me with a zinger. "Sure, I'd be glad to give it a try. Any preparation suggestions?"

"Most people just like to flatten it, bread it, and fry it."

"If I decide I like it, how much is this going to cost me?"

He reached into the truck and handed me a green sheet of paper with prices, phone numbers, and state permit numbers to sell the gator and the snapping turtle meat. Depending on the portions I served, it would be possible to make a nice profit with what he had, if I could sell it.

"Thank you, Mister Coletta. I'd be glad to give it a shot. I'll see you in a week." His name, phone number, and address were on the top of the sheet.

The "fish 'n' chips" part of the menu went over very well. At first, we only had it at the evening meal, when Terry was available, but ended up having it all day. The gator and cooter were gone before the end of the week and I had to call Tom Coletta to get some more. The most popular dish turned out to be a combo platter with gator, cooter, and catfish. Business was picking up faster than we had anticipated. Loretta and I usually washed the dishes after the meal times. We had enough china to take care of the normal traffic. With the increase in customers, we found ourselves running out of clean dishes. That's when we hired Hector.

Hector didn't speak much English, but he did know how to wash dishes and never complained. He rode a bicycle to the restaurant everyday and worked both lunch and supper. I have no idea where he lived.

When Tom Coletta delivered the gator and cooter, the next Saturday, he brought a young girl with him. Terry was more than eager to help carry the bags of frozen meat from the truck. Loretta and I noticed that he didn't take his eyes off the girl, and actually ended up tripping at one point. She looked to be Terry's age, maybe a little older. Loretta seemed happy about the whole little scene, and at supper that night we all got to tease him about it.