A is for Adventure

"Why did you do what I told you to do?" I asked.

"We've talked about that, since, and what we believe is that we wanted to do it and you telling us to do it shifted the responsibility from us to you."

"Oh?"

"That's why we did it in that moment. We've done it a lot since then. Our idea. Our responsibility."

"What happens when you get back to Oakland?"

"We have two more days before we need to be back. We're talking about getting married and telling everyone at home we just decided not to wait."

Lunch arrived and was eaten with minimal attention to the food other than to notice it was good. After the dishes were gone we had tea and talked. Mike asked the waitress who brought the tea if there were ever weddings at Nepenthe. There were and she connected us with the wedding coordinator of the restaurant.

Forty minutes later the wedding was planned and the coordinator pulled a string she had getting a license faxed from her friend at the courthouse. Mike paid for it with the coordinator, Judy, and she would pay the person at the courthouse.

We agreed to meet back at Nepenthe an hour before the wedding, at one o'clock the next day. Colleen and I hugged them both and headed back for Cambria. Our helmets were connected and part way back Colleen said, "A dollar for your thoughts."

"I'm thinking about letting the impulsive Pete loose and asking you to do something outrageous."

"We've done sex at the beach, on the motorcycle, in public. What now?"

"Let me think about it a little while longer. OK?"

"Tell me before dinner, OK?"

"OK."

We still talked and enjoyed the changing scenery. Along the coast the scene changes as the sun traverses the sky. The colors change, the ocean sparkles differently, and Colleen commented about everything she saw.

In Cambria I rode past our cottage and into town. A parking space opened up and I slid the bike in and parked.

"Where are we going?" Colleen asked.

"For a walk. Maybe a little shopping." She took my arm and we walked. She had a sly smile on her face, like she knew what I was up to. We looked in the windows of a gallery, then a market, then another gallery.

"If I knew what you are looking for, maybe I could help."

"Do I look like I need help?"

"No, but I'd like to help anyway."

The next store was a jewelry store. I walked by without even looking. Then a gallery and I looked through the windows.

I'd been to Cambria before. The next jewelry store was the one I liked, and I walked in. I walked to the diamond counter and sat down. The sales person was there in a second, "May I help you?"

I motioned Colleen into the seat beside me. Looking at the sales person I said, "Wait just a second and I'll answer your question."

I turned to Colleen and said, "I'm sixty years old and I don't want to spend one day of the rest of my life without you. Will you marry me?"

Tears had been flowing down her cheeks since we had entered the store. She had a powerful grip on my left hand.

"We're crazy, you know that don't you?"

"Yes. Is there someone else you'd rather be crazy with?"

"No! Do you mean get married tomorrow?"

"No. I want to give you time to have the wedding you want. I'll rent a tux, or wear jeans. Weddings are mostly a statement of I love you so that everyone knows. I want everyone I know to know. Women generally think about weddings a lot more than men. If you say yes, you pick the time, the place and I'll be there."

"You want everyone you know to know what?"

"That I love you."

"I can say yes without a ring."

"The ring is another way to say I love you, she's taken and someone loves this woman. I would love it if you would wear an engagement ring and then a wedding band."

She turned to the jeweler and said, "Yes, you can help us. We'd like to look at a wedding set, size seven."

Less than an hour later we walked out of the store with a small box in my pocket and a ring on the third finger of her left hand. The small box held two wedding bands.

We had time to go to our cottage and clean up before dinner. We rode over to the cottage and when we closed the door Colleen jumped me. Her arms encircled my neck and her legs went round my hips. Her lips found mine and met in joy. Somehow we got undressed and Colleen held her left hand up by her right nipple and asked, "Do you like my new ring? I think it goes well with the tone of my skin, do you?"

I agreed and we snuggled on the bed until suddenly Colleen sat up and said, "Oh damn! I have a crisis! Pete, do you know of a store in town where I can get a dress?"

"A dress?"

"Yes! We're going to a wedding tomorrow!"

"Right! Yes, I think I know a place where you can get a dress. Can I go to a wedding in jeans and a western shirt?"

"Not if we can find something a bit more formal. Let's go!"

In the store, the first store we went in, Colleen found a dress. Flowered print made of a material so thin it looked to me like it was made of woven spider webs. It buttoned right from the scoop neckline to the hem with tiny white buttons. She also found a pair of sandals. Next door I found a pair of gray slacks and a white shirt. We were ready. With our new clothes in a bag we walked to the Sows Ear. As we were seated the waitress noticed the new ring on Colleen's hand. She called to the other waitresses and they made a big deal of the whole engagement thing.

In the midst of that one of the waitresses asked, "How long have you two been a couple?"

We looked at each other and Colleen answered, "This is our first date."

We had a visible demonstration of shock and awe. They stood there shocked into silence for a long moment.

I added, "We've know each other for a while but never really got together until now. It's Colleen's birthday and..."

"And I get Pete as my present!" Colleen finished my statement. The shock passed into awe and the manager came to us and said dinner would be their gift to both of us.

The manager kept bringing people to our table so they could see the ring and meet us. The whole restaurant sang Happy Birthday when a small cake was delivered to our table as dessert. Talking with people as we met them and after the singing we felt like we were really with friends. Colleen surprised me.

She said, to everyone in the restaurant, "We have some friends who are getting married tomorrow at two o'clock at Nepenthe. I would love to surprise them by having lots of new friends attend their wedding. Right now it is just Pete and me who will be there. Please, if you can, come join us."

Cheers and clapping let us know that the wedding would be another adventure. As we left the Sows Ear another couple was also leaving. They walked with us for a block and the man asked, "Where's your car parked?"

"We walked from the cottages where we're staying."

"You're the couple on the motorcycle?"

"That's us."

"We are in one of the other cottages. Can we walk back with you?"

"Sure, but we stop along the way."

"For?" The woman asked. Colleen turned and we kissed. She held my ass and I held hers.

"Oh. I should have known."

We laughed and walked on. At another corner I turned to Colleen and we kissed again. I whispered, "I love you" and she pinched my nipple. When I looked, our neighbors were kissing. We waited and then crossed the street together.

At the front of our cottage they thanked us for a wonderful walk and left us. We went inside and hung up our new clothes. Colleen showed me her new ring twice more before we fell asleep.

In the morning over breakfast we discussed things. Things like, do we attempt riding to Nepenthe in our fancy clothes? Like, what time should we leave for the wedding? We decided to bring the wedding clothes not wear them and leave at a little after eleven. The couple that had walked home with us joined us near the end of breakfast and said they had decided to attend the wedding. They would take our good clothes in their car and they would follow us to Nepenthe.

I warned them, "We stop along the way."

They both smiled.

We left at a few minutes after eleven and stopped twice along the seventy-three mile trek. We arrived at five minutes to one. Helen was standing in the parking lot in a white sun dress. Mike was not in sight.

Colleen said, "I'll bet it's the old thing of you shouldn't see the bride in her dress before the ceremony."

We told them we had invited some friends to the wedding. Colleen took Helen and Sue with her to get changed and Sue's husband Alan and I took my good clothes and went to see where the wedding was going to happen. The far patio was set up for the wedding and I left Alan there to greet people as they arrived. When I had changed and returned Alan told me that Sue had come out looking for me. I went to the door of the ladies room and Sue came out.

"Pete, Colleen is in a panic. She's afraid to come out in that dress."

"Why? I saw it on her last night in Cambria. It's beautiful."

"Oh, you're right it is beautiful, and it's sheer!"

"Sheer?"

"In the daylight you can see through it!"

"Really?"

"Yes! She stepped out of the bathroom and I could see her panties clearly as soon as she stepped into the sunlight."

"Stay right here." I stepped past her and opened the door to the ladies room. Colleen was just standing there looking at me, wearing that wonderful, sexy dress. Even in the bathroom I could make out her panties.

I held out my hand and as she took it I said, "Please trust me." I walked us out, passed Sue and onto the wedding patio. I stood her right where she would be standing for the ceremony and her panties were easy to see. Sue had followed us out. I motioned to Sue to sit in one of the chairs. I reached under Colleen's dress and pulled her panties off. Her eyes went wide and Alan's mouth dropped wide open.

I looked at Sue and said, "What can you see?"

"Nothing. The problem's solved." She smiled. I had her change seats and keep looking. With Colleen naked under the dress the print covered her well. I put her panties in my pocket and kissed her. Sue went in to tell Helen the problem was solved. Colleen stood very close to me and said, "Alan and Sue both know I'm naked under this dress."

"If you think about it, everyone is naked under whatever they're wearing. I like thinking about it. Even better I like knowing I can hold you right now in front of everyone and I know just how naked and wet you are."

"Oh! Sometimes you are such a man!"

"Thank you!" I kissed her. The way she returned the kiss told me she was very turned on, excited, and that she felt sexy.

By two o'clock there were twenty-three people at the wedding. The rent-a-minister did a good job and by two-thirty they were husband and wife. I was the best man and Colleen the maid of honor. Another first for both of us. By five the party was over, we had Mike and Helen's address at home and we were on the road back to Cambria.

The cottage was booked with someone else for the next few days so we had everything with us as we left the wedding party. We were supposed to be back at work at eight the next morning. It was not to be. I had the cell number for the VP of operations at work and I gave him a call. I knew that if he didn't answer it would go to a machine. He answered.

"Mr. Whiten, this is Pete Walters."

"Yes, Pete. You've been on a little vacation haven't you?"

"Yes, Sir. That's why I'm calling. We need one more day. Would it be OK if we miss work tomorrow and count it as vacation?"

"We?"

"Yes, Sir. We got engaged this weekend and attended a wedding. Oh, the we I'm talking about is Colleen and me. She wanted an adventure for her birthday. She got one."

The pause lasted a long time. When he spoke I could hear the smile on his face.

"Take two days. Both of them on me. Congratulations to both of you! This is great!"

We took both days and had another adventure.