A Love Story

'A LOVE STORY'

This story is set mainly in England, with British English.

We've put the story in the 'Loving Wives' category because it begins with a 'loving wife' and ends with a 'loving wife'. Other parts of the story might indicate another category if you think it belongs elsewhere fair enough, but it's our story and our decision prevails. H & H.

THE STORY

When this story begins Helen Cooper was just a couple of weeks away from her 41st birthday. Slim and petite, she stood 5 feet 2 inches tall on her bare feet. Despite life's trials and tribulations, and there had been a few over recent years, Helen retained glowing good looks, with smooth, clear, skin and thick dark brown hair. Her eyes were a clear, inviting, warm brown colour and it was difficult to look away from them once contact was made.

Helen was by anyone's standards a beautiful mature woman, appearing to be more in her early thirties than early forties. She had a great figure. Her 34-inch bust would have been modest on a taller woman, but on her frame coupled with a 23-inch waist and 35 inch hips she was a pocket Venus.

Helen had been recently widowed. Her husband, Mike, had died just 6 months earlier, after a long and debilitating illness, and Helen was still coming to terms with her new situation.

She was a strong-minded character, many women would have crumbled under the pressures brought on having a seriously ill husband at home, knowing that he was inevitably going to die from his illness. She wasn't in any way religious, but she was fortified by her philosophy that there was something after death, just what it was she wasn't sure, but she felt that death did not have to be the end.

Unfortunately, Mike didn't share her belief and he believed that death was the end of everything and, to be honest, after the pain and debility associated with his illness he had, in the end, looked forward to oblivion.

Although she was now free from the constant devotion to her husband's needs, Helen didn't feel inclined to explore that freedom. She missed Mike, she'd loved him since they first started going together when they were both sixteen, she was heavily pregnant with their son, Ben, when they married, both were then only 18 years old.

Helen was no 'shrinking violet', she was strong minded and determined, with a strong sense of right and wrong. Ben, soon to be 23 years old, had inherited his mother's determination in most things that he did.

Shortly before Mike died, he'd spoken privately to Ben, and entreated him to try to make sure Helen was kept safe in the uncertain future. Ben assured him that he would always look after her.

The early years of Mike and Helen's marriage had been tough. Starting out with a baby whilst still getting used to the pressures of adult life wasn't easy, but their love had been strong and with a lot of help from both sets of parents they made a good life for themselves and their son.

Both Mike and Helen had been 'only children' and had been conceived quite late in their parents' lives. Their parents were into their sixties when their children married, and they'd all passed away during the last five years, meaning that Helen and Ben had no extended family after Mike died.

After Ben was born Mike and Helen had decided that they'd wait until they were more settled and better off financially before adding to their family, but by the time they were financially stable and settled into a family home they'd decided that there would be too large a gap between siblings so decided against having more children.

By the time Ben had celebrated his 21^st birthday Mike had been diagnosed with his cancer, it was debilitating, painful and incurable and it got steadily worse over the next two years years, with Mike being confined to bed for the final six months of his life. He died four months after his 40^th birthday. Helen and the now 23 years old Ben, were both with him at the end.

Ben had left school at 17, he wasn't academically inclined and had decided to do an apprenticeship as an electrician rather than continue into advanced education. He learned quickly and when he finished his apprenticeship, he left the firm he was apprenticed to and went freelance. He was doing well, and with the current housing boom was much in demand and was making good money. He'd already saved the deposit and got himself onto the property ladder with a new two-bedroom starter home, where he'd installed the electrics himself as a sub-contractor to the builder.

Ben was a good-looking guy, with a ready smile and rich brown eyes that he'd inherited from his mother. He was five feet eleven inches tall and weighed in at 14 stones (196 lbs). He kept himself in trim with visits to the gym and by playing football during the colder months of the year and cricket during the summer. Ben had had a few girlfriends but had never been in a serious relationship with any of them. There was a woman who always dominated his thoughts, but in his mind she was unattainable.

Ben's beliefs about death and the possibility of something afterwards were mixed. He understood his father's pragmatic belief, but he wasn't convinced that his mother's thoughts on the subject were entirely wrong.

Ben loved his parents. He was sad when his father became ill and devastated when he died. He'd watched the loving care and attention his mother had devoted to her terminally ill husband, and he was very proud of her. He had a special place in his heart for Helen, he loved her more than just as a son. Since he'd reached puberty, he'd realised that he didn't just 'love' his mother, he was 'in love' with her. That was part of the reasoning behind him leaving the family home and moving into his own house on the outskirts of another town 25 miles away, as he didn't want his love for her to become a problem. Helen was totally unaware of his intense feelings for her.

When they'd realised that Mike didn't have much longer to live, Ben had temporarily moved back home to help Helen cope, and he had rented his own house out on a 6-month short term lease.

Ben was concerned because his mum was still very down most of the time, even though it was now more than six months since his father's death and funeral. He still missed his dad, but he'd managed to push his feelings to the back of his mind and replaced the sense of loss with thoughts about the way forward into a brighter future. He'd decided it was up to him to help Helen to look to the future as well, rather than dwell on the past too much. She needed to get out and start meeting new people, perhaps she might find a man friend to share some fun times with, maybe even start a relationship in due course.

To help get Helen back into a social life Ben had decided to take her out on a few 'dates'. Just visits to the cinema, an hour or two for drinks at a decent pub, even a visit to the local 'flea-market' where Helen had enjoyed browsing for collectable pieces of china.

Late one Friday afternoon, Ben had quit work early because he'd arranged to take Helen out to dinner at a good restaurant, just a dozen miles along the coast from her home in the Southwest of England. He wanted to get showered and dressed smartly in time for their reservation at 7.30 p.m.

Ben was ready in plenty of time, but he'd had to call up the stairs twice to Helen, telling her that if she didn't hurry and come down, they'd be late for their reservation.

When she finally came downstairs, he realised that the wait was more than worth it. Helen was a lovely vision. She was beautifully dressed and made up, and with her thick dark brown hair brushed to a shining gloss. Ben felt his feelings for her welling up inside him, he just wanted to take her in his arms and hold her tightly to him.

She was wearing a light blue summer dress that fitted her perfectly. The 'V' neck of the dress exposed just enough of her breasts to draw attention but without looking slutty. Cinched in tightly at the waist, the skirt showed the soft curves of her backside and finished three inches above her knees. Her slim legs and shapely ankles were encased in light tan stockings, with strappy light beige high heels completing the ensemble.

Finding his voice Ben managed to say, "Wow, you look wonderful. Aren't I the lucky man, I'm going to be dining with the prettiest woman in the county and I'll be the envy of all the men in the restaurant".

"Oh, don't be silly," said Helen. But she was secretly proud that she'd got her look right after a number of false starts. "Now if we don't get a move on, we're going to be late."

"But, I've been ready for.....," Ben began, then he capitulated, "Oh yeah, right, Sorry to have held you up," he said. "Let's go."

The restaurant had had very good reviews in the local press and didn't disappoint them.

During dinner Helen was a little quiet, Ben did his best to raise her spirits, chatting and laughing and Helen had begun to respond. He touched and held her hand frequently as they talked, and she appeared to enjoy the intimacy.

An older couple were sitting at the next table to them, and the woman had noticed Ben touching and stroking Helen's hands and forearms as they were talking.

It was early summer, and it was a fine evening with not many visitors around, so the area was still quiet. Ben suggested a stroll along the harbour front after dinner, to get a bit of fresh air before they returned home.

Before they left the restaurant Helen visited the ladies' room. When she returned to their table Ben took the opportunity to go to the men's room as well. When he came out again the lady who had been sitting near them stopped him. "Excuse me young man," she said, "Your companion is obviously a bit down and seems to be vulnerable, I hope you're not going to take advantage of her and make her problems worse. I know it's not my business, but I've been there, and I know how painful it can be to think you've found someone you can rely on, only to be thrown away after you've been used to satisfy his needs. Please don't hurt her like that."

Ben was gobsmacked. At first, he felt angry that this woman should interfere in his business, but then he thought that his efforts to make Helen happy could be misconstrued by an onlooker.

Controlling his initial urge to tell the woman to mind her own business, he replied, "You misunderstand me, madam. I have absolutely no intention of hurting her, I assure you she means a great deal to me. I've persuaded her to come out tonight to try and get her back on track after a stressful bereavement. To tell you the truth, I love her beyond reason, and I would never knowingly do anything to cause her pain."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said the woman, embarrassed now, "I obviously misread what you were doing with all the loving touches. Please forgive me for interfering."

Ben assured her that no harm had been done and went back to Helen at the table. He didn't tell her about the woman's comments.

The pair left the restaurant soon afterwards and leaving the car in the car park they set out to stroll around the harbour. The weather was quite mild after a storm earlier in the day, and the breeze was now light at ground level despite the scudding clouds that occasionally covered the moon and made everything temporarily dark.

As they walked, Ben took Helen's hand, and she gripped his tightly. In a little while he put his arm around her slim waist, and she responded by putting her own arm around him as they continue to stroll close together. They stopped on the outer harbour wall and looked out at the moonlight sparkling on the choppy sea. Turned to him, she hugged him and said, "Thank you, love, I've really enjoyed this evening, I feel more alive than I have for a long time, I love having you close to me."

"I'll never be far away mum," he replied, "I love you, and I'm going to look after you if you'll let me."

She looked up at him and smiled. Without thinking, Ben leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. She responded by kissing him back and they held the kiss for a long time.

When they finally broke the kiss, she gave a nervous little laugh and said, "Oh dear, whatever must you think of me?"

"What I think is that you're a lovely woman, and I am so lucky to have you with me. I've wanted to kiss you like that for years, but I never had the courage. Tonight, it just seemed right. and I think you wanted it as well."

"Yes, I did," she confessed, "But we shouldn't have done it, I'm your mother and it isn't right for us to kiss like that."

"Mum," he said, "I don't think it was wrong, I love you, not just because you're my mother, but also because you are a wonderful, beautiful, desirable woman and I've wanted you in my arms for a long time. Perhaps I shouldn't have these feelings for you, but I do, and I'm not going to deny them. If you push me away, I'll understand, but it won't change the way I feel."

She looked up at him again and he saw tears welling up in her eyes. He kissed the tears away, then brought his lips back hers again. For a long moment Helen found herself responding to Ben's kiss then, suddenly, she pushed him away. "No, we can't, we mustn't do this," she cried, "Please Ben, don't do that, please take me home, I want to go home."

Chastened, Ben moved away from his mother. "I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it too." He said lamely.

"Just take me home, Ben," she repeated. "I never realised how you felt, and I've let it go too far. We need to go home and talk."

They were both silent on the short drive home, each with their own thoughts. When they reached the house and she'd let them in she told Ben to go and sit in the lounge while she made them both a hot drink.

A few minutes later she brought in two steaming mugs of tea which she placed on the coffee table in front of her son. Taking a seat opposite him, she said. "Please listen to me Ben and let me finish before you interrupt."

"I let things go too far, Ben. I should have realised that our relationship was changing and that we were becoming too close in the wrong way. It's my fault, I should have stopped it sooner, but I was enjoying your loving attention so much that it was easy to forget that you're my son and not my boyfriend."

"Your dad was ill for a long time before he died, and we had no opportunity for loving, but now that he's gone, I do need someone to give me that physical love again. What happened tonight has made me realise that I must do something about it now."

"Ben, you have to move back into your own home before we do something we'll both regret. I'm going to find a way to re-start my social life and continue the sort of things you and I have been doing since your dad passed away, and you must find a nice girl nearer to your own age to share your affections with."

"Don't be angry or upset, Ben. What I'm going to do is join a dating site, nothing serious but I need to find a male companion to share my time with. I'm too young to give up on all that and I think that would be the best way to ease myself back into it."

Sad as he was at being rejected by Helen, Ben understood her feelings. He knew his mother well and he should have realised the way she would react when he came on to her.

"You're right of course," said Ben, "I was out of order and shouldn't have acted the way I did. Now I've embarrassed both of us. I hope you can forget how stupidly I acted and that we can get back to our old relationship."

"One thing though, mum. Please be careful with the dating site thing. Make sure you choose a site with a good reputation. There are predators out there looking for vulnerable women to exploit, please do your research thoroughly before you take any risks."

Helen stood and hugged her son. "Thanks Ben, I know you'll always have my best interests at heart, but you needn't be concerned, I'm not stupid and I'm not some dewy-eyed young girl. I'll be careful, but I need to do this in order to get my life back on track."

Although she didn't say it, she thought to herself that she wasn't that desperate that she'd make the sort of mistake she'd nearly made with her son.

The following morning Ben got onto the estate agents that managed the rental of his house and told them that he would like to take back possession as soon as possible. He was informed that the tenants had already indicated that they wouldn't be renewing the short-term lease when it ended in three weeks' time. They'd only needed the accommodation while the purchase of their permanent home was being completed.

When Ben told Helen that he'd be able to move back to his own place within the month, after the tenants had moved on and after he'd had the chance to thoroughly clean it, she was relieved and sad at the same time. She was relieved because she didn't really trust either of their feelings and the sooner they were living separately the better it would be. At the same time she was sad that Ben would be moving away, she loved having him close to her and she would miss him a lot.

Four weeks later Ben had moved out and Helen was on her own again. She missed Ben, God how she missed him, but deep in her heart she felt that him moving out was the best thing for both of them.

Back in his own home Ben was also sad. He spent hours dreaming about Helen, worrying about Helen, desperately wanting Helen, but he knew that he needed to give her the space she needed to rebuild her life in her own way.

Three months later neither Ben nor Helen had really settled into their separate lives apart from each other. They talked on the telephone frequently, but each conversation left them feeling empty and lonely and missing each other more.

Ben had thrown himself into his work, he'd convinced himself that the longer and harder he worked, the less he would think about what might have been. His love for Helen was unabated and he couldn't shake free of his need for her.

As she'd planned, Helen had thrown herself into the dating scene. She had no problem in attracting partners for date nights, dining, dancing, shows, etc. but she hadn't found anyone she wanted to spend more than a couple of evenings with and no one that she wanted to get closer to.

Then on her last date she let her guard down. Her partner for the evening had been pleasant and attentive. She'd already been on one date with him, he'd been a perfect gentleman and they'd had fun. Tonight, they'd dined at an upmarket restaurant then moved onto to a club for drinks and dancing. Helen had drunk more than was usual and she was feeling a warm buzz. As she and her partner walked to the car park, he kissed her and she responded, kissing him back.

When he'd driven her back home, she'd felt safe enough to ask him in for coffee. That's when things changed.

As soon as her front door had closed behind them, he'd grabbed her roughly and pulled her into a tight embrace while attempting to kiss her and push his tongue in her mouth. She resisted, telling him that it wasn't what she wanted and that he should go.

He slapped her and told her to stop pretending she didn't want more. He shoved his hand up her skirt and tried to push his fingers into her vagina. She screamed at him to get away from her and leave, but he just got angry and hit her again, hard. She was crying and trying to get away from him, she kicked him in the shin and got free for a moment but then he came back and punched her hard in the face. She fell to the floor semi-concious and he kicked her in her side.

During the following hour he raped her viciously before he eventually left her half naked and unconscious as he ran out of the door and drove off in a hurry, leaving the front door half open behind him.

At 7.30 a.m. the following morning the postman called to deliver a letter which had to be signed for. He rang the doorbell and when there was no answer, he pushed the partly open door all the way open. Then he saw Helen lying on the floor, bloody and unconscious. He immediately called for an ambulance and the police, before hammering on a neighbour's door and persuading her to come and attend to the unconscious woman until the ambulance arrived.