Better Late than Never

Geraldine's face brightened markedly: "Oh, your hippy chauffeur; thank fuck for that!" Now suddenly grinning Geri swigged down the rest of the cocoa and handed me the mug before she continued: "I'll have another one, though go easier on the cocoa this time." I was utterly discombobulated and turned for the kitchen without speaking; the kettle was already turned on before I properly heard what Geraldine had said.

When it did sink in I flicked the kettle off again, poured brandy into a glass for Geraldine and then one for myself too. Back at the doorway I paused again, thought 'what the hell' and went back for the bottle, taking that through with me too. Geraldine nodded toward the brandy bottle as I handed her a glass: "Good idea Anne, I'd be celebrating too; the least I can do is help you."

I was still utterly perplexed and took a swig of my drink to hide it; a smiling Geraldine joined me obviously reading my confusion. Hell, that wasn't just a smile, Geri wore the same sort of Cheshire-cat grin that Robbie had given me earlier and it was that thought of Robbie entering my mind which triggered the rumble of trepidation in my belly.

Geri picked-up on that too, she was nodding as she leaned back and slapped her hand against the wall; "How many times have we discussed how jerry-built this building is? Walls like paper, you can hear everything going on next door."

It was now my turn to struggle for breath as the colour fell from my face: "You... you... you heard us? How much... what exactly?"

Geri drained her glass and slowly refilled it; no doubt prolonging my agony intentionally: "Every squeal, yelp and groan; I didn't miss a word, though I did have to move around..., follow your progress so to speak to do so"

The latter was delivered with another wicked grin. "That's why I'd thought it was one of your sons, you kept screaming... well never mind what you said. But the sun tanned hunk who taxis you back and forth, well... way to go girl, he's a hunk in anybody's book and he must be thirty years younger than you too? I'll bet that you sleep well tonight."

God but I was embarrassed, though that was tempered by a realisation that Geraldine wasn't appalled by my behaviour; in fact all in favour, perhaps even jealous? But then another thought entered my head and I glanced in all directions around the room.

Geri was as perceptive as ever: "Relax, Alan next door's as deaf as a post, you could've fucked that young man right next to him and he wouldn't have heard it. As for Helen upstairs, well... everyone knows that she's doolally, so if she says anything just deny it; I'll back you up and everyone will think she imagined it. Your secret's safe with me... well, it will be for the price of another drink."

Geraldine stayed for another hour -- the brandy bottle took quite a hammering -- and I realised that her eavesdropping was the best thing that could've happened. I'd been racked by fears, misgivings and guilt for months, not least during these last few hours and they were the sort of things that I couldn't discuss with anyone. Or so I'd thought, Geraldine, with her salacious enquiries soon had me surrendering the gory details and giving her an almost a blow by blow account.

Geraldine had guessed most of them already, so had perhaps deserved to hear the rest? With her good humoured advice and wanton encouragement Geri was the perfect sounding-board; my recollections are a little hazy, but one that sticks particularly was: "When you reach my age these frail bones wouldn't cope with that sort of action even if I could catch a man still able to get a stiffy; so be discrete, but fuck his brains out for as long as he remains interested."

I helped Geraldine back to her room, she's not completely stable to begin with and after all that brandy... I wished her good night and promised that we'd keep the noise down in future and was shocked -- though on reflection I probably shouldn't have been -- by Geri's sharp response:

"Don't you bloody dare! I'll shout about the two of you from the rooftop if you do! I might be past fucking, but I can still get the odd orgasm given the right catalyst. It'll only be my own fingers, but I'm hoping that it might just be me who's disturbing you this evening!"