Finding Grace

"Jim, I know this will hurt, but it would be a lot easier if you were to take off your pants."

Jim took off his shoes and gamely took his pants off, grimacing as the material brushed against the splinter. With the pants off, they could see a fine trickle of blood running down his leg. Jim thought it ironic that he had spent hours thinking of Grace, and what it would be like to be with her, and now he was with her, taking off his pants, but for a purely medical reason. Instead of passion, he saw a determined look on her face.

"This is going to hurt," Grace announced as she gripped the splinter between two fingers.

She tugged on the splinter, but it remained stubbornly planted.

"Oh fuck!" Jim shouted as a shooting pain went up his leg.

"Sorry ... sorry," Grace said apologetically. "I've got to try again."

She pulled harder, with Jim groaning but not moving. She finally pulled the small piece of wood out, showing the bloody shard to Jim before tossing it aside. She opened an antiseptic pad from the kit. The smell of alcohol permeated the musty basement. She rubbed the pad against the open wound.

"Shittttt!" Jim yelled as the sting of the alcohol cleared his head.

Grace finished cleaning the wound, put an ointment on it, and covered it with a large square bandage.

"Good as new," she pronounced, proud of her handiwork.

Jim looked at his bandage with approval. "Thank you."

"Thanks for getting Bo."

Even in this life-threatening situation, Jim felt self-conscious sitting next to Grace without his pants on. He gamely stood up and went to his pile of dry clothes, picking up the pair of well-worn jeans he had retrieved, holding them up in front of him.

"They look a bit long." He was being kind. About four inches of the pant legs was touching the floor.

"They belonged to Aaron, my ex-husband. They've been sitting in that drawer for twenty years."

Jim pulled them on, and stepping into them showed that the pant legs were dragging on the floor. Jim bent over and folded them up into a cuff. He stood up straight, and the pants started to slide down his waist. He grabbed the belt from his dress pants and threaded it through the loops in his jeans and cinched it. He donned a plaid flannel shirt and put his wingtips back on.

"Well, at least from the pants up you look like a Missouri farmer," Grace said with an amused look on her face.

Jim pulled two bottles of beer off the table. He twisted off the caps, handing one to Grace. They toasted to one another with the necks of the bottles. He took a long pull off his bottle, wiping his mouth on his shirt sleeve. "If we're going to die, we might as well do it drunk."

Grace ripped open the bag of Doritos, stuffing several in her mouth and passing the bag to her companion. "I guess this means I'm off my diet too." The two of them realized that being in a life-threatening position was also liberating, freeing them from the shackles of protocol and unspoken rules.

"Tha ..."

As Grace was speaking, one of the small cellar windows shattered as a rock hit it. Glass shards covered the floor and the wind and rain came into the cellar. Grace scrambled to find a piece of cardboard and duct tape and the two of them fashioned a patch over the window.

"I wanted to tell you something. I wasn't ..." Jim stopped. There was silence. Grace pulled her chair against the wall.

"Sit next to me ... please," Grace said to him, motioning him over as well.

Jim slid his chair over, both of them knowing there was nothing more that they could do but wait.

Now in dead quiet, Jim made eye contact with Grace to finish what he started saying. "I wanted to tell you that I haven't been completely truthful. I ... ummm ...picked up your file because I wanted to see you again. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before but ..."

"There's no need to apologize. I know who you are." The tumblers had clicked into place. She remembered him now. Twenty pounds lighter, a tall skinny kid. Quiet. Sat in the back of the class. Thought he was one of the "smart" kids.

"You do?" He was genuinely astonished.

"We were in an English class together. You sat in the back of the class, to the right of me."

Jim was happy that Grace did notice him when he was in high school, and that she remembered that minute detail some twenty years later.

"Can I tell you something?" asked Grace.

Jim nodded. "Of course."

"I wish you had asked me out. There were a lot of guys chasing me, but I always respected your intellect ... and you were cute. Why didn't you?"

He thought about her as she was at Green Forest High School, a young woman whose beauty had just blossomed. There was always a cadre of young men following her. She was beautiful. She was unattainable. She ended up marrying the quarterback of the school football team. Now she was with him, within an arm's length, waiting for a reply to a question that he wondered about himself.

"I was completely intimidated by you. You were the best-looking girl in our school and there were always a half-dozen guys following you around. I was insecure and felt totally out of my league, even being around you."

He studied her more carefully. There were now a few stray grey hairs in her abundant chestnut brown hair. There were fine lines in her brow and next to her eyes. Her breasts were fuller and her hips curvier. Although Grace had aged, time had been kind to her.

Jim pulse quickened. He wondered again if he could act on his infatuation with Grace. Then he thought about the tornado. These might be their final moments. He summoned the courage to lean over, putting his hand on her shoulder, and pressing his lips against hers.

She tilted her head back, parting her lips and allowing his tongue to mingle with hers, starting a slow dance of seduction while a storm raged outside. Her head swirled with a mixture of past and present, now remembering the shy young man with a massive crush on her, and then the senior bank executive who held the prospect of homelessness over her. She went against her head and again went with her heart, welcoming him into her arms as they locked in a passionate embrace.

A surge of pleasure went through Jim, the likes of which he had never experienced in his fifteen years of marriage. Grace was fulfilling his adolescent fantasy of kissing the prettiest girl in school. He didn't want to let go, and neither did Grace. She hadn't been with a man in longer than she could remember, and Jim's attention to her flattered her and made her feel again that she was a desirable woman. As their kisses became more frantic, Poplar Bluff's storm siren went off, warning of an approaching tornado.

Moments later, the rain started again, coming in almost horizontally, along with high winds. The couple held each other tightly as debris began peppering the basement windows and blowing in through the broken one. The noise became almost painful as the wind picked up. The house shook as a tornado touched down in a field nearby. The roar became deafening as the house became surrounded by a whirling mass of debris. Several basement windows shattered. Their ears popped with the changing air pressure.

Jim and Grace hugged each other, perhaps to say a final farewell, as the house groaned from the strain on its foundation bolts. Despite the seriousness of the situation, in a moment of clarity Grace thought it ironic that she might be spending her last moments with a man she hadn't seen in twenty years. They squeezed each other as the wind bellowed outside, sounds of glass windows exploding, and the tempest of rain and debris pelting the sides of the house. Each passing second felt like an hour, as the world around them was sucked into an angry, black vortex.

Then the lights went out. The noise lessened to a dull roar and the rain returned, combined with hail. The worst was over. Jim couldn't resist and kissed Grace again, this time with both feeling euphoric that they had survived the tornado. Grace felt a stirring within her as their lips pressed together. The kiss lingered as now they both discovered their attraction to one another.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," he said, now unafraid to reveal his true emotions. The awkwardness of the moment faded in the background. As a teenager, he thought about Grace and her beauty, and how she excited him, and how he never mustered the courage to approach her. But now that he was with her, being with her under dire circumstances, he saw that she had a steel backbone as well.

"And I wondered what it would be like," replied Grace.

"Was it everything you expected?"

Grace leaned forward to kiss him again. "Better," she whispered as she was now the aggressor, kissing him and squeezing him tight.

They decided it was safe enough to go upstairs. Bo followed, tail now wagging. Grace opened the basement door and surveyed the immediate area. There were a number of broken windows, the curtains were flapping outside the house, and there were tree branches and leaves scattered throughout the house. There was standing water in puddles on the hardwood floor.

"Bloody hell," Grace moaned as she realized the extent of the damage to her home. She was dreading going outside to see how much of her roof was left. "Maybe the bank won't want this house anymore," she said, half in jest.

"I'm afraid the storm won't change things permanently. Perhaps given the circumstances I can see if the bank can give you a few more months to get current."

Grace shrugged her shoulders. "A few months isn't going to help."

"Well, let me see what we can do. In the meantime, let's see what the storm did."

They walked out the front door. There was a large tree branch that fell on the roof of Jim's car, crushing it. Jim went to his car, stepping over several fallen branches, reaching in through the broken passenger side window to retrieve a few wet items from the car. He held up a soggy mass of papers.

"I forgot to bring in a few things I was hoping you could sign to delay the foreclosure. It's all ruined, so I'll have to generate another set for you."

He forced the back passenger door open. He found what he wanted on the floor of the vehicle. It was a worn velvet covered jewelry box. He opened it and showed Grace.

"I didn't know if it was ever going to be the right time, but I brought my high school ring in case the occasion presented itself. I never got the guts to give it to you in high school, so I wanted you to have it now."

Grace cradled the heavy white gold ring in the palm of her hand, turning it over to see that Jim's name was engraved around the inside of the band.

"It's a little late in the game to be going steady, so just consider it to be a gift from an old friend."

"Maybe more than a friend." Clutching the ring, Grace threw her arms over his shoulders and kissed him deeply.

Chapter Two

The Aftermath

The yard was littered with tree branches and all manner of household debris. Grace picked up a doll that was unceremoniously draped over her mailbox.

"Some little girl is missing this. I hope to God she's safe." Grace tucked the doll into her jacket pocket.

Jim was dumbfounded at the debris field. Clothes were hanging from the upper branches of the oak tree in the front yard. There was a car bumper resting in the drainage ditch next to the road. It occurred to Jim that he had left his roller bag in the trunk in case he stayed overnight in Green Forest. He decided to see if he could salvage it.

"Let's see if I can open the trunk."

Grace waded through a large puddle to watch. Jim unlocked the trunk and raised the lid. It was dry, and in it was his suitcase with a fresh set of clothes and his toiletries.

"Thank God. At least I can wear pants that fit me."

She led Jim to the garage, which was thankfully still intact. She opened the garage door. Inside was her trusty pickup.

"Unfortunately because I don't have any money, I wasn't able to fix the transmission. It's $3,000 that I don't have."

"So what have you been doing to get around?"

"Mostly the charity of my neighbors. I've been able to borrow a car here and there. People have also given me rides into town."

"That won't do. I know some guys from high school that might be able to help you out."

"Thanks, but it's not necessary. I've been able to manage."

"It's no bother."

Jim pulled out his cell phone. It still had 20% of its battery life remaining. He autodialed his office.

"Shit, a fast busy signal. I don't think we'll be able to get through for a while."

Grace tried her phone with the same result.

"I guess you're stuck here for at least the day. I've got a guest room upstairs. If it's still there, you're welcome to it."

They went through the garage. Jim located a few pieces of plywood and a cordless saw and two batteries. Grace found a generator that was stored under a blanket.

"Looks like we are in luck. I've probably got enough wood to cover your broken windows. Hopefully these two batteries are fully charged."

"I'll hook this generator to our well pump. I should be able to get the well working." She found a gas container and went to the well pump. Jim put the generator on a dolly and followed her.

With Grace working on getting the well started, Jim got out two sawhorses, placing them out in the yard. He carried the sheets of plywood out to his work area, along with the circular saw.

Jim was working away, having covered the two broken windows in the dining room. Grace was now sweeping inside. She came out as he was lifting another sheet to cover the window in the front door.

"I've got good news and bad news."

"Well, we've had nothing but bad news today. What's one thing more? What's the bad news?"

"The power is still out. Everything in the refrigerator and freezer is going to spoil."

"That's truly bad news. What's the good news?"

"The gas stove still works. We're having steak and shrimp for dinner and ice cream for dessert. All you can eat. I also got the generator to work. We have running water."

It was already 8 p.m., and the evening light was failing. Jim went back to securing the plywood over the broken front door window. "I need to work until it gets dark. I should have all the windows covered by dinner time."

"That's great. Let me fix dinner. I'll call you when it's done."

Fortunately, Grace's stove was powered by propane and the propane tank was buried. She peeled a half dozen potatoes and pulled the half-thawed steaks and shrimp out of the freezer. She salted and peppered the steaks and put the potatoes in boiling water. She went out the back door and into her garden. All of her corn was flattened, so she found a handful of ears that were ready to eat. She sighed as she salvaged what she could from her decimated tomato crop.

Jim finished up the windows and put away the tools. He walked up the back steps and into the kitchen.

"Something smells good."

Grace started to cry.

"Grace, what's wrong?"

"It's just so good to have a man in the house again. Thank you for helping me."

"I wish I could do more."

"You've done so much already."

"Grace, it's wonderful just spending time with you, even if it was through a tornado."

"I'm sure you say that to all the girls."

Jim laughed. "At least you haven't lost your sense of humor. You're a lot stronger a person then I'll ever be."

"Hush up and eat your dinner." Grace put in front of Jim a platter with a large New York strip steak, mashed potatoes and an ear of buttered corn. She found a bottle of wine she had been saving for a special occasion and opened it, pouring each of them a healthy glass.

"I can't tell you how much I need this," said Grace, as she lifted the wine glass to her lips.

They spent the dinner talking about mutual friends in high school. Grace touched on the high school's 20^th reunion, which she attended a few years back. "I didn't see you at the reunion."

"I was there."

"I must have missed you."

"It was like old times. You were still the most beautiful woman in the class and you were surrounded by people the whole time."

"I guess I was. All of my old friends were there."

"I saw you yukking it up with April."

"She's one of my oldest friends."

"I dated her after high school and before she got married."

"No."

"Yes. You might remember April was considerably thinner in those days."

"I do. She's put on a fair amount of weight but she still looks good."

"She does, but she wasn't interested in talking to me at the reunion. I think her husband is still jealous."

"So Jim, tell me what happened to you out of high school."

"Well, I went to Washington University in St. Louis and met Anne there. Anne was a business major like me, and we met during our first year. We got married right after graduation and I went to work for the bank. I worked my way up to Executive Vice President, so I have about twenty-five branches reporting to me, including the one in Poplar Bluff."

The only detail that Grace cared about was Jim's situation with his wife or ex-wife. Did he neglect to mention he was married? "What happened with Anne?" she asked as casually as she could manage.

Jim had told this story many times already so his emotions had dulled with the passage of time.

"Everything was fine at the beginning. We bought a small house in the suburbs of St. Louis and had two boys. We were married for about fifteen years when out of the blue she announced she was a lesbian. Imagine my surprise."

Grace was relieved that Jim wasn't married. But he was surprised at the ending of his story. "That's rather shocking."

"It was. She confessed that she had been seeing one of her college roommates for the past year and that they wanted to move in together. They did, and five years later they're still living together."

"What about the kids?"

"They're in college now."

"That must have been difficult for them."

"It was. But to their credit, they've accepted their mother and Janet as a couple. I've actually gotten together with them. And I have to admit that Janet is a very nice person."

"So you've been divorced for about five years?"

"That's about right."

"I'm sorry."

"Sometimes life gives you lemons."

Grace got up from her chair and went over to Jim. She motioned for him to scoot his chair back, then sat on his lap. "I'm good at making lemonade." Now snuggled in his lap, she put her arms around his broad shoulders and kissed him, this time with the passion that precedes lovemaking. Jim slipped his hand inside her flannel shirt, cupping her breast. It was as full and as soft as he had hoped for.

"Ummm ..." purred Grace. "Maybe we should have dessert upstairs."

It had been almost five years since Grace had been with a man, and that was a drunken affair after a neighborhood Christmas party. Grace couldn't recall any of the details of her tryst and her time with Aaron was over twenty years ago.

Even in the summertime heat and humidity, Grace was shivering with excitement as she climbed the stairs, holding Jim's hand. It was a warm evening downstairs and more hot and swampy upstairs. Grace's clothes clung to her body as the humidity made her hair dangle from her head. She stepped out of her coveralls and unbuttoned one, and then two buttons, of her shirt, exposing half of her bra and the tops of her breasts. Jim was fumbling with the button on his pants.

"Wait," she said, putting their passion on hold. She rifled through her nightstand drawer, finding two large candles. She lit them, turning the darkness into a flickering, yellowish light.

Grace felt behind her for her bed. She desperately wanted to shed her sweat dampened clothes, peeling off her shirt and tossing it on the floor. Jim was standing in front of her, gazing at her half naked body. The bulge in his pants betrayed his excitement as he reached ahead, unclasping the front of her bra and letting her breasts fall free of their lacy prison. He kissed her while fondling her soft, pliable breasts, savoring the velvety texture of the skin and the pebbly texture around her nipples.