Golden Years Pt. 01

I shut the water off and held onto her as she straightened, grabbing a towel for her at the same time. As she leaned against the wall I gently toweled her back, ass and legs, gave her the towel and softly slapped her ass as I ushered her from the shower. After drying she pulled a pair of cotton panties from her purse, with those, her bra and dress back on she smiled.

"Okay Brian, you've had a good fuck and I got a load to fill my pussy, I'll just keep that inside me as long as possible, I'll especially like it as I have lunch today with the bridge club girls, fresh cum dripping into my panties and them not having a clue. I doubt any of them even fuck anymore."

I gazed at her as I sat on the bed in my underwear. I was thinking this might work out short term, until she interrupted my thoughts. Taking my face in her hands she told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to sell this place and get my ass back to where I once enjoyed life, I could always come south for the winter if it got too bad. She kissed me using her tongue, then sucking mine into her mouth before she pulled back.

"By the way Brian, you have a very nice cock, it hasn't begun to shrink yet. I'd love more, but you're moving, and I have other cocks I need to conquer before I die. Toodle-oo."

She'd helped me make up my mind, I was selling this place and going home. Screw this neighborhood, screw this house and screw retirement in the south. I know it's not the area or the states fault I'm miserable and alone, I just know I can't stay here any longer. It's March, the snow will be almost gone, soon the crocuses and hyacinth will be in bloom, followed by the tulips and daffodils, the wood violets will invade the lawn with their brilliant display of purples, white and yellow. The smell of Lilac bushes in bloom will waft through the windows and the peonies will begin to bud by early summer.

Lillie's of the Valley will start soon on the north side of the house and the Iris will blossom. I want to be where I grew up, where my past still exists, I want to be on the lake instead of having to maintain a pool and no more neighbors within spitting distance. I want to be where grandbabies can be an everyday part of my life if I so wish, I want to be home.

My realtor is a young bubble headed bleach blonde who has no idea what the hell I'm talking about when she asks about up north, she calls it the frozen tundra and then giggles. Dumb bitch, I keep her as my realtor because she sells houses, I honestly don't know how, but she does. Maybe she seals the deal on her back, who knows. She wants to list it for way more than it's worth, to which I immediately tell her I'm not doing that. I tell her the sale range I want and if she doesn't like it, adios, secretly hoping she doesn't call my bluff. I want this motherfucker sold and sold quickly.

In less than six weeks I have the U-Haul loaded with what little I'm taking back and hooked up to the Timberline. It's a three day trip and I'm pleased to see a change in scenery and temps the further north I get. I've stayed in close contact with the oldest, she's expecting me to be there around seven, they'll hold supper for me. I haven't seen them since Lil's memorial service, which we held in their back yard, spreading her ashes at the cabin, where she loved life. The other two kids and families stopped in after supper, hugs, kisses, tears, laughter, grandbabies on my lap once again ... life was worth living even if my Lil wasn't here.

When we left Wisconsin, I had waxed all my carpentry equipment and put it in storage, thinking I would build a shed on our half acre lot on Marco Island and move it all south. No can do, something called a Home Owners Association put the kabosh to that, I'd never heard of such a thing. Now that I was home, I made the decision to put up a large pole building next to the cabin, I planned to run hydronic tubing over 2" of styrene, install 2" styrene vertical barriers around the perimeter, have a cement floor poured, insulate heavily and heat the place with a high efficiency boiler. Once that was complete, I'd move all my equipment into what would be my woodshop.

The pole shed consumed most of the spring and summer, by early fall the wood shop was ready, all my equipment was moved into place, I spent a week cleaning up and waxing all the cast iron or steel surfaces, recalibrating and making everything run smooth once again. I had been to the kids houses numerous times and for all the spring/summer holidays, life was good, but without Lillian life was lonesome. I tried the internet dating thing with minimal success, I wasn't what they wanted, or they weren't what I wanted.

Two of them were very promising until they saw where I lived, and it wasn't the accommodations, the cabin is log construction and first rate with all the amenities, it was the remote location that turned them off. So, I enjoyed a shag or two in their beds and went my way. The second one was quite the hellcat, only 53 and horny as hell, at 63 I had a hard time keeping up with her. She also liked anal almost exclusively, don't get me wrong, I like anal, but not every night, pussy is my preference, with anal thrown in a few times a year, if that.

Instead of driving the 35 minutes to where we had lived for groceries, I began going to a small town store ten miles north of the cabin. It wasn't a Festival, or Pik n Save, a Rainbow or Cub Foods, but it had everything I needed. The sign out front said IGA, and nothing else. Independent Grocers Association, I was surprised they were still around thinking they'd all been bought out.

Being retired, lonely and horny I was always on the lookout for pretty women. I may not bed them, or even talk with them, but I still looked without leering. One in particular caught my eye at the store on a Friday morning, she had a little one in the cart, but her beauty captivated me as she walked by, turning my head I took a second look, yup, she was pretty and shapely. As I turned to continue a tall woman was standing directly in front of me putting items from a box on the shelf. It took me by surprise, I flinched.

"Pretty little thing isn't she? I'm surprised a guy your age would be looking at her."

"I wasn't leering or having lustful thoughts, but pretty girls look as good to me at 63 as they did when I was 18. My wife and I had a theory, the first look is it's a man or woman, the second look is they are or aren't attractive, the third look you're in trouble."

So which look was that?" I held up two fingers. "You said you and your wife had. Divorced or widower?"

"Widower."

"Then why do you still wear the wedding band?"

I leaned in to whisper, "It keeps good looking gals like you from hitting on me all the time. Truth is I can't get it off, she had it redone for our 25th and now my finger has grown around it."

"Ahhh, you were fortunate enough to have a good marriage. Congratulations. Well, gotta get to it, see you next time."

For the first time in a long time I'd met a woman who intrigued me. As I mentioned, she is tall, probably 6'1", perhaps a smidge taller, I'm only 5'11" but I didn't have to look up per se, we were almost eye to eye. Her face had soft features and smiles seemed to come easy, her voice was husky by female standards, hair just past shoulder length with cute bangs in the front, it had been brown at some point, it was now a smattering of brown with grey streaks.

So often a taller person will have a body out of proportion, by that I mean they'll have long legs and a short torso, or the other way around. This lady was evenly proportioned, she wasn't thin, she wasn't heavy, she looked to be in her late 50's, maybe early 60's, she didn't even have the usual little baby pouch that most gals seem to get after childbirth. She was wearing a pair of mom jeans and a cotton blouse under her store smock.

It was obvious she was no gym rat or Yoga person, I think she simply kept herself in shape through diet and some exercise, like stocking shelves all day. Her hips weren't wide or her waist very narrow, her body just seemed to flow together as one entity. Her breasts weren't overly large or enhanced by a push up bra, in fact I could see the outline of one of the newer type bras that are molded and show nothing. She was nothing that would make a guy wolf whistle or go, ohh lah lah, but definitely something you'd look at twice. As she walked away, I did notice the indentation across her butt indicating she had on bikini panties. Yes sir, I might like to know her better.

I had been invited by our youngest to attend church with them around Thanksgiving time, the kids were in some sort of program and wanted papa to be there. After it was over, we were all downstairs in the fellowship hall for a potluck, I was suddenly aware of someone sliding onto the bench next to me. When I looked it was the store gal, a smile instantly spread across my lips and her face lit up.

As she smiled, she spoke to me, "Hi there, it's nice to see you. My grandson was in the program, God forbid we miss one of these programs along the way. It's not like there are only two or three in a lifetime, it's more like two or three a year. And you, do you live here?"

"Nope, same thing for me, grands are in the program. I live about ten miles from the store where you work, I grew up and raised a family here, but I have a home on Wilson Lake, coming this far for groceries isn't something I want to do. Interestingly enough we seldom got calls in your area so I don't really know it well."

"Yeah, with Walfords Plumbing/Heating they pretty well dominate the northern part of the county."

We sort of had the table to ourselves until the kids figured out where we were, after that it was 5,000 questions from little mouths until our children came to the rescue.

"Dad, I didn't know that you knew Jacki."

"I don't, we just met formally."

Jacki couldn't resist setting somebody's hair on fire. "We thought this was the senior swingers meeting place."

She and I laughed until our stomachs hurt, our children stared at us in disbelief. Her daughter turning to mine.

"Parents, you can dress them up but you can't take them anywhere." Which only made us laugh harder.

Walking through the parking lot to our vehicles we kept up the banter, at her car she stopped and looked at me.

"You have an advantage. You know my name, I don't know yours." She said.

"It's Brian."

We bid one another farewell and headed to our homes. I didn't go to the store the next week until Thursday, a day later than I normally do. Trudging down the aisles tossing this and that in the cart I stopped to see if there were any bananas worth buying. Lil used to like them so green you could have used them for a baseball bat, mine had to be more toward the ripe end of the spectrum. I like to have one with my breakfast, I snapped off a bunch of four and put them in the cart, snatching a plastic bag for a half dozen apples.

I was out of onions and only had a few potatoes left, the cart was more full than normal, just as I was about to go to the checkout, I remembered I needed toilet paper. How I yearned for a trip to the grocery store that was under a hundred bucks. Another trip to the back of the store and that's where I saw Jacki, stocking paper products.

"Hey there Brian, I was hoping I'd see you today."

"Really? Why?"

"So I could tell you we're going to have pizza at the bowling alley, I'll meet you there at six." And she sashayed down the aisle.

I was still recovering from the completely one sided conversation as she walked through the doors into the rear of the store. Gee, guess I don't need to wonder what I'll make for supper, I'm having pizza. I gazed around as I entered the bowling alley, I saw her sitting at a table toward the back as she waved. She looked nice, not over the top, just nice.

"Wow Jacki, you look nice, pretty as a picture."

"Thanks for not calling me "hot." I'll tell you Brian, nothing turns me off faster than some young guy telling me I'm hot, as though I'm going to drop my pants and bed the idiot. Young guys, they're so full of shit."

We had ordered pizza and two beers when she looked at me with a toothy grin.

"You don't look like the kind of guy who collects fifty guns but only shoots two of them, nope, I'm bettin you have a table saw, you have that table saw look. Am I right, do you have a table saw?"

I went on to tell her I not only had a ten inch cabinet makers saw but I also had a 15" planer with a spiral head, an 8" jointer, a 15" band saw, an 18" drum sander, two router tables, a Kreg system permanently mounted, a dovetail machine, a 12" power miter saw, a scroll saw, more clamps than you can shake a stick at and a dust collection system that would suck a golf ball through a garden hose. Not to mention numerous sanders, routers and hand tools galore.

After taking a big tug on her beer she looked at me.

"Whoa Paul Bunyan, it was only a comment, I didn't want to start a pissing match about who's table saw is bigger, I just wanted to have supper while I wait for someone."

"I think I got the wrong idea Jacki, I thought this was a pseudo date, I apologize. I'll pay for everything and be on my way."

I was standing to go when she looked toward the door, seeing a tall thin brunette she smiled and waved. While pulling money out of my wallet she kissed the lady and announced she'd like me to meet her wife.

"Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression Brian, she and I have been together for almost fifteen years, I'm not looking for a friend with benefits."

"Neither was I Jacki, just someone to wile away the hours so I wouldn't be so lonesome. You have a good night, enjoy the pizza."

There were words of protestation as I walked away, I didn't look back, just kept on walking. I had been a fool, what was wrong with me? I didn't begrudge her having a partner, I could care less who she showed her underwear to, more power to them being together that long. I was almost to the door when a man stopped me and said someone wanted to talk with me. When I looked back Jacki and her lover were gone, there must have been another exit I didn't know about. A gentleman walked over to me.

"Sir, I'm the owner, please stay and eat the pizza. I feel bad that no one informed you Jacki was involved with, mmm, I can't remember what her name is but she's a doctor at the clinic. She has late office hours every Thursday and Jacki meets her here, you sort of got tossed under the bus. Please stay, we make a good pizza and I'd hate to see it go to waste."

I agreed to have a slice or two and then I'd take the rest home. I ordered another beer, which they wouldn't let me pay for. As I was stuffing my face feeling sorry for myself, I heard a feminine voice behind.

"I liked hearing about your woodshop, it sounds interesting, and I'm not a lezzie. Mind if I sit with you?"

I nodded yes and then felt like a fool. I hadn't even looked at her until I heard the commotion as she stood with her forearm crutches and swung her legs the few feet to my table. I didn't have my head completely buried in my ass and jumped up to get the chair for her.

"Thank you Brian, may I call you Brian, I overheard Jacki. Tell me a little about yourself."

"Un uh, you tell me about you first, I don't want to be the fool twice in one night. Please have some pizza, I'll never eat it all."

She laughed as she picked up a piece and munched, I ordered her a beer and she began.

"I was a nurse and a career Army officer when I went to the shit storm they call the middle-east conflict. Conflict my ass, it's an F-ing disaster. Our people being killed for people who don't want us there, anyway, the vehicle I was in ran over an IED and here I am. I received some medals along with a medical discharge, a huge payment from Uncle Sam and a monthly disability check. I came home to be with my mom, who in turn died two years after I arrived, and I never left."

I sat in awe of this woman as she continued.

"I spent three months in the hospital in Germany and another nine months give or take a few weeks in Walter Reed, not a bad facility, but way overloaded as far as patients. After all the surgeries and therapy the end result is that I have feeling in my legs. With the crutches I can get myself up and into bed, the toilet, stuff like that, but there's so much of what they called compression nerve damage below my knees the motor skills to walk are absent. With the crutches I get around good unless it's a long walk, then I use my wheelchair."

"How long have you been unable to walk without help?" I inquired.

"Let's see, the incident occurred in 2004, it's 2017, so I guess 13 years, and the answer to the next question is 44. I was 31 at the time. Nope, never been married, no children out of wedlock, no steady guy and no fuck buddies waiting for my call. Excuse my abrasive language, you can leave the military, but it doesn't always leave you. I manned the front desk at the local clinic a few years until it was bought out and someone else moved into my position. I figured screw it, I'll collect my disability payment and be happy."

I smiled, "Hi, I'm Brian, I've lived a boring uneventful life compared to yours. I was married for just over 40 years before my wife passed on, God rest her soul, I was a plumber all those years and a few more. We raised three kids, all live within 40 miles of here, I have six grandkids with another on the way. I've been retired three years and a widower for eleven months and sixteen days, but who's counting?"

"I noticed you still have your wedding band on, is there a hidden meaning to that?"

I grinned and took a drink of my beer. "The hidden meaning is I can't get it off, if I could I'd have taken it off months ago, so I leave the darned thing on. I read somewhere about using string or thread or something like that, but it's probably a ruse."

"No, it actually works, I've helped several people and it isn't string, it's dental floss. I'd help you if you wanted me to. Just let me know when and where. I have a van with special hand controls so I'm able to get around and go places. If your home was handicap accessible, I might be able to visit you, and I'd love to see your shop. My granddad was a wood worker, I grew up with sawdust and wood chips in my hair."

Ever notice how God shines on your life at times when you think it can't get any lower? Just when you're about to give up the answer comes from where the thunder hides, this was one of those moments, I was enjoying myself for the first time in a very long while. I hadn't had a conversation with a woman I wasn't related to in months, much less an interesting woman. Her initial story saddened me but listening to her talk of her personal triumphs boosted my spirits and made me want to hear more.

I smiled at her, "You have me at a disadvantage, you know my name, but I don't know yours."

"It's Patrice, not Pat or Patty, not Patricia. It's Patrice."

"Well ... Patrice ... its interesting that you bring up accessibility. When we designed and erected the lake home, we did it with the forethought that one day one of us might be in a wheelchair. Therefore, it's all ground level, no basement, in-floor radiant heat and I have a mini-split ductless a/c for the few days in late summer when it's overly humid. The doors and entrances are all wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair and the toilets are 15-1/2 high."

She laughed a little, "You sure know how to charm a girl. Make you a deal, I love to cook and am darned good at it, if your kitchen is wide open, as I imagine it is, I'd like to cook supper for you one evening next week, then after supper I'll help get the ring off."

"Patrice that sounds great, what supplies do I need to pick up? I have chicken breasts, pork tenderloin, beef in the freezer and all the usual stuff that goes with those. What else will you need?"