Good Neighbors Ch. 025

If there is one thing readers have noticed about this series so far, it was probably the fact that I drove everywhere. There may have been some who thought this was because she didn't drive or that she didn't have a car or something. I assure you, the reader, that my neighbor did own a vehicle and she was and is a very capable driver. In fact, there was an episode where she drove me crazy and not just in a vehicle either.

Ironically, it was on my birthday. It was going to be the first birthday without my wife since we started dating and I was unsure of what condition I would be in. I did my best to not show anything to my neighbor because the last thing I wanted was a big deal made about it. There are many positive attributes my neighbor possesses and one of them was her desire to help me through the difficult times when the grief would take control.

The day started with my neighbor coming into my bedroom and waking me up with a kiss on my lips. I would love to say that's where it began, but there was no sex that morning. She kissed me as she opened the drapes to allow the sun in.

"Get up, Romeo. We have stuff to do," she said almost drill sergeant like.

I slowly rose from bed and looked at her.

"What kind of stuff?"

My voice betrayed my grouchiness, but also the fact that I was crying shortly before she walked in. She looked at me smiling before she held me in her arms.

"I promised Missy I would not let you do this today. It was one of the last conversations we had, and I never fake a promise."

It was at that moment that my interest was piqued. I slowly trudged into the bathroom and began to clean up. I took a quick shower, shaved my stubble just a bit and walked in wearing a towel before I noticed what she lay on the bed for me. I noticed there was underwear. That was weird considering it was my neighbor. We always seemed to avoid underwear. Then there was a white dress shirt and a pair of dark slacks. There was also a turquoise tie I didn't recognize on the bed.

"Hurry up, we're going to be late."

She seemed like she was in a hurry herself. I started to put my clothes on, even the shined dress shoes I had not worn since the funeral. Still, I played along. As I went into the kitchen for some coffee, I saw my neighbor. Her outfit blew me away. Her hair was up in a hair clip, but her dress was not a sundress. Instead, she wore more of a business casual dress. It was black, but she wore flashes of color with a scarf around her neck and a turquoise belt around her waist. She turned to me and smiled again.

"Are you alright, Romeo?"

It was when she turned around that I almost lost it. There around her neck was the necklace I gave my wife for her "graduation present" as she called it. I wanted to ask why, but her hands were around my neck too fast. She gave me a deep kiss before she pulled back.

"I promised Missy and Mitchell that we would visit them today. I know it is your birthday and it was going to be rough, so I asked for some help."

She led me out to her car and opened the door, so I was in the passenger seat. So many ironies seemed to correlate at that moment. I sat quietly as she drove. It was about fifteen minutes to the cemetery where both were laid to rest. My neighbor kept quiet. It was weird for her since she usually was the one who wanted to talk all the time. We made it to the gate. As she parked, I looked at her before I was ready to open the door.

"Wait a second, Leo."

She shocked me by using my real name. I was not sure what to say before she looked me in the face.

"I know you have not been here since the funeral except when we buried Mitchell. I just thought you needed to talk to her a bit. You can sit here in the car if you want, or you can walk me to her gravestone. It's your choice. Either way, I need to talk to Mitchell too. "

I slowly exited the car and went over to her side and hugged her. It was a chaste hug by our standards. But it felt deeper than most of what we have done. We walked arm in arm to Missy's stone. I stood there quietly looking at it before I saw my neighbor the necklace off her neck and put it around one of the fake flowers. I started to tear up before she pushed me closer to the stone.

"Talk to her."

I moved closer to the gravestone and bent down on my knees. I tried to force a smile, but I could not do it. Instead, I cried a little and told her how much I missed her. I confessed how much I cried for her in the strangest places. And I told her how much I still loved her and missed her. After a few minutes, I stood up before kissing my fingers and rubbing them along the top of the gravestone.

I turned and saw my neighbor tearing up. She took my hand and escorted me to her husband's stone. There, she knelt by the stone and said some words to him while I watched. I smiled a bit, realizing again that I was not alone and that the angel talking to her husband's stone knew what she was doing. As she stood up, she ran to my arms and cried into my shoulder. I held her there for what seemed like a while before she looked me in the face.

'I'm sorry. I needed this too. I could not be here alone today and thought you would want to come along."

I smiled.

"Thank you," I whispered.

I realized that as strong as she was, she was still human. She chose to share the moment with me instead of suffering in silence. I kissed her on the forehead.

"Ready to go home?" I asked.

"Not yet. I have a better surprise for you."

She escorted me to the car and helped me into the backseat before she grabbed something from behind the head rest.

"For this one, you need to behave and let me blindfold you again."

I consented before she tied the fabric around my eyes. She closed the door, and I felt the car begin to move. It was a relatively quiet drive. I could not even hear the directions from her GPS. I then heard the car door open.

"We're here!" she said. "Grab my hand."

I felt her soft hands grab mine and let her lead me out to somewhere. I could hear her tell me to sit down. I felt a blanket of some sort on the ground. I began to reach for the blindfold.

'Nope!" she said. "Not until I say so."

I put my hands down. I sat there quietly, trying to hear some clues as to where we were before she bade me to open my mouth. She fed me something sweet, like a custard or ice cream. I swallowed it and it tasted like butter pecan ice cream. She told me to open again, and I tasted a bite of cake. I started to figure out that we were on a picnic, and she was feeding me cake and ice cream. This went on for a bit before it stopped. I then felt her hand on the back of my neck.

"Open," she said, more breathlessly.

I opened my mouth and felt the familiar texture of her nipple being fed to my lips. I started to nibble a bit while hearing her moan a bit. She undid the blindfold, and I opened my eyes to see her on top of me.

"Happy birthday, Romeo," she said.

I held her in my arms before she slid down and kissed me more romantically. We started to make out right there. It was probably the most romantic session we had to that point.

As we got dressed, I looked around. It was a park near the cemetery that was wooded. I looked at her and she smiled.

"Did you enjoy your birthday? I wasn't sure what to get you. I hope that works."

I smiled before putting her in another embrace.

"It was perfect. You're amazing, mi amor."