Inherited from My Aunt

I couldn't believe what this lawyer was telling me,

"That is right Mr. Harper, you inherit your aunt's entire estate but only if you and you ex-wife agree to spend a weekend together in her mountain cabin."

At one time Jill and I loved to spend time in that cabin, I was so grateful to my aunt that she allowed us to use it anytime we wished. Yet now Jill and I are divorced and the last time we talked, it ended up in a big fight. Could I get her to stop hating me enough to spend a weekend with me, well there was only one way to find out.

Oh, I knew what my aunt was doing; I knew it broke her heart when Jill and I broke up. I met Jill while working for my aunt one summer, she had just been hired, and my aunt told me she really liked her. As Jill and I were the only people under thirty who worked there, it didn't take us long to become friends. She was as gregarious as I was shy, she was able to draw things out of me, and even I was surprised at some of the statements I made. Even though few would call her pretty, I found her personality enthralling and soon I was head over heels in love with her.

My aunt felt that we were perfect for each other and encouraged me to ask her out. I was such a bumbling fool and as I hemmed and hawed trying to invite her to dinner and a movie I looked up to see her smiling.

"Jess if you're trying to ask me out, I'd love to go out with you."

For the rest of the summer we were a couple, together as much as possible. Before I went back to school, I proposed and she accepted, we got married a month after I graduated.

So, how does a couple who were so much in love end up divorced and not speaking to each other, I wish I knew. I guess over the years it goes from hot love and hot sex to comfortable and sex by appointment. From there it is a short trip to tolerable and that soon turns to resentment. What was once cute and adorable becomes trite and boring. In court, I blamed my wife, but deep down I know most was my fault. As for my aunt, she kept trying to get Jill and I to reconcile, even after the divorce was final, she still believed we belonged together.

As everyone was leaving the cemetery after my aunt's burial I walked over to Jill and said hello, she gave me condolences for my aunt then told me she loved her as if she was her own aunt. Then we both started to speak at the same time, I then asked her to go first.

"Jess I don't want to be mad at you any more isn't there some way we can at least get along."

"That's just what I was going to say, do you have time to go get a cup of coffee. There is something I need to discuss with you and it's pretty important."

I had come to the cemetery in a hearse so we rode to a coffee shop together in her car. We chatted amiably; we talked of weather and sadness always avoiding the 'elephant in the room'. I told her my aunt loved her as one of her own and that she was always trying to get her and I to reconcile. Jill said that my aunt was the same with her, yet never insistent always just a gentle prod.

Inside the restaurant I wanted to get it out in the open, before Jill got the impression I was just there to use her.

"Listen Jill, Aunt Rose, left a strange codicil in her will, it states..."

"Oh I know all about it Jess, she told me when she did it and then swore me to secrecy."

"Well now I feel really weird, look I don't want to pressure you into any thing you're not comfortable with but it would be appreciated if you would go through with it. I don't mean to sound crass but I would want to compensate you for your troubles."

Jessie, I don't want anything from you but I'll do, just for Aunt Rose's memory.

When I picked her up Friday afternoon, she was waiting on the front step of her apartment. She looked stunning to me, her red hair was up off her neck the way I always liked it. I could see her freckles shinning in the sunlight, she wore shorts and a tank top both showing off a lot of skin. She looked so healthy and athletic just like a girl on the track team or maybe swim team. She had a smile on her face as she threw her bag in the back, and then hopped in the car. She leaned over and kissed my cheek, I couldn't stop myself from blurting out,

"God I've missed you."

She gave me a puzzled look and I imagined she didn't know whether to believe me or not, but then the smile returned and she said she missed me too.

The ride up was filled with chatter and then long periods of silence but it never became uncomfortable. It was already evening by the time we arrived at the little town at the bottom of the mountain so we stopped and ate. We had eaten at the small Italian restaurant many times and we were both glad noting had changed. Not knowing what was in the cabin we stopped at the grocery and bought a few essentials for breakfast. The rest of the drive up the mountain was quiet as we both enjoyed the scenery. We arrived just before dark and we sat on the porch watching the sun drop behind the mountain just as we had done so many times before.

We opened the cabin not knowing what we'd find but someone had gone through it making sure everything was shipshape, including the wine cellar. As I built a fire I suggested Jill go down to the cellar and pick a bottle of wine. She came back up with a bottle of burgundy from a local winery, a kind we had enjoyed it before. We sat together on a bearskin rug that was probably a hundred years old.

"If this is now your cabin, the first thing you need to do is get rid of this horrible rug, I swear that bear's eyes follow me all over this room."

"I don't blame him, if all I had to do was lie here all day I'd be watching you all the time too."

Although the rug matched the cabin decor, I knew it was no longer politically correct to have animal skins lying around and I told Jill I would get rid of it.

Between the wine and the fire we both were feeling pretty mellow and it felt great when Jill snuggled up to me and put her head on my shoulder.

"Jess, where did we go wrong, I loved you so much and still it wasn't enough for you. All those mean hateful things you said about me in court just broke my heart."

"I felt worse saying them; it was all scripted by my lawyer. Everything I said was a lie and each word hurt me to say it."

She lifted her head and brought her lips to mine, her kiss was so sweet it made my heart ache. Our passion already flamed by the wine or maybe the memories of this cabin and in no time we were naked making love on top of the rug. After as we held each tight we fell asleep only to awake during the night freezing cold. The fire had burn out and I had neglected to light the cabin's furnace. I rolled the rug up over us and we slept the rest of the night that way.

In the morning, we started just as we had left off by making love on the rug. After, we made a mad dash for the shower, luckily the water heater was on. We took a long sexy shower together making sure each other was sparkling clean. While Jill made us breakfast, I got the heater turned on and by the time we sat down to eat the cabin was warm.

As we cleaned up the kitchen together, Jill casually said,

"So Jess do you think we can try to get back together, I know we messed it up big time but if you're willing I am."

I took her soapy hands out of the sink and put them around me,

"There's nothing I want more I've missed you everyday we've been apart."

As we kissed, I said a little silent prayer to Aunt Rose, thanking her for never giving up on us.

"There's just one thing Jess, don't you dare get rid of that bearskin rug."