Lola's Lurching Life Ch. 02

"You know Lola is dear to me, Dougal."

"Talk to Ned,"

"Hi Lola, sorry about that interruption. Dougal wanted to say something to me."

Ned and Lola exchanged raised eyebrows and grins.

"May I speak to Ned please."

"Sure, he just securing the tow rope," Lola lied and called Ned, who was sitting beside her, "Ned!"

"Hi Dougal, it's Ned Adams speaking.

"It's Helena," she said in a wobbly voice. "Thanks for rescuing our guest Lola. I know this makes me sound like an old-fashion woman but I don't think Lola should stay the night with you."

"Oh, is she in need of medication," Ned said, playing the dummy.

"No, it's her reputation."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Ned! You are not making it easy for me."

"Then I'll explain the situation. Lola become stranded out here on a hillside in a piece of Waiheke that is as remote as it gets. It would be dark within the hour and she panicked, turned on the remote locator signal on the device she'd borrowed from Dougal. I was working on the refit of my schooner. I heard the beacon go off on my built-in receiver and as far as I know I was the first and only responder."

"I quickly plotted her hereabout and logged that I was minutes away from her position inland here on Waiheke Island and to cancel the emergency call and lodged by a stranger to the area and panicking because she felt lost."

"Actually, Lola was fine. I invited her to stay the night with me and she accepted the invitation after I mentioned that I was an honourable chap."

"Honourable chap!" Helena said, sounding relieved.

"Tell Lola we'll welcome her home sometime tomorrow in time for dinner. Bye."

"Phew," Ned said, pretending to wipe his brow and Lola said, "Phew."

She giggled, "Perhaps we should have said I'll confirm to Helena tomorrow that she was right or wrong with her concerns about you."

Ned said earnestly, "Lola I don't think..."

"Shut up, you chump. Let's get to your home. I'm in need of water and then, perhaps, alcohol."

"Aye, aye, ma'am," Ned said, grinning. "You really had me going there for a minute."

He selected low gear for the descent over the rough track down to the sheltered tiny bay that unfortunately was exposed to northerly winds, that occasionally were stormy.

Lola said nothing in the fast-encompassing twilight as she noted Ned's home was a small cottage and a little beyond that was a large storage shed that probably included a workshop and behind that, sheltered by a headland from winds in most directions, was a slipway with a circa 80-year old schooner resting on the hard above normal high-water mark.

"Oh, a hut."

"A cottage," he corrected.

"And only one bedroom."

"Actually, there are no bedrooms. It's an all-purpose one room and the toilet is in the multi-use shed,"

"I was deceived."

"You were deceived."

There was a brief silence as he braked the vehicle and the quad under tow to a gentle stop.

"But I'm not concerned," Lola said. "I figured out you believed it was best for me being stranded and shaken. I'll be obliged in in the morning if we can load the quad on to that trailer over there and let the hire centre check it out for its roadworthiness. I have figured you had to be deceptive about there being no separate bedrooms was for my own good."

He patted her knee and said, "As I'd said earlier and brainy too."

She sighed and removed his hand from her knee but pressed it warmly before releasing the hand.

"I'm knackered."

He said disapprovingly, "That's a male term for feeling exhausted."

"What an educated reply, but at least you understood my present physical condition."

"Yeah. You go and get water and there's a tin of hearty Anzac biscuits on the table for you to partly demolish. I'll get a tarpaulin to cover the quad bike from overnight dew that could be heavy tonight because there's no wind."

"Thanks for your caring attitude."

"It's ingrained in me by my mother," he grinned. "Oh, don't become too upset by the untidiness of the cabin. Remember, I'm a bachelor who rarely has visitors and never has had an overnight guest since I purchased the property and schooner."

"A 50-footer?"

"Close, it's a 45-footer with aft pilothouse that is being stored at present. The boat is small enough to be sailed single-handed at a pinch. How come you sized it up almost accurately."

"My grandfather had one based in Whakatane and dad and I often went weekend sailing with him and after I turned thirteen my parents would allow me to stay with grandpop for up to 10 days during school holidays and that lasted until I was seventeen when he suffered a stroke and sold Ocean Lady."

"Then you have more than a passing interest in Wave Tosser. I'll tell you more about my project when I join you in the cabin."

Lola was surprised to find the interior of the cabin was quite tidy. Well for a guy living alone.

She looked at the dirty dishes from at least two dinners and a breakfast in the sink and there were two white shirts and two washed sheets thrown on a sofa waiting for ironing and two laundered underpants were hanging over the top ends of a dining chair.

After a few sips of water, she looked around and found an iron and heated to begin ironing the washing. After looking around and draining her glass of water, she had both sheets ironed and folded when Ned came in carrying a bottle of wine and gaped.

"Omigod, for a moment I thought I was looking at mum ironing when I was a kid when she was still slim. You are not meant to be doing the ironing."

"I know, but then what was I meant to be doing?"

"Um, nosing about the place, I guess."

She chuckled and said, "I thought you might be lousy at ironing and so decided to help you out."

"Well thanks."

Ned then noticed the two cotton shirts on hangers he'd left attached to a wall-mounted 3-shelf bookcase."

"Fuck... ah, I apologise for..."

"Go on, say what you were going to say?"

"I know I took time finding a small waterproof cover but finally found on in the boat, but I wasn't all that long and, in that time,, you've ironed two shirts and the sheets."

She smiled and said, "Also I got myself more water and nosed around a bit."

"You are quite a gal, Lola."

"Thanks, and you of all people I know will be aware of what it's like feeling appreciated. Don't forget, you saved me from a very uncomfortable night and longer, because it would have taken a search party quite some time to pin-point me that far off the beaten track. I guess you experienced was terrifying and lasted for much longer times when you were pinned down in a foreign land. You would have had plenty of times wondering where were the appreciated military citizens of Australia in your frightening times of need."

"That's very perceptive of you, Lola."

"Perhaps being perceptive comes to me naturally."

"Yeah, and among many other things, I bet. I bought a bottle of wine back from storage in the shed. My stocks of wine are rather low at present and I have run out of beer. Do you want me to drop an ice-cube into the glass?"

"Yes please."

Lola had just replaced the last folded sheet on the bed when Ned handed her the wine and stood watching her go through her tasting routine.

"Why do you bother going through that phoney routine," he leered. "You'll have no idea of what that wine is, beyond perhaps what type of wine it is."

"Oh yes I do know what it is, the type of wine, it's ID and actually the location of the wine producer."

"May I say it?"

"Yes, be rude."

"That's bullshit."

She sighed and said, "Nevertheless I can say without fear it's a good drop and very welcome."

Ned called from standing at the fridge door and holding the bottle he'd place there after pouring the first two drinks, "I didn't read the label when grabbing it from the rack. I'm ready, tell me what you think it is."

"It's romantically named the 'The Last Shepherd'. It's a Chardonnay and was produced in Blenheim at the top of the South Island of this country, in 2019."

Momentarily stunned, Ned the almost croaked saying, "How on earth could you know that so accurately?"

Lola said offhandedly, "Oh I remember it from a tasting in Blenheim late last year."

"Crickey mate, are you a bloody amazing and yet you're female."

"Thanks for nothing, mate," she smiled, fending off the male slur while knowing females of the world were not really under attack, that she'd simply surprised Ned and in his self-imposed hibernation he'd not been used to dealing with females.

She was possibly the first female to engage in relaxed informal conversation with him in his home in the bay.

Chapter 12

An hour after their arrival at the cottage, with Ned spending most of that time attending to whatever outside, and Lola spending time becoming familiar with the interior of the cottage and ironing some of Ned's washing, he said, "I'll get early dinner. What about chicken stir-fry? I thawed a tray of chicken pieces overnight and the veggies mainly come from my garden in the sunny sheltered area beside the end of the cabin and the multi-purpose shed."

"That will be fine," Lola said, sipping the remainder of her wine and then falling into a doze, sitting up straight on her chair at the table.

She awoke to hear Ned calling softly beside her, "Wakey, wakey. Dinner is served."

Two heaped plates of stir-fry lay before them and her glass had been refilled.

She didn't feel the need to apologise for dozing off, with Ned being aware she'd experienced something of a rugged day including requiring to be rescued.

"This looks great," she said enthusiastically, and kissed him on the cheek

All he said was "Wow" and looked pleased, leaving Lola to wonder when he'd last been kissed.

"About the sleeping arrangement?" she said, after saying the meal was tasty and beautifully cooked.

"I'll take the couch."

"Clarification, I was asking specifically what side of the bed do you prefer?"

"Are you meaning you are prepared to sleep with me?"

She smiled calmly and said, "Meaning am I prepared to share your bed. Answer, yes."

"What if during the night..."

"Be calm, perhaps if we continue on and become real friends, one day we might progress to having sex. But it will take more than one night for us to reach that stage of intimacy, if it is to occur. We have the basis of a developing friendship and considering we only have one bed available on this occasion, it makes sense to share the bed."

"I err I agree."

"Then eat up, your food before it becomes cold."

"Um, you handle me well, Lola."

"That makes me sound like a dog handler."

"Sorry."

"That was spoken in jest."

"Oh."

"It's okay Ned. I assume it's been a while since you were alone with a woman, especially a feisty one."

"Indeed. Eat up, Lola. Your meal will get cold."

They laughed, like friends.

Lola awoke next morning to find herself alone in Ned's bed. She yawned and decided she hadn't been touched by him during the night.

She sighed, remembering that the bathroom was across at the so-called utility shed. She dressed and went off to pee.

Lola heard banging at the two-masted vessel hauled up and under a refit 'on the hard'.

She climbed up the ladder and on to the obviously newly replaced decking of the 45-foot schooner that Ned had told her the previous evening had been launched in the northern city of Whangarei in1953 and was currently well into a 2-year total refit.

He said that was one of the advantages of living alone and away from close neighbours; he could concentrate on the big job on hand.

She peered down the gap left by the removal of the partly sunken deck wheelhouse under the main boom that extended back from midships and the tarpaulin night cover had been rolled back.

"Ahoy there," she called, using another of her recalled nautical terms learned during her younger days with her uncle, but until now, long unused.

Ned appeared in the lit gap below wearing a cute nautical mariner's cap and called, "Oh hi, what are you doing awake so early?"

She swept back her hair that was hanging over her eyes from her being bent over and peering downward, and said, "I could ask the same from you, Early Bird."

"I'm usually at work soon after 6.00 six days a week, using having Monday as a total rest day to refresh my hopes and dreams while resting my limbs."

"What time would you like breakfast on the table, Sweet Man."

He stared at her silently for a few moments before choking, "How about 8.00?"

"Fine."

With an apparent surge of confident, Ned said brightly, "Take care how you negotiate that ladder going back to ground. I'd hate to see you dent any part of your beautiful body."

"Oh, you wish to check it out for signs of damage, do you?"

He stood silent.

Lola began her descent by ladder, now very aware she could practically stop him in his tracks by simply using well-directed provocative teasing. However, he would get used to her over time.

Over time? So, she was committing to be in his company longer than 24 hours?

She had confused herself, having no idea about making such a commitment. Obviously, her mind had been working while she slept. She had no problem with that. Ned seemed a really decent chap.

"Omigod, I have friendship plus sex in my mind," she muttered aloud and then became speechless.

By the time Lola reached the cabin, she was comfortable with the thought of visiting Ned again and she extended her thoughts into tentatively leading him into renewing his wonderment about the joys of having sex, that is unless he was a circa 35-year old virgin.

"What, being years in the Army? That would be unbelievable!"

Another creeping thought was she was virtually a virgin with the lack of sexual action in her life these days.

Lola hurriedly began preparing to go over and have a shower, clearing her mind to think about where she would find everything to prepare a cooked breakfast. Everything would be there, but where?

She smiled, feeling she was back in control of herself. She figured things where they should be placed logically, because he was a male and storage space in the small kitchen area of the room was tight.

But oh ho, when soaping herself and attempting to shut out the noise of the electricity generator presumable charging the storage batteries necessary in such a location, she began thinking of Ned soaping her body.

A frantic applied burst of cold-water cascading over her cleared her mind as she yelled "You stupid bitch", and hurriedly turned on the water mix dial back to a warm flow.

"Omigod, what's happening to Miss Prim, she muttered, as she began masturbating and was soon smiling contentedly.

Nick arrived, surprisingly on time, for breakfast and looked at her warmly and said, "You have rosy cheeks."

She smiled and said ah yes, couldn't he tell she was without make-up.

"What did you do in the shower?"

Lola virtually froze, thinking was he aware of what females often did in the shower.

Feeling helpless, she shrugged.

"I was wondering if you covered your ears with your hands as the time-controller may have switched on the generator while you were in the shower and it makes such a frigging din."

She nodded in great relief.

Lola then shocked herself by saying stupidly casually, "I suppose in your extended way of present life that you never shower with anybody?"

"Correct," he said stiffly.

"Oh, what a stupid thing for me to say," she said, turning away not at all embarrassed.

"It's okay, Lola. You have a lively enquiring mind and must wonder about my solitary life-style. For a long time, it brought me peace, and then I gradually started to chat with people in my twice-weekly outing to the supermarket and I registered at the medical centre and told the female doctor about my need to heal from the testing times I'd experienced in the Middle East while in the Army. She proved to be very sensitive and helpful, explaining that one of her three children had what she termed, "Problems with the mind."

That made Lola think would Ned think she had problems with her mind if she confessed about having sexual thoughts about him. Or would he consider that just a natural occurrence. She felt relieved at thinking that.

Then like a bolt from the blue, Ned said, "These days I occasionally have thoughts about my sex life."

"What, of not having new experiences?"

"Actually, my thoughts had been on past experiences."

"I guess that will change soon or later."

"Um, do you have thoughts about having sex?"

Lola said carefully, "Yes and often. I guess that's fairly common for everyone under the age of 100."

He laughed and she joined in laughing happily and said, "Right, time to serve up bacon, eggs, potato cakes and chopped red capsicum."

"Yummy," said her host, sounding slightly excited while she felt slightly aroused.

After breakfast, Ned led Lola on an inspection of the interior of Wave Tosser.

"As you can see, I've given her a new modern outer skin that was expensive, but will cut maintenance costs, allegedly substantially, and last year I tossed out the wooden masts and booms with much lighter aluminium replacements and completely fitted new rigging and below deck you will see other big changes I made to reduce the weight to wring out more speed from the schooner."

Below deck, Lola found that hull had only one cabin instead of three and was told there was now only one head (toilet) instead of the previous three.

Ned said, "In reducing cabins from three to one, I had to add cross-strengthening at the correct spacing to ensure the sides of the hull withstood wave pounding without any deflections. The comprehensive fit-out design to ensure proper weight distribution was done by my brother-in-law in Sydney, a naval architect and my sister, his wife, supplied the remodelling plan for the new internal layout roughly to my specifications. She's a commercial building layout designer with architectural qualifications."

"What you are viewing now is pretty raw. Come across to the bench in the galley and look at the drawings. Oh, the design took into account that I had already replaced the heavy old 120 hp engine with a lighter and more powerful Volvo marine engine."

Lola said in admiration, "This must be cost a fortune."

"Yes, and I chose to make do with a cottage instead of replacing it with a new house, spending instead on a blue-water schooner. Her hull is designed to ride over the top of waves much like a duck does, instead of cutting through them that causes a drain on sail propulsion. However, that means having to put up with greater pitching in some sea conditions.

With the tour completed and Lola impressed with the modernisation work to date on the elderly schooner that was almost a re-build, she was taken into the large multi-purpose shed where a large part of the floor space was taken up by Wave Tosser's 10 ft long by 7 ft wide gutted wheelhouse.

"This is my job-on hand to fit-out with modern instruments in the facia when winter really sets in as this shed is heated. Then with the wheelhouse fitted back into position on the schooner, I'll add the extras including a new wooden wheel, a pair of swivel seats and a day bed. In the hull, once the new fuel, water and ballast tanks are fitted, a master's cabin will be partitioned off amidships. Aft of that, the saloon fit-out will include two sofas that can be convertible into double beds."

"How on heck did you get the wheelhouse off the schooner and into this shed."

"A farmer neighbour assisted me with his large tractor with an attached front-end loader. It was hoisted of the Wave Tosser and taken over to the front of the shed where it was lowered on to long pieces of 4x2 inch timber to act as skids and the tractor pushed the wheelhouse into the shed. I occasionally help out the farmer Mr Hill at times such as during annual haymaking and he repays me by giving me sheep meat, beef roasts and beef steaks from when they have a butcher arrive to farm kill an animal to two and pack the meat to fill the farm's freezers."