My Girl Next Door

About one, I said I'd better be getting back to work. Natalie took everything back into her kitchen while I made a gasket by gently tapping around the carburetor flange with a hammer to leave an imprint and then cutting out the parts that needed to be open. An hour later, I bolted the carburetor and new gasket in place and put the air cleaner back on.

Natalie's mower started on the third pull. I adjusted the carburetor a little and then started mowing. She came outside and watched as I made one round of her yard, then motioned for me to stop. I shut off the mower.

"Natalie, I think I fixed it. I'll just mow your yard for you to make sure."

"Mark, I can do that. You need to mow yours, don't you?"

"I can do that tomorrow. I just want to make sure it doesn't act up again. I might have to fix something else."

"Well, if you really want to, but I'll owe you dinner again. I'll start the hamburgers about five. Will you be done by then?"

"Yeah, I should be done in half an hour or so. I need to go home and clean up a little. I still smell like gasoline and carburetor cleaner."

The mower ran fine except it wasn't cutting the grass cleanly. I made a mental note to sharpen the blades before Natalie mowed again. After I finished her yard, I rolled the mower into her garage and went home to shower and change. At a little after five, I walked next door again.

Natalie was standing at her grill and flipping the burgers over. She'd cleaned up some too. Her jeans were a little tighter, not tight enough to show every curve, but tight enough when she moved, that movement was really sensuous and erotic. I was telling myself I shouldn't be looking at my neighbor that way when Natalie turned around.

What I'd thought was just a normal cotton shirt had three buttons undone in the front and was open low enough she was showing a lot of cleavage. I couldn't help but stare, and I did just that until Natalie frowned.

"Do I have something on me?"

"No, you're just fine."

"Then why are you staring at me?"

"Well, you look really great."

She grinned at me.

"I know you're just being nice, but thank you for saying that. I haven't heard that for a long, long time. I think the burgers are done."

Natalie brought the burgers to the picnic table and sat down. She didn't say anything until I'd put mine in a bun, added several dill pickle slices and then squirted it with ketchup and mustard. I looked up then, and she was smiling.

"You make your hamburgers like Jack used to. He always liked lots of pickles with ketchup and mustard. You remind me of him in other ways too."

"Oh, how so."

"Well, he was about your size, and he loved his cowboy boots. He had a pair of dress shoes, but he never wore them except for when he had to wear a suit and tie. He liked fixing things too. I have to call a repair man now, but when Jack was alive, he always did it."

"Yeah, I do like fixing things. My dad always did all the fixing of stuff at home. I guess I just grew up thinking that's how things should be done. You know, if anything else stops working, you can always let me look at it before you call somebody else. There's no sense in you spending money if I can fix it for you."

Natalie said she'd keep that in mind.

Like the Saturday before, we ate and then sat in lawn chairs and talked some more. After two beers, I thanked her for dinner and then went home.

I was mowing the next Saturday when Natalie came outside in her loose clothes again, pulled her mower out of her garage and started it. I'd meant to sharpen the blade before she did, but I'd forgotten until then. I shut off my mower and walked over to her yard.

"Natalie, I noticed last Saturday that your mower blade needs to be sharpened. I'd have done it yesterday evening, but I forgot. If you can wait ten more minutes, I'll sharpen it. Your yard will look a lot better then."

She smiled.

"You're bound and determined to take care of me, aren't you? I can wait. Jack had a grinder thing in the garage he always used. Nobody wanted to buy it when I sold the rest of his stuff, so I guess it's still in there if you want to try it."

The grinder was ancient, but it still worked. I had the blade sharp and back on Natalie's mower in less than ten minutes. I watched her start it, and when it seemed to be running fine, I went back to mowing my yard.

We finished at about the same time, and Natalie walked over to my garage while I was putting my mower away.

"Would you be up for a chicken salad sandwich for lunch? I bought some yesterday."

}{

I'd finished my sandwich when Natalie asked me a question.

"Did you mean what you said last week about calling you before I called a repairman?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Well, I noticed water coming out from under my washing machine when I washed clothes yesterday. It was still coming out when I got done, so I shut off the valves behind the washer. It stopped then, but I need to use it again this afternoon or tomorrow. I really hate to ask you, but could you look at it and see what's wrong?"

Natalie's led me down to her basement and then through a room that was paneled with wood paneling, had a bar in one corner and a pool table on one side. On the other side was a couch and two matching chairs with a coffee table and a TV. Natalie saw me looking around.

"This was what Jack called 'The Wade Inn'. He thought it was a cute name, like when you came down here, you were wading into something. We had some great parties down here. The men would play pool and the women would sit on the couch and talk about our men or about the last book we'd read. Grace, she was my neighbor across the back, she liked to read those steamy romance novels, and she'd tell us all about what the handsome guy did to the girl.

She and her husband, Terry was his name, she and Terry would try out what she read in the books, and she'd tell us about that too. Between that and the beer...", Natalie giggled, "Jack and I had some good times after those parties."

I was thinking to my self that they probably did. Natalie was about as sensuous as any woman I'd ever met, even in her loose jeans and button-up shirt. She'd left three buttons undone at the neck again and if she turned just right, I'd catch a glimpse of the soft, round top of her breast and the white lace of her bra. When she'd worn jeans and a top that fit tighter, her figure was enticing and erotic. Any man who got to see those curves naked couldn't help but be aroused. I was getting that way just seeing a very small part of those curves. I decided I'd better have a look at her washer so I could get settled down again.

"I wish I'd been your neighbor then. I like playing pool, and it's really cozy down here, just like a bar I used to go to when I was in college."

Natalie grinned.

"Well, you'll have to come over some night then. I'm not very good at pool, but we can listen to some music and have a couple beers. It would be nice to feel a little like I did back then. I guess now we should look at my washer though. It's through here."

Natalie opened a door next to the bar and turned on the light, then pointed to the water valves on the wall behind the washer.

"These are the faucets I shut off to stop the leak. It's only four years old. I hope it's nothing serious. I don't need to buy a new washer either."

"Well, let's pull it away from the wall so I can see what's going on."

Natalie pulled on one side and I pulled on the other. The leveling feet on the washer screeched against the concrete floor as it moved, but we soon had it far enough from the wall I could get behind it. Once I was there, I turned on the cold water valve and asked Natalie to watch out the front for a leak while I watched the back. After a couple minutes, neither of us saw anything, so I turned on the hot water valve.

A fine stream of water, just a fine mist really, hit my pant leg. When I looked for the source, I saw it was coming from the middle of the hose. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going on. Dad had replaced the hoses on Mom's washer about every three years. He said the heat from the water caused the hot water hose to get hard and brittle and it would eventually leak. He replaced both hoses just to be safe. I turned off both valves and then smiled at Natalie.

"You just have a leaky hose. You should be able to get a new pair of hoses at about anyplace that sells washers, and they won't cost you very much. Once the hose is replaced, you'll be good to go for another few years."

"If I go get them today, could you put them on for me?"

"Sure. I'll give you my cell phone number. Just give me a call when you get back. It'll only take five minutes."

Natalie grinned.

"While I'm out, I think I'll get a pizza. We can have that party I said I wanted to have after you get my hoses replaced."

I went home then and Natalie went to buy hoses. After showering and shaving, I sat down and watched some TV. About six, my cell phone rang. I'd never given anybody but Natalie my number except work and the caller ID would have told me that. All I saw was a number so it had to be Natalie. She sounded happy when I answered it.

"Mark, I got the hoses and I got a pizza with everything. It's in the oven keeping warm. You don't have to knock. Just come in the back door. I'll be downstairs waiting."

Natalie was downstairs and waiting when I walked down the steps, but I hadn't expected her to be waiting like she was. She was wearing a black dress that was cut really low on top and stopped a few inched above her knee at the bottom. I'd never really seen her legs since she'd always worn pants outside. I saw them then, slender and tight and encased in black nylon. She wore a pair of black high heels that made her a little taller and a lot more feminine.

She'd fixed her hair as well, and I was sure she was wearing makeup. Her eyes looked mysterious and her mouth was just a little pinker than I remembered. She grinned when I didn't say anything.

"I thought I'd dress up like I used to when we had our parties down here. I've had this dress for a long time but it's one that still fit. It's not too much, is it?"

I had to smile.

"No, you look just great."

Natalie blushed then.

"I was hoping for just nice. I knew it was too much to hope for more than that. I'm not a young girl anymore."

"Well, you look nicer than any young girls I know. I haven't seen any of them in a dress."

"Well thank you. I better go check on the pizza. The new hoses are on top of the washer. The man at the store said they'd work."

It didn't even take five minutes to unscrew the old hoses and put on the new ones. When I turned the valves on, I spent a couple minutes making sure there were no other leaks. Natalie came back downstairs with the pizza then, sat it on the bar, and came into her laundry room.

"All done?"

"Yes, and I don't see any other leaks, so you should be fine."

"Well, come eat the pizza while it's still hot. I got some beer like you brought last week and it's in the little fridge behind the bar. You go sit down and I'll bring us each one."

There must have been a stereo behind the bar as well as a fridge, because soft jazz filled the room when Natalie went to get the beer. She came back, handed me a beer and smiled.

"Do you like jazz? It's all Jack ever played down here. I like it. It's relaxing and...well, it's other things too. Oh, I didn't bring down any plates. I thought we'd just eat the pizza out of the box like we used to back then."

The pizza was great. It was one of those made by an actual pizza place and not by a chain pizza restaurant. Sitting across that coffee table from Natalie was better, a little disconcerting, but definitely better.

She sat down and crossed her legs. I caught a glimpse of black satin between her thighs and then the lace of her stocking tops. She seemed to be nervous for some reason, and kept uncrossing and then crossing her legs all the time we ate. Every time she picked up her beer or sat it back down on the table, the top of her dress fell away from her chest and I saw the twin rise of her breasts. It wasn't right because Natalie was old enough to be my mother, but she was turning me on.

I ate until I was stuffed because Natalie keep telling me to have another piece of pizza. She also got up and brought me a second beer when I drained the first one. Watching her walk to the bar didn't help my condition at all. Natalie's hips had a gentle sway to them that was erotic as hell.

When Natalie offered me another slice of pizza, I had to refuse.

"Natalie, that was a great pizza, but I'm stuffed."

"Well, I always like my men to be full."

Natalie looked at the floor then.

"I guess I shouldn't have said that. You're not my man."

Natalie sighed.

"I was just thinking about how it used to be. I called all the guys 'my men' then, because while they were here, they kind of were. We didn't do anything together, of course, but while I was feeding them, I thought of them as mine. I do think of you as mine in some ways. Does that bother you?"

"No, it doesn't bother me. I'm happy you like me that much."

"Well good. That makes me happy. Is there anything else I can give you?"

Well, there was, but I was certain if I told her what I was thinking, Natalie would probably never speak to me again. She was such a nice woman and I liked her too much to suggest anything that would upset her. Besides, I felt a little weird about what I was thinking. It didn't seem right that a woman old enough to be my mother would be stirring my thoughts more than a woman my own age. I decided I'd better just leave.

I grinned.

"Nope. You've stuffed me full of pizza and I've really enjoyed being here. It's almost ten so I should probably be getting home."

Natalie smiled.

"If I break something else, can I still call you?"

"Natalie, you can call me to fix anything and I'll be glad to do it. That's what neighbors are for."

}{

It was a little hard going to sleep that night, and it was hard on several other nights through that summer. I saw Natalie at least a couple times a week. On Saturday, she always mowed her lawn so I saw her then. During the week, I'd often see her weeding her flowers or just sitting on her patio before dark. Usually she'd wave me over on those nights, offer me a beer, and we'd sit and talk for a while.

The beer, the talking, and just being with Natalie were great except for what Natalie usually wore once the weather warmed up. Tennessee usually gets hot during the day from about July through September, and the nights aren't that much cooler. Instead of the jeans and shirt Natalie had worn in the spring, she changed to shorts and tank tops. Natalie had nice legs, not really tight, but soft and sensuous looking, and with so much of them visible, I couldn't help but look.

I couldn't help but look at her tops either. Natalie had soft, rounded shoulders that were usually exposed. She also exposed a good deal of her cleavage. I always told her she looked great, but she'd just laugh.

"Well, I think I used to look pretty good. At least, all the men who came over said I did, but that was before my kids. Now, well, you're just being nice to me. I appreciate it that you are, but I won't let it go to my head."

She'd change the conversation then to something about my job or what I liked to do besides fixing things for her. I'd hang around for a couple of beers and then go home.

It turned fall before I knew it, and Natalie changed back to jeans and shirts again. A few weeks after that, she added a jacket and I had to imagine her full breasts and hips when we talked.

On the last Saturday of October, I was putting my mower away for the last time that year and saw Natalie doing the same with hers. She walked over to my garage as I was shutting the door.

"Well, I guess we're done mowing this year. I sure hope so."

"Yeah, we've had one frost. That ought to put the grass to sleep until spring."

Natalie smiled.

"This has been the best summer I've had in a long time. It's you that made it that way, you know."

"All I did was fix your mower and your washing machine."

"It wasn't that. It was just being a good neighbor and spending some time with me that was."

I smiled.

"That wasn't hard to do. You're a pretty great woman to have as a neighbor."

Natalie smiled, but her smile was a little different somehow.

"It's Halloween night. Are you going out?"

"No, I gave up on the costume thing when I was in junior high. I'll probably just watch a couple movies on TV and then go to bed."

"We always had a Halloween party at our house for all the neighbors once one of our kids was old enough to babysit. We'd dress up in costumes and play pool and dance and talk until midnight, and then we'd vote on who had the best costume. It was fun."

I said she probably won her fair share of those costume contests, and Natalie chuckled.

"No. I wasn't quite as adventurous as Peggy and Lisa. Peggy had this pirate suit one year that was...well...let's just say it didn't leave much to the imagination. The guys loved it. Lisa came one year as an angel except she had these little horns instead of a halo, and her top", Natalie giggled, "her cups runneth over is the nicest way to describe it. The guys loved that one too. Hey, if you're not going out, we should have a party of our own, just you and me. What do you think?"

"Oh, I don't know. I don't have anything even close to a costume."

"Well, the guys back then didn't either. Usually they just wore their regular clothes. The costumes were for the girls because we liked dressing up. Just come like you are. About six, maybe? I'll make us something to eat, nothing fancy, just finger food like we did back then. You bring the beer."

}{

When Natalie answered my knock on her back door that night, I almost dropped the six pack I was carrying. Natalie grinned.

"Like my wicked old witch costume?"

"Oh yeah, what there is of it."

Natalie giggled.

"This is one of the costumes I used to wear. It still mostly fit so I decided to wear it. Come on in and let's get started. I have everything all ready downstairs."

Natalie was right about it mostly fitting, and that mostly fitting was erotic as all hell. Her black corset had no straps and was barely covering her breasts. It made her waist small and then stopped with a "V" shaped panel in front that went almost down to her thighs. Under that were some little black satin shorts I figured were really panties of some sort. They had legs, but just. She'd topped it all off with black stockings with lace tops and black high heels.

She hadn't stopped there. Her dark brown hair fell in waves that caressed her bare shoulders and her face was mesmerizing with eyes that looked mysterious and sexy and lips painted bright red.

When I followed her through her kitchen and down the stairs, the little up and down motion of her hips made me stare again. Natalie was all woman and that woman was putting ideas in my head I should not have been having.

Natalie put a CD in the stereo behind the little bar and soft jazz filled the room. We ate, drank a beer, and then played pool for a while. Like Natalie had told me, she wasn't very good, but I still enjoyed it. Every time she took a shot, she bent over at the waist and her breasts rolled up and almost out of her corset. If I happened to be standing behind her when she bent over, the little black shorts tightened around her soft ass cheeks.

When we finished playing pool, Natalie put her cue stick on the rack on the wall and then smiled.

"Would you dance with me now? We always used to dance back then."

Natalie really didn't give me time to answer. She just took the three steps that separated us and held out her arms. I took her right hand in my left and put my hand on her back.