Pat and Marianne

I was surprised how quickly she brought me to orgasm, "I'm cumming my love."

She fell forward and kissed me, leading with her tongue. I held her butt as I thrust upward into her. At sixty, I don't exactly shoot cum anymore. It sort of oozes out, but it was oozing into my dear friend. What an exquisite experience.

Marianne began petting my thinning hair, "I am so lucky."

"No. I'm the lucky one."

"We'll have to agree to disagree."

_ _ _ _ _

I awaken to Marianne petting the soft underside of my penis. She had her head on my stomach facing away from me.

I touched her hair ever so softly. "That's a nice way to wake up."

"Ah, you're awake. It's going to get better."

She got on her hands and knees facing me and took me into her mouth. First a little suck then she began licking the length of my shaft. I rapidly stiffened as Marianne began a combination of sucking and stroking.

Now she began to seriously working me. Somehow I sensed that I should let her go for a while. I put my hands behind my head and just watched her.

She looked up at me and smiled. "I'm glad you are enjoying this."

"I am."

I could feel an orgasm approaching and I pulled her up to me. Marianne crawled up and straddled my stomach. Her soft pubic hair pressed into me. I could feel moisture from her crotch. She reached over and grabbed the KY, but I rolled her onto her back. She lubed my penis and placed the tip at her opening. I slowly pressed into her then began a measured thrusting. I was surprised at how quickly I ran out of gas and I pulled her knees up to my chest. This provided some support for my weight and also allowed for deeper penetration. I let her know I was going to come and she reached up to cup my face. My body shuddered as my seed spilled into her. Looking down on her was such a beautiful sight. Marianne spread her legs allowing me to fall forward.

She gently kissed me, "I'm in heaven."

_ _ _ _ _

We were the only guests for breakfast in the B&B's dining room.

Marianne was glowing. "There are so many reasons I am happy today. Well, other than the obvious one. Can I tell you why?"

"Absolutely."

"Pat, last night was the first orgasm I had since I saw you so many years ago. Well, except for the self-induced orgasms. David, didn't give a damn if he ever gave me pleasure, so he never did."

She was suddenly quiet.

I said, "But there's something more."

"Yes." She stopped everything and looked at me. "I've never shared this with anyone." She took a deep breath. "David was incredibly abusive. I think he could be defined as a sadist. He took great pleasure in causing pain. When I was on my period he would rape me anally. I ended up in the hospital on four occasions. The second time I was hemorrhaging so badly I had to have emergency surgery. He didn't give a damn. I never had control over anything sexually. Last night was unique for me for two reasons. First, you brought me to an orgasm. Second, you gave me control over our love making.

"This morning you allowed me to suck you and you never once tried to jam your penis down my throat."

She took a bite of pancake. "As we become more and more intimate. And I hope we will continue to become more and more intimate."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Marianne smiled, "Thank you. You need to know that there are certain things that could trigger a reaction."

"Sounds like you have some PTSD."

"Probably. For example, I don't know how I will react if you were to touch my anus."

"OK. That's off limits."

I was thinking that last night I came close to rubbing her little rosebud when I was licking her clitoris. Terri had always liked that. Dodged a bullet there.

"I'm not saying it is off limits, but it might trigger me."

"I'm not going to take that chance. What else?"

"Well, David used to force himself down my throat. I think I would enjoy giving you a blow job like I did so long ago, but please don't place your hands on the back on my head. Please don't get rough." She took a drink of coffee. "I guess that's it. Please be gentle with me."

I had been tempted to pet the back of her head. Dodged another bullet.

I held her hand. "I think when you love someone, you are naturally gentle. I don't ever think Terri and I did anything rough in all the years I knew her."

Marianne smiled, "See. Because you loved her. David never loved me. I was an object. A slave to be used and abused. Something to be fucked and tossed aside." She was practically spitting out the words. "When he would rape my ass sometimes I don't know if he even bothered to use lube. After the second hospitalization I think the doctor spoke to him because at least he lubed me up. It still hurt like hell and I usually bled. The pain was intense sometimes. When I had a colonoscopy I told the doctor my history and he told me that I had a lot of scar tissue. I don't know if anal sex is something that you enjoy, but I can tell you that I despise it."

"Not something I need."

"Sorry. That probably wasn't the most appetizing conversation to have over breakfast."

I squeezed her hand, "It's OK. I need to know these things."

_ _ _ _ _

Over the next week we wandered to and fro. We saw Melville's Arrowhead and Dickenson's home in Amherst. We climbed aboard the Charles W. Morgan in Mystic and the Constitution in Boston. We walked around the grounds of The Breakers in Newport and the House of the Seven Gables in Salem. Each night we found a bed and breakfast to stay at. The love making became better and better as we became more attuned to each other. Never once did we drive on an interstate.

Marianne and I were sitting at a picnic table overlooking the iconic Cape Neddick Lighthouse in York, Maine. We had just finished a nice picnic lunch when Marianne's phone rang.

She had a pained look on her face. "It's my daughter, Maria. I need to take this."

She swiped the screen, "Hi Sweetheart."

I couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but it seemed like there was shouting.

"I'm in Maine with Captain Sullivan."

I could see Marianne becoming angry.

"Maria, I'm not going to discuss this with you." She put her hand to her head. "Your father has been dead for fifteen months." She stood up and began to walk away. "How dare you?!"

Marianne walked out of earshot. I cleaned up the table and tossed our rubbish. When I returned to the table, Marianne was standing about twenty yards away with her hands on her hips, staring out to sea.

I walked over to her and stopped a yard or so behind her, "Everything okay?"

She shook her head. I went over and hugged her from behind. I kissed her cheek. Tears were streaming down her face. She turned around and hugged me hard. Sobs wracked her body. I had no idea what to say or do. I just knew I needed to be there for my friend. I petted the back of her head.

Eventually, she leaned back and looked at me. "Thank you."

She gently kissed me. "Can we find a place to sit down? Preferably one with alcohol?"

"Sure."

We drove into York Beach and found a pub on the main drag. Marianne sat across from me and I knew another serious discussion was coming. She ordered a glass of chardonnay. I could tell she was really conflicted and thought sobriety would be best for me. I ordered an ice tea with lemon.

"I need to explain my family dynamics. David was a master at manipulating people. One person he had wrapped around his finger was my daughter Maria. Maria is the ultimate daddy's girl. She has been very angry since her father died. She was furious that I didn't have a proper funeral. Let me back up. David loved to pit Maria against me all the time. I know that most teenaged girls and their mothers do not get along, but David made it so much worse. From the time she was old enough to know better, he undermined my position as mother. If I made any decision, he made sure to countermand it.

"Patrick initially treated me with disrespect too, but sometime around the time he was ten he began hanging out with the Marines assigned to the embassy. He wanted so much to be like them and they taught him how to respect others. He began to respect me and would actually defend me when his father was verbally abusive. Maria always took her father's side and would ignore everything I said.

"I think it was about this time -- Patrick was ten, Maria was nine -- that David found out that I had named my son after you. He started suggesting that I was having a secret affair with you. It was absolute crazy talk. I have no idea how you could have got to Berlin to be with me. When Maria was about fifteen or so, David told her all about the torrid love affair that you and I were having. I didn't even know where you were stationed. Maria ate it up and would tease me about having a boyfriend.

"I haven't been checking Facebook much over the past week, but Maria just told me that she unfriended me because of that picture I posted of you and me. She demanded that unless I come back to Florida and have nothing to do with you, I would never see my grandchildren again."

Marianne downed her glass of wine and motioned to the bartender. I asked him for an order of fries to absorb some of the alcohol.

I took her hand, "So what do you want to do?"

"Get drunk."

"That's not going to solve anything."

"What is it with men? You always have to solve things."

"As Grandpop Sullivan used to say, 'It's the nature of the beast.'"

She laughed. "He was a wonderful old man. I loved his brogue."

"He thought the world of you. He used to ask about you whenever I saw him. So what do you want to do?"

"I guess I better fly down to Florida and get this straightened out."

"How soon do you want to go?"

"What's today? Wednesday? What's the nearest airport to your house?"

"Burlington, Vermont."

"We could drive to your house tomorrow. Could we fly out on Saturday?"

"Sure."

_ _ _ _ _

On Wednesday evening I received a voice mail from my dermatologist reminding me that I had an appointment at the VA on Friday morning. One more reason to head back to Vermont. I sent Rita a text that we would be home the next day.

Marianne drove us up through the White Mountains. The leaves were changing in the higher elevations. We crossed over into Vermont's Northeast Kingdom and the trees had just started to turn. Eventually we headed south to my home along the back roads.

It was about four in the afternoon when we pulled into my drive. There were balloons on the mailbox and a homemade banner that said, "Welcome Marianne." Rita and Mark were sitting on my porch and came to welcome us.

My neighbors are in their forties. She is a small, petite woman with a heart of gold. Rita is as down-to-earth as they get. Mark is a construction worker and general handyman. He's slightly shorter than I am, but he is built like a brick wall with hands of steel.

Rita walked over and gave me a hug. I introduced Marianne to my neighbors and Rita hugged her as well.

She said, "If you're Pat's friend, then you're our friend."

Mark shook our hands. I think he was a little intimidated by Marianne. I popped the trunk to get our bags, but Mark scooped them up.

Rita came over to me, "I don't know if you have any plans for dinner, but you are welcome at our table. Most of the food is from your garden -- the tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, zucchinis, and the raspberries."

I looked over at Marianne. She said, "I don't know about Pat, but that sounds wonderful."

I smiled, "That settles it. What time would you like us?"

I could tell that made Rita happy, "We usually eat around half past five."

"Wonderful."

Mark came back from the house. He had a classic Vermont accent, "Cap'n, we've been keeping an eye on things. Everything's fine. Fixed a drip on your kitchen faucet. Mail's on your kitchen table."

"Thank you, my friend."

Rita took Mark's hand, "We'll leave you two be. See you for dinner."

As they walked off, Marianne came over to me. "What sweet neighbors. Your house looks like it could be two hundred years old. It's perfect."

"I had the builders model it after an old house we loved over in New Hampshire, but we only wanted two chimneys."

"Well, it is lovely."

"Let's go in."

I led her through my front door and I could tell she was impressed. It isn't a large home -- 2000 square feet or so. There are some artifacts from various parts of the globe from my travels. Terri and I made it very cozy and tried to use colonial decorating and period pieces as much as possible. The only exceptions were the kitchen and an entertainment area. Even then, the kitchen could have passed for at least 100 years old. Well, except for the appliances.

That afternoon as we were driving over I tried to remember the last time I had dusted and swept, but it looked like Rita had polished everything in sight. What a wonderful neighbor. I would have to do something nice for those two.

Marianne turned to me, "Pat, your home is perfect."

"Well, most of the decorating was Terri's idea. The only thing I really had a say in was the library."

"Well, it is all wonderful."

"Would you like to see the grounds?"

"I'd love it."

I took her outside and we strolled around the property. I showed her my garden and we ate a couple of raspberries. The tomatoes were still loaded. Zucchinis and cucumbers looked like they might be tapped out. Beans were still producing. I showed her the trails going off into my woods. Then we returned to the house.

I led Marianne to the library, my favorite room in the house.

She saw the picture of Spunk and me that my father had framed. "How did you get the name 'Charms'?"

"One St. Paddy's Day I dressed up as a leprechaun and everyone thought I looked like the Lucky Charms guy."

"That makes sense. How about Spunk?"

"A bunch of us walked in on him in his stateroom when he was masturbating."

"Oh wow! Hard to live that one down!"

"Unlike the movies, call signs are usually embarrassing. If my squadron mates had thought of a more humiliating call sign for me I would have gotten it."

She was all smiles, but I could tell something was on her mind.

"Is the Maria thing still bugging you?'

Marianne nodded. "Yes, Maria. But..." She looked in my eyes with a bit of pain. "Please don't be mad at me, but I feel like I am intruding in Terri's house. I can see all the loving things she did to make this a home for the two of you. I don't know if I could sleep with you in your marriage bed."

Here was something I hadn't ever considered. "Well, I have two guest rooms. I suppose we could sleep there. But I am sleeping with you."

"I'm sorry, Pat. I just know how much you loved her. I want to honor that love. I want to honor the life that the two of you built together."

More to think about. I needed to stall for time while I thought this through. "Well, in the meantime, we should probably see what we need from the grocery store. We should pop down to the I.G.A. and pick up something for breakfast at least."

I went to the fridge and Rita had taken care of things there too. I saw a fresh half gallon of milk, a basket of raspberries, a side of bacon, and some fresh eggs, probably from her hens.

I said, "Well, we won't need anything there for a while."

I was out of options, no more stalling. I held out my hand to Marianne. She put her arms around my neck, and I placed my hands on her fine derriere.

"Marianne. Yes, this was Terri's home, but it is my home too. You are welcome to stay here as long as you want. If we find we are compatible with each other, perhaps you will find it is your home."

She gently kissed me. "Thank you Pat. As you were saying that I realize that the last time I felt like I had a home was when I lived with my parents. When I left after my mother laid her guilt trip on me, I don't think I have ever had a home of my own. Living in embassies and government housing didn't do it for me. Certainly the house I have in Florida has never felt like home." She kissed me again. "I guess I need to get used to the idea of actually having a home."

"Fair enough."

"You probably need to go through your mail. Don't mind me. I'll just walk around and see where things are."

Marianne wandered off and explored the house while I opened the mail. Suddenly, I got the feeling that this relationship was going to be a lot harder than I had thought it would be. I felt that old wound bleed just a little.

_ _ _ _ _

We arrived at Mark and Rita's about ten minutes early. Their house is only a few hundred yards away and there is a nice path through the woods. It was a lovely stroll on an early autumn afternoon. Mark was barbequing and Rita had a table set on their patio. I gave them the jerseys I had bought for them at Cooperstown.

Mark drawled in his Vermont accent, "Thanks Cap'n. That's mighty kind of you."

Rita offered us a drink. I just had water. Marianne, a glass of chardonnay. Mark had grilled salmon with maple syrup from our trees. There were also grilled veggies and a fruit salad. Three-quarters of the meal came from less than a half-mile from where we were sitting. Mark brought over a platter of food and we dug in.

Mark opened the conversation, "So, I think I didn't get the memo. How long have you known the good Cap'n here?"

Marianne smiled, "Pat sat in the desk next to me in kindergarten. We've been friends ever since."

"Wow! So high school sweethearts?"

I handled this one, "Marianne's family moved away the summer before high school. I've only seen her once since then. One summer while we were in college. In the days before social media it was hard to stay in touch with each other."

Mark frowned, "That's too bad. But now you've found each other again."

Marianne said, "We're renewing our friendship."

Rita slapped Mark's hand, "We're putting her on the spot. Dear, just ignore my husband."

Marianne laughed, "That's OK. I think it's so cool that you live here. It is like living in a book of Robert Frost's poetry."

I joined in, "He lived all over these parts. Franconia, Ripton, Shaftsbury. He's buried down in Bennington."

Marianne kept things going, "And you said the maple on the salmon is from these trees?"

Mark pointed to a building on the edge of his yard. "Yuh. There's my sugar house. Gather sap from about a fifteen hundred trees including Pat's. Produced about 720 gallons of syrup last year, give or take a few. Give some to my tree people like the Cap'n here. Sell the rest."

'And that's worth the effort?"

"A lot of work, but it's tradition too. Money's decent. Not gonna get rich."

Marianne smiled, "So, Pat keeps telling me he is hard to live with. How is he as a neighbor?"

Rita laughed, "He's a great neighbor, but you don't want to get on the wrong side of him. How about that Town Meeting two years ago?"

Mark took up the story, "Let's just say there was an element of our town folk who wanted to cut the budget for the school district. The Cap'n stood up and gave them hell. It was a really persuasive argument and he didn't cut 'em any slack. He asked 'em where they were educated. Who paid for that education? Then he got a bit sarcastic -- So you got yours and who cares about future generations. He got a big round of applause when he was done and I think only five people voted for cutting the school budget in the end. Cap'n, I think you earned a lot respect from the town folk that day."

I just shrugged, "It was a stupid idea and I showed them why it was stupid."

We finished eating and Marianne helped Rita clear the table. Mark and I chatted on the patio, but the ladies didn't return. I mentioned that to Mark and he said not to worry about it. Rita was trying to make friends.

Eventually they came out and joined us. We stayed past dark and then walked home. I still have great night vision and I helped Marianne along the path.