Relativity Part C

These events take place late in the Fall after Denae and Bill had known each other for a few months.

Relativity - Part C

The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving went by quickly. Outside of class, Bill and Denae saw each other on a near daily basis and Denae managed to bring up the upcoming holiday visit every time they got together. The plan was for Denae to leave for home after her last class the Friday before Thanksgiving and for Bill and his mother to fly down from Charlotte the Tuesday before the big day.

When Bill and Cheryl's flight landed, Denae was waiting for them at the airport. She was wearing a light dress and some sandals, which fit with the weather as it was a warm day, typical for that part of Florida at that time of year. On the drive to the Rapallinos' house, Denae told them her parents were very much looking forward to meeting them both. They imposed on Denae to make a quick stop at a grocery store so they could pick up some flowers, explaining they also had a bottle of wine to give her parents.

"Home, sweet home," Denae announced as she pulled the car up to a two-story brick house.

As they all got out of the car, Bill and Cheryl could smell the ocean. "Mmm. I love that ocean smell," Cheryl commented.

"The beach is right behind the house," Denae informed them.

Bill looked around the front of the house. It was smaller than he imagined. There was no garage. At the front door, two flags fluttered in the breeze; an American flag and an Italian flag.

Bill carried a bouquet of flowers in one hand and Cheryl held a bottle of wine in hers. As they all walked up to the front door, Denae could sense Bill's apprehension, so she took him by the hand. "Don't worry. They'll love you as much as I do," she whispered to him.

When Denae opened the door, she announced, "Mama, Papa. We're here."

They entered into a family room with large brown tiles for flooring, which connected to the dining area that offered a view out of the back of the house. A man and a woman soon emerged from around a corner to the right of the dining area. They both appeared to be in their 50s. She had a slim build, similar to Denae while he was larger both in height and girth. She was all smiles as she wiped her hands on a dish towel, but he was more reserved. They walked toward Denae who was standing between the two guests.

"Mama and Papa, this is Cheryl Collins and this is Bill," she said, beaming. "Cheryl and Bill, this Serena and Salvatore Rapallino."

The Rapallinos greeted Bill and Cherly warmly and bade them both welcome. They had accents, but not heavy ones.

"Please call me Sam," Denae's father said quickly.

Bill held the flowers out to Denae's mother. "Mrs. Rapallino, these are for you. Thank you for inviting us."

She smiled as she took them from Bill. Cheryl held out the bottle of wine, "This is for both of you. Thank you so much for having us here."

Denae's father received the wine, held it up and, in very good English said, "Ah, look, Serena. We will have this with dinner. Yes?" And then he thanked Cheryl.

Denae's mom hugged them both while her father shook their hands. While shaking his hand, Bill told Denae's father it was very nice to meet him. Serena invited them to sit down and so all five moved to take seats in the family room; Denae's father in a chair, the two moms on one couch and Bill and Deane on the other couch. Denae held Bill's hand.

Bill noticed that Mrs. Rapallino was, like Denae, very beautiful. She looked like Denae in many ways, but had larger breasts and her long, dark hair had a single streak of gray, which Bill found attractive. Mr. Rapallino looked like someone who could hold his own in a fight. He was solidly built and had big forearms. He would seem intimidating to most anyone, not just his daughter's boyfriend.

After some polite chit-chat, Cheryl remarked that they had a lovely home. Serena jumped up and offered to show Cheryl the room in which she would be staying. She turned to Bill and explained that there were no more bedrooms in the house, but he would stay in the cabana out by the pool, assuring him there was a sleeper sofa, a TV, and a bathroom. She pointed out her husband often secluded himself there to watch sports and to get away from the Denae and her.

As the moms headed up the stairs, Denae pulled Bill toward the back door between the kitchen and the dining room. As they emerged from the doorway, Bill stopped to look at a small version of paradise. There was a pool and a hot tub. The pool was kidney shaped and the hot tub was at one end, elevated above the pool, with water from it cascading down into the pool. There was plenty of concrete surface for an outdoor dining table, a sitting area with a couch and two chairs and a grill off to one side. The cabana was at the other side, accessible through a sliding glass door. Some chaise lounges were set up in front of it. There were a few palm trees lining the perimeter of the yard and a wooden fence ran along the back of the pool deck. Beyond the pool, he could see the Gulf of Mexico.

Denae watched Bill take in the backyard. "We'll walk out to the beach later if you want."

Stupefied, he only replied, "Yeah. Let's do that."

She tugged on his arm. "Let me show you your room."

She led him over to the cabana and slid the door open. As Mrs. Rapallino had said, there was a couch and a bathroom. It was furnished with towels and new soap and shampoo. There was also a TV mounted on the wall and a drafting table in one end of the room. It was not large, but he was certain he would enjoy his stay.

As they returned to the house, Bill continued to look around. "You grew up here and you wanted to leave to go to college in North Carolina?" he asked in disbelief. "Are you nuts?"

"I needed a change of scenery for a few years. There's something to be said for the mountains."

Denae and Bill and Serena and Cheryl all rejoined Sam in the family room. They visited and started to get to know one another. Periodically, Serena excused herself to check on dinner. Cheryl and Bill learned about the Rapallino's journey to the states and his work as an engineer, designing some of the rides at the parks in Orlando. They heard a lot about Denae and her formative years. In turn, the Rapallinos heard about Cheryl's life in North Carolina and asked Bill questions about him.

They continued their conversations over dinner. Serena had prepared a chicken dish that Bill and Cheryl enjoyed tremendously. It reminded Bill of some of the dinners Denae had made for him. All but Bill drank wine with their dinner; he had a beer. At one point, Serena thanked Cheryl and Bill again for coming, telling them Denae had spoken to them often about Bill and had been anxious for them to meet him.

"It's been a long time since Denae has invited a boy over for dinner," Serena observed.

"Yes. After what Papa did to the last one, I thought it would be best to wait for a really good one," Denae said cheerfully.

"Yes. I did not like that other boy. He was annoying," Sam said indignantly.

Both intrigued and concerned, Bill looked at Denae and asked, "What happened last time? If you don't mind me asking."

Denae looked over at her father and said, "Part way through dinner, Papa made the poor guy think he was in the mafia and had business associates who could kill him and dispose of his body in the Gulf so no one would ever find it."

Cheryl laughed and Bill tried to laugh but was too nervous to do so. Instead, he took a sip of his beer.

Sam held his hands up, moving them up and down. "That boy was no good. I could tell right away. And it turned out I was right."

Denae's mother admonished her husband. "Yes, yes. I did not like him either. But that is no excuse for poor manners."

Later in the meal, Serena asked Denae how Suzy was doing. Sam perked up and wanted to know about her as well. Denae told them she was at home with her family and she was doing OK at school and was looking forward to graduating.

"Ah, the boobs on that one," Serena said, laughing. Looking at Cheryl, she continued, "Any of us would be proud to have such boobs."

Sam laughed at the remark and added, "Suzy is a good girl. She says what's on her mind." Looking at Bill, he stated, "She says good things about you, Bill. Denae had been telling us about you, but we expect her to say nice things. But when Suzy said you were a really nice boy, we knew you were."

Bill looked surprised, having supposed that if Suzy said anything about him it would be disparaging in some way.

Serena jumped in, "Oh, yes. She told us Denae met a very sweet boy."

After dinner, there was dessert and coffee. Denae noticed the sun had gone down. "Would anyone want to walk out on the beach for a few minutes? The sun is down and by now the Noseeums should be gone."

Bill indicated he would like to see the beach. Cheryl asked what Noseeums were and learned they are tiny, biting gnats that come out around dusk. They are small, making them nearly impossible to see and their bites hurt enough to be irritating.

Denae suggested they all refill their drinks for the trip outside. After doing so, Denae retrieved a flashlight from one of the kitchen cabinets and they all headed out past the pool, took off their shoes and walked through the gate in the fence and out onto the beach. Cheryl and Bill, not having ready access to a beach took more time to appreciate the surroundings than the Rapallinos. Cheryl, whose only frame of reference for beaches was the Outer Banks of North Carolina was taken with how calm the Gulf was compared to the Atlantic and she liked how the sand here was softer than at the Outer Banks.

When they went back inside, they all visited well into the evening. Along the way, Serena got out lots of pictures of Denae's childhood to share with Bill and Cheryl. They saw the various stages of her life from her baby pictures up through high school. There were plenty of shots of her as a cheerleader, pictures of her on the Golf Team, pictures of her on the Homecoming Court every year of High School, plenty of pictures of her with various boyfriends and pictures of prom. Cheryl raved about how beautiful Denae was in her prom dress.

As the evening drew to a close, Denae informed Bill and Cheryl that the plans for Wednesday included Bill and her father going fishing while the girls would go to their club for spa treatments and lunch.

Sam let Bill know they would head out for the marina at five forty-five a.m. Bill assured him he would be ready to go and was looking forward to it. Serena promised Cheryl they would not need to get up early, that their day would be a leisurely one.

All said their 'goodnights' and headed for bed. Denae walked Bill to the back door where she kissed him goodnight, but only after making sure her Papa was not watching.

Once showered, Bill laid in the bed, looking around the inside of the cabana. He was able to look through the glass door and up at the lights in the windows at the back of the second story of the house. He missed holding Denae close to him.

As he laid there, his eyes got heavy and random thoughts passed through his mind: was Denae thinking of him right then?; Serena's dinner was really good; he did not know anything about salt water fishing; the mattress was thin and uncomfortable; he hoped the Rapallinos liked him; Noseeums was a silly name.

Suddenly, he was completely naked, laying on a padded table with a towel wrapped around his waist. Everything around him was white. The walls were white tile. The floor was white tile. The towel over him was white. The lights in the room were white. He could smell chlorine and hear noises that led him to realize an indoor pool was nearby. A beautiful blond woman with large breasts entered the room but did not speak to him. She was wearing white nurse's scrubs and white sneakers. He somehow knew her name was Gretchen.

Gretchen walked to him and patted his penis through the towel and smiled at him. Gretchen then reached her hand under the towel and began stroking him, which he enjoyed very much. She started by gently caressing him with her fingertips. Then she unwrapped the towel and progressed to using her whole hand to stimulate him and smiled at him the entire time.

Suddenly Gretchen shrieked. At that same time, he was instantly back in the cabana and now Denae was leaning over him, cupping her hands together over his penis as if she were trying to contain a spill.

"Damn. You sure exploded fast," laughing quietly as she whispered. "I didn't expect that. I guess my scream woke you up. I hope no one else heard it."

Trying to come to his senses, Bill asked, "What's going on?"

Denae backed off the bed and stood up, still cupping her hands together. "You just came all over my hands and yourself."

She started walking toward the bathroom. Denae did not turn on any lights, but the light coming through the glass door that illuminated the cabana enough for him to see she was wearing a T-shirt that came down to just below her hips. Her legs and feet were bare. He looked down toward his midsection, still confused. He could hear water running at the sink in the bathroom. Denae soon returned with a wet washcloth and started wiping him up. He could tell by the way the thin shirt laid over her perky breasts she was not wearing a bra and he wondered if she was wearing panties.

In a whisper, she said "I snuck out here for a quick booty call. You were asleep, so I decided to fluff you by using my hands. I had no idea my hands were so good you'd get off that quick."

Now beginning to understand what had happened, he quietly replied, "I was having this dream..."

Still cleaning him up, she asked, "A dream, huh? What was it about?"

"A beautiful, blonde German woman with really big boobs was massaging my package."

She finished her cleaning duties and pulled Bill's boxer shorts up and the sheet and blanket over him. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, but it was just an Italian brunette with small boobs."

"That's OK. I prefer brunettes anyway. And your boobs are perfect."

Denae got up again and returned to the bathroom with the washcloth. He could hear more water running. She returned without the washcloth and knelt down on the bed next to him. He put his hand on the outside of her thigh and let it roam up toward her rear end. He wanted to feel her smooth skin and also check to see if she was wearing panties.

"So, you're here for a booty call? That makes me feel cheap and dirty, but I like it."

"We'll need to make it tomorrow night now. I can't wait around for you to recover. I should get back in the house. I don't want Papa to know I came out here. Your mom is alright with us having sex, but my parents wouldn't like it. And Papa would kill us both."

He shook his head. "What makes you think my mom is alright with us having sex? She doesn't know."

Realizing she gave away the secret between Cheryl and her, Denae tried to minimize the damage. "Oh. I bet she would be OK if she knew. But no sense in trying to find out."

She kissed him before he could say anything else. "I gotta go. You can take your hand off my ass now. Good night. I'll see you tomorrow when you and Papa get back."

He lightly grasped her fingers as she pulled away and he watched her walk out the door.

The next morning, Bill's alarm woke him up at five o'clock. He did not want to keep Mr. Rapallino waiting. By ten after five, he was dressed and in the kitchen. Denae's father came down soon after and seemed impressed that Bill was already waiting for him.

"Sir, part of me wanted to make you some coffee so it would be ready when you came down, but this is not my house, so I did not want to presume to use your kitchen," he whispered.

Sam cocked his head. "Is OK. I will make us some to go."

Denae's father soon had the coffee maker going and the aroma of coffee was wafting around the kitchen. He signaled with this hand that he remembered something and disappeared through a door at the side of the kitchen. He returned with a cooler that Bill judged to be full by the way Denae's father handled it.

"This is for after the coffee," he said quietly.

Denae's father retrieved two travel mugs from a cabinet and they each filled one with coffee. Sam motioned it was time to leave and Bill picked up the cooler and they both headed out the door. A short drive later, they were at the marina and soon on the boat. The only type of boat Bill was familiar with was the small Jon boat at his family farm so he did not know what kind he was boarding now. He would later observe it had a cabin below with a bathroom, a bedroom and a small kitchen. There was a large, open area at the rear, where they had come aboard.

Sam gave Bill instructions about untying the two ropes that secured the boat to the dock. Soon they were underway and leaving the marina for the open Gulf. The sky was just beginning to brighten in the East behind them as they made their way out.

For several minutes nothing was said between them. Same was piloting the boat and Bill sat at the back, looking around the boat and the surrounding Gulf of Mexico. He saw other boats heading out and some that were already stopped with their occupants fishing from them. Eventually, Sam stopped the engines and turned them off. He turned around and joined Bill.

"Bill, please hand me a beer from the cooler. And get one for yourself."

"Yes sir," Bill nervously stammered. He reached in, pulled two bottles out and handed one to Denae's father.

"Bill. Bill. You should not be so nervous. I'm not really in the Mafia. That was just a story for that boy I did not like," he said, laughing.

They both opened their beers and took a sip.

"Bill, do you like to fish?"

"Yes sir. But I've only fished in lakes, never salt water."

"If you want to fish, I can get you a rod."

"Aren't you going to fish, sir?"

Laughing, Sam replied, "Me? No. I have tried for years to learn, but I'm not good at it. Now, Denae. She knows how to fish. She's very good at it. Not me. I just wanted to bring you out here to talk to you. To get to know you."

"Yes sir," Bill said, cautiously.

"Bill, you are the second boy Denae has brought home from college. She must think highly of you."

"I'm very glad to hear that, sir."

Denae's father went on to observe that Bill was different from other young men, noting that he had a firm handshake, looked people in the eye, and was very respectful. All were admirable qualities in his estimation. Bill thanked him for the compliments.

"Bill, what is your intention with my Denae?"

The enormity of such a question caused Bill to stop and think. He had not really contemplated his intentions toward Denae. He knew only that he loved her and wanted to be in her life, but he had not given a lot of thought to the future. As he fiddled with his beer bottle, he sighed.

"Sir, I imagine you would want me to give you an honest answer."

"Yes. I would appreciate that. And while I'm not in the Mafia, I am Sicilian and I can tell when people lie to me."

"Sir, to tell you the truth, I don't know. I have feelings for Denae that I've never had for anyone. I mean she's wonderful. She is kind and smart and beautiful. When we're together, all is right with the world. When we're apart, she's all I can think about."

He shook his head and continued. "She and I haven't really talked about the future. I have not looked too far ahead. I'm afraid too because I'm afraid at some point, she'll realize she could do a lot better than me."

Denae's father chuckled a little. "Bill, did you know Denae was born very premature?"

Bill looked at the man, a little stunned. "No, sir. I had no idea."

"Yes. She was not even four pounds when she was born." He held up his hand with his palm out. "Her tiny little hands were not much bigger than my thumb."