Single Again Ch. 05

What a disappointing week I think as I lay in bed. What had started out with so much promise quickly disintegrated. It started Sunday morning with Mandy. After the night we had, I was hoping for more of the same in the morning. When I woke up she wasn't in bed. I found her sitting in the kitchen wearing one of my shirts and playing with the puppy. She got up and came over to me but only hugged me. She was embarrassed because she hadn't brushed her teeth which made sense so I let her borrow a new tooth brush and we quickly went back to bed. Just before things got going though, her phone rang. It was Anna calling to say that Levi was asking to go home. That pretty much ended anything I had planned.

After dropping her off at Anna's house and making a promise to meet up later in the week I went back home. Just as I walked through the door my phone rang. It was Heather with news that we couldn't borrow her friend's cabin because it was already being rented. I could tell she was disappointed and told her that we could still do something else so after we hung up we both tried to find another place to go. As it turns out there is some sort of festival and everything was booked. We decided to postpone our getaway with a promise to get together. Unfortunately that never happened as Heather came down with a cold and was stuck at home all week.

But the highlight of the week would be my date with Summer. It started out promising when I arrived at her house. She answered the door in a very sexy little black dress. Sadly, that turned out to be the only bright spot of the night. She was very nervous and didn't say much on the drive over to the party. She relaxed some once we got there, but then her ex-boyfriend arrived with a girl that I can only describe as hideous. She was about the same height as Summer, but probably weighed twice as much, was covered in tattoos and had half her head shaved while the other half was multi-colored. Summer went nuts when she saw her and started ranting and raving about her. She then started drinking heavily till I had to hold her hair back while she puked over the railing into the lake.

I took her home and tried to put her to bed. Somehow she got the idea that we were going to have sex, but it was the furthest thing from my mind. All I wanted to do was go home and straight to bed so I could start fresh. When I pushed her away from trying to kiss me she started crying and screaming about what a terrible person she was. It took me an hour to get her settled down and finally one of her roommates came home and helped me get her to bed. Her roommate was a big help and I soon found myself at home, sitting on my back deck drinking a large glass of bourbon.

About the only good thing that happened that week was that I saw Judy several times and even though nothing was happening, she was definitely the highlight of the week. She brought her dog over to play with Pup and the dogs had a really good time. I got to know her a little which turned out to be great, but something kept stopping me from asking her out on a date. Although she was always smiling, there seemed to be something hidden that I couldn't quite figure out.

The phone rings and brings me out of my reverie. "Hey John, it's Heather."

"Hey, are you feeling better?"

"Yes, finally. Thanks for asking. Do you have any plans for today?"

"Just finish off a small project, but it shouldn't take me long. What do you have in mind?"

"Unfortunately not what you are probably thinking, although I wish I had time for that," she says and then laughs.

"How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"Please, I'm thinking the same thing and hope that I can see you sometime this week. I actually need a favor from you."

"Ok," I say cautiously.

"A friend of mine needs someone strong to help her move some boxes. She says it shouldn't take long, maybe an hour or so and she'd pay you for helping her."

"I can help her out and she doesn't need to pay me."

"She insists that she pay you. It's not a lot, but she can't do it herself. She's a really nice lady. I'll give you her number and I'll let you set it up."

After taking the number and saying goodbye I call her friend. "Hello."

"Hi Becky, my name is John. Heather asked me to give you a call."

"Oh right. She told you'd call. Did she explain what I need?"

"Just that you had some boxes to move."

"It's more than just some boxes. It's all of my ex-husband's stuff. Clothes, tools and a bunch of other stuff. I just need it moved to the garage so that he can pick it up tomorrow. I don't even know what is in each box since he did the packing himself."

"I can be there in an hour."

"That would be great. Thank you so much." She gave me her address and an hour later I pull up to her house. She lives in one of the nicer neighborhoods in town. I had looked at a few houses here myself and had almost bought one right down the street.

I knock on the door and am speechless when Becky opens the door. Becky is about 5'8 with long dark hair, greenish-brown eyes and very dark skin. She is athletically built with nice tits, a thin waist and long muscular legs. "Hi, John. I'm Becky. Come on in."

"Thanks. It's nice to meet you Becky." She steps aside and I notice that she is walking with a crutch. I try not to stare but she's already noticed.

"A present from my ex. He came home drunk after a business meeting that didn't go too well and he decided to take it out on me." Her eyes showed how angry she was, but her tone is measured, like she was trying to stay in control. I look at her face more closely and see the carefully concealed black eye and a few other marks. "This is why I needed your help. He was supposed to take it with him the other day but he got interrupted. Or so he says."

I don't know what to say and just ask to show me what needs to be moved. There are boxes scattered all over the place and have obviously been left on purpose to make it inconvenient. "I tried to move some of them, but it is just too much. I called Heather hoping she'd know someone that could help and she told me about you."

"I'll take care of it. Where do you want me to put them?"

"In the garage is fine unless you know of a deep, dark cave we can bury them." I can tell that she is right on the edge of a meltdown so I just start moving boxes. "And you don't have to be careful with them."

"Do you want to check any of these before I start stacking them?"

"No thanks. Let the bastard take whatever he wants." There are tears starting to form in her eyes but she turns away to try and hide them from me.

It takes me less than an hour to get them all in the garage, but I can't find Becky to tell her I am done. I call her name but she doesn't answer and I start to get concerned. While walking through the house again I hear her voice and realize that she is out back. I find her talking on the phone and clear my throat to get her attention.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I've moved everything. Do you need anything else?"

"Hold on. I'll be right there." She says good-bye to whoever she is speaking to and comes back inside. "Thank you so much. I'm sure there are a lot of other things you'd rather be doing on a nice day like today. Let me at least pay you."

"Don't be silly. A friend of Heather's is a friend of mine. You have my number so if you need anything else just call." For the first time since I got here she smiles.

"Thank you. That means a lot." As Becky walks me to the front door her crutch catches on the edge of the carpet and I quickly catch her before she falls to the floor. One of my arms is pressed against her chest and I move it quickly to keep her from thinking I'm trying to feel her up. I can feel my cheeks heat up in embarrassment and I notice her cheeks are red as well.

She suddenly laughs and a moment later I start to laugh too. "Trying to take advantage of a crippled woman. How shameful!" She is still laughing though and I help her get steady on her feet again. "To be honest, that's the most action I've had in a long time. Maybe I should trip again."

"I'll be more careful with my hands next time."

"Who said anything about being careful?" Her smile slowly leaves her face and I am again at a loss for words. "I'm sorry. I'm a real mess. The past week hasn't exactly been the best of my life." The tears start to build in her eyes and she quickly turns away. I take her arm and pull her into a hug. That seems to set her off and she begins to cry. It starts out softly but quickly becomes large sobs. She hugs me tightly as her sadness takes over and I hold her for a long time till she finally calms down again.

When she finally steps back her face is a mess. The makeup she is wearing to cover her black eye is running down her face. There are other marks on her face where it looks like someone slapped her a few times. She looks at my shoulder and quickly starts to apologize. I look and see a large wet spot and a bunch of makeup mixed together.

Without a word she hobbles into her bathroom and shuts the door. "Don't leave, I'll be right out." I hear the water running and a few minutes later she comes back out. Her face is clean, but I can easily see the marks where she was hit. "I know I look like a fright. I wasn't expecting to cry on your shoulder."

"You look gorgeous," I say.

"You don't have to be nice, but thank you. I really would like to pay you, but since you won't take money, can I make you dinner later?"

"That would be nice. But can I take a rain check?"

"Oh,uh, sure. I understand," she says, her voice dripping with disappointment.

"No, you don't. While not nearly as bad as yours, my week hasn't exactly been a big party either and I really would just like to stay home tonight before I start my work week." I feel bad, but all I really want to do is lie around the house and do nothing.

"Ok, another night then."

I take her hand and kiss it gently. "I've got your number and you have mine too. Call me if you need anything."

She thanks me and I leave to head home. I finish my project and decide to take Pup for a walk. While Pup is playing in the water my phone rings and I see that it is Summer. I'm not sure I want to answer but do so anyway. "Hey Summer. How's the head feeling?"

"I am so, so sorry about last night. I didn't know he was going to be there and when I saw who he was with I lost my mind. I can't even begin to imagine how horrible you must think of me."

"You've definitely dropped a few notches, that's for sure."

"John, I want to make it up to you in the worst way. Are you free tonight?"

"No. I'm planning on staying in tonight and keeping it quiet."

"Please. Can I stop by to at least speak to you? I won't stay long." Her voice is starting to crack a little and for a moment I think about letting her off the hook. "I just want to make things right so that it's not awkward when we see each other."

"Look Summer, last night was a complete disaster and did not leave me with a good impression of you. I think for now we just need to stay friendly."

"I understand. Will you at least say hi to me when you come into the store?"

"Of course. Call me later in the week and we can talk about other things."

"Ok," she says sadly. "I'll talk to you later." She hangs up before I can respond.

"That was an interesting conversation." I jump and turn to see Judy and her dog standing about ten feet away. "Must have been one hell of a date."

I chuckle and say "You have no idea." Pup goes right over to Judy and Maggie, her dog. Judy unhooks Maggie's leash and the two dogs go running into the lake. Maggie is a full German shepherd and is about two years old. She is very gentle with Pup, even when Pup gets a little full of himself. Judy comes and sits next to me.

"How bad could it have been?" Her eyes are dancing with mirth waiting to hear about my date. I really don't want to discuss it with her, but she's already caught me so what choice do I have.

"She invited me to a party with a bunch of her friends. Her ex-boyfriend showed up with," I hesitate trying to think of the right word, "I can't even describe his date. She was hideous."

"And you date wasn't?"

"Summer is extremely cute and I have no idea why a guy would dump her for the girl he was with. It absolutely boggles the mind."

"So let me guess what happens next. She went all ape-shit."

"That's an understatement. She started pounding shots and about an hour later she puked over the railing of the deck. Once she got everything out I took her home where she tried to kiss me. Her breath was terrible and I almost lost my stomach. Her roommate finally helped put her to bed. What you heard was her trying to apologize."

"She sounds lovely." There is a tinge of anger mixed in with the sarcasm and for a moment Judy's eyes flash. She quickly recovers though.

"What was your worst first date?"

She snorts at me and says, "Where should I start? Maybe I should list the jerks that have tried to get me naked after a crappy dinner and movie or maybe the guy that showed up with alcohol on his breath and barely able to walk. Then there is the time a guy showed up two hours late and couldn't understand why I wasn't ready to leave. Guys are all jerks, present company excluded." She pauses and smiles.

We don't speak for several minutes. Finally she breaks the silence.

"That list of first dates that I mentioned is pretty much all true stories. I've dated a long line of losers over the past ten or so years, but the worst mistake I ever made was my last boyfriend. We were together for three years and it was a living nightmare. We started dating while I was still in school working to be a PA. I got a great job working for a children's hospital after graduating. He used to beat me regularly. If I was five minutes late I would get slapped around. If dinner wasn't perfect I'd get punched in the stomach. And for some reason I took it all." Tears are running down her cheeks by now. I'm too stunned to say anything.

"It finally ended one night when he went too far and broke my wrist. Something happened to my brain and I grabbed the nearest thing I could find. Fortunately for him it wasn't a knife but I did enough damage. He wound up in the hospital for a month. After the police took statements, they pressed charges against him and he went to jail. Now he's on the receiving end of what happened to me. Somehow his prison mates heard about what he did. He's been in the hospital several times because of his beatings."

We stare at each other for a while without saying anything. "What happened next for you?"

"I moved here and started over again. My family tried to help, but they were part of my problem, so I just left everything behind. I rented a room from this older lady, got treatment for myself and slowly started to recover. The woman I rented the room from and I became very close one night and things progressed to more than just friends." She pauses to see if I understand what she means.

"You became lovers?" I ask.

"Yes. She was nice and kind and very supportive. She didn't make me feel like a sex object. Eventually the arrangement changed and I move into her bedroom. Things were great for a while, but eventually I wanted more. About six months ago I realized that she couldn't give me what I really needed. I tried to make it work, but I think she understood what was happening. We are still living together, but I've moved back into my own room." She stops again and waits to see if I am following her. When I don't say anything, she goes on.

"I'm not gay. I can't quite put my finger on how I know. Being with Linda was nice, but not really satisfying. She is someone that I care dearly about. She was there for me when I needed someone and she has helped me get through all the dark times. The last week I have been feeling something that I haven't felt in a long time. Unfortunately I don't think the feeling is being returned."

It takes a few minutes but finally the light bulb goes off in my head. "I'm such a dense idiot. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"Wow, I thought I was going to have to hit you with a tree. Yes, I'd like to have dinner with you."

"Hey, I never claimed to be the brightest guy in the world."

"I've been waiting for you to ask me all week. Why do you think I keep showing up?"

"I thought you liked the Pup. There just always seemed to be something about you that kept me from asking."

"It's called fear. I just told you about all those bad first dates and what happened with my last boyfriend. I'm scared out of my mind that it's going to go bad. Promise me you'll be good to me."

"I promise." I can't think of anything else to say so I ask, "Where would you like to go?"

"There's a little Italian place in town that I like. It's quiet so we can get to know each other better." She pauses a moment. "I need to ask you something before this goes any further though."

"Ok." I'm curious and nervous at the same time.

"Who's the sexy brunette you had over last weekend?"

"A friend of mine," I answer lamely. "Her name is Heather. How do you know about her?"

She blushes and looks away. "I walked over that night after we met and saw her standing on the deck looking out over the lake. It was obvious you had slept with her because she was wearing a t-shirt that was obviously yours."

"Do you always walk around the lake at that time?"

"No. I was coming over to see you."

I smile as I realize what she is saying. "She's a friend. You know about my divorce. Heather was the first person I'd been with. She helped me buy that house."

"So she's not your girlfriend."

"No, she's just a very close friend."

"Think she'd help me find my own place?"

"If you ask nicely." Suddenly the dogs race over to us and shake out their wet coats. Judy and I are soaked.

"Damn Maggie, what have I told you about that?" But she's laughing at the same time and jumps up to chase after her dog. Pup gets into the action as well and, unfortunately for Judy, trips her. Falling off balance she lands in the lake. I jump up and help her to her feet, apologizing the whole time. Her shirt is soaking wet and has quickly become see-thru. I can easily see her bra through the wet material.

"I'm so sorry. Are you Ok?"

"Other than being wet I'm fine. It wasn't your fault. I didn't see Pup run over."

"Let's get you to my place and into something dry."

"I'm fine. I can walk back to my car just as easy."

"You may want to look down. Your shirt is pretty much transparent."

"Oh shit," she says and covers herself.

I quickly pull my shirt off and hand it to her. "Stand behind a tree and change shirts."

"You don't have to do that," she says as she looks at my bare chest. I'm glad to see she has a look of admiration on her face.

"Just do it. It's warm enough but I wouldn't want you to get into trouble." She laughs when I say that and steps forward to grab the shirt. Or so I thought. Instead she wraps her arms around my neck and soundly kisses me. Surprised, I step back, almost tripping on a root.

Just as suddenly as she kisses me, she steps away, holding my shirt. Instead of going behind a tree she pulls her soaked shirt over her head. Her breasts are incredible and I can't help but stare. She waits a few minutes before putting my shirt on and then kisses me again.

"I hope you enjoyed the show," she says as she steps back.

"Very much. Any chance I can have an encore?"

"Why don't we go back to your place and we can talk about it?" Judy is just full of surprises. Quickly I grab the dogs and we walk back to the house. We hold hands as we walk and I can feel a nervous energy radiating from her. Once we get to the house I grab some towels for the dogs and we make sure they are Ok in the yard. "They won't be able to get out, will they?"