Somewhere a New Life Awaits

The next morning I was up early. I grabbed a cup of coffee and went out to sit on the front porch to watch the sun come up. Strangely, Caveman Doug was standing in his driveway, his back against the tailgate of his pickup, staring at my house. He was wearing dark clothing so I didn't notice him at first. When I finally saw him, I threw up a wave, but he didn't respond. I know he saw it. He stood there with his arms crossed in front of him and watched me until I got weirded out about it and went back into the house. He was still leaning against his truck and watching when Mel left for work at 6. This dude has some issues, I thought. He finally got into his truck and drove off around 7:05. We didn't see him again until two days later, when he went into his garage at 4 AM (yes, in the fucking morning) and fired up that big Harley. He just sat on it, gassing it and backing off it repeatedly, making more noise than this neighborhood has likely ever experienced. Lights were coming on and several of my neighbors came out on their front lawns throwing up their arms in frustration, but he had his back to us and just kept on revving that motor. I walked out to the street with every intention of saying something to him about what he was doing, but I assume he saw me coming in one of the mirrors on the bike as he shut it off and closed his garage door. What a damn jerk this guy was turning out to be, I thought as I turned and headed back to my warm bed.

The first week in October got unusually cold here in western North Carolina. Temperatures were down in the 20s at night and hovered around the 40 degree mark during the day. Sherry caught me as I was preparing for a brisk ride on my bike and asked me if I would come over and have a look at her gas logs, which she couldn't get fired up. Absofuckinglutely!

I grabbed my tools and can of compressed air and walked over. She had left the front door ajar, so I just walked in. To my surprise, the gas logs were lit and burning beautifully. The room was warm and there was a large blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace with two pillows and two glasses of wine. I looked and saw Sherry walking towards me from her bedroom and my heart skipped a beat. She was wearing a beige colored Teddy and had her hair pulled up off her neck in an extremely sexy way. Her gorgeous legs and large breasts were on full display and almost took my breath away. She walked to me and put her arms around my neck. Looking up into my eyes, she said, "don't be mad at me, Cal. I just need a friend today."

Her kiss was the softest and most urgent I've ever felt. Her tongue was probing and insistent. I pulled her into me as we kissed and was amazed at how she just melted into me. My hands grabbed her sweet ass and pulled her into my hardness. She moaned and pressed her breasts into my chest. She moved her hand to my ass and was pulling me into her as if we weren't yet close enough. I kissed and sucked her neck as we embraced. She moaned as I pushed the straps off her shoulders and lowered my mouth to her hard nipples. I massaged her full tits as I licked and sucked them and buried my face between them. She backed slightly away and took my hand to lead me to the blanket. We sat and she handed me a glass of wine. "Doug left for Jackson, Mississippi last night," she said. "I know Melissa is at work, too." She emptied her wine glass, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said, "If you don't want to do this, you need to tell me now."

We fucked and sucked the day away. I fucked her missionary, she rode me and I fucked her from behind. Her pussy was tight, hot and wet and I couldn't get enough of it. Her eagerness to be fucked was an unbelievable turn-on for me. I came in her pussy and her mouth. She sucked my cock and swallowed my load and I ate her hot pussy and drank her sweetness like the nectar it was, and it was all so fucking beautiful. It wasn't just sex. There was more to it. There is a connection and an emotion between us that has developed over time and talks that made this a day of love-making - not just fucking. Her tenderness towards me was special in a way I find difficult to describe. She wanted me and needed me and showed that to me in every possible way. It was one of the best days of my life, to be honest. I really care for this girl and she is turning my world upside down.

A few days later, Mel and I are sitting in our kitchen drinking coffee before she heads off to the diner. It's pouring down rain and it's still dark outside. I had had a dream about Mel and Marcus that night and I woke up with a hard-on, but also a little pissed off. You might say I got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.

"How's Nancy?" I asked.

Glancing over the rim of her coffee cup, Mel said, "She's fine as far as I know. Why do you ask?"

"Do you think Nancy will ever remarry? Is she even dating anyone?"

Mel cleared her throat and said "Nancy's changed since Jack passed, Cal. She's developed something of a wild streak. She's probably dating a lot of men nowadays."

Pushing, I said, "You're her best friend, aren't you? You don't know if there is someone special in her life?" It came out more like an accusation than a question.

Angrily, she said, "She don't share that shit with me, Cal. If you're that damn interested, ask her yourself!" She emptied her coffee cup in the sink, grabbed her purse and umbrella and walked out the door without even saying good-bye.

Over the next week, I was hoping for, even praying for another opportunity to be with Sherry. Nancy called me one morning before the diner closed and asked me to come by later, but I declined. I think it made her mad, but fuck it. I wanted to stay around the house in case Sherry needed me because I sure needed her. She was home, but the Caveman was also home for a lot of the week, so I kept my distance. It's amazing, and shocking to me, what one day of incredible love-making can do to a man. I'd never been loved like that before - the intimacy was off the charts and it's as addicting as cocaine or heroin. This girl made me feel like I was the only man on earth, and no one has ever made me feel like that before. I love who I am when I'm with her. I find myself thinking there is something missing in my life now if she's not close to me. I've never been a "needy" type of guy, but I need her. I honestly think I'm going off the deep end here. I should probably seek help.

The following Tuesday, I was out in my yard raking leaves. We don't have a lot of trees in the front yard, meaning not a lot of leaves, but I pretended I had a lot because I wanted to give Sherry every opportunity to see me out and about. I was hoping, of course, that she was wanting, and needing, the same thing I was, and the Caveman wasn't home. It wasn't long before I noticed she had come outside and sat on her front steps. I threw up a wave - she waved back. Being able to see her was too much for me to handle, though, and I could not stop myself from throwing down my rake and walking over.

I thought for a second that she was going to go back into her house when she noticed me walking in her direction, but then she waited and met me at the bottom step and hugged me tightly. I wondered what the neighbors would think had they seen our embrace. Silently, she stepped back and turned to sit back down. It was then I noticed the swelling and discoloration around her left eye.

"My God, Sherry, did he hit you?"

She tried to hide her face from me, but I quickly sat down in front of her and brought her chin up so I could see her clearly. "The son of a bitch hit you!"

"No, Cal, no. He didn't," she said. "He got a little drunk on Sunday and fell into me, that's all. I lost my balance and hit my face on the kitchen cabinets. No big deal, Cal, really."

"Bullshit," I said. "What kind of fucking animal could hit you like that, Sherry?" I was angry and shocked and wanted some answers.

"Come inside, Cal," she said.

Inside the house, I shut the door and she rushed into my arms, crying. She held me tightly, as if she would float away if she let me go. I hugged her and kissed her head and tried my best to soothe her, but she cried for a good long time before she was finally able to regain her composure and stepped away from me.

"That's done. Now. I love the concern you show for me, Cal, but if we're to remain close, this subject has to be off-limits. You understand that, right?"

"You're not married to this sorry excuse for a man, Sherry!" I cried. "You don't have to put up with this shit!"

"You're right, Cal, I don't! And I'm not going to much longer, believe me. I'm thinking about leaving and going back to Syracuse. I have a girlfriend, Lynette, up there who will put me up until I can get a job and get on my feet."

I could tell by the determination in her tone that she had been thinking of this for a good long time. Selfishly, I immediately considered a painful existence for me without her.

She looked into my eyes and I saw a look of apprehension and fear cross her face. "I think Doug knows what I'm planning, Cal. I think he took my phone and read the text messages between me and Lynette. That's why he got drunk and lost his temper Sunday."

"I'll miss you terribly, Sherry, but you don't need to spend another night in this house. Let me help you pack and I'll put you on a plane or a bus to New York tonight if you'd like. I'll drive you there myself if you want. I just want you safe."

She laughed a little and said, "I'm already packed, Cal. I packed last night." She walked to me and embraced me and started softly crying again. She was all over the place emotionally, and in a way, so was I.

"Well, let me get my truck and we'll load you up and I'll take you wherever you want." I turned to leave, but she reached and took hold of my shirt sleeve. I looked at her, questioning, hopeful.

She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Let's take a little time together before I never see you again, Cal." She placed her palm against my cheek and looked at me with a loving expression on her face. "Please," she said.

I pulled her to me like she was a lifeline in the middle of a turbulent sea. My hands and mouth were all over her, loving her and needing her. Her scent was intoxicating. Our passion for each other went from ground level to the stratosphere in a matter of seconds. I could not get close enough to her or get her body close enough to me. I quickly began undressing her, but she stopped me and led me to her bedroom. She shut the bedroom door, then sat on the edge of the bed and pulled me to stand in front of her. She unbuckled my belt and unbuttoned my pants. She looked up into my face and smiled at me as she unzipped me and let my pants drop to the floor. She rubbed and kissed me outside of my boxers - I could feel the heat of her breath on my hard cock through the fabric. She hooked her thumbs on both side of my boxers and quickly pulled them down. My cock, as hard as it's ever been in my life, sprang free towards her face. She caught the end of it with her lips and slowly sucked me into her mouth. The heat and wetness of her mouth was such that my head was spinning. I wanted this woman more than I've ever wanted anything in my life. She reached around me and placed her hands on the cheeks of my ass and pulled me to her, never letting my cock escape her mouth. She began sucking me with earnest, helping me pump her eager mouth with her hands on my ass. Her moaning was making me crazy and I was afraid I was going to finish too soon. I think she sensed my level of my excitement and stopped. She stood up and helped me remove my sweatshirt, tossing it aside. She started kissing my stomach and chest. She lightly bit and sucked on my nipples. She then maneuvered herself behind me to gently push me onto her bed. She removed the remainder of my clothes and bent over me to kiss and lick my balls. Her hand, small and feminine with sexy red nail polish, jacked my hard cock as she lovingly sucked each ball into her mouth. Pre-cum was streaming out of me and onto her hand, so she licked and sucked the wetness from the head. She then stood up and removed her clothes. Her sexiness was mind-blowing. I could watch this girl undress all day long.

"I think I'm falling in love with you, Cal," she said. "I've never wanted a man inside me more than you. Let me ride you, baby. Let me make love to you."

She crawled onto the bed and straddled my body. She fed me her gorgeous tits and slid her wet pussy up and down the length of my cock. I wanted my mouth on hers. I wanted to wrap myself around this woman and never let go. I needed her skin on mine. I needed her hands on me. Finally, she positioned her hot pussy over my hardness and allowed me to penetrate her. I was almost faint with pleasure. "Oh, yes," she said, and started pumping her sweet cunt, fucking me slowly and deliberately, leaning down to feed me her hard nipples and cover my face with her breasts. My hands were everywhere - I couldn't decide the place I wanted to touch most. "I love fucking you, Cal," she said. "I love you Cal," she said as she kissed me urgently and passionately. I was in heaven, pumping my hips upward to meet her as she rode me, the bed squeaking loudly with our effort. She straightened up, looking down at me. "Fuck me baby," she said. "Give it to me." We moved in a rhythm that was perfect to only me and her. Her moans of joy and love and lust were like music mixed with mine. We were in a world all our own and never wanted to leave it.

We stayed in bed after the love-making for another hour or so. We talked about her plans and how much we would miss each other. I told her that I loved her. We decided that I would drive her to New York because we needed to be together as long as possible. We even talked about taking our time and making an adventure of it. As we were getting dressed, we heard a sound that stopped us cold. On the other side of the bedroom door, someone coughed. Sherry looked at me with a look of absolute panic and terror. I was suddenly having trouble catching my breath. After a few minutes of extreme anxiety for both of us, we opened the door.

Doug was in the living room sitting on the couch with a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand. His face was a mask of anger and agony that I can't describe and hope I never see again.

"Welcome back to the real fucking world, Sherry and Cal," he said as if he'd read our earlier thoughts. He put his hand between the cushions on the couch and pulled out a gun. Sherry gasped when she saw it. He stood, pointed the gun at me and pulled back the hammer. Sherry was whimpering and saying "no, no, no" as she watched the pain and heartbreak consume her boyfriend. I knew my life was over and even wondered, briefly, how Mel would do without me. As he stood there with the barrel of the gun pointed at my face, he bellowed with pain and misery that the Devil himself couldn't create or equal. "Get your fucking ass out of my home! Get the fuck out!" he screamed at me. I looked at Sherry, who was shaking with terror. I asked her to come with me. "I will shoot your fucking ass!" Doug screamed at me. Sherry was nodding her head towards the door, encouraging me to leave quickly. So, I left. I could hear him crying and screaming at her as I walked away. I was ashamed and terrified and worried about what he would do. I should have called the cops.

I watched that day and kept a constant vigil on their house that night, but there was no indication of further trouble. I stood ready to assist Sherry in getting away from this dangerous situation. All I needed was to hear her say she needed me, but I didn't see her again that day or night.

There was no movement or activity at the house the next day, either. Doug's truck never moved. Sherry didn't come out to get their mail. I was thinking that maybe they were trying to work things out. I didn't want that, selfishly, but they have somehow managed to stay together for 10 years. They must know how to patch up things when needed. My level of concern was growing by the hour, though, and I really started to get scared when no interior lights were turned on in the house that night. Did they leave and I missed it?

The next day, Saturday, with nothing changing, Mel had seen enough. At 2PM she called the cops and suggested that they check on our neighbors, Doug and Sherry, Crabapple Drive, Columbus. Several hours passed before a car showed up and knocked on their door.

Polk County authorities spent a lot of time at the Willis house that day and night. Willis was Doug's last name, I learned. They came to the conclusion that Doug Willis murdered his live-in girlfriend, a Ms. Sherry Dawson, before turning the firearm on himself. The Coroner estimated the crime to have occurred Friday morning between the hours of 1 and 4 AM. The questions they had for me and Mel were fairly predictable with one exception. How well had we known Doug Willis? How well had we known Ms. Dawson? Had we ever seen any indication of trouble between them? Did we see anything that might lead us to believe that Ms. Dawson was having an affair? Then they asked if I would be willing to supply a DNA sample. I didn't see that coming, but even in a state of shock, I was able to respectfully refuse that request. I have never been in trouble in my life. The authorities don't even have my fingerprints on file and I suggested to them that I would prefer to keep it that way. As it appeared to be a case of domestic violence, I was not forced to comply and no court order or subpoena ever materialized. When it was all over and everyone on our street had been questioned by the authorities, I thanked God for not having nosy, spying neighbors.

My tragic loss of Sherry and the paralyzing guilt I felt for what happened eventually changed my life in a way I would have never imagined. Mel and I stayed together another 4 months before I told her I had acquired the services of a lawyer and filed for divorce. I didn't say it, but her "curiosity" fucked our marriage. Something inside of me wants to say her curiosity played a part in two people losing their lives, but is that really true? Can I assign my responsibility away that easily? No, I can't. But it was more than that. Sherry showed me something I never knew existed. I thought I knew what it was like to love someone, but I really never had a clue. I didn't know the life and love I was missing out on until Sherry showed it to me. I could never be the same again. I didn't want to be the same. I told Mel she could have the house and the alimony would be generous enough that she would never have to worry about money. I packed my clothes, my golf clubs and my bicycle into my truck. I thanked a stunned and dismayed Melissa for 20 good years, kissed her on the cheek and then simply drove away. I did not look back.

On my way out of town, I stopped by Nancy's house to tell her good-bye. "What's happened to you, Cal?" she asked me standing at her front door and shaking her head.

"If it's all the same to you, Nancy, I'll be keeping that to myself. I'd appreciate it if you don't tell Mel what I saw that day in the diner. Good luck to you."

I turned, walked back to my truck and drove away. Somewhere, a new life awaits.