The Spark

This story is about a mature couple who are over 18. It builds slowly to a climax so if you want a quick thrill you won't find it here. Thank you for reading.

*****

Dee Webb was surprised at herself. She wasn't even divorced a month and she was thinking about a new relationship. All of her friends, and all of the magazine articles, and all of the self-help books, said the same thing: don't jump into a new relationship right away after a divorce, give yourself some time to heal, take time to get to know yourself. It was ironic that the same sources complained at the lack of good marriageable men out there. Her friends who had divorced constantly were bemoaning the assholes that they dated.

"All the good guys are already married," they would say over drinks. "They're all assholes!" they claimed. "Where are all the good guys!"

Dee would have to roll her eyes because any time these same women - her good friends, had a choice they would choose the asshole over a nice guy every time! It was almost laughable if it didn't take such emotional toll on them and in fact everyone in her whole circle who were naturally expected to rally around the broken hearted.

She knew better than to be thinking the thoughts that were in her mind. "It's too soon," she told herself, "I'm not ready." But in spite of herself the thoughts were there and she couldn't ignore them.

She took her kids to a new church, that's all. Making a new start, meeting new people, getting out of her humdrum, loveless, tedious life. She didn't expect to meet Alan Drake.

What was it about Alan that struck her so? He wasn't tall like her ex-husband, Gene. He was good looking but so was Gene. He wasn't rich, he was a teacher. He did have a sweet smile, though he could use some orthodontia. He was funny, but again so was Gene.

It was something in his eyes. He looked at her and she could feel the heat. He had a confidence, not like some men with women, as a matter of fact he was a little shy, but he had a confidence in life, like he knew what he wanted, he knew where he was going and he knew how to get there.

She had to admit though, that the clincher was when they were introduced and shook hands, the moment their hands touched there was a spark. It was not an electrical spark like a shock but more of a pulse, like heartbeats that instantly synchronized in that fraction of a second. She felt it immediately, and she was certain that he felt it, too. There was a widening of his eyes at just that moment, and softening of his smile.

Yes, he felt it, too, and he understood what it meant besides. She had blushed. She felt exposed, like she was naked but not in a sexual way, more of an intellectual or even spiritual way. She was nonplussed and stammered and fumbled over her own children's names as she introduced them to him. "I must have sounded like an idiot," she repined.

"He's too short!" She said out loud.

"Who's too short, Mom?" said her son, Tanis. Tanis was the spitting image of his Dad. He was all boy; Muddy feet, dirty hands, rocks, toads, airplanes and fire - he liked fire which scared her to death. He was a good boy but he was a handful.

"Oh, no one. Did you have fun today in church?" She asked trying to change the subject. She glanced in the rearview mirror at her son playing with a toy airplane. Her daughter, Ester, who was not quite two was in her car seat already sound asleep.

"Alan?" Asked Tanis? He was like a dog with a bone!

"Yes," she answered.

"Too short for what?"

"Never mind."

"Yes, I guess,"

" 'Yes, I guess,' what?"

"You asked 'Did I have fun?' I said, 'yes, I guess.' "

They both fell silent, "How did Tanis know I was talking about Alan," she asked herself? The boy was either very perceptive or she was very transparent, and if she was that transparent it meant that Alan picked up on her feelings, too. What a disaster! Two weeks on her own and she practically picked up a man, at church, no less! She even gave him her phone number! He will think she was easy!

He didn't seem to be that sort, however. She saw in his eyes a maturity and a strong sense of purpose. She also saw there a longing and a loneliness. But, maybe she was just seeing what she wanted to see. He had told her he was a single Dad with three kids, all of them seven to ten years older than her two. The older two daughters now lived with their mom, but his son lived with him. He seemed troubled by the fact that his daughters didn't live with him anymore, a good sign he was a good and loyal Dad. He seemed to have been single for quite a while, she would have to learn more about the story behind that and more specifically how a woman can leave her kids behind even if they had a great Dad. Dee was not cut from such cloth!

She pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building. The apartment she could afford was nice enough, clean and relatively modern, but the reason the rent was so low, she surmised, was that the building was about 50 feet from the railroad tracks and maybe 100 feet from a crossing, so the trains blasted their horns approaching from both ways. Her TV would break into random squiggles as the train went by, always at a critical moment of a program! But there was a bedroom for each of her two children and she slept on the sleeper sofa she brought from her former home. It would do for now.

When she entered the apartment her phone was ringing. She quickly got the kids inside and closed the door then answered the phone

"Hello?" She asked into the receiver.

"Hello, this is Alan Drake," He laughed, "I just wanted to make sure I had written the phone number down correctly. I hope you enjoyed our services this morning."

"Oh, yes, very much," she purred, then grimaced, "It hadn't been a date!" she told herself, "tone it down."

"Great, may I call you sometime?" Nice, very considerate, she noted

"Sure, I go to bed early so don't call after 8:00 pm."

"I understand, well anyway I enjoyed meeting you today so I'll let you go."

"Already?" She cringed as soon as she said it, she was sure she sounded desperate.

"Well, I figured you needed to get lunch for your kids."

"Yeah, we just walked in the door."

"Say, why don't you let me treat you and your kids to lunch?"

"Well, I don't know..."

"Just pizza down a Pappy's Pizza, they have video games for the kids so the adults can talk."

"I... well, I guess so...how about in 30 minutes?" She could use some adult time, she thought, "I'll meet you there."

"I'll be the happy guy at one of the tables," he joked.

She chucked, "I'll be the lady with the hungry kids."

"See you in a few!"

"Yeah, bye." She said cheerfully. "What am I doing?" She thought again. "I must be insane."

She packed the kids back out to the car and headed to Pappy's Pizza.

When they entered the restaurant, Alan already had a high chair for Ester and some coloring pages for Tanis. Tanis, however, was more interested in the video games, so Alan reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a stack of quarters. Tanis reached out to take the quarters then looked at his mom for her approval.

"Just take four," she said, and helped him count them out.

"I can count, I'm 6!" complained Tanis.

"Oh, Okay , sorry," said Dee with a bemused grin.

As Tanis started toward the video arcade, Alan reached out with four more quarters and slipped them in his shirt pocket. He looked up at his new friend with a small grin.

"Shhhh, our secret." Alan whispered. Tanis glanced at his mom who pretended not to see.

"Thank you," Tanis whispered back. And scurried into the arcade.

"Nice going, I should be mad, but that was cute." Dee said with a small grin.

"To tell you the truth, I want to keep him entertained for a while so we can get to know each other better."

"Well, at least you're honest," She smiled.

"He's a nice boy. He shows good manners," noted Alan after a short pause.

"Well, he has his moments," She said shaking her head. She had been holding on to Ester's hand the whole time and Ester had enough of it. She began to twist around at the end of Dee's arm and fuss. She wanted to join her big brother.

"May I?" asked Alan as he bent to look Ester in the face, "What is your name, young lady?" Ester did not answer but slipped behind her mom's legs to hide from the strange man who was talking to her.

"This is Ester, she is almost two and is a bit shy it seems." Dee switched hands as Ester tried to get further away from Alan.

Alan smiled and waved at her and said "Hi Ester, you have a very pretty dress." Ester looked down at her dress then at Alan and smiled. "I'm Etter" she said at last.

"She isn't saying her "s"es yet" explained Dee.

"Well, She's adorable," Alan proclaimed. Ester stared the unembarrassed stare that only young children can get away with.

Dee put her in the high chair and strapped her in as Alan went to order the pizzas. She gave her some pages to color, but Ester wasn't having any of the high chair and kicked up a fuss until her mom took her out again and stood her on the floor. After Alan returned and sat down opposite Dee, Ester promptly crawled up on the seat next to Alan and set to coloring the pages.

Dee had a shocked look on her face. "She evidently has decided you're okay."

"Kids have always liked me," explained Alan, "It's a gift, I guess."

"So, I know you have three kids, tell me about them," Dee leaned forward and looked Alan in the eyes with an occasional glance to Ester.

"Well Michelle is my oldest, she is 18, and the middle child is Julia who is 16, and then you've already met Niles, He's 14 now.

"and you raised them alone?"

"Pretty much, the girls decided they wanted to go live with their mom when they reached puberty."

"...and you objected to that very much?"

"Yes, but I figured I would make the girls hate me if I fought it, so...

"How old were the kids when your marriage broke up?"

"Michelle was 7, Julia was 5 and Niles was about the same age as Ester here."

"Wow, you've been single a long time.

"Yes, it has been quite a while."

"Have you dated much? Had any relationships since then?"

"No, not really. I thought there were some possibilities but they never came to anything. I was pretty busy with the kids especially when they were younger."

"I could have never left my kids, I can't even begin to understand that!"

"Well, me too, but I was so glad to be their custodial parent."

Dee thought for a moment, she decided that she would ask the question she really wanted answered. "So what happened that caused her to leave?"

"I used to have such resentment for the pain she caused, but we married when Loraine was just 17. I was an immature 21 year old. I have no idea why her parents allowed us to date, perhaps it was for the same reason I let my girls go live with their mom. I don't know. She was so young, she dropped out of school to marry and have Michelle and the other two. I encouraged her to get her diploma and while studying for the GED she discovered the youth she had missed. Before I knew it she was wanting me to babysit while she went on a date. That was when I knew it was over. She was just too young."

Alan stared at his hands as if lost in his memories. Then he looked up at Dee who was looking at him intently. He studied her face as she looked at him. She was trying to fathom how these events could have happened to such a wonderful man, while he was taken suddenly by her astounding beauty, She had the deepest brown eyes that invited you into her world but at the same time feared the intrusion. She had a fair complexion and lips that begged to be kissed. Her ears were dainty and largely hidden by her shoulder length brown hair that had hi-lights of blond and had a habit of falling over her eyes as she talked. She drew her fingers along her temple to hook the errant strands behind her ear that held a dangling silver crescent moon on a tiny silver chain. She was elegant and beautiful, she was everything he wanted and she was sitting here at Pappy's Pizza at the same table as he. He was sure she had no idea of his intentions. He knew it was foolish but he loved her a little already.

He put his hand out and touched her lightly on the wrist. His intent was to change the subject to her story, but what happened was another exchange of energy, a spark of kindredship, a joining of souls..instantaneously without intention or motivation. The spark was more powerful this time and their eyes locked, both Dee and Alan, and somehow they knew they had a future together. There was no guarantee it would be romantic or sexual, it could be platonic but not if Alan could help it. In that moment he was instantly aroused.

Dee blushed at that moment, too. She knew little of his thoughts but if they were like her thoughts and feelings they were bound to each other, somehow, some way. It didn't make sense and it was probably foolish but it was a fact, and she, too was aroused. She realized she was wet and that further embarrassed her, she hoped her panties contained it and that it didn't soak through onto her dress, that would be a humiliation she couldn't stand.

Perhaps it was luck that at that moment Tanis returned to the table.

"I'm hungry, is the Pizza ready yet?"

"We...we're all hungry, honey," stammered Dee. "How could a simple touch on the hand make me so giddy?" She asked herself. She looked at Alan again, he had a subtle but knowing smile on his face as he gazed at her. "He knows, either that or he felt the same thing," she surmised.

Just then, to further break the spell that almost overwhelmed the two adults, his name was called to get their pizzas.

Tanis looked at his mom and said, "What's wrong mom?"

"Why, nothing Tanis, why do you ask?"

"Well you're all red and splotchy."

Dee was mortified, "Great! Nothing like announcing to Alan that I practically had an orgasm in a booth at Pappy's Pizza!" She thought. As Alan slipped out of the booth she could have sworn that Alan was blushing a little as well.

When Alan returned with their meal, the conversation turned to more mundane topics. They talked of the difficulties of being a single parent. They talked about their jobs and their friends. Just the general early get-to-know-each-other stuff.

Eventually the meal came to an end and as much as Alan wanted to extend their time together, her kids were showing signs of restlessness.

"I better go," said Dee, regret tinged her words, she was reluctant to leave, too, but her children were on the verge of melt down and tantrum so she began to pack them up to go home. "I've enjoyed talking to you very much," she said.

Alan sensed a "but" in her words and braced himself for the brush off.

"Alan, I'm going to be very honest with you, I can't deny that I am very attracted to you and we both know that there is some chemistry between us, but I am just newly divorced and have only been on my own a few months. I'm not ready to jump back into a relationship just yet. So...

Alan was crestfallen and must have shown it.

"Please, don't look like that, I'm not telling you 'good bye', I'm just asking for some time, can you do that Alan? I know I'm taking a chance that some other girl will see what a great guy you are and snatch you up, but I really hope you will wait until I can be an equal partner in a relationship and then give me that chance. Give me a year, ...just a year, I'm sure I will be ready in a year.

Alan couldn't hide his disappointment but he knew her request was not unreasonable. He smiled the best he could. "Of course," he said cordially, "I know, you are right. Can I ask a favor of you, though?"

"Of course," answered Dee, "As long as it is something I can do"

"When you are ready, be sure to call me and let me know?"

"I can do that, but do I have to wait until I'm ready to talk to you again?

"No, you can call me whenever you want," Alan was glad to see a smile on her face. He saw that her desire to get 'ready' for a relationship was genuine but her resolve was faltering. He knew that she had felt the spark pass between them both of the times they had touched skin to skin, he was determined to remind her one more time before she drove away this afternoon.

He walked her to her car and held open the door while she put a sleepy Ester into her car seat. Tanis climbed into the other side of the car and clicked his seatbelt. He found his favorite toy plane and flew flight patterns around his immediate airspace. When Dee withdrew from the car and turned to face Alan, he stood near her but not close enough to frighten her. He put his hand on her shoulder to draw her to him for a friendly hug.

Dee surprised him by stepping closer to him and slipping her arms around him. She raised her face to his and gave him a light kiss on the lips. It was not a lover's kiss, at least it didn't start out that way but in a few seconds her embrace tightened on his body and her kiss intensified. She moaned into his mouth, much to her surprise and embarrassment. It startled her, the amount of emotion that overwhelmed her, it startled her and she drew back and looked down at his mouth as she drew her fingers over her lips.

"I'm sorry, that was a little inappropriate wasn't it," she blushed deeply and only glanced into his eyes. The electricity between them was palpable, almost overwhelming. She couldn't look at him directly with fear that he would see the desire in her eyes.

"Not at all," smiled Alan, "It was exactly the right thing to do. I wanted to leave you with a memory of me, of us...er...the possibility of us. Call me sometime when you think of me."

"Crap!" She thought to herself, "I don't think I'll be able to think of anything else

for a while."

"I will," she answered and gave him a quick hug again." She dare not kiss him again or she would invite him home with her! Her crotch was wet with her desire already.

As she drove away she reassured herself she was doing the right thing, She DID need time to heal and find some peace, but her heart ached and she worried that she was passing a chance with the most amazing man she had met in a long time, maybe ever! "God," she prayed silently, "make him wait for me. I want the chance to be with him."

Alan felt very good about the kiss, it had accomplished his goal and with the added bonus she had initiated the entire exchange from beginning to end.

"Damn," he said out loud to himself, "She is hot!" Then he laughed at himself for the pure lust that evoked such a statement. She was fascinating, she was beautiful, she was endearing, she was a good mom and she was no child. She was everything he desired and had waited for. She was hot!

It didn't hurt that her physical attributes were, well... hell, she was damn near perfect! When she hugged him, he felt her breasts pressed hard against him and they were easily large B or even C cups. She smelled intoxicating and her kiss...oh my God, what a kiss! It had aroused him instantly and he feared she would feel his erection pressed against her pelvis. If she did, it gave her no pause as she held him closer still when the kiss intensified. He had a policy of no sex until after several dates but if she had asked him to follow her home he would have without a doubt!

Alan went to his home and still had a large erection some time later which by now was simply uncomfortable. So he retired to the bathroom to masturbate with the memory of her lips, her breasts, her aroma, her blush, her moan during the kiss...Oh, that wonderful kiss!

**************

Days passed consumed with her job and kids, yet Alan was never far from her mind. Whenever her thoughts conjured his face before her she almost unconsciously - touched her own lips to remember the feeling of his lips as they pressed against her mouth. The energy that passed between them in that moment was something she had never experienced and it had caused her to moan. Was it desire or surprise that caused her involuntary utterance? She was indeed surprised, but she could not deny the desire that had churned deep within her.