There She Is Again Ch. 02

RECAP

Thanks to all the readers of "There She Is Again" who encouraged me to write this sequel. While you might be able to follow this story without having read the first one, it might be easier to understand the dynamics of the characters if you read "There She Is Again" first.

But if you want to read this now you're in good company. Lots of people saw Star Wars 4 decades before Star Wars 1 and they did okay.

So to recap for newcomers and to refresh the memories of those who read "There She Is Again", let me give a quick outline.

Jim is a soon to be divorced, account rep for a pharmaceutical company and he teaches a couple of night school classes at a local university. He becomes infatuated with a restaurant manager (Jill) he sees each week who is taking night school classes in business administration. His son Jason is attending college out of state and his ex wife, Gwen has been peaceable in their separation.

Jill, is a widow who is working, learning, and raising a senior in high school (Sandy). She and her deceased husband had a wonderful marriage which has caused her to struggle with loving again.

Jason surprised Jim by letting him know he was dating someone seriously. Jim and Gwen go with Jason to meet his new girlfriend and her family, only to discover that Jason has been secretly dating Sandy.

And now the story continues...

A COLD DINNER

The shocked look spread quickly on Gwen's face and told the story as she saw her son being hugged by a strange woman. At the same time, this strange woman's daughter was hugging her soon-to-be ex-husband. It was almost like she had entered a movie half way through and was trying to make sense of the plot. I could see her studying Jill; sizing her up with her predictable, calculated, mental processes. Then came the look of partial enlightenment overshadowed a mild dose of bewilderment as she inhaled a quick breath.

It probably didn't help things that Jill was looking simply hot tonight. She was wearing skin tight black pants that clung to every curve like a porsche on a winding road; right down her feet which were covered only by gold sandals. I couldn't tell right away if they were pants or elastic tights. The pale white shirt was made of a sheer gauze material, letting you see past the button-up front to catch a glimpse of the skimpy camisole underneath. The extra long tail of her shirt obscured the view of her shapely ass. Knowing Jill, she probably was too embarrassed to parade around in these tight pants without partially covering at least a portion of her curves in the sheer material of her shirt. Her hair was pulled back, held by a pair of sunglasses that were pushed up across the top of her head. With her hair back, her lovely facial features were in full view. The pale pink lip gloss she was wearing made me want to grab her and taste it right there on the spot.

Jill broke the awkward silence, "Hi, I'm Sandy's mother, Jill." She reached out to shake Gwen's hand and in that simple touch of skin between two women, my worlds collided. I had carefully constructed a wall between the two and due to Jason's sin of omission - not giving me the name of the girl he was dating - my wall was crumbling.

Gwen stiffened slightly. "Gwen," she offered somewhat courteously before more coldly continuing. "But I see you apparently already know Jim."

"Yes, we've known each other for a while," Jill responded with a kindness that made every attempt to ease the tension. You could almost smell the smoke fuming from Gwen's mind as she was wrapping her brain around what was taking place. Just to throw fuel on the embers burning in Gwen's brain, Jill moved to my side and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek as she fell in place next to me. I could feel my cheek flush oddly with the juxtaposition of Jill and Gwen meeting in such a strange way.

"Dad! You know Sandy? And her mom?" Jason was now standing close to Sandy; they were intertwined like typical, young lovers.

"Yes, I do." I was gradually coming to my senses and returned to a state of mind with the potential of speech. "Sandy lovingly refers to me as 'The old guy that mom's going out with'," I jibed. Sandy of course thought it was hilarious but Jason clearly didn't have a clue.

"Jase, this is the guy I was telling you about. You know, they guy mom is dating. Isn't it wild?" Sandy said, bubbling as always.

"Dad? Wait! My dad's the guy your mom took off with for that long weekend?" Jason said directed to Sandy. Yeah. He said it out loud right in front of Gwen; who's face was now showing the signs of complete enlightenment. Jason had a confused look on his face. It was a cross between being totally grossed out at the thought of his dad with another woman and wanting to give me a high five.

"Jason, this isn't the time to talk about those issues. We're in a restaurant lobby!" I deflected, moving in more closely to the young couple. It was almost like I was trying to throw a wet blanket over a fire to snuff it out, but the fire was already uncontainable.

Finally, Jill gave us some direction to break the hold that this revelation had on all of us. "We have a table already. It's over this way." She took my arm with unashamed confidence, almost claiming her territory, and led me through the maze of tables. Frankly I was still in a bit of shock. Our kids were in front of us. For a brief moment as I watched the way Jason and Sandy walked, bantered, and flirted with each other, it seemed almost a reflection. They were Jill and I; just younger.

We were halfway to the table when it dawned on me that we had walked off without Gwen. I turned momentarily in panic wondering if she had left or was fuming. But Gwen was graciously following quietly.

Jill directed us to a round table where three drinks had already been ordered. Apparently Sandy knew what her boyfriend drank, but Jill didn't know her boyfriend was coming until a few moments earlier. I was glad it was a round table, thinking to myself; 'What awkward seating configuration will we choose?' Not that a large booth or square table would be any better. Jill sat next to Sandy, who sat next to Jason, leaving Gwen and I with the delicate negotiation of choosing the final seating arrangement. I knew what I wanted so I reached for the chair next to Jill.

"I'll sit next to my son," Gwen said, giving his ragged hair a quick tousle as she sat down. She made the move and statement, retaining the dignity of having some sense of control in this out of control situation.

There at the intersection of Jim and Gwen, a neutral zone was established that gave a feeling reminiscent of the cold war era.

"So how long have you known?" I whispered speaking closely into Jill's ear. She pulled slightly away to face me and spoke more loudly than I had.

"What? You think I knew Sandy's boyfriend was your son? She only told me she was dating someone yesterday! I didn't even get a name until we were driving over here, and even then ..." Jill was cut off by Jason interrupting.

"Look, Dad, we knew that you and mom were going through shit...," Jason started.

"LANGUAGE!" Gwen said curtly as she put her hand up to Jason's mouth.

Jason rolled his eyes at her, casually swatting her hand away and after giving her a sarcastic smile he continued. "We just knew that you had a lot on your plate." He hesitated, looking to Gwen to see if she approved of his modified explanation. "So we've been seeing each other for about a year. We didn't know if it was anything serious, so we didn't want to make it just one more thing you'd have to worry about. We certainly didn't know about you two," he said as he gestured toward Jill and me.

Sandy picked it up. "Mom, with all the stuff you've been doing with working full time, taking classes, and dating; you didn't need to worry about this either. But things have gotten a bit more serious between us over the past couple of weeks and we thought it was time to let you know. At least before we post it on Facebook." She grinned with youthful vigor.

"Lord knows once it hits Facebook, everybody knows," Jill muttered under her breath just loud enough that I could hear.

Sandy's hand clearly had drifted to Jason's thigh below the table as she moved a bit closer to him. I could see from their knowing glances that they were pretty proud of themselves for having pulled off a slick secret.

"I guess there are a lot of things this dinner is revealing about the men in my life and the secrets they keep. How long have you been keeping your little secret, Jim?" Gwen chimed, in a deadpan tone.

I started to stiffen, remembering just why it was that Gwen and I had drifted apart. Her cold, calculated jabs at anyone who takes risks, lives life, or wants to do something more than just sit and watch life go by, was instantaneously refreshed in my memory. Just as I began to withdraw, Jill's hand slid over and rested on my knee. It was almost like she sensed my angst and knew just how .. and when .. to temper me. I remember the day I blew up at Ryan in the restaurant. She tugged me to my chair, defusing me before I ended up doing something I'd regret.

The warmth of her hand comforted me and within a moment it had calmed my frustration with my soon-to-be ex. I can't describe the reason since to this day I don't understand how she does it. Maybe Jill is so perfectly balanced to me that when we're side by side I can see things in better perspective. Her nurturing spirit stabilizes me. Everyone should experience this level of intimacy with someone in their lives.

"Jill and I haven't kept anything a secret. We've had dinner in public, gone to functions at the university together, went to Ryan's place for a cookout, and even were pictured together on Facebook," I said as I leaned back a bit and put my arm around Jill's chair. "Sorry if I didn't take time to change my 'Relationship Status' when I logged on last time," I directed at Gwen. Okay, Jill's hand just calmed me. It didn't shut me up completely. I'm sure the mockery was dripping from my comments.

So of course Jill did what she always does; she bailed me out by redirecting the conversation. God, she's good at that. "Jason, tell me about school. What's your major?"

Jason had barely explained his academic program and shared a little about the university he was attending before the waiter arrived. The discussion moved quickly to the day's specials, saving us all from the weight of talking to each other.

Following dinner, Jason looked at Sandy. Yeah, I know that look. The look that asks, 'How fast can we ditch these old people and take off?' Sandy had the same look in her eye.

"Okay, you've done your time. What are you two planning for tonight?" I said to the kids.

"There's a movie we've been wanting to see that starts in an hour. If it's okay, we're taking off," Jason said almost apologetically. "Can I," Jason started, while reaching for his wallet as if he actually had anything in his wallet that didn't come out of my wallet first.

"That's fine. I got this. You two get out of here and have a great time," I replied, assuming it was fine with Jill as well. "What time can I expect you home?" I directed at Jason.

"Ah, well. Just don't wait up," Jason said with a knowing grin.

Sandy got up quickly and came around between Jill's chair and mine. She wrapped her arms around us from behind and hugged us before kissing her mom on the cheek. Before I could say anything, Sandy planted a big kiss on my cheek also before saying, "Don't worry. I never wait up for you two anymore either."

God, Sandy. Can you just stop killing me?

They started to walk away but hesitated. "Wait, Mom, can we take the VW? Jase came with them." Sandy asked.

"How am I supposta get home?" Jill responded with a wrinkled brow.

"I just thought you'd spend the night at Jim's like you always do," Sandy blurted out. Jill's face went flush at the comment.

I fumbled and spoke quickly, trying to overwrite Sandy's words before they were written down in stone; the stone heart of my ex wife. "I'll take care of your mom," I told Sandy.

"Yeah Dad!" Jason smirked.

"Wait, that's not what I meant," I said with a bit of frustration. "Will you two just get out." I pointed to the front door.

"No problem." Jason said, taking Sandy's hand and rushing away, her ponytail braid swinging gently behind her.

As the 'children' shuffled through the tables toward the front door and were no longer within ear shot, both women broke into laughter. I could deal with Jill laughing. But Gwen laughing too was a bit unnerving. Could this night get any worse?

"Well, if you've spent the night with him often enough you've probably realized how annoying his snoring is," Gwen chuckled.

"Like a freakin' freight train," Jill laughed.

"More like a jet engine," Gwen continued.

"Yeah, yeah, with an occasional whistle," Jill finished.

"Okay, I get it!" I said, raising my hands to all but shut up both women. "We ALL get it."

"God Jim, we're all adults here. You don't have to hide things from me like a child. It's not like I don't know you," Gwen lectured.

"Jason seems like a pretty level headed young man. I think they make a cute couple," Jill added.

"Of all the girls he's dated, he seems a whole lot more comfortable with her. They act like they've been together for years," Gwen said.

"So how do we deal with this?" Jill motioned at the three of us.

"We'll be fine. Look, Jim and I have been over for a lot longer than we've been apart. You can have the snoring bastard," Gwen comically commented as she gathered her things in preparation for leaving.

Exiting the restaurant a few moments later, the women walked side by side ahead of me. The cool evening breeze blew a few spring flower petals across the sidewalk that was now lit by indirect lights that lined the landscaping. They were chatting and carrying on like old lost friends, again bringing me a queasy feeling. Hell! They seemed to like each other. For a moment my mind went completely freaky. I was following the only two women who had ever meant anything to me in life.

For a brief moment my deranged thought process glanced down and watched their asses. Yes, I was enjoying the view of both women's asses swaying in front of me; comparing my ex wife with my new girlfriend. God, I'm sick. My daydream quickly came into focus. I imagined both of them; side by side, hip to hip, naked on the edge of a bed. They are on all fours and their gorgeous asses are raised high to meet me. As I conjured the mental image of both women submissively offering themselves to me, raising their hips to receive me. I wantonly question if I would fuck Jill doggie style while fingering Gwen or fuck Gwen while trying to lick Jill. I started comparing my memories of each woman and I objectively asked my inner sexual aggression which woman I would prefer. I could feel my own arousal at the thought of having both women at the same time.

I literally stopped for a moment in the middle of the sidewalk and rubbed my eyes. The image of both asses side by side couldn't be wiped away, but at least it was fading.

It got a bit awkward again when we reached the car. Gwen took the high road and stepped to the rear passenger door. I opened it, letting her step in. As the door closed, I moved to help Jill into the front passenger seat. She smiled at me lovingly and I watched her face as the door closed. But as the door latched shut, I glanced at the side view mirror; which gave a perfectly framed reflection of Gwen in the back seat. Yes! This night could get worse!

Dropping Gwen off at her place, I felt the undeniable urge to speed away. But Gwen and Jill drug out their goodbyes, being gracious knowing that our confused relationships shouldn't interfere with the potential relationship of our kids. Gwen swaggered off to her front door as I slipped back into the driver's seat.

"Oh, God, of all the girls out there, my son falls for your daughter," I said as I mockingly leaned my forehead on the steering wheel.

Jill found the humor in the whole thing. "I thought you said your ex wife was the 'Queen of Chill'", she commented, looking out the window as Gwen opened the front door of her home and stepped into the darkness.

"She is. I really don't know who that was that we just had dinner with," I said, almost speaking to the steering wheel.

We sat in quiet for a moment, letting the events of the night sink in.

"So why haven't you taken time to change your Facebook profile to say 'in a relationship'?" Jill casually inquired.

"What?" I sat back up, with both hands still fixed, gripping the steering wheel. I hesitated, not rushing my movements. I was trying to figure out what she meant.

"You said to Gwen that you haven't taken the time to change your relationship status last time you logged on. So is this a relationship or what?" Jill calmly asked.

Now I KNOW she should have been a lawyer. She hears everything. Hope I only snore in my sleep and don't talk too. She'd probably remember every word. "I guess I didn't think we needed to do those cutesy things at our age," I said trying to discount the thought.

"So you're saying this is a relationship? That if we were 18 and 20 like the kids, we would be posting it that way? Just define it for me, please," She pressed.

"What, is this a cross-examination?" I looked over at her, trying to see the detail of her reaction in the dim light. "Okay, yeah. If I was Jason's age, I would have posted it after the cook out."

"Well, that would have been just far too soon," Jill nonchalantly said.

"God, you're killing me," I nearly shouted out of frustration. First she wants it defined and now she's telling me my definition is off base.

"I would have waited until after the trip to the Cabin cause that's when I knew," she said with a knowing smile.

"You knew?" I asked quickly.

"Yep. That's when I knew I was in love with you," she said nonchalantly.

In that moment, it was almost like the oxygen in the cab of the car had been sucked out completely. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She was using the 'L' word. We had never fully verbalized where the relationship stood. But she used it a bit too casually. "Love?" I asked.

"Oh don't look so shocked. You feel the same way too," she calmly continued.

"Well, I guess I..," I fumbled a few words by way of incoherent response.

"Please!" She turned to look me straight in the eye before confidently continuing, "You fell for me months ago." It was like she knew the truth that I was somewhat unwilling to admit to myself. But she was right. I had fallen for her even before the cook out.

"You know me pretty well don't you?" I asked. A broad smile crossed her face as she leaned in and kissed me. Her hand wrapped around the back of my head. Her fingers playfully ran through my hair. This was our first kiss after admitting that this was more than just a few dates, some casual sex, and someone to have dinner with on Thursdays. Somehow knowing we both felt the same way, this kiss tasted even sweeter.

"So, are you taking me home or do I get to stay at your place tonight?" Jill spoke softly; our lips still so close that we were breathing the same air. It came out in a soft whisper, with a sultry edge that struck a nerve in my heart. She knows the pitch of voice to use to motivate me; some times to calm and sometimes to arouse.

"I guess we'll go back to my place," I stuttered still under the effect of her kiss.

"Jim, you might want to get going," Jill looked deeply into my eyes as she spoke. I must have hesitated, probably because I was hoping for another wonderful kiss. "Now!" She said, a bit more aggressively.

"Okay. Okay. Why are you in such a hurry?" The close intimacy of the moment was broken by her forceful desire to go ... now!