Walking an Endless Path Pt. 01

Joe went online and found a site specializing in selling vintage cars. He paid for an ad and posted the details of the vehicle. A happy customer drove away with the car on his trailer two months later.

Joe took special delight in presenting Rene with a cheque for eighty-thousand dollars that summer before they made their way to visit Philip and Grace. Joe walked away from the deal with thirty thousand himself, so he was pleased, and his bank account was also happier for it. Rene teased Joe that he should be able to replace his aging pickup by now. Joe just patted the truck's dash and told Ol' Bonny to ignore the mean lady.

As they drove along the road towards the Lancaster's place, they got closer to Renata's mansion. Joe hadn't heard a word from her or Iosif since the previous summer, though he hadn't really expected to. As they rounded the bend, Joe saw the realtor sign first. The smiling face of Hazel King, the county's Leading Sales Performer, greeted them with an exciting new property for sale!

The grounds in front of the gate showed no sign of care, and when they pulled over to look at the entrance, Joe could see it had been abandoned by the grim men.

Rene saw the sad expression on Joe's face as he looked out her window, then he turned back and got them on their way again.

Philip and Grace were delighted to see their young friends again. They celebrated with a barbeque on the deck with another attempt to teach Joe how to play Euchre. They were rewarded for their efforts with laughter but still no success. He just couldn't fathom the game, and its rules remained a mystery.

Joe claimed exhaustion and headed over to his parent's home to sleep. Rene stayed behind for a while to catch up.

"Did you see the mansion up the road is for sale?" Rene asked.

"Yes, just before winter, they moved out, and there's been no word since," Philip replied.

"Joe's a little sad about that. I think he was hoping to see them again," she said.

"I think it might be for the best," Grace offered gently.

They had nothing more to say on that subject.

Joe called the realtor the following day and asked if it would be possible to see the mansion. He explained that he knew the previous owners but hadn't had a chance to say goodbye. The woman had nothing better planned for the day, so she agreed to meet Joe at the gate at three PM.

Joe was a little early, and she was ten minutes late, but as she knew Joe wasn't really a customer, he could forgive the tardiness.

As Hazel King pulled her car into the drive, her eyes lit up when she saw the tall, dark, gorgeous hunk of a man standing at the gates. Joe was looking inside, so she thought he hadn't seen her yet. The woman stepped out of her car and quickly hiked up her skirt a couple of inches, unbuttoned the top two buttons on her blouse, and tugged the clip from her ponytail, fluffing her strawberry blond mane over her shoulders.

Joe saw all this from the corner of his eye but did his best to ignore it. The woman strode forward as he pretended to notice her arrival. He smiled, and her smile amped up another notch. Joe thought she was likely in her mid-forties and was elegantly attired in a tight pencil skirt and a red silk blouse, neither of which hid her generous curves. She was attractive though she wore perhaps a little too much make-up. Hazel definitely looked out of place in such a rural setting. Maybe she was trying to establish a higher-end vacationer market, get in before the other sharks smelled blood in the water. The mansion would definitely be her big-ticket item. As she got closer, Joe noticed she was also a tall woman, more so in heels like she wore today, but Joe still had at least four inches on her.

"Hello, I'm Hazel King. It's Joseph Neumann, right?" Hazel beamed. She held out her well-manicured hand, and Joe engulfed it in his larger one. She trembled just a little at that.

"Hello, Joe is fine," he replied.

"It's a lovely day to view a house and even grander to view a mansion!" she gushed, chuckling like her words were clever.

"I haven't seen it since last year when the previous owner was here," Joe said, a little sadness slipping back into his voice.

"Let's go have a look then, shall we?" Hazel said, opening the lock on the gate. "Why don't we take my car?"

"Okay," Joe replied. He saw Hazel's eyes light up again like she'd just scored a victory.

Joe got into Hazel's import SUV and had to use the lever to move the seat all the way back. He was still a little cramped, but they weren't going far, so Joe just decided to endure it.

Hazel looked over at the man completely filling the passenger side of her car and unconsciously licked her lips. "My, you are a big man!" she purred at him, so Joe politely smiled in return and hid his discomfort.

Luckily the drive was short, but Joe was grateful to unfold his body and get out of the truck. They walked up the steps, and she unlocked the doors. When she pushed them open, in his mind, Joe saw the two grim watchers sitting at their stations against the opposite wall.

But, of course, they weren't there.

Hazel was saying something about the number of rooms, washrooms, and other details he couldn't care less about. She wasn't even checking to see if he was listening. Joe tried to recall the route Iosif took to lead him to the library. Joe wanted to see the room where he felt at peace with Renata. He let his feet guide him.

Hazel barely noticed that Joe was setting the direction for their tour. She continued to blather on and enjoyed letting her eyes rove over Joe's body when she thought he wouldn't notice. Quite frankly, he didn't, as she'd stopped existing for him as he made his way deeper into the house until he stood before a familiar door.

"Uh, I think this is either a bedroom or a dining room," Hazel said, trying to decipher the map she had. Truthfully, this was her first showing of the mansion, and she hadn't looked in every room yet.

"It's the Library," Joe said quietly, opening the door. He stepped inside, and Hazel followed, quiet for once.

The bookshelves lined the walls still but held nothing. The furniture was gone as well.

But standing in the middle of the floor was a tall object under a dusty white bed sheet. An envelope was pinned to the sheet. Joe walked up to the envelope and noticed writing. It said, "For my Joseph."

He looked at Hazel, but she was stunned into silence.

Joe unpinned the note and opened it up.

"My dearest Joseph,

When you read this, if you read this, we will be gone. We are going home to Russia as I said we would.

You will be happy to learn I found a doctor to remove the last remaining metal fragments from my legs, which have healed well. Iosif tortured me for weeks until my strength returned.

I do not know if we will ever see each other again. I hope we do, as I will never forget your miracle kiss.

I am leaving you this as a thank you for everything you have done for us.

Love,

Renata

PS. Iosif has not yet forgiven you but has promised not to kill you. ;)"

Joe felt that familiar pang in his heart. He folded the note and put it in his back pocket. He carefully lifted the sheet and folded it back over Renata's easel. A large sketch pad was resting on its surface. Joe lifted the cover, and on the first page was the drawing Renata had made of him that day. Joe was stunned. It was beautiful! The exquisite detail and shading amazed him. Renata's art was breathtaking. He didn't recognize himself in the sketch as he was so taken with her skill.

Joe heard a gasp as Hazel caught sight of the sketch. Then she involuntary moaned as she saw the detail that made the image almost three-dimensional. When she realized Joe was the model and he was gloriously naked, she couldn't help but comment as she looked closer at him.

"Oh! That's you... you're naked!!" Hazel chirped. She looked again. "And you're big too!"

Joe closed the sketch pad to hide the drawing and gently touched the cover, remembering the day. He turned to face Hazel. "I'm taking the sketch pad." While he remained calm and friendly, his tone brooked no argument.

Hazel might have protested since removing items from the properties was definitely not allowed, but this item was clearly meant for Joe. Still, she hadn't gotten this far by missing an opportunity for negotiation, and she definitely wanted something from this delicious man in return.

"Removing items isn't typically allowed, but I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement," she smiled hungrily and ran her tongue across her lips.

Joe kept his expression neutral but began to worry. "Oh? What did you have in mind?" Joe hoped she'd only ask for a kiss, but her expression said she wanted more.

"I really liked what I saw in that sketch. Was that just the artist's impression, or was it reality?" Hazel purred.

"Ah, I see," Joe said. He was unsure how to deal with this situation. Joe wanted the sketch pad. He was going to take it with him. Period. But this woman could make his life difficult. Maybe he could point out the impracticalities of their situation and buy himself an excuse.

Joe looked around and faced her again. "Not a lot of furniture available, is there?"

"The previous owner left a bed in a room not far from here. Bring the sheet." Hazel turned and started to leave the room. Joe sighed and grabbed the sketch pad and the sheet. He followed the woman into the hallway, where she turned the map this way and that trying to orient it to find the bedroom. Joe considered letting her wander the halls, but she might just insist they do it on the floor, so he led her to the room Renata once called her bedroom. Indeed, there was her bed. Hazel looked at him with a predatory smile, trailing her eyes from his face to his groin. Joe had shaken the sheet out on the way to the room, so he just placed it over the mattress.

Hazel walked up to him and ran her hands over his chest. She cooed when she felt his hard muscles.

"Wait! What about protection? I didn't bring anything!" Joe blurted.

Hazel chuckled, popped open her small clutch purse, and withdrew a condom. Joe's eyebrows went skyward, and she just smiled. "To close a sale, sometimes a girl's gotta do what she's gotta do."

Joe felt a little ill and considered just kissing her into oblivion and leaving her there, but she'd remember what he did, and he got the impression that would just make her pissed. He'd have to limit the surge and give her what she wanted, but if he could find a way to cheat to get it done quicker, he'd take it. He didn't care if she thought he was bad in bed. That might actually work in his favor.

He dipped his head and kissed her. She immediately thrust her tongue deep into his mouth and was hit by a huge wave of pleasure as Joe was unprepared. Her knees buckled, and Joe caught her as he savagely clamped down on the surge.

Joe laid her back on the bed and busied himself unbuttoning her silk blouse. He pulled his shirt off quickly and saw Hazel's eye come back into focus.

"Fuck! You're a great kisser!" she gasped. "Now get those pants off so I can see that monster you're hiding there!"

Joe was a little taken aback by the sudden change in Hazel's behavior and was put off. He stood beside the bed and undid his pants while Hazel struggled out of her skirt. She sat up, removed her blouse, and placed it over the bedpost. Joe was not surprised to see Hazel wore the finest, sexiest lingering she could afford. It did amazing things with her flesh, which Joe was very grateful for because there hadn't been much for him to be excited about. If he wasn't able to get hard, she was going to take it personally, and again that might prove to be problematic for Joe.

He tugged his pants and boxer down and heard Hazel make an odd animalistic sound deep in her throat. Joe knee-walked onto the bed, and Hazel grabbed his member with both hands. He clamped his eyes shut and concentrated on the pleasurable sensations, which felt very good indeed, if a little rough. That certainly took care of the issue of getting hard.

She tore open the wrapper and unrolled the condom down his length. It was a damn tight fit. Hazel was already primed from the kiss, so she fell back and tugged Joe towards her open legs. Her aggressive pull surprised Joe, and he lost his balance. As he fell on her, he sheathed his entire length inside her in one stroke. Hazel screamed and scared Joe half to death. Her legs came up and clamped behind his ass.

"OH FUCK! That was good! More! Pound me!" she yelled into his ear as she squeezed him to her ample chest.

Joe decided to do this as hard and fast as he could to get it done as quickly as possible. He pulled his hips back and rammed himself forward, plunging deep inside. He repeated this again and again, going faster each time. Hazel screamed and wailed the entire time, clawing at his back while she clamped her legs around his ass and thrust up to meet his downward plunge. Joe found himself about to explode and realized Hazel was no longer saying anything as she shook and squealed through a series of orgasms. Joe didn't trust the condom, so he pulled out before he came. As expected, the condom didn't survive his orgasm and tore open. He used a corner of the sheet to clean himself off and tugged the remains of the condom off.

Hazel was stretched out on the bed gasping for breath but grinning from ear to ear. She'd had her fun and no longer needed him. Suddenly Joe just wanted a shower. He didn't get the impression that Hazel was a big cuddler, so he slipped his clothes on while she recuperated.

"I have to go, Hazel. Thanks for showing me the place," Joe said as he backed out of the room. Hazel could only wave at him as she hadn't caught her breath yet.

Joe scooped up the sketch pad from the hallway and hustled to the front door. He really didn't want to see the woman again. It only took a few minutes to jog back to his truck. He started it up and quickly drove back to the house. Once inside, he dropped the pad on the kitchen counter and made for the shower. He undressed on the way and dropped his clothes as he went. Soon, he was naked under the spray.

Rene saw Joe's truck come in the driveway from the Lancaster's deck, but when he didn't appear, she excused herself and went to look for her friend. She knew he'd gone to see the mansion with the realtor and was concerned with his state of mind. He'd been quiet since they saw the for sale sign.

She called out his name when she entered the back sliding doors into the kitchen. She saw the large sketch pad on the counter and flipped open the cover. She gasped when she saw the drawing. It was magnificent! Curious, she went to the second page and saw some rough sketches of different parts of Joe's anatomy. They were good but not as precise as the first sketch. Maybe they were done from memory, or perhaps she used the initial sketch as a reference. A page of his hands, one of his shoulder and upper arm, and several of his face and neck filled the next few pages. Then came the page dedicated to his penis. Maybe that page was a bit obsessive.

Rene closed the sketch pad and called out to Joe again. Still no answer, but she thought she heard the shower running. Then, she noticed his boots and his socks. She picked up the socks. Followed by his pants and boxers, and just before the bathroom door, his shirt. Holding his clothes in her arms, she called out once more. No answer. She grew concerned and looked inside. Joe was sitting on the shower floor. He seemed to be in a daze. She dumped the clothes on the counter and stepped closer.

"Joe? Joe, honey? Are you okay?" Rene asked gently.

Her voice finally seemed to get through. He lifted his eyes and greeted her dully. "Oh, hi, Rene."

She knelt on the floor next to him just outside the spray. "What happened?"

He looked at her face, and she could see a troubled look in his eyes. "Renata left me her sketch pad, but the realtor wanted something in return for letting me take it from the house."

Rene remembered the picture of the woman on her sign. She could imagine what she might have demanded from him. "Huh, luckily, she had a condom with her." His smile was strained.

"I'm so sorry, Joe," she said. Rene felt ill.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll be okay. I'm just going to get cleaned up." He stood up and turned into the spray. Rene stepped out of the stall so Joe could begin to scrub away the experience. That poor loofa Joe was using wasn't going to survive his efforts.

Rene noticed a piece of paper in the back pocket of his jeans and pulled it out. It was a folded note. She laid it out on the countertop and read it. After reading this and seeing the art, Rene realized Joe must have felt rather raw. She wanted to kill the realtor for taking advantage of her friend when he was in that state. No one ever saw the gentle soul behind his brutish size and dark looks. She tucked the note inside the sketchpad.

She put the clothes into the laundry bin, got Joe some fresh clothes, and put them on the counter. Dinner tonight was chili with freshly baked bread. Comfort food and good for the soul. She knew that would help Joe mend.

That and time.

Chapter 24

It was Amy's last year in high school, and she threw herself into drama club in a big way. She was growing as an actor, and each performance honed her abilities. There wasn't a role she shied away from; the more challenging, the better. What Joe found most amazing was that Amy was just having fun. For her, acting wasn't something she worked at. It was just fun! Her eyes sparkled after every performance, and the energy she put into her acting infected the other actors. Word of mouth about how good the school plays had become drew the attention of the local press, and word spread from there.

After Amy's amazing performance as Juliet in the spring play, she'd been approached by the leader of a local theatre group who did Shakespeare in the Park every summer. He wanted her to join the troop for this season's performances.

Joe was so proud of her!

Amy was valedictorian for her grade twelve graduation ceremony and graduated at the top of her class. Karl, Clara, and Joe cheered her on, and they had a big party back at the house for her entire graduating class.

Breakfast in the Neumann household was where Amy's normally ebullient energy started her family's day. Recently though, she was an extra burst of sunshine and moved at warp speed to get her day started. She'd been this way since she'd begun rehearsals with the theatre troop. She had already made friends with most of the cast, and the crew was eating out of her hand.

Joe drove her to the park every day on his way to work. Normally he'd pull into the parking lot by the main entrance, and Amy would jump out with a wave and disappear. Today though, something caught Joe's attention as he pulled in. He swerved into a spot, shut off the truck, and got out before Amy could ask what was wrong. She looked forward and saw two stage crewmen helping someone walk down the path to the parking lot. There was blood all over the face and shirt of the man in the middle, and he was limping badly. Joe briskly walked up to them and asked what happened. Amy caught up to them.

"Oh my god! Frank, what happened to you?" Amy blurted as she recognized the battered man.

"I got mugged, is what happened. I was bringing the cash float back from the bank, and two masked thugs stepped out from between the tents and started beating on me."

"Where was Julius? Doesn't he go with you to the bank?" Amy asked.

"His Lordship fired the security company on Friday," growled one of the men helping Frank towards the ambulance, which had just pulled into the parking lot.