Wanda Pt. 02

"I can ask him when he gets back. He and Grandpa went to South Carolina for a fishing trip. They should be back on Friday," she said.

My mouth said, "Cool! Thanks!", but my mind said "SHIT!" I realized, however, that if Kathy's dad was on a trip, I wouldn't need to call - I could simply go over to Wanda's house. That would be better than a phone call, anyway. Kathy was the only counter person there, so I knew she wouldn't be able to leave until they closed. Feeling fairly safe, I went straight from the store to Wanda's house.

I pulled in front of the house, then thought the better of it and parked several houses down. Better safe than sorry. I walked down to Wanda's house and knocked on the door. When she opened it, her eyes grew wide with surprise.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked.

"We need to talk," I said firmly. "May I come in?"

She glanced around outside and didn't see anybody, then stepped aside to allow me in. I walked into the living room and sat on the couch. She sat down on the couch also, a respectable distance from me.

"I got the story from Kathy," I said. "What happened to you not giving me up?"

"Oh, god," she said, covering her face with her hands. "She knows???"

"No," I said. "She doesn't. Doesn't even suspect." I paused, then repeated, "So what changed your mind about not giving me up?"

"I shouldn't have said that," she said quietly. "We could never be, you know."

"Why not?" I challenged her.

She sighed. "First of all, Kathy. I'm her mother and you're her boyfriend. If we were together, she'd hate me."

"But not because you're almost 20 years older than me?" I said, a bit of accusation in my voice.

"Yes," she admitted. "That too."

"I don't think that matters," I stated bluntly.

She looked at me and I could see tears forming in her eyes again. "Nick, honey...let's be honest. All we've done together is have lots of sex. It's incredible sex, but we don't even really know much about each other."

"You know enough to fall in love with me," I said softly.

Her face turned beet red. "She told you that, too?"

I nodded.

A single tear ran down her cheek. "But we really don't know each other," she protested. "What's my favorite flower???"

"Yellow roses," I answered instantly.

She stared at me dumbfounded. "How in the HELL did you know that?" she asked.

I pointed to the coffee table, atop which was a vase filled with yellow roses. "That," I said, then pointed to the trim at the top of the walls painted with vines of yellow roses, "and that. Plus, when I came to dinner that one time, there were yellow roses in a vase on the table."

"Ok, maybe that was too easy. My favorite color?" she asked, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Green," I said. Except for the sheer nightgown she'd worn when I met her, all the clothing I'd seen her in had green overriding the other colors.

"Teal, but close enough," she said, laughing. "Ok, you're observant, I'll grant you that." The sound of her laughter filled me with hope and joy. "Ralph can never remember those kinds of things." She scooted closer to me, and I took her hand in mine.

"So, where do we go from here?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I just know that I don't want to stop seeing you."

"For the sex?" she asked, worry in her eyes.

I thought for a minute and held a honest debate with myself. Was it for the sex? Definitely. But it was more than just the sex. She seemed so vulnerable, and that aroused my protective nature. And even though all we'd done so far is fuck, I wanted more of her than just her body. I wanted to know all about her, her likes and dislikes and everything else about her. Did it bother me that she was quite a bit older than me? Not in the least. Did I want to make her happy? Yes, but why I did was beyond me. That was an inescapable fact that had no rhyme or reason.

"Honestly? Yes, for the sex," I finally said, voicing the result from my inner debate. An anguished look covered her face until I continued. "And, yes, because I think you're beautiful. And, yes, because I love being around you."

Her eyes became misty. I saw her trying to say something, but she couldn't get the words out. Instead, she moved against me and put her head on my shoulder. We sat there for a long time before she was able to speak.

"What about Kathy?" she asked softly.

There was the rub. "Fuck, I don't know," I admitted. "I really like her and I don't want to hurt her. But if I had to choose, I'd choose you."

"What would we do when I'm old and feeble?" she asked. "When I need a walker to get around?"

I grinned. "I'll give you piggy-back rides everywhere."

She laughed. "You're impossible," she said, putting her head back on my shoulder. "Oh, Nick, what are we going to do?"

A frown on my face, I replied, "Honestly, I don't know."