Young Man and Older Lady Ch. 07

Trey awoke one Sunday morning. "I've just realized that you've never told me when your birthday is," he said to Sarah. "You know mine. Given it is now early July and we met last September, either you sneaked it by or yours is coming up soon too!"

Sarah laughed. "Your father left me because he wanted a child but not with me, being his sister. Some time went by before he was married and you came along. When you were born, he wrote me a very short note announcing your birth. It was the only contact we had for a very long time, but it was quite revealing. He said your birthday was August 3rd, and so I would never forget it."

"Why would you never forget August 3rd?"

"Because that is also my birthday. You were born on my birthday. I think he hoped it might link us, but of course, I was living with our father, and also the wanting of you by him was what tore he and I apart."

"Well, it doesn't affect us. We should throw a party. An afternoon thing for the University, and an evening follow-on for our special friends."

"I take it you mean the twins, and Charlie and Liz."

"Well, there's that friend of yours from England, Jenny."

"That would be interesting. She has a new love in her life who is transgender - apparently at this stage in the process he has great breasts, hair that makes Jenny jealous and still has his male parts. Jenny is still deciding whether she wants her partner to go through the reconfiguration stage or not. Says she likes having the best of both worlds."

"Well, they could come too."

Just then the phone rang. The bedside phone was on Sarah's side, so she answered it. "Really, when?" was all she said before the other person talked on for some time.

"Well, of course. Let us know if there's anything we can do, or if you need us to come round just to talk."

She got out of bed and sat on the side. "That was Marjorie. She's just received a phone call from Liz. She and Charlie were in the Capital, and had returned to their hotel from the club. Charlie died in his sleep."

"Oh, Lord. What a shock for poor Liz. I guess that takes him off the guest list for the party."

Sarah swung a pillow at him. "Typical male response. Now, at the party, you get all the women to yourself."

"I'll share with Jenny's friend." A second pillow hit him.

They were having breakfast when Marjorie phoned again. "Can you come round, now?" she asked.

"We're having breakfast, be round as soon as we finish. The house or the rooms?"

Marjorie wanted them to go the house. As Dean, Charles got an elegant apartment within the university, and did stay some nights there, but it was not where he and Marjorie lived. Generally, he used the rooms for his receptions and meetings. The house was a little ways out of town, in a pleasant hobby-farm rural area. They drove round there and rang the doorbell.

Belinda, Marjorie's daughter came to the door. "So sorry to hear about your Dad," said Sarah, giving her a hug.

"Thanks. Bit of a shock, although from Liz's point of view, better in his sleep than in the throes of a climax!"

They went in. Marjorie was dressed in a nice summer dress, not in her 'Deans wife frumpy uniform' she often wore. "Liz is on her way here, driving Charles' car back, so I was hoping you could provide some neutral ground, and drive her home after we've spoken. I've spoken to the company we had bought funeral plans at and they are bringing Charles back to town, to their Chapel of Rest."

"No problem. But tell me," said Sarah, "how did you and Liz get on? You're both going to miss him, you both loved him, albeit in different ways, so how did you get on before the affair?"

"I've been thinking about that. The affair is only about a year and a half since it started. Prior to that, I was her support when her relationship with her long-time girlfriend broke down and she was on her own. We never had a thing going, but we were kind of friends. I never let her know that I am bi-sexual, although I think she guessed Belinda is. That's why I invited you two round, as you're in both camps, so to speak."

It wasn't long before Liz arrived driving Charles' car. They all went out to meet her. As she got out, Marjorie walked up to Liz, and wordlessly, simply gave her a hug.

At first, Liz looked shocked by the hug, and then relaxed into it and accepted the consolation intended. It was a long hug, and when it finally broke up, Marjorie guided Liz into the house. She poured 5 glasses of sherry and handed them around.

"To Charles!" she said "He had his faults, but he was a good man, and an excellent Dean."

"To Charles" was the response.

"Liz, I've been thinking" said Marjorie. "The university will want to have a say in Charles' funeral arrangements, and all the proper protocol and what have you. Would you act as my go-between for the funeral?"

"You want me to get involved?"

"Yes, we were friends before. We're both connected to him, and it will cancel all the gossip that would otherwise occur from those who knew about you and Charles. And we are both going to be around, when he isn't, so it would be easier to be friendly towards each other than to be enemies. I've called you names, because I was hurt, and I apologize. Let's move forward, together, please."

There was a pregnant pause. Then Liz put her glass down and hugged Marjorie. "I'm sorry it happened this way, but I accept your apology, and offer several of my own. I'll do my 'guilt' apologies later, just us alone. I think a restart between us would be a good idea, too, and so I am happy - no, that's not the right word - I am more than willing to assist you with the funeral as best I can. Nothing about today is happy."

So after discussing what might or might not happen for the funeral, Trey and Sarah drove Liz home. They declined an invitation to go in for drinks. Instead, they went home and proffered a toast of their own to Dean Henry, who was the person most instrumental in bringing the two of them together.

They started to think again about their party. That year, the 3rd August would be a Wednesday, so they decided to have the parties on July 30th. A catered afternoon affair for the tenured university crowd - Sarah's primary colleagues - and an evening do, self-catered, for their closest friends, with an hour in between for the caterers to pack up and go. Sarah wrote to Jenny by email, inviting her and her new partner, and received a response the next morning saying she and BJ would be there, making a week out of the trip. Arrive the Thursday before and leave on the day after the actual birthday, the following Thursday.

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

The board of the university decided that George Stevenson, an older Physics Professor in General Science should be appointed Acting Dean, and could also be eligible for election as the next Dean, if there were candidates other than himself.

Although most of the university faculty were completely unaware, Trey and Sarah knew that George was the 'older professor in General Science' with whom Marjorie had had a fling a couple of years previously. Obviously, Charlie had never been aware of it or he would not have believed that Marjorie was anti-sex, when it was merely a case of her finding Charles an unexciting and boring lover in their early marriage. Moving in theatrical circles, Marjorie had never been short of attention from creative males, or females for that matter, and could easily tell a boring lover. Marjorie had frequently quoted the canard "You can always tell a man who is a boring lover, but, unfortunately, you just can't tell them much!"

It occurred to Sarah that Marjorie had had no reason to limit her sexual pleasures to Charlie after Belinda was born, after she recovered from post partem depression, when Marjorie could easily, and did, land men like Sarah's brother Pieter. While Liz's influence had probably loosened Charlie up a bit, having had sex with him herself, she knew he wasn't the hottest in bed that she'd ever encountered. In fact, Marjorie herself was a lot hotter....

The funeral was held the following Thursday in the University's Chapel, complete with choir and a full turnout of robed professors and almost all the other teaching and admin staff. Those that knew about Charles and Liz were surprised to see Liz sitting next to Marjorie, with Belinda and her husband on her other side. Those that didn't know thought how nice it was that Liz, being almost as old as Marjorie and single, was there for her.

The Acting Dean, a single man who had never married, had not moved into the Deans' rooms, and was still living in his much more modest rooms within the university, but he did allow the wake following the funeral to be held in the Dean's rooms. Only the tenured faculty were invited to that.

There had been a 'receiving line' at the Chapel, so everyone who wanted to had paid their respects to the family, and so the atmosphere at the wake was much more akin to a celebration of Charles Henry's life and achievements than anything else, and as the sherry and wine flowed, it became more so.

Trey noticed that Marjorie was doing a good job of 'mingling' and had a small group of men - including George - around her nearly all the time. Belinda was hovering nearby, and was dipping her hand into her purse every now and then. Trey wandered over, took the purse off Belinda and looked inside. They both smiled at each other as Trey recognized the little remote control switch inside. Obviously, Marjorie was not planning a long period of either mourning or chastity.

As might be expected, Marjorie had dressed appropriately for a funeral, but the dress she was wearing was tailored nicely around her bust, and fell from there to a little below the knees, with clean plain vertical lines that made her look taller than most of her other clothes. Plus, although black is always slimming, Sarah was quite convinced that Marjorie had shed some weight from when she had seen her at the cottage about three weeks or so earlier.

For once, Sarah was not wearing her Ben Wa balls, but that didn't stop a gathering around her, as it had probably become force of habit by now. In a rare moment of Sarah being alone, Liz came over to speak to her.

"I asked Marjorie if she would mind me going up to the cottage one last time. I was surprised when she said she would join me. Have you any idea what's going on that she wants to spend one-on-one time with me, and is being so friendly to me. I know she knew about Charlie and I? I also know she called me 'a trollop who shags my husband whenever she can'. So why is she being so nice?"

"I could hazard a guess," said Sarah, "but I think if she has offered to take you up there, she is planning to tell you herself, and that the cottage seems the most appropriate place. If you want my opinion, I don't think she's planning to drown you in the lake, though."

Liz let out a nervous laugh. "Hadn't thought about that, but I don't think she's the violent type, do you?"

Now it was Sarah's turn to laugh. "Far from it. I think it's fair to say she's a lover not a fighter."

Liz let this sink in a minute. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Well, I don't think we will all be attending a murder trial in connection with your disappearance. Can't imagine them having to drag the lake to find your body. That's my belief, anyway."

"For my own sake, I hope you're right."

Liz moved on to speak to someone else, and Marjorie came over. "Did Liz tell you I am going to the cottage with her tomorrow?"

"Yes, she wondered if I knew why. I told her I could guess but preferred not to."

"Good, let her sweat a little. Actually, I intend she'll sweat a lot, I'm planning to seduce her!"

"Thought so. So just you and her. Are you going to pass yourself off as a nymphomaniac who needs her now her husband has died?"

"Good lord no. I never bedded Charles after Belinda was born. When I recovered and was ready for sex, I had three lovers at the same time, all better than him, so I took full advantage. I compared Charles and I to Mr. Chips and Katherine earlier, but she was always faithful to Chips. I wasn't. I was just discrete. I may be a nymphomaniac, but not because of Charles' demise!"

"So the weight loss is not through grief?"

"Good Lord! No! Diet and exercise, and now I don't have to plan around Charles being absent - he hated being in the house alone - in order to get laid, I intend to lose weight through diet, and less exercise and more sex! No, we're going up tomorrow, and I want you and Trey to come up to your cottage on Saturday. I'm sure you've figured out my intentions already."

"So, no Belinda on this trip?"

"No, at least not initially, but I wouldn't be surprised if Belinda didn't snare Liz at some point. Now, there's a nymphomaniac. I'm sure her husband heaves a sigh of relief every time she visits me."

And with that Marjorie wandered away, and shot a look at Belinda as Belinda's hand withdrew from the purse. Sarah looked around for Trey, who was talking to the Acting Dean, and sauntered across. George gave Sarah a hug and a smile. "I was just saying to your nephew that I hear such wonderful praise of your lecturing style that I shall have to sit in and learn how it's done!" he said.

Sarah laughed. "George, you would not have survived in this place so long without

having a successful style of your own, but thank you for the compliment."

"You are very welcome my dear. Tell me, do you think I should let my name stand for election, or step aside for a younger man?"

"If I may be bold to say this, George, at 65, you are ten years younger than Charles was at 75, and a sudden change to somebody who does not have either a feel for the university or the trust of its faculty and its student body could be disastrous. I think you would naturally be more progressive than Charles, and so could start to effect some change without throwing the baby out with the bath water."

"How kind of you, my dear. That is my thought entirely."

"Then make sure you say so if there is an election. But also, hint that to the younger ones, and you might head off an election and get in unopposed."

George wandered off, smiling, and mingled some more. Popping one last vol-au-vent in her mouth, Sarah went off to gather Trey and head for home.

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

They were watching Jeopardy naked as usual that evening, sipping Scotch when Sarah told Trey about Liz joining Marjorie at the cottage. "The sly old bugger," said Trey.

"Who?"

"Marjorie. She knows Liz is Bi, she knows she enjoys sex, and now Liz doesn't have Charles, Marjorie can easily acquire a new willing lover. I am sure that she knows Liz has other lovers...."

"Including you and I"

"Yes, including us. And so Liz is a ready conduit to Marjorie getting more fun out of life, and not having people complain, because now she is single. As I said, the sly old bugger!"

"Well, she's planning do or die on Liz tomorrow, and wants us to go up Saturday. If it's a 'do' tomorrow, she'll want us to be a foursome, and if it's a 'die', well, guess it's threesome time."

"My money is on the foursome."

"So's mine. Now shush, commercial break over." And they went back to their own unique and intimate version of playing along at Jeopardy.

Next morning, after stopping to stock up on wine and groceries, they set off for their cottage, planning on staying at least two nights regardless of Marjorie's plans.

Once they had the cottage opened up again and the food put away and the wine in the cooler that needed to be, they redressed with no underwear, and set off through the trees to the other cottage.

As they got near, they could hear female voices, and, without revealing themselves, saw Liz and Marjorie swimming just off the dock. Both were as naked as the day they were born. "Looks like Marjorie got what she wanted," said Trey.

"Indeed" said Sarah. They waited, and soon the two women climbed out of the water, one up each of the two ladders the dock had. The women picked up towels and started to dry each other off, then headed up the dock towards the house, chatting amicably.

Trey and Sarah shed their two items of clothing each, and carrying them, walked as close to the cottage as they could get without coming out of the trees. As they emerged, they heard Marjorie call out "Hi" in a loud - and welcoming - voice. Liz turned in her chair, and also called out. Neither woman made an effort to cover their nudity.

"Was just going to get wine and glasses, so now will get four," said Marjorie, and Liz said, "I'll come with you and get some snacks out."

Soon they were all sitting relaxing over grapes, wine and cherries. "So it was not a case of 'the Dean's wife in the kitchen with the frying pan' or 'the Professor in the lake with a hammer'?" said Sarah, laughing.

"No. None of that. I simply told Liz the truth about my sex life, and she told me the truth about hers. And both of us agreed that Charles was not the lover your brother was - turns out he had dated both of us at the same time. If we'd known we could have made it a threesome!" Liz and Marjorie both laughed.

"It seems," said Liz, "that both of us have shagged all three members of the Strauss family that we have had the pleasure of knowing, in the biblical sense!" And again everyone laughed.

Trey looked up from his glass. "Who knew? I lived with the old bugger and never knew how many women he had. Thinking back, the ones he brought to the house never had a connection with the university, although they all looked like Sarah here. Guess there was some kind of plan to it all."

"This may come as a surprise," said Sarah, "but I got to shag Pieter for longer, and sooner, than either of you did. I agree, he was a wonderful lover. And I claim a part-credit in him becoming the accomplished lover he did."

Marjorie and Liz looked at each other, not knowing about this early sibling relationship, then back to Sarah. "Let's just say that the less said about Pieter's lovers probably the better, given today's situation." Marjorie raised her glass and said "To Pieter," and the others repeated the toast.

"So, are you staying for dinner?" asked Liz.

"We are if invited," said Sarah.

"May as well stay for breakfast," said Marjorie. "As we drove in, I bought 8 nice fresh river trout at the market, just a nice size for two each, pan fried."

Trey's eyes lit up. "Haven't had pan-fried trout since Dad died," he said. "He was really good at it, kept it simple. Dipped the fish in milk whole and then dredged them in flour and fresh-ground pepper. Cooked in a heavy cast-iron skillet. With baked potatoes and a spinach salad. That was his recipe."

And Liz and Marjorie looked at each other. "We know" Marjorie said, "and that's exactly how we planned to do it, except it sounds like you have a lot more experience of the recipe than we do. And we have plenty of white wine already chilling. We've just voted you tonight's chef."

And so the four of them enjoyed a very simple meal. Trey baked the potatoes on the barbecue so as to not have the oven on in the cottage, and the fish were cooked in a large skillet, in two rounds of four so that they could all eat together. Finally, 8 trout spinal bones with heads and tails were in the garbage, and baked potatoes and salad had disappeared. The wine was flowing, and as the sun started to set, all was mellow. They had put some clothes on to eat, and now Liz was looking at Trey and licking her lips.

"Marjorie is quite the accomplished lover and has an interesting collection of toys, but I feel like the real item tonight. Sarah, can we borrow Trey for a while?"

"Yes, but I think we should all stay in the same bed, don't you? There might be some wonderful opportunities in that arrangement. Trey, why don't you stand up and strip for us."

"Hardly a strip-tease when I only have two items of clothing on." But he stood up and shed them anyway, and Liz and Marjorie did the same. Sarah watched in amusement has Marjorie rubbed herself up and down Trey's back, and Liz squeezed herself against his front.