Your Silver Nights and Golden Days Pt. 02

Bonnie tousled his hair and whispered back, "Yes, she is, isn't she." She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"Well, shall we head over to the pier?" I asked as I reached out to take Mark's hand.

"Yes!" Mark and Matthew simultaneously said, and they both took a hand and started dragging me toward the walkway.

"Come on, Mom," said Matthew as Bonnie moved to catch up with us, laughing at the sight of me being dragged away by her two sons.

We made it to the pier, and today it appeared that a fair was going on. There were tables and booths along the walk with people selling their wares. The boys let go of my hands and seemed anxious to run ahead, but Bonnie admonished them to stay near us where we could keep an eye on them.

Bonnie and I started strolling out on the pier, our ultimate destination, the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab & Aquarium, located at the end of the pier. I reached over and took Bonnie's left hand in my right hand, and we checked out the wares as we went along. There were a lot of tee shirts, jewelry, and art displayed. I was somewhat anxious about losing contact with the boys, but Bonnie assured me they didn't need constant eye contact.

We came to a booth selling lemonade, and I bought some for the boys. They started to run off, and Bonnie called out, "Boys, make sure to thank Virginia for your drinks."

"Thank you!" "Thanks!" echoed from them as they turned back momentarily to mind their manners before turning and heading down the pier.

I looked over at Bonnie and said, while giving her hand a squeeze, "They're well-behaved. You've done a marvelous job bringing them up."

"Yes, I'm so proud of them," Bonnie said with a look of love that made her look so beautiful my heart throbbed. While squeezing my hand back, she looked at me and said, "They like you. They're usually a little more subdued when I'm out with other people, but they seem to have taken to you right away."

"I'm glad. I like Matthew and Mark too. I'm sure we'll get along fabulously," pleased that the boys seemed to accept me.

Eventually, we worked our way down to the end of the pier and entered the aquarium. The boys enjoyed the displays. They ran from one to the next, excitedly telling each other to look at this or that. Bonnie and I just stood back and enjoyed each other's company as we kept an eye on them. Nobody seemed to notice or care that we were holding hands.

In a low voice, I leaned in and said, "God, I just want to take you in my arms and kiss you." I backed away while squeezing her hand and smiling as if I had just shared a joke with her.

Bonnie smiled at me and leaned in, saying, "I want to do the same," before backing away.

After about twenty minutes, we gathered up the boys and headed back to the parking lot. When we returned to our cars, we decided to meet at the movie theater on Rosecrans Avenue in El Segundo to see 'Teen Wolf' with Michael J. Fox.

We got to the theater in time to catch the matinee show. After getting a big tub of popcorn and drinks, we went into the theater and got four seats together near the back. Bonnie sat between Mark and Matthew, and I sat beside Mark. As soon as the lights went down, I moved my left arm up on the back of Mark's seat so my hand could touch Bonnie's right shoulder. Bonnie and I shared a look over Mark's head and settled in to watch the movie.

During the movie, my hand stayed on her shoulder while I idly traced circles on her shoulder blade with my finger. Bonnie held the popcorn in her lap so everyone could get to it, so I had to reach across Mark to get some. He was so into the movie he didn't mind that I was getting so close to him. Bonnie would occasionally reach up with her right hand to touch my hand, and we would share looks with each other. It was delicious torture being so close and unable to do what I wanted to do with her.

Once the movie was over, we decided to go to McDonald's for a late lunch. We went in to get a booth and decided what to order. Bonnie went up to order and get the food, and I started talking to Mark and Matthew. I asked them about school and how they liked it. Matthew was enjoying 4th grade, but Mark was more subdued about his being in 2nd grade. I regaled them with tales of when I went to school and the teachers I had to put up with. By the time Bonnie was back with the food, Mark was chatting up a storm, having come out of his shell.

Bonnie and I sat on one side of the booth with the two boys across from us. We were seated close to each other, and our shoulders were touching. I slipped my right hand into Bonnie's left hand under the table while we ate. I think Matthew noticed because he kept looking over at us, but he didn't say anything or act as if it upset him.

After eating, we decided to visit Pollywog Park before taking Mark and Matthew over to their grandma's place. We got to the park, and we strolled around the pond. Then Bonnie and I sat on a bench while the boys ran around and used the playground equipment. While they were occupied, I took Bonnie's hands in mine, and she laid her head on my shoulder.

"This is so nice," Bonnie said with a sigh.

"Yes, it is. I hope we get many chances to do this," I continued, adding a sigh to match hers.

"Oh, I think we will. It's a lot easier with two sets of eyes keeping an eye on them," Bonnie said, shifting slightly before resetting her head on my shoulder.

I felt Bonnie's body shake slightly, and I looked over and saw a tear on her cheek. "Are you okay?" I asked quietly.

"Yes ... no ... I don't know," she said. "I'm so happy to be with you and the boys, and I am so sad that I can't express how I feel about you being here with me," she went on, freeing one hand from mine to wipe away the tears tracking down her cheek.

Before we could continue our conversation, Matthew and Mark ran up to us. Mark said, "Mom, I need to go to the bathroom."

"Okay," said Bonnie. "Matthew, what about you?" she asked.

"I'm okay," replied Matthew. "I'll just stay here with Virginia if you don't mind."

Bonnie looked at me, and I nodded, so she said, "Okay, Matthew, if you change your mind, just bring Virginia with you if we're not back."

"Yes, mom," Matthew replied with a long-suffering sigh.

Bonnie pointed out the restrooms to me and headed off with Mark. Matthew came over and sat on the bench with me.

"So, did your mom tell you what I do?" I asked Matthew to break the silence.

"Yes, she said you were a Captain in the Air Force, but she wasn't sure what you did," he answered.

"Well," I continued, "I mainly work with the people who will be trying to build the weapons we need to protect us from the Soviets. I can't tell you exactly what they are because it's classified. Still, I mostly talk to people and write up lots of boring technical presentations. So nothing as exciting as being a spy or flying fighter jets."

"Do you ever get a chance to fly fighters or anything like that?" asked Matthew.

"No, they don't let women do that except in extraordinary circumstances," I answered. "I don't have a pilot's license anyway."

Then Matthew surprised me by turning to me, looking up, and asking, "Do you like my mom?"

I paused, trying to think how to answer that question, not wanting to lie to him, so I said, "Well, friends like each other, and she's my friend, so, yes, I do like your mom."

"My mom has other girlfriends, and they don't hold mom's hand like I see you are holding mom's hand," Matthew said. "When she talks about you, she smiles a lot when she does. She doesn't smile like that when she talks about her other friends."

I looked him in the eye and said, "I like making your mom smile. Do you mind that I do?"

He leaned in and said in a low voice, "No, I'm glad. Mom doesn't know that I know, but sometimes I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and sometimes I can hear her crying. She doesn't cry as much as she used to because I think you're making her happy."

I leaned in and hugged him, saying, "I'm glad she's not crying, either. I really do like your mom. I like you too. I won't tell her what you told me. But," I went on, "I need you to keep a secret for me, too, okay?"

"Okay," Matthew said.

"Some people might not like that your mom and I are such good friends, so you need to keep it to yourself and not talk to anybody about it, especially Mark. He may not understand it and accidentally tell somebody. You should talk to your mom about it, though," I finished.

"I will," Matthew said and hugged me back. We let go of each other, and I saw Bonnie and Mark heading back to our bench. Her eyes questioned me as she walked up, and I smiled back at her to let her know everything was okay.

"Hey, Matthew, are you still doing okay?" Bonnie asked as Matthew got up to let Bonnie sit on the bench where he had been.

"Yes, mom," he said. "Come on, Mark, let's get on the swings!" Mark ran off with Matthew to the swings while Bonnie scooched up to me and laid her head on my shoulder.

"What was Matthew talking to you about?" she asked.

"I think he's figured out that we're more than just friends, although I don't think he understands all that implies," I said, taking her hand in mine and nuzzling the top of her head. "He's pretty perceptive. It's going to be hard to hide anything from him."

"Yes, he's my favorite, but don't you ever tell him I said that," she warned. "He'll lord it over Mark if he ever figured it out. So, what did he say?"

"He saw us holding hands and said you don't hold any other friend's hands. Also, he saw that you smiled whenever you talked about me," I said. "You mention me a lot, do you?" I asked softly, stroking her cheek lightly with my fingertips.

Bonnie sighed and said, "Yes, I do go on and on about you to the boys. I'm surprised they aren't tired of hearing it."

"Well, I cautioned Matthew not to talk about our being very close friends with anybody but you. I hope that was okay?" I asked.

"Yes," Bonnie replied. "I do want to talk about it with him, but I want to wait until he comes to me with questions."

"Which leads to a question I have for you," I said. "When I meet your mom today, how do you want me to handle it?"

"If you don't mind, I don't want to out myself to her just yet. For one thing, I'd like to be sure we're going to work before burning any bridges. As much as I care about you, I want to ensure this isn't just a passing fancy of mine. Even if it turns out that it is real," she sat up and locked eyes with me, "I have to consider what effect it will have on my boys. They come first, and we come second."

"No problem, Bonnie. I will wait as long as it takes for you to be okay with this." I took her hands in mine and brought them up to my lips, kissing her knuckles while maintaining eye contact. I saw the boys approaching out of the corner of my eye and said, "Here comes Matthew and Mark."

We straightened up and turned to greet them as they came up.

"Hey guys, you ready to see grandma?" Bonnie asked them as they plopped down on the bench beside us.

"Yes!" "Yeah!" they chorused.

"Okay, let's go! Back to the car," Bonnie said as we got up and headed to the parking lot.

In no time, we were on our way. Soon we made it to their grandmother's apartment in Hawthorne.

We parked on the street and wended our way between the buildings until we came to our destination. The boys ran ahead and rang the doorbell while Bonnie and I were still coming up the walk. The door flew open, and the boys yelled, "Grandma!" and practically jumped on the older woman standing in the doorway.

"Oh, my babies!" cried their grandmother, gathering them in her arms as she looked back up as we came up to the door.

"Hi, mom," said Bonnie as she wrapped her arms around all three of them.

"Hello, sweetie," said her mom. "And who is your friend?"

"Mom, this is Virginia. I told you about her the other day," Bonnie said, making the introduction. "Virginia, this is my mom," she finished, a smile on her face.

As I looked at Bonnie's mom, I was struck by how much she looked like an older version of Bonnie. Standing next to each other, they look like sisters, being the same height and build.

"Mrs. Steiner," I said. "It's a pleasure to meet you." I stuck out my hand in greeting.

"Oh, call me Grace," she said, ignoring my hand and pulling me in for a hug.

We went inside, the two boys going into the living room to watch TV while Grace, Bonnie, and I went into the kitchen.

While Grace played hostess and got drinks, we exchanged pleasantries and made small talk. I told Grace about being an Air Force officer and what I did. She asked about our day, and I told her how I had enjoyed spending the day with Bonnie and the boys. Bonnie added that it was nice to share watching out for the boys while enjoying the day and going over where we went and what we did.

"I'm glad Bonnie has a sweet friend like you to share her day with. She doesn't get out enough, what with having only herself to take care of the boys. I help when I can, but it still doesn't give her enough 'me' time. She's nearly talked my ear off about you," Grace said as we finished our drinks, "so I'm glad I finally got to meet you."

"Thanks, Grace. Being new to the area, I was glad that I was able to find someone to talk to and do things with. Constantly moving from assignment to assignment makes it hard to establish long-term friendships. It's great to meet you too. I can see where she gets her looks," I said, smiling at Bonnie as I finished.

"And," chimed in Bonnie, "now you don't have to worry about me going out alone at night."

"True," answered Grace. "I always worry about you, but that's a mother's job, isn't it?" she continued, looking knowingly at her daughter.

"Yes, mom. Now I realize why you worried about me during my rebellious years. I just hope the boys don't get as crazy as I did," Bonnie said, reaching over and patting her mom's hand.

Silence fell over the table for a moment until a herd of elephants thundered into the kitchen, suddenly transforming into two boys.

"Grandma!" "Grandma!" they both said. "Can we have some Kool-Aid®?"

"Yes, go wash up first, and maybe I'll throw in a cookie for each of you," Grace said.

The boys ran out while Grace got up to get drinks and snacks. The boys came tearing back in, grabbed a glass and a cookie, and headed back slowly into the living room.

"Mom," said Bonnie, "we need to get going. Thanks again for watching the boys."

"No problem, dear," said Grace. "Now, go have fun, and don't worry about us!"

We said our goodbyes and headed out. Grace walked us to the door, and when we got back to our cars, we decided to take my car and leave her car, so I could drop her off here later, so she could get home from here.

As soon as we pulled out, Bonnie grabbed my hand and sighed. "Mom seems to like you."

"Yes, and I like Grace too," I replied, squeezing her hand. I grinned at her and asked, "You were rebellious in your youth?"

"Mom exaggerates at times," sighed Bonnie. "I was always running around all hours of the day and night, and she worried about me getting in with the wrong crowd. I didn't, but I could never convince her of it. And then I went and got pregnant with Matthew and just proved her point."

I squeezed her hand again and said, "It may have seemed like the end of the world then, but look at what you have now. You wouldn't take it back for anything in the world, right?"

"No, not for anything," replied Bonnie, with another sigh as a big smile came over her face.

"It's a little early for dinner, so how about we go back to my place and freshen up?" I asked with a lascivious grin on my face.

Bonnie squeezed my hand and said, "Sure, as long as you're not too fresh!"

We got back to my place and tumbled through the door. Before it was even closed, we were onto each other. Hands and lips everywhere, clothing flying off of us as the pent-up sexual tension of being together all day without being able to express our feelings for each other overcame us.

***

We decided to go out for Mexican, so we went to El Sombrero in Manhattan Beach. I parked on the street, and we walked hand-in-hand into the restaurant. We asked for a table on the patio, and the hostess took us out to a table with a view down Manhattan Ave. The evening was warm, with a slight breeze off the ocean, so the air was clean and refreshing. We sat before I took her hand in mine under the table and exchanged smiles.

Our server came up, put chips and salsa on the table, poured ice water into our glasses, and passed out menus, all while saying, "Welcome to El Sombrero. I'm Terry, your server this evening. Can I start you off with margaritas tonight?"

I glanced over to Bonnie, and she gave me a little nod, so I replied, "Yes, Terry. Margaritas for both of us, please."

"Very good, ma'am. I'll be back in a minute or so with your drinks," Terry said with a smile.

As Terry walked away, we picked up our menus, and while checking mine out, I turned to Bonnie and said, "I like Grace. She seems nice."

"Try living with her," Bonnie snarked. After a short pause, she said, "Oh, she's okay. I gave her a lot of grief, and Mom still loves me anyway. Compared to my friends' mothers, she's near the top of the list of good mothers. She can sometimes be pretty biased about my friends, so I'm glad she likes you."

"That's good," I said while squeezing her hand. "I wouldn't want to cause any grief between you and Grace. If we do end up in a relationship, do you think she'll be okay with it?"

"I hope so," replied Bonnie. "I've never heard her make a homophobic comment, and she does know my friend who's gay. She's never made a fuss about me hanging around him."

Just then, Terry returned with our drinks. After placing them on the table, he asked, "Are you ladies ready to order?"

I raised an eyebrow at Bonnie, and she looked up at Terry and said, "Yes, Terry, I'll have the Burrito Loco with chicken."

"Excellent, ma'am," replied Terry. Turning to me, he said, "And you, ma'am?"

"I'll have the Burrito California, also with chicken," I said. "Could I have the Pico de Gallo on the side, please?"

"I'll make sure that happens," replied Terry. "Is there anything else I can get for you now?"

"No, I think we're good. Thank you, Terry," I said as I handed my menu to him.

Bonnie handed her menu to Terry and, as he walked away, took my hand and squeezed it. "Thank you," she said, smiling at me, making my heart melt.

"For what?" I asked.

"For treating me like a lady," Bonnie explained. "You take charge like you're the guy treating her woman to a meal. Just now, when ordering dinner, you asked me what I wanted and then placed your order. The waiter also deferred to you, letting you take the lead. I just think it's cute."

"Well, I'm not butch or anything like that," I replied, feeling a little uncomfortable. "I'm not into the whole butch/femme subculture. I want you to feel like an equal in this relationship."

"Oh, I wasn't complaining, and I wasn't saying you were butch. You just seemed to take the lead, and that's okay with me. I wouldn't want to be in a relationship if I didn't feel like an equal. I just like the feel of you being confident enough to take the lead and not question it. I guess that's why you are an officer," Bonnie concluded, giving my hand another squeeze.

"Well, anytime you feel like I'm taking too much for granted, tell me to back off," I said, smiling back at Bonnie and squeezing her hand. "While I prefer pitching to catching, I'm not looking for a pillow princess. I'd like you to be comfortable with pitching from time to time."

"I'm sorry," said Bonnie, a slight frown on her face, "I didn't understand what you meant there with pitching, catching, and what's a pillow princess?"