You're Not a Serial Rapist Ch. 13

Just so you know, there is no sex in this chapter. Just a preparation for the future of Bill and Kathy... and possibly Valerie. Hope you don't get bored with the details... that's how I write. The hot sex starts up again in the next chapter and from then on. Please enjoy.

I was up at 6:30. The drive from my parent's house to my new job was a little less than an hour. I wanted to be early. I had noticed what everyone was wearing when I was there for my interviews... dress shirt and tie. Both my parents were up, even though that wasn't their usual wake up time. They both wished me good luck on my first day. My dad was beaming with pride.

After the usual round of introductions of the 'new guy' I was introduced to my mentor, given some technical stuff to read, and was put into a cubical... my first office. The way the mechanical engineering department was set up there five windowed 'cubicles' along the walls with two rows of drafting tables in the middle. The ages of the other engineers varied. There were four that were about my age. Two were probably early thirties, and one that as a senior guy.

I hadn't brought a lunch, so at noon I left to find a restaurant. The day progressed slowly, and kind of boring.

Lunch the next day was more exciting.

Close to noon, one of the younger guys, Dale, asked if I wanted to join them for lunch. I was surprised when they stopped at a bar. I was even more surprised when everyone ordered a beer. This was way different than I ever expected. Later I would learn that the real fun lunches were when a vendor would come in and take some of the engineers to lunch.

It was a bar where you would grill your own burger over a rectangular indoor grill. There were condiments, potato salad and beans off to the side. We all sat at a table. It was time to get to know the 'new guy' and vice versa over a second round of beers. Over the next few weeks, I discovered that this was 'normal' for this group, lunch and a few beers.

Dale and Mark were single. Ken and Roger were married. Ken had a young daughter and lived in his own house on the other side of town. Roger had two kids and lived about twenty minutes south in a small town. Dale lived in an apartment by himself. Mark lived with his parents, he was the newest addition, having only been there about six months. He was also the only other one with a mechanical engineering degree.

They described some of the company 'politics' who to watch out for, and who you could trust. It seemed each department: sales, engineering, purchasing, and fabrication were each in their own little worlds. Engineering complaining that sales didn't put enough money into the project budget. Sales complaining that engineering spent too much. Purchasing complaining that engineering never gave them enough time to get the specialized components in on time. Fabrication complaining that engineering kept changing things and then the mistakes. It wasn't open hostility; just 'drama queens'.

They were curious about me. So I filled them in on where I went to school. How it was that I had finished early. How I found the company. Explained that I was actually two quarters late due to my previous ROTC classes. That I was planning on going back down there the first week in June for the graduation ceremony. My boss already knew about that, and had told me not to worry about it. Where I was living now. I said I was looking for a place closer. I could see the wheels turning in Mark's head on a possible future roommate. They told me areas to stay away from and where the best places would be. I got a range of rents. Didn't seem too bad. They added that I would be best off in an apartment complex rather than a private room above a house. The subject of any kind of roommate to share expenses, never came up, and I didn't think it was any of their concern on my/our plans.

The week dragged on. Same stuff each day. I figured it would take a while before I would have something 'real' to work on. Saturday I would start my search for an apartment.

I wrote to Kathy every night. And every night, I had a loving letter from her. It was the highlight of my day. Reading and then composing a letter to her. She thought it was funny about the beer lunches, and that the guys I had lunch with sounded really great... she couldn't wait to meet them. I told her that I really couldn't wait to introduce her to them as my girlfriend, and roommate.

She had been spending a lot of time with Valerie and her roommates. They would hang out in their apartment, sometimes hitting the local bar scene. She told me how Marsha and Terri were like 'guy magnets'. I already knew that. That she and Valerie would just sit back and watch. She didn't think those two ever bought themselves a drink. Too bad, the guys always left with a depleted wallet, and nothing else. Some might call them 'teases'. Yeah, they were. I know that when Terri and I had gone out those few times it was fun, and I did get kissing time.

I came home disappointed and dejected Saturday after driving by, and looking at various potential places for us to live. I had the local paper, and had located a number of those listed 'for rent'. They were either in a shitty and unsafe part of town, or a room above a private house, or the rent was way more than I could afford. Single bedroom apartments, in safe, neighborhoods, were almost non-existent. And those that were, were expensive.

I tried to be positive in my letters to Kathy, but I'm sure my frustration showed through, at times. Kathy saw it, and gave me much needed encouragement... that everything would work out.

I had been in the 'search' mode for a couple of weeks. I was getting panicky. In my mind, time was running out. I only had a little over three weeks left. Still no place. No furniture. No waterbed. No nothing.

Sometimes, 'Lady Luck' is on your side, and smiles down at you.

I was sitting at the table on a Wednesday evening, having dinner with my parents when my mom asked if I had found a place yet. I was now starting to spend my lunch hour checking out some new listings. I said I had not. She went on to say that she thought she had a lead on something from one of their 'Club' friends, and then went on to describe it from what she had been told.

It was a two story solid farmhouse that was about seventy years old. It sat on twenty acres of land. Most of it was wooded. It had a spring-fed pond that covered a little under an acre set back from the house in the middle of the woods. The house sat back from the road about fifty yards and was hidden from the road by tall trees. It was located about a mile off the main county road about two thirds of the way to my work, so my drive would be cut to about twenty minutes. And being off a county road, traffic would be minimal and quiet.

There were four bedrooms on the top floor. The master bedroom had its own attached full bath with a shower and walk-in closet. The second bath on the top floor had a tub and shower for the other bedrooms. The lower floor had a wood burning fireplace with a chimney fan to capture the heat in the living area, during the winter. The basement was unfinished... just a concrete slab with a fruit cellar and some storage cabinets.

Outside: a two-car detached garage, a couple of empty buildings that could serve as storage or another garage.

I said, "Sounds really nice. I can't see how I can afford something like that," I'm sure the dejected tone in my voice came through.

"Here's the best part. They're not looking to make anything on it. It's been sitting empty since last fall. They inherited it from her parents, when they passed away. They have their own house, that's paid for, and don't want to move in themselves. They're leery of renting it to strangers. All they want is enough to cover the property taxes, and a little extra for any repairs that come up. I don't know exactly what they are looking for, but it can't be that much. I would be willing to bet that it will be much less than what you have been looking at. They just want someone they can trust to take care of it. The wife grew up there and doesn't want to sell it... to many memories. Their kids aren't close to being old enough for it yet. They don't even know if they'd even be interested when the time comes. They know us. They know you. They know you are a hard dependable worker, and know you would be good with it."

"But, does that mean I'd have to buy a lawn mower? What about winter time and the snow and the driveway?"

"We'll find you a used lawn mower. That way when you move on, you can return it. As far as the snow removal, they have a small spare tractor with a snow blade they will park in one of the buildings that you can use over the winter. It even has a place where a vegetable garden used to be. Your dad can get it ready for you, if you want."

"Do they know about my planned living arrangements? I mean, a single guy in a four bedroom house with my girlfriend?"

"They know. And aren't bothered by it. Don't worry about it. They'll respect your privacy. It's not for public knowledge."

"When can I, I mean when can we see it?"

"I'll be talking to her tomorrow night at the Club. Maybe you should come too, just to get reintroduced. It's the weekly meeting of the women. Afterward, you and your dad can hang out at the bar."

It was almost too good to be true. A four bedroom house. A spring fed pond. Rent... next to nothing. I prayed a prayer of thanks that night. I purposely didn't mention anything in my letter to Kathy that night, as I didn't want to get her hopes up. Was this another one of the 'circumstances' in our life... that was 'meant to be'? I know that Kathy had mentioned to Valerie that she could come up and visit us over the summer. This would be perfect. Little did I realize what those visits would lead to.

The house was everything my mom described, and more.

Stepping out of the car, the first thing I noticed was the quiet. It was like my parent's house. The only things I could hear were the birds and the rustling of the trees in the gentle breeze and an occasional car in the distance.

The first floor was all oak hardwood flooring with various shades of golds and light browns. The kitchen had matching hardwood cabinets. One thing my mom didn't mention that there was a small formal dining area just off the living area. The kitchen was nice size with a gas stove and refrigerator. There was a lot of kitchen cabinet space and a food pantry. A window air-conditioner off the living room would cool the downstairs. The upstairs did not have an air conditioner. I would have to get a fan for those humid still nights. Lots of tall windows in the living area were off to the side. The tall windows opened up to the back of the wooded lot. The trees would shade the house and keep the heat down in the summer. In winter, and the leave gone, the sun would nicely warm the room.

The second floor was completely carpeted, giving the bedrooms a warm and cozy feel. The master bed room would easily fit the king sized bed. The windows faced the back of the house. A ceiling fan hung in the middle. The attached master bath had a double sink and a nice size shower that would easily fit two... maybe three... I inwardly grinned. Two of the other bedrooms were about the same size. One was slightly larger with a small walk-in closet. A common bath with a single sink and a tub/shower. Visions of Kathy and me lounging in the tub flashed through my brain. I grinned again.

Although the basement was unfinished, except for a large wooden workbench, it did have a washer and dryer. Kathy was going to love the house.

The lawn was pretty big. A push mower would give me a workout. The garage was about twenty feet from the house. A screened in back porch sat on the back of the house just off the back door. That seemed like a necessity, as I was sure that the mosquitos would be plentiful on the warm summer nights. Just off the porch was a circular stone fire pit. What caught my eye was a wooden picnic table in the middle of the back yard. Visions of Kathy spread eagled on the table, as I feasted on her flower, flooded my brain, caused a stirring below, and a wide inwardly grin.

The pond sat back from the house by about thirty yards, or so. It was crystal blue surrounded by tall maple and oak trees. There was a sandy area, what was overgrown with weeds. I would take care of that. I was also pleased to see another picnic table and a fire pit. The same erotic image flashed through my brain. A white wooden raft sat off to the side on the beach. Scenes of Kathy and I sunning ourselves nude, lying nude, and making love under the moon and stars filled my brain.

The fall colors would be beautiful. I noticed a lot of dead trees, some fallen, some standing. I was told that they hadn't had the chance to get in there to clear them out. That I was more than welcomed to cut them up for firewood. Later, my dad told me he would help and that he would leave his log splitter so I could split the logs into usable pieces and use one of the out building as storage to keep everything dry.

Images of Kathy and I curled up in front of a roaring fire on a cold winter evening popped into my brain, along with an image of us making love right at that very spot, our bodies warmed by the fire and each other... another smile.

Looking the whole place over....We were going to fuck each other's brains out.

I took it. They said I could start moving in anytime, but the rent wouldn't start until the first of the month, a few weeks away. I wrote them a check right then and there for the first month's rent. They said they weren't worried about a cleaning deposit or first and last month's rent. Midwestern people, you've got to love em.

The one thing they asked was if I would be willing to paint the inside... the whole inside. It hadn't been painted in decades as their parent were getting past the point of doing that sort of thing, and they hadn't had the time. I did notice the walls and ceilings were a bit drab, faded, and the paint chipped in spots. Given what they wanted for rent, it was the least I could do. They said they would buy the paint. My dad said the three of us could probably get it all done in a weekend. We did.

I asked if I could call Kathy the next night, instead of writing to her about 'our' place. I wanted to hear her voice. I wanted to hear her excitement that our final Plan was about to come to fruition.

When she first picked up the phone and heard my voice, she knew something good had happened. When I first told her I had a place for us all I could hear were tears of joy. The more I described the place the more she squealed. I thought at times that she would hyperventilate from all of her excitement.

I had two more weeks before I would go down for my graduation. Then another week for Kathy to finalize everything on her end before we would be together... finally. I still had time. The sense of panic was gone. Worse case, we would sit on the floor and cook hot dogs over an open fire in the back yard and share a can of beans. It wouldn't matter... we'd be together.

The guys at work would occasionally ask how my apartment search was going. Since my search was over, I had started to go back to lunch with them. I told them what I had found. They looked at me like I had a third eye. Me... in a four bedroom house. I think Mark was thinking he had just found a roommate.

It was time to lay my cards on the table. Everybody would find out eventually, especially when we would show up at any company sponsored event, like the company picnic in August and/or Christmas party.

"OK guys. I'd appreciate it if we could keep this between us. I'm trusting that you will."

They all had questioning looks.

I told them I had a roommate lined up who was still finishing up the last of the quarter. I briefly saw Mark's face drop... That SHE would be joining me sometime around the middle of June. I saw the surprised looks.

Dale being the more outspoken, "She? As in... roommate. She?"

"Yep."

I did a quick history on our meeting and stuff. At the end I got a lot of congratulations, and looking forward to meeting her. They asked if I had a picture of her. I said I would bring it with me for lunch the next day.

Next day, we sat at the table with our beers. I handed Ken and Dale the bookend album and watched their faces as they opened it. Their faces went from casual to complete dumbstruck as they opened the album and looked back at me.

"Bill... she's beautiful," handing the album over to Mark. He gave me the same look.

"I mean that one, where she is looking back over her shoulder... man that's hot."

"The one of you two together... Wow. That's quite a dress."

"Yeah. She likes those sundresses... So do I," I said with a big grin.

"Her mom took those when I went down there last summer to set up my off-campus living arrangements."

I was kind of expecting a visit from my boss, after this revelation. It never happened. If he knew, I guess he felt whatever happened outside of the office was mine, and only my business.

I did get a casual visit from the VP of engineering. He was a pretty cool guy: long dark brown hair, a full beard, smoked a pipe, about mid-forties, dressed like a modern day guy. If I saw him on the street, I never would have guessed he was an engineer. He was good friends with Dale, as Dale would bartend at a local restaurant in the evenings. Dale had filled him in on my living arrangements. He congratulated me on my new living arrangements... all of the 'arrangements'.

There are always auctions going on, mostly household estate sales. There was also the local paper, my parents got, with listings of stuff that was for sale. I asked my parents to keep an eye on ones that might be worthwhile going to in order to find some living room furniture and some kitchen stuff, that wasn't too used. I bought a small TV during the week, and picked out a waterbed. They didn't deliver. I would borrow my dad's truck for that.

My mom was going to give us her wedding china. She said it wasn't anything she used anymore and thought we could use it. It was gorgeous. I had grown up with it at all of our formal Christmas family dinners. It was a real china; white with gold trim, a setting for eight, meat platter, gravy boat, and salad plates. Kathy would love it.

My dad had made my sister and me matching desks when I was in middle school. It was still in my bedroom. It was the one that I composed all of my letters to Kathy, and would soon be collecting dust. Said that I might as well take it.

As luck would have it, my parent's friends, again, came to the rescue. I picked up a living room set: couch, two high back chairs, two end tables and a coffee table. In good shape and cheap. My dad was able to go to an auction and pick me up some kitchen pots and pans, also in good shape. I bought a crock pot, as my mom said it would be something we would find very useful. A week later I found a dinette set with four chairs that was in good shape. I was getting there.

.............................................

The plan for graduation weekend was that we would ride down together on Friday. I didn't see the need to take my car as I wasn't going to stay past Sunday. We planned on arriving around 4:00. Fortunately, my boss gave me the whole day off and said not to worry about making up the time, as I wasn't really working on anything yet.

We were to meet with Kathy's parents that evening. Go to their 'Club' for fish, for an evening of getting to know each other. The size of the graduating class made it necessary for two separate ceremonies. Fortunately, we were both in the afternoon. After the ceremony we were all invited to Kathy's parents for a celebration. Kathy and I knew we wouldn't have any 'alone' time. We knew our 'alone' time was coming... shortly.