Ensorcelled

I was leaving for Coast Guard basic training in three weeks. I wanted to spend a week with my grandparents before shipping out, simply because I didn't know when I'd get the opportunity again. They had moved from our home in Georgia to Canyon Country, California about two years ago, so aside from the occasional skyped conversation, it had been that long since I had last seen them. I was really looking forward to it. They may have been old—Gramps sixty-seven and Gammy sixty-five—but they were always young at heart.

The day I was to leave, Ma and Daddy dropped me off at the municipal airport in Valdosta. From there, I would take a shuttle to Atlanta where I would switch to my Delta flight to Bob Hope airport in Burbank. Gammy and Gramps were to pick me up there, and my week with them would begin.

The flight took a little more than four hours—that included baggage check in Atlanta and baggage claim in Burbank—but just an hour had passed since I had gone from Eastern Standard Time to Pacific Standard Time. I found an empty chair and sat, sure that they would be here soon to collect me, but after an hour had passed, I began to wonder if they had forgotten about me, so I decided to call.

The phone rang seven times before someone answered. "Hello?"

"Gammy?" It sounded like her, yet something seemed off. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, though.

"Yes?"

And why didn't she recognize my voice? We had spoken just last night. "It's Sam, Gammy."

"Sam."

"Your grandson?" I was beginning to think she might have Alzheimer's.

"My grandson. Sam. Yes." It was like she was trying to process new information.

"Gammy, I'm at the airport. You and Gramps were supposed to pick me up today."

Silence. Then, "Oh, Sam. I'm so sorry. It's just that ..."

She didn't finish her sentence, prompting me to say, "It's just what, Gammy?"

"It's your grandfather, Sam. He's had a stroke."

"Gramps?" I asked in disbelief. "How? When?"

"I can't leave at the moment, Sam. There's no one here to look after him. Can you take a cab up here? I'll reimburse you for the cost, of course."

"Yeah, sure, Gammy," I agreed. "Want me to call Ma and Daddy?"

"No, dear. I'll call them as soon as I get off the phone with you," she told me. "Just ... Please get here soon, Sam. I don't know what I'm going to do."

It was twenty-five miles from the airport to Gramps and Gammy's house, but because of the traffic it took over an hour to get there. I knocked as I tried the door handle. It was unlocked, so I let myself in and said, "Gammy? Gammy? It's me, Sam." No answer. I began walking down the hall, and again called out, "Gammy?"

"Go have a seat in the living room, Sam," a voice responded from behind the door of the last room on the left. "I'll be there in a moment."

I did as she bade. A few minutes later, Gammy walked in, and, "God-damn!"

She smiled. "What has you 'God-damning,' Sam?"

What has you "God-damning," I thought to myself. What has you "God-damning?" Was that her response? Really? Not only was Gammy the type to reprimand me for using such language, but she never would use it herself. I decided to chalk it up to what was going on with Gramps. "You," I told her. "Just look at you. You look twenty years younger than the last time I saw you."

"Blame it on California," she said with a smile as she pulled me up and hugged me to her. "Everyone out here is a health nut, and between Pilates and yoga, well ... see for yourself." She slowly spun in place. I couldn't believe it.

Gammy had always been a large woman. I never knew her to be under a buck sixty-five, but the woman standing before me couldn't have weighed more than 120 at the most, and she had curves. Actual, curvy, curves. "And your face," I finally said. "What happened?"

"Oh, that," she said with another smile. "I got one of those 'Lifestyle Lifts.' They're pretty inexpensive, and everyone my age is doing it."

"Well, you look gorgeous, Gammy," I complimented her with complete honesty.

"Why don't you grab your bag, and then I'll show you to your room before giving you a tour of the rest of the house?" she offered.

"I'd really like to see Gramps right now, if that's okay," I said in way of a response, but,

"I just got him to sleep, Sam. He was so animated and agitated ... and he ... He has to wear diapers now, Sam, and I have to clean him, and ..." and then she began to cry.

I took her into my arms and tried to comfort her the best I could. "It's okay, Gammy. I'm sorry you have to go through this, but, hey, I'm here now, so I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Thank you, Sam. That means so much to me." She kissed me. Not on the cheek like she had always done, but full on the lips. She lingered for about two or three seconds, but it was long enough for me to know that that was not the way most grandmothers kissed their grandkids. She licked her lips, rubbed them together, and gave a soft sigh before saying, "So, where were we? Ah, yes. Your room."

She led me down the opposite end of the hall and through an open door. "Well, what do you think?"

"Don't you want me closer to you and Gramps just in case something happens, and you need my help?" I asked, clearly confused.

"He has taken to bellowing at night, Sam," she told me. "No need to wake you up unnecessarily. I'll call for you if I need you. Now, set that bag down so I can show you the pool."

She guided me to her back door, which was two large panes of sliding glass. She opened them, then stepped aside.

"Wow," I whispered. I don't know what I was expecting—maybe one of those above-the-ground deals like we have back home—but it wasn't this. "It's beautiful, Gammy."

"What say we go for a swim?" she offered. "Did you pack any trunks?"

I had, thinking we might go to the beach at some point. "Yeah, sure."

"Go put yours on, I'll do the same, and I'll meet you back here in five." She turned and left for her room, and I returned to mine.

I couldn't help but to feel she was still being uncharacteristic of herself, but with being here tending to Gramps all by herself, then having someone to arrive who could help, I guess I would be a little happy-go-lucky myself. I switched into my trunks and returned to the back deck. There were three Adirondack chairs to the left of me, and three chaise lounges to my right. I sat on the edge of a chaise as I waited for her.

She arrived about a minute later wearing a powder blue terry cloth robe. "Oh, look at you with all those muscles," she said as she took me in. "Do you work out?"

"You know I played football and wrestled in high school, Gammy," I reminded her. "Not to mention I have been training for Coast Guard basic."

"Coast Guard basic," she repeated.

Was this the Alzheimer's again? I silently wondered. In an effort get things back on track, I said, "This pool sure looks inviting, huh?"

"If you think that looks inviting, get a load of this," she said as she disrobed.

My jaw dropped. It literally dropped for the first time in my life, both because of what she was wearing, and for how she looked. She wore a canary yellow bikini, the top of which held just enough fabric to cover her nipples and areola, while her bottoms were a G-string that borderlined on being obscene. What really got me, though, was her body: Perfectly tanned, breasts that had somehow defied gravity and physics and were now jutting forward instead of sagging, as I remembered them, and not a single wrinkle to be found anywhere. "Oh ... My ... God," I whispered loudly, and I felt my dick jump.

"If you liked that, then you'll love this," she said as she turned and threw her perfectly round ass in my face. "Go ahead, touch it."

Don't do it-Don't do it-Don't do it-Don't do it-Don't do it I kept telling myself, even as I reached a shaky hand forward and palmed it. It was like stone. "Fuck."

She turned, stood before me, and kicked a leg into the air, grabbed it, and was doing a standing split, her crotch eye-level with my face. "You are so fucking hot."

She lowered her leg, pinched one of my cheeks, and said, "So are you," before diving into the pool. I took this opportunity to dive in as well as I didn't want her to know I had a complete woody for her right now. The pool did its job, though, and soon I was just semi-hard. We swam for about forty-five minutes, then Gammy said she needed to go back in and check on Gramps. I took this time to get my shower.

"How's Gramps?" I asked from my place on the couch when Gammy came in.

"He wanted to see you so badly that he worked himself into a frenzy," Gammy reported as she sat across from me. "I had to sedate him. Maybe in a few hours you can go back and see him. In the meantime, what would you like for dinner? I'm not much of a cook, though, so ..."

Not much of a cook? Not much of a cook? This woman, who had become famous for her cooking in South Georgia, was telling me she wasn't much of a cook? Then it dawned on me. She did say that everyone here was a health nut. Maybe what she means is that she's still learning to cook this new way, whatever it may be. I figured she could use a break as well, so I said, "Why don't I cook tonight, Gammy? I'll make one of your favorites."

"Oh, wouldn't that be special?" she said as she sat up. She pulled me up to her, then slowly wrapped her arms around my neck before placing her cheek next to mine. She held me there, breathing in my essence. Her head tilted, and next thing I knew, we were kissing full on the lips. The surprising thing? I didn't fight it. It was like my will was not my own. She grabbed my hands and placed them on her breasts, and then ...

The sound of something falling. It came from Gramps's room. It was enough to pull us both back to the here and now.

"What was that?" I asked, deeply concerned.

"I'll go see. Wait right here."

"Gammy, no!" I said rather forcefully. "I want to see Gramps."

Although she was shaking her head, she said, "Fine. Come along if you must." We entered the room—she kept a door key on a key ring—and once I stepped in, "Gramps? No!" I couldn't believe it. As young and beautiful as Gammy looked, he looked that much older and decrepit. I looked at Gammy. "What ...? Why does he look like this?"

"It's the stroke," Gammy said. "It was like it changed him overnight."

I looked back down upon the man who had been such an inspiration in my life, who was the well-spring for vitality and youth, who had been one of the most integral parts of my life since birth. I reached out to him just as Gammy said, "Oh, God! What am I going to do?" and ran out of the room.

I should go after her, calm her, then come back to see Gramps. I began to move, but Gramps latched onto one of my hands with one of his. He was jerking me. His mouth was moving, but I couldn't hear anything. I moved closer, close enough that I could finally hear his faint whisper of, "Don't ... Don't ..." and then he was asleep.

I stayed with him a few minutes, wondering what he was trying to tell me as I made sure his covers were straight and his pillows were not misaligned. I then went to render what comfort to Gammy that I could.

I reached the kitchen to find her standing by the sink. "Gammy?"

"Oh, Sam," she greeted me with a big smile. "I just got finished ordering us a piz-za. It should be here in an hour."

Now, she didn't pronounce the word like she normally had—like everyone normally does (peet-suh)—but more like a first-grader trying to read an unfamiliar word (pizz-zah). She even paused between syllables, like the word was alien to her. That was strange in and of itself, but her demeanor? One minute she is bawling like a baby and the next, just as happy as she could be? Was she bi-polar as well as having Alzheimer's? And did she look younger? I swear to God, she actually looked younger. "Um ... Are you okay, Gammy? Is there something I need to know about?"

"I promise you I will divulge everything tonight," she told me, and for now, that would have to suffice. There were other things, though, like, "What did Ma and Daddy say when you called them earlier?"

"Ma and Daddy." It was like she had some kind of mental rolodex she had to sift through to retrieve information. "Oh, Ma and Daddy. Yes. They said they would come here when you went to ..." She was doing it again. "... basic ... training? Yes. Basic training. When you go there, they will come here."

"Maybe I should give them a call," I said as I reached for my phone, then I remembered, "Oh, the three-hour time difference. It's already after ten there. I'll call tomorrow."

"After ten there. Call tomorrow," Gammy repeated.

Did Gammy look relieved, or was I starting to imagine things because of all the strange circumstances that were going on? She finally said, "I can't wait for that pizz-zah. The man said it was called a 'Mighty Meaty.' I like things that are mighty meaty.

I laughed at the blatant double-entendre. Not being clever enough to respond in a like manner, though, I opted to say, "I guess I'll go put my clothes away while we wait for the pizza." I said the word as it should be pronounced.

"Pizza," she mimicked, then slowly nodded her head.

"Before I go, though, tell me why you keep Gramps's room locked and keep the key on your key chain."

She looked at me for all of ten seconds, then held the key chain out to me as she said with a slight pout, "Go ahead. Take it, if that will make you feel better."

"I left his door unlocked and ajar," I informed her. I didn't want to believe that Gammy could be hiding something. I didn't want to believe that she had bad intentions toward Gramps. She loved him. I knew this to be true. They had been married for over forty years. All I could do, with what little information I had, was draw my own conclusions, which prompted me to say, "Look, Gammy. Whatever happened to Gramps, it's not your fault, and it's certainly nothing to be ashamed over. You probably look in a mirror and see yourself as the picture of health while Gramps looks like he's knocking on death's door. Again, it's not your fault. You're doing the best you can with him. Anyone can see that. This is taking its toll on you as well. Just let me know how I can help, and I'll do everything in my power to make your life and his so much more easy."

She walked to me, wrapped her arms around me, and hugged me close to her. "Thank you, Sam. That means a lot to me, and I'll hold you up to that promise." She breathed in deeply, like she had done earlier, and I could feel her nipples harden against my chest.

I had to will myself to pull free, but I did. "Tell me when the pizza gets here," I said, then went to my room.

I finished putting my things away, then kicked back and chilled until the pizza came. It did, and we ate. Apparently, the guy Gammy spoke with was right as this was one hell of a meat lover's pizza. Of a six-slice medium, I ate two while Gammy ate the other four. "That can't be too good for your California health nut diet," I observed.

"Let's call this my cheat day," she said just before popping the last bit of it into her mouth. She washed it down with a Frostie root beer. Her third during this meal, actually. She burped loudly, then said, "I love this stuff," before wiping her forearm across her mouth.

I laughed.

"What?"

"Nothing—I can't say."

"Why?"

"Because, it would be inappropriate."

"Let me be the judge of that."

"It's just ... You're not the woman I knew in Georgia. It's like, you're someone completely different. I look at you now, and I don't see my Gammy, but a woman I'd really like to just hang out with." Then, to even my surprise, I added, "A woman I'd like to have sex with."

She smiled, then looked at the clock. "I need to check on your grandfather, then I'm going to get my shower. Please clean this up?" and before I could even answer, she was gone.

Gammy found me out by the pool. I had stripped down to my boxer-briefs and was stretched out on one of the chaise lounges, enjoying the light of the full moon as a warm breeze washed over me. I looked in her direction as she stepped onto the patio, and extended my hand when she handed me a drink, but, "Is this wine? I'm too young to drink." And when had she started?

"My house, my rules," she said with a wink and a smile.

"How's Gramps?"

"Asleep."

"How are you?"

"Glad that you are here."

She sat down at the foot of the chaise I occupied. She was wearing a long house robe. It was black, and it looked to be made of silk or satin, one of those materials that give off a shine. "Beautiful night," I said. She smiled. "Oh, so you told me earlier that you would divulge everything this evening."

"That I did," she stated, "That I did. I'm just wondering, though, if you are prepared to hear my truths."

"I want to know everything, Gammy. I can accept whatever it is you say."

She smiled, nodded, then said, "Okay. You asked for it." She took a deep breath, then began:

"You think you know me, Sam, but you really just know a part of me. The woman I was in ... Georgia? You saw only what I wanted you to see. Sam, I am a nymphomaniac. Do you know what that means? It means that I don't just enjoy sex, but that I crave it. It's not just something I want, but something I need. I'm like an addict strung out on ... opium, reveling in the current fix but always having my mind on when the next fix would come.

"Your grandfather was always able to keep me satisfied because we would have sex up to seven times a day when I was super horny. Why do you think he had this stroke? He was on top of me when he did, Sam. I guess that's why I feel so guilty, because I think I pushed him too far, asked too much of him at his age. If you have seen me acting strangely, it's because my mind begins to falter when I don't get the sex I need. That is my withdrawal symptom, that I forget things and act moody and even say and do things that might not be characteristic of who I am, like right now."

She stood and disrobed. All she had on was a black lace garter belt and black thigh-high fish net stockings. The rest of her was nude, and the most gorgeous body I had ever seen, especially the way the lights of the pool reflected off her. For some reason, I didn't even question that she had the body of a thirty-year-old, so into her had I become.

"I need sex, Sam. I need sex from you. I've heard every word you have said to me today, and I am aware of every look you have stolen when checking me out, and let's be honest here, I really haven't tried to hide the fact that I find you sexually attractive, either. Give it to me, Sam. Give me what I need." She squatted and began to rub my cock, which was hard and poking out of my underwear. I moaned softly, and she said, "All you have to do is say yes, Sam. Say yes, and this could be so good for us both."

"Yes," I whispered without hesitation, and she was upon me.

She pulled my boxer-briefs from me and immediately placed her mouth on my cock. I came instantly. "Oh, God. So sweet. So fucking sweet," she said as she came off me. Then, still smacking her lips, she straddled my hips and lowered herself onto me. Her pussy was like a blast furnace. I cried out in purest pleasure. "Yes, yes," she said as she began to ride me. "So young, so hard. The only thing that would make this better is if I knew you were still a virgin."