Friday is Date Night

So I pissed on them. Twenty six times for every guy you had been with, that I knew about. A few more times, for the ones I didn't. It's been in my trunk for the last week, and you know how hot it's been. I'd like to say I'm sorry, but I won't lie to you."

She looked like she was about to faint, and the counselor looked ill at ease. I left, for good.

The counselor filed her report and the divorce went through, and at forty eight I was a single man again.

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

There was fall out, of course.

Our oldest, Charlene, couldn't understand why I couldn't let it go. She was set to graduate, already had a few job prospects. She was also engaged, to a man who seems reasonable enough. He was still a junior and had almost a full year to go.

"Charlie, honey, I know you've had job prospects. Let's say that out of the blue the company you've always wanted to work for offers you an entry position, at a good salary. The drawback is it's far away. You talk it over with Tony, and agree that it's in both your best interests to take the job. You're up there working, being lonely, and then find out he's been going out with a lot of different women. Just dates, no sex. Would you consider that reasonable behavior? He's not sleeping with them, but suddenly he's seen dating the same woman for a month. How would you handle it?"

She didn't have an answer, but stopped trying to get us back together.

Rose, our nineteen year old, was more pragmatic.

"You did the right thing, Dad. I couldn't have put up with it either. It's just too bad you wasted all those years."

"I didn't waste them, honey. I got you and your sister. That alone would have made it worth it. And until this year, I thought we had a great marriage. And I've told Charley the same thing, don't shut your mother out over me. Be angry, let her know it, but she didn't directly betray you. One of her biggest fears in counseling was that she had lost her whole family."

I saw the determined little jut to her jaw, but she would eventually come to some kind of peace with Mary, as would Charlie.

We owed eleven thousand dollars on the house. I took a hardship disbursement on my 401 and paid it off. The lawyers worked out a deal where she could still live in it rent free, but there could be no roommates, male or female. If she found somebody she wanted to live with, the house went up for sale, and we split the money evenly. The eleven thousand I paid and her living rent free went towards balancing out our finances, her 401 wasn't as big as mine.

She seemed determined to apologize to me every time we saw each other, mostly over the kids. It got old, and I finally snapped at her one day.

"For God's sake, Mary! Give it a rest. You're sorry for what you did. I'm sorry for what it did to us. It's over, stop beating a dead horse. If you can't, I'll stop coming around."

She finally stopped.

The girls let me know she wasn't dating anyone, hoping it might make me forgive her. I just grunted.

"Must have gotten it all out of her system while we were married, I guess."

They didn't talk to me for three weeks. When they decided to forgive me, I was gone.

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

My company had finally gotten tired of sending a truck every week, and they had picked up two new developers, so they decided to open a warehouse there. I was offered the managers job, at a substantial raise, and I got to pick my crew. Of course I took it, and took my friends with me.

Jerry became assistant manager, Amy worked the counter for walk ins, and Billy ran our computers. We hired four locals, stocked the warehouse, and opened. Amy was quite a salesman, and I took her with me to meet all the developers. When she was comfortable I bumped her into sales and hired another local for the counter.

My phone finally rang after almost four weeks of the silent treatment.

"Dad! Where are you? We went by your apartment and the manager told me you had moved. We went by your job and they said you didn't work there anymore. We're sorry for ignoring you. You hurt our feelings, and we decided to be petty. Where do you live now? Can we come and see you? Please?"

"Sure you can. You know I love you girls, right? I didn't cut you off. Come whenever you want."

"Thank you, Dad. Where is your new place? We'll be right over."

I laughed.

"Not that easy, girls. I live five hours away. I'm at the beach, got a nice house in Surfside. We opened a new warehouse down here and I'm manager. But come this weekend. Bring your bathing suits, it's still pretty warm down here."

"The beach? Does mom know?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. And I didn't move down here to run away. It was a good offer and I needed a change. So, are you coming or not?"

After giving them directions, they promised they would be there Friday afternoon. They asked if they could tell their mother, and I had no problem with it, as long as she didn't tag along.

I had gotten a really good deal on the house. After you got a few blocks off the beach real estate was almost as low as any other town. A nice yard, fair sized lot, semi private back yard thanks to the bushes the homeowner had planted a few years before. The neighbors were mostly my age, and were friendly. I was renting, not yet sure I wanted to stay, or if I wanted to go through the hassle of having house payments until I was retired.

The girls showed up earlier than I expected, coming to the warehouse. I gave them a quick tour, and they seemed impressed. Being the boss had some benefits, so I took the rest of the day off and showed them around.

I took them to my favorite restaurant, and introduced them to my friends. They were suitably impressed, and Sam laughed. He complimented them on their beauty.

"Must take after their mother."

Hey!" I said, "it's a good thing they do. It would be awful to be as ruggedly handsome as me and be female."

My friends laughed, we had one drink[a soft drink for my youngest] and left.

We caught up at home. Charlie was getting more serious with her boyfriend, and was going to take a local job for now, for the experience. I wondered if our discussion had any bearing on her decision.

Rose was not the least bit interested in getting serious with anyone, content to enjoy her first year at college. She was keen to hit the beach in the morning, but caught what she was saying and apologized.

"Why? You're at the beach, this is sort of a holiday for you guys. Go have fun. Peyton Point is best for people your age. Don't look surprised, I'm a local now, remember. I'll fish while you enjoy, maybe I'll catch something to grill tomorrow night. You go too, Charley. Now, it's past bedtime for an old man, so I'll see you at breakfast. I love you, girls. I always will. It's really good to see you."

I got a couple of really nice kisses. I heard them talking while I drifted off to sleep.

I got them up at eight the next morning, fed them breakfast, and told them to have a good time.

I went down to the pier, and joined Sam.

"Nice girls," he told me, while I was rigging up.

"The best, Sam. I'm just glad I got to be around while they grew up."

Sam, bartender/psychologist that he was, glanced at me. He was the only one locally I had ever told the whole story to.

"Still miss her?"

I sighed.

"Most every day. I had my whole life tied up to hers. I never once thought we wouldn't be together. But then I think about how easily she did what she did, and still get angry. Not the full on rage I once had, but still enough to be pissed."

"Ever think about getting back together?"

"Not once."

He just grunted and changed the subject.

The trout were running, and I got lucky and caught three, all a nice size. I dressed them, put them in my cooler, stopped at the farmers' market and picked up some fresh corn, tomatoes, and zucchini.

I had bought a really nice grill, my one extravagance since moving. I hardly ever turned on my stove, especially if it was nice outside. The girls came in about four, slightly sunburned, and giggling.

We talked for about an hour before I started dinner. I had already prepped everything, so all they had to do was sit and watch. The meal was great, the compliments flowed. We had a nice wine, and Rose got a glass, since we were home.

Dinner over, dishes cleared, I noticed Rose fidgeting.

"What?"

She hung her head.

"I kind of met some people today, and they told me about a dance club for people my age. I thought about going, if you don't mind."

"Rose, you're not a little girl any more. If you want to go, then go. I have to say I'm not too keen on you going alone. There are predators everyone, especially in vacation areas. Is your sister going?"

Charlie looked surprised.

"I thought I'd stay in with you?"

"That's sweet, but I'm still as boring as I was when you were home. Go with her, I'll feel better. Dance, flirt, and think about how lucky David is to have you. Just be careful, and don't split up, all right?"

Charlie was still hesitant, but Rose practically dragged her into the bedroom. To her credit, Charlie called David, I guess the lesson her mom learned was still fresh. He gave her his blessing, trusting her completely.

They came out, dressed to the nines, kissed me, and left. They came in about one, I was still the same nervous dad I was when they were sixteen, old habits die hard. I heard them giggling, and I smiled and went to sleep.

We went out to breakfast before they had to pack and leave. I gave them each a key to the house.

"Just in case you decide to pop in."

To their credit, they hardly mentioned their mom.

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

I hadn't dated since we had split, just couldn't work the interest up. Plus, I was badly out of practice.

Amy, Jerry, and Billy had integrated into the community, and in six months they were mentioning mothers of their friends, the nice single ladies they met in the course of business that were my age, even a few much younger. Soon our local crew was in on it. I smiled, thanked them for their effort, but never followed up.

Even Sam got onto me.

"Time for you to start enjoying life again."

He handed me a paper with a phone number and an address on it.

"My cousin Kat. She's going through the same thing you are. I thought you would be perfect for each other as a first post marriage date. I had to get our mothers in on it to get her to agree, so you owe me. Don't screw it up. If you do, better drink cans or bottles. Everything else might taste a little funny."

I called. She seemed really nice on the phone. We talked twice before agreeing to go out. I told her since she was the local, she should pick something she would enjoy, and tell me how to dress.

"Jeans, t shirt, comfortable shoes, something you don't mind getting dirty. And a light jacket. Plan on being out most of the night."

She wouldn't say anymore about it, so I didn't know what to expect.

I don't know what I expected, but she wasn't it. At six one she was two inches taller than me, but for her height she had a slender, willowy build. She was the most graceful woman I ever met.

We sat on the couch, after she got us a beer.

"Wanna get the rant about our exes over now so we can enjoy the rest of the evening?"

I was surprised, but her grin made me feel comfortable. I gave her the short version. She snorted.

"She had to know even if she didn't have sex it was still cheating. What was she thinking? Never mind, I doubt she could tell you."

She sighed.

"Mine is a little more mundane, I suppose. Short version, he found someone else, gave her a test drive or two, got caught. We divorced, she started living with him the next week, left him in three months when she found out he couldn't provide the lifestyle she expected. Two weeks later he called me, wanting to reconnect. I'm afraid I dashed his hopes."

She brightened up.

"Come on, time to go. I'm driving."

She had a small, four door pickup. We went about two hours up the coast before she pulled into a little diner in the middle of nowhere. She was greeted like a local.

"Hey Kat! Going out to the island?"

She nodded assent.

"Yes. Tonight's the night. This is my friend Bill. I told him you had an almost edible burger. Bring us one, loaded."

The barely edible burger turned out to be a half pound monster. Loaded meant cheese, mayo, mustard, slaw, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, chili, and a pickled sweet cherry pepper on the side, with almost a pound of onion rings and fried potatoes.

"If you eat it all you get a free dessert" said the waitress, with a wink.

Kat deftly cut it in two, putting her half in a separate plate.

"Eat as many of the fires and onion rings you want, but don't touch the pepper, or I'll stab you with a fork."

The waitress laughed, brought us out a half dozen more so we could share, and told me they were for sale, if I wanted to take some home. I bought two quarts on the way out.

We went another hour up the coast before she turned off, going another mile up a dirt track. She parked behind about eight more cars and trucks. There was a fire going, people sitting around, talking, the passion in their voices evident.

They greeted her with enthusiasm, calling her name and making comments. They eyed me with speculation.

"I brought a virgin sacrifice" she said, grinning. "It's his first time, so be gentle."

They grabbed lanterns, high beam flashlights, shovels, sacks, and coolers, and plunged into the undergrowth.

Soon they were wading across a broad channel. The water was cool against my legs.

"Turtle Island" she explained, "A breeding ground. Protected by state and federal law. At the very least, a hefty fine if you were caught there off season, serious jail time if you were there during the hatch. We're certified watchers."

She pointed out the older, bearded man.

"Walt, with the state. Beside him is Sarah, a federal official with fish and wildlife. Our leaders. This is an endangered specie. The hatch should start within the hour."

We came out on a broad beach, covered with pyramid shapes.

"Nest guards" she explained, "keeps the predators out, increases the population chances."

We settled into a dune, waiting. Ninety minutes later a ripple went through the group, and they hurried to remove the guards. Soon small turtles, some no larger than a quarter, were making their way towards the water. Our job was to help the ones going the wrong way, being careful where we stepped. It took three hours. A few stayed behind, on the off chance of a late hatch, while the rest of us trooped wearily back to the vehicles.

There was a grill and a couple camp stoves going. We ate a nice breakfast while the officials tallied the hatch. A cheer went out, four hundred more than last year.

"How many of the four hundred will actually live to come back and lay their own eggs?" I asked Kat, curiously.

"If we're lucky, two. The mortality rate is astronomical. That's why every hatchling is so important."

She grinned and pointed to the tents that had been erected while we were out.

"Time for a nap. Four hours, then we head back. You can actually say you slept with me on our first date."

They were large military type tents with cots set up. We picked a couple, kicked off our shoes, and lay down. I was surprised when I went right to sleep. It seemed like I had just lay down when Kat was shaking me gently.

"Get up, time for lunch, then we have to pack up and go."

We got back to her house in the early afternoon.

"Can I ask you for something?" she asked, looking nervous.

"Sure" I said. By now, I didn't think she could surprise me any longer.

"Will you come in? We can shower, and then I'd like you to sleep with me."

"Huh?"

She looked into my eyes.

"That's all I want, someone to sleep with. I haven't lay down and cuddled with someone in two years. I miss it. Will we make love? I don't know. Maybe. You might not want to. I might not want to. It will be the chance you take if you decide to go along."

I thought about it for a minute. She looked lost and alone. I knew the feeling.

"Sure" I said, grinning, "but if you snore, I'm gone."

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

We showered together. Not the least bit sexual, but very sensual. We touched, rubbed, shared body parts without agenda, just because we wanted to.

We lay down on her bed, snuggling. She kissed me lightly.

"Thank you" she said, through tears. "For now, would you just hold me?"

We snuggled. I caressed her shoulder, breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. I was thinking about doing more when we nodded off.

About two in the morning I felt her stir. I kissed her back and she giggled.

"You're not very good for my ego, you know. The first time I'm in bed with a man in almost two years, naked, ready, and then you start snoring."

I tried to apologize but she stopped me.

"Hush. It's all right. I was probably asleep myself five minutes after you were."

She got up.

"I won't be able to sleep for awhile now. These things always mess my schedule up for a few days. Want a glass of wine?"

I got up and joined her. She hadn't bothered with clothes, so I didn't either. We talked about things neither of us would remember later, drank a glass of wine. She took my hand.

"Let's go back to bed. And if you go to sleep this time, you'll wake up with altered equipment. Understand?"

I did indeed. It's hard to describe sex with someone new after twenty five years. It's both familiar and totally different, at the same time.

We took our time, explored and touched. She loved oral, giving more than getting, No anal, not ever.

She told me that and I grinned.

"What?"

I'm channeling Meatloaf here. Two out of three ain't bad."

She looked shocked, then laughed so hard she almost fell off the bed.

"You're fun! Now shut up and fuck me!"

So I did.

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

We knew it was going nowhere, so the tension wasn't there. We became friends, were good for each other. But three months down the road, she met me at the door with a tear in her eye.

"Remember Walt, from the island? He was here last night. I've had a few lunches with him, but last night it was dinner, followed by breakfast. I really like him. We share interests and history. Tonight is our last night, I won't be seeing you anymore. Please don't be mad."

I think I surprised her when I gave her a big hug.

"I'm happy for you. But you'll be seeing me again, every time there's a hatch. I'm one of you now. And I think Walt's a nice guy. You'll be good together."

We had dinner, a few drinks, and then she surprised me by asking me to spend the night.

"I want to give you a proper goodbye, I've become fond of you. Will you?"

I hugged her.

"How could I refuse an offer like that? But I have to tell you, I think it's just to remind me what I'll be missing. Now come, lead your lamb to the slaughter."

It wasn't magical, but it was very nice, bittersweet and tender. The next morning she made us breakfast, walked me to the door, and stood waving as long as I could see her.

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

Sam was amused.

"Well, you got your feet wet, as well as other parts. Now maybe you'll do something more permanent."

I think it bothered his wife that I was unattached. She would stop by the bar occasionally, have a few drinks, and start telling the single ladies what a catch I was. Sam would laugh as I turned red.

I was polite, but I already had a woman living with me.

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

Rose came down every chance she could, and without my knowledge changed her address to mine. After the six month residency requirement was established, she transferred to Coastal, ten miles down the road.