[This story is fiction. There are some aspects that are nearly impossible. Only 90 Porsche 550's were ever built, so it is hard to believe one of them ended up in Grandfather's garage. Lit doesn't have a D/s story group or this story would more accurately belong there than in the broader BDSM. That said, please do not judge me too harshly if I put it here and you think it belongs somewhere else. After all, the category called Loving Wives seldom has "loving wives" in it. It is my sincere hope you enjoy this tale. You are encouraged to vote and comment.]
The note came in Thursday's mail. From the fine heavy-weight linen envelope I knew it was from my Grandfather before I opened it. The envelope was stiff, bright white and six inches by six inches. It was typical of how he presented himself. All my life he had been there, stiff and unbending. Strong willed and focused on doing the right thing. After my parents died he raised me and I always remember how formal and stiff he seemed to me. He wore a three-piece suit every day with polished shoes and he was always clean shaven.
I was turning twenty-five the next week. Also, on the same day, I was being awarded my Ph.D. I had four firm job offers, each with a nice signing bonus and attractive incentives.
The note was brief. "I cannot be at your graduation. Please come to the house on Saturday. Do not accept any of the job offers until after we meet. I am very proud of you." It was signed with his signature "W".
I believed he wanted to explore my options with me and while I didn't believe he would tell me which offer to take, I would leave his home knowing which way he thought I should go. I called his number and spoke to his machine.
"Got your invitation. Thank you. I can be at your house anytime on Saturday. If you want me there some other time than six in the evening, please call and let me know what time works best for you." I left my number as a courtesy and thanked him again.
My week was filled with school, friends, meetings in the various organizations I volunteered with and with Sharon. We hadn't solved the problem of Sharon. The problem was that she had a full semester left and I was done. We had shared living quarters for two and a half years, first as roommates, then as friends and for the last year and a half as lovers. In my mind she was "The One."
Exactly a year before my graduation we had our one and only conversation about "After." Meaning after graduation, after we left the university. I had brought it up and she ended it.
"After is too far away for me to talk about. Ask me about what's after Organic Chemistry. Ask me if I want to go for dinner at the beach after school on Friday. Don't ask me if I want to be living with you in five years." She stood up and left the room. The subject had not come up again.
That's not totally true. It had not come up between us. My friends and colleagues had touched the subject more than once.
"It's obvious you two love each other. What are you going to do after graduation?"
"When are you going to marry her?"
"Where are you two moving after graduation?"
My answers were always vague or pointedly "it's-none-of-your-business". Truth be told, I didn't have an answer for them or me. The closer it got to "After" the less I knew what I wanted and I had no clue what Sharon was thinking. Even career wise, uncertainty had arrived.
Scorpio Enterprises had made me an offer six months out. A signing bonus of $25K. A base salary of $200K a year. My own lab and a nice percentage of whatever they profited from my research.
NGN out of Taiwan had offered much the same money and a house overlooking the East China Sea. I would be based in Taiwan. I had been flown to their facility and was impressed. Their offer was attractive.
ADM made an offer one week before graduation. My lab would be in Omaha, brand new and I would be the lead researcher in my area. They offered $30K signing, $210K base and the same percentage as Scorpio.
My mind turned each offer over ten times a day, looking for the deciding factor. Sharon didn't help. She was getting her MBA and I'd heard her say a hundred times, "I can work wherever there are businesses. If they put businesses on the moon I could work there."
A phone call from my contact at NGN brought things into sharper focus. He wanted to talk about housing. "We are ready to start construction on a house within two weeks. Can I send you the three sets of plans and drawings? You can have any of the three designs."
He told me about the houses. They were green technology homes and each offered me the choice of two bedroom, three bedroom or four bedroom layouts. He could send me pictures of the site where the house would be built. I agreed that he should send me the packet.
Our conversation was at one in the afternoon. A few minutes after four a man knocked at our apartment door. He handed me the package and I had the pictures and plans for the houses to be built on Taiwan.
I cleared the table and opened the package. As I looked I saw things I hadn't thought of before and by the time I had taken my first look at the pages I knew I needed to have the conversation about "After" with Sharon. If she was going with me anywhere we needed to make decisions together.
We shared a two-bedroom apartment. When we moved in she had her space and I had mine. When our relationship changed from friends to lovers the only real logistical change was that Sharon slept in my bedroom. All her stuff stayed in her bedroom and her bathroom. Not all. Her shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush and a disposable razor stayed in my bathroom. Everything else was in her area.
I shared everything with her. Starting with my bed, but extending to the free access to everything in my bedroom, bathroom and truck. Her area was her area. I never went in her bedroom unless she took me in there. If I needed a pen and couldn't find one in my office or the common areas I did not look for a pen in her area.
That is until I was looking over the house plans. I knew Sharon had a hand-held magnifying glass. I needed a closer look at a section of the plans for the three-bedroom house. I got up, walked to the door to her bedroom and hesitated. In two years I had never opened that door without being invited to. I opened it and went inside.
To say Sharon was neat would be an understatement. He room looked like the photographer from House Beautiful was expected any minute. Nothing was out of place. I went to her desk and opened a drawer. I was stunned.
The drawer was empty! Clean and empty. I opened the middle drawer. It was empty! I opened every drawer and it was as if the desk had never been used. It didn't make sense. Sharon was a student! Students need and use all kinds of stuff stored in desks.
I looked around. Over against the wall with the door to her closet was a chest-of-drawers. I went to it and opened the top drawer. On the left were three pair of panties. In the middle three pair of socks and to the right three bras. All neatly folded. I closed the drawer and opened the second.
It was empty! So were all the other drawers. I opened the closet. I was completely stunned! Sharon loved clothes and shoes and her closet held a pair of jeans, two blouses and a dress. On the floor I saw two pair of shoes and a pair of high heel sandals.
Sharon had been leaving me for some time! She had left just enough stuff to get us to my graduation. I closed everything up, restoring the illusion that she lived there and left the room. I quietly shut the door behind me.
Rather than going back to the plans on the table I sat on our couch and thought. Who was this woman I had lived with and loved for two years? Why wouldn't she talk to me about this? What was she thinking when we were "making love" last night? Was she thinking about missing me or about someone new? Was she planning to disappear or actually say good-bye?
In the midst of those thoughts the front door opened and Sharon walked in. As usual she rolled a large briefcase behind her. I wondered if it contained books or was it empty waiting for the one final load of her stuff?
She rolled the briefcase over to her door and then came to me on the couch. She plopped into my lap and kissed me "Hello." Five seconds into the kiss she backed away and asked, "What's wrong?"
"We need to have a serious conversation." I said.
She got out of my lap and said, "Can I pee and get a soda first?" I nodded. She went into her bathroom and when she came out went to the kitchen. She came back with a diet Coke for each of us. She sat near me instead of on me.
I said, "NGN sent me house plans. They want to build me a house if I accept their offer. There are plans for a two, a three and a four bedroom house. Until we have a conversation about "After" I cannot answer them or Scorpio or ADM. So, let's talk about after."
"After Saturday you'll have graduated and you'll be gone. End of conversation." She took a drink.
"I don't want to talk so much about after Saturday as I want to talk about after you graduate."
"I don't graduate until June. You'll be long gone and settled into a new life without me by then."
"Is that what you want?"
