**This is my last-minute entry for the
Summer Lovin' Story Contest 2022
. It's a bit rushed, but it's enjoyable. I had intended it to be longer, but I lack free time to write lately. Please vote if you enjoy it.**
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The morning air was balmy as I walked into the garden to check the water level in my fountain. The last thing I wanted was another burnt-out pump because the water had evaporated overnight. Southern summers were brutal, but I loved the heat. I grew up in it and planned to retire in it. I wasn't close to retirement age yet, but I had hit the dreaded thirty-nine and suddenly felt I should be planning my funeral. Forgive me for being dramatic. I grew up with a baby face and an athletic body. I was used to being the center of attention because I was cute. I married young and had a child at twenty. My son, Joseph, was already a college sophomore, making me feel extra old.
My husband left me a widow at thirty-four. An aneurysm took him while he napped on the sofa one terrible Saturday afternoon. After five years, I'm still adjusting to the loss. Our marriage had never been great, but it was consistent. George was a good man in some ways and a louse in others. He damaged my relationship expectations. The sex was so bad I assumed good sex didn't exist for women. My best friend, Janet, begged me to start dating again. I tried it for a little while, but the dating scene was atrocious and soul-draining. Not to mention the thought of marrying again was utterly repulsive to me. I was enjoying my single life despite how boring it could be. I only had to clean up after myself. Cooking was suddenly easier without someone complaining about what I had made. I could simply live and be myself without someone judging me. I finally felt like a person again instead of a house servant. It was nice to be appreciated, even if I was the only one appreciating me.
My life really was full despite its simplicity. I taught philosophy at the university. I took the summer off to collect myself after turning thirty-nine in the spring. Despite the flirting from my male students and the friendly attention from random men in town, I still felt dejected by the number that was applied to me. I feared men would grimace at me if I told them my age. It was irrational, but my marriage taught me to expect disappointment at every turn. For most of my life, my pleasure was non-existent if I didn't generate it myself, and that was exhausting while serving another human being that was supposed to be my friend. My late husband was more of a life critic than a friend. He criticized everything I loved and made me think poorly of myself, and I never understood why. I was glad to be done with that negative bullshit. I quickly realized I was worth celebrating and I was an interesting person, and it was okay for me to want things that other people didn't want me to have.
I had always wanted a wall to make my garden private so I could install a pool. My late husband said it was a waste of money and would break HOA rules, but I kept dreaming about it. Then, earlier in the summer, I made it a reality. I worked my ass off and built a decorative wall out of clay bricks that completely hid my small garden. Then I bought a pool kit and put it together myself. I couldn't afford an expensive in-ground pool, and the subdivision didn't allow above-ground pools because they were "unsightly." So, I hid my forbidden pool with a pretty brick wall, and it worked perfectly. No one complained because they couldn't see it. They would have to snoop their way into my hidden garden to find it. I was smiling to myself as I watered my jasmine vines. I was thinking about taking a dip in my private pool with a pina colada after lunch. Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice interrupted my thoughts and almost gave me a heart attack.
"Good morning, Natalie. Whoa, awesome pool," he announced.
I gasped and spun around with my heart in my throat. A man was standing at the back of the garden where the wall ended. He was wearing a white button-down shirt paired with khaki shorts and leather sandals. His dark brown hair had summer highlights, and his skin was perfectly tanned. I immediately assumed he was a friend of my son and was looking for him.
"Oh, good morning. You startled me. Um, Joseph isn't here this weekend," I said as I studied his face, trying to put a name with it.
He looked familiar. It was difficult remembering all of my son's friends. The man could also be a former student. Either way, I didn't want to be rude and confess to forgetting him.
"Who's Joseph?" he asked with a smile as he walked over to me.
My anxiety spiked at that point. A strange man was in my private garden, he saw my secret pool, and he knew my name.
"Uh, I'm sorry. Who are you?"
"You don't remember me?" he asked in disappointment.
"Sorry, I don't," I blushed.
He was handsome up close but much too young for my tiny social circle. His eyes were a bright hazel in the morning light. I had seen them somewhere before.
"I'm sorry too. I was your worst student five years ago. I've grown up a bit since then. You probably don't recognize me without my buzz cut," he grinned and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it off his forehead.
My mouth dropped open at that point.
"Oh my God, Henry! The long hair threw me," I laughed. "You were not my worst student."
"Really? That's hard to believe. I know I annoyed you."
"You did. You were a charming smart ass, but your test scores made up for it. I thought you were cheating at first. Then I realized you were playing dumb to pester me."
He blushed and nodded at that accusation.
"Can you blame me? I loved getting your attention," he grinned.
My face suddenly felt hot. I remembered Henry for a lot of reasons. I taught him the semester after my husband's death. Henry flirted with me a lot and was very kind when he wasn't being a pest for attention. He asked me out on a coffee date on the last day of school, and I refused him. He looked fresh out of high school to me then. Standing in my garden that morning, he looked more like a man but still too young for me to be comfortable with his flirting. He noticed my apprehension and sighed.
"Sorry. I have a knack for making things awkward with you."
"You do. Why are you in my private garden?"
"Oh, shit, sorry. I was excited to see you and ran over. I just leased the house next door."
My mouth dropped open again.
"Seriously? You must have gotten one hell of a job right out of college to afford that."
"I did, actually. I scored 179 on the LSAT and earned a paid internship with the district attorney. He hired me full-time after I graduated law school last year," he grinned.
"Damn, Henry. I knew you were smart, but hell. That's really impressive. Congratulations."
"Thank you. Why do you keep looking at me like that?" he asked.
"Like what?"
"Like you think I'm full of shit."
He was on the verge of laughter at that point. I laughed and shook my head.
"Sorry, I'm just shocked. Um... how old are you?"
"That's a rude question, Mrs. Harp. I'm twenty-six. How old are you?"
I almost bit my tongue when he turned my question against me. I knew he was pestering me again.
"I do not care to divulge that," I grumbled.
"Really? Forgive me for saying this, but you are too damn cute to be offended by someone asking your age."
"That's a bold statement, Mr. Thomas. How old do you think I am?"
"I'm smart enough not to answer that. I'm not trying to offend you, Natalie. I would just love a date with you. I'm a successful adult now. Please give me a chance to at least be your friend."
I scowled at him for a moment. Yes, I knew I was a cute woman despite my age, but I didn't understand how that made up for the thirteen years between us. He had more in common with my son than me.
"Henry, I'm not trying to offend you either. Your admiration flatters me a lot. You are very handsome and have your whole life ahead of you. I just... think your feelings for me are misguided. I'm honestly old enough to be your mother."
"No fucking way," he laughed.
"I'm thirty-nine," I grumbled.
He smiled hugely after that confession.
"Thank you for telling me that. The way you were carrying on had me worried."
"What do you mean?"
"I was afraid you were going to say you were forty-nine or a hundred."
I sighed and shook my head.
"No, smart ass. I don't have a ring of power that prolongs my life and youth, but I do have work to do. It was nice talking to you, Henry. Please don't tell the HOA about my pool."
"I won't if you be my friend," he grinned.
I scowled at him again, turning his grin into a big smile.
"Fine, get out of my garden."
"Yes, mam. See you later."
I continued scowling at him as he sauntered back into his own yard.
"What the hell was that about?" I sighed and turned my attention back to my flowers.
Henry stayed on my mind for the rest of the morning. My life experiences taught me to look at things negatively until they proved otherwise. I feared he would drive me insane, and I would have to build a bigger wall to keep him out. It freaked me out to think he might have leased the house next door just to get close to me. Then I wondered how he knew where I lived in the first place. I figured I mentioned my subdivision's name in class at some point. It could have also been a coincidence, but I knew from experience that Henry was crafty. If he wanted something, like my attention, he would seek it until he got it, and I feared he felt that way about the date I refused to give him five years ago. His stubborn persistence probably made him a great attorney. Whatever he was, I wasn't going to let him ruin my day.
After my morning gardening, I headed into the house to find my pink bikini. I pulled it on and admired myself in the mirror for a moment. My dark hair was cropped just below my jaw. It framed my small face perfectly and helped my big dark eyes stand out. My body had gotten fuller with age despite my consistent workouts and exceptional diet. I still looked healthy and sexy, and that was good enough for me. It was a beautiful sunny day, so I donned my big white hat and sunscreen before climbing into the pool with my pina colada. I relaxed on my favorite float and sipped my drink. A warm breeze stirred and tugged at my hat, reminding me to tie the ribbon at the bottom. As I was creating a big white bow under my chin, an obnoxious engine roared to life and made me flinch. It was coming from next door.
"What the fuck?"
I hopped off my float and climbed up the pool ladder so I could peer over the wall. Not surprisingly, Henry was sitting on a shiny new riding lawn mower. He was about to mow his new lawn and send dust and trash into my yard in the process, ruining my relaxing pool time. I was fuming, but I wasn't defeated. I climbed out of the pool and stomped into his yard before he could put the mower into gear. He looked at me with wide eyes and quickly shut off the engine.
"Whoa, Natalie, is something wrong?" he stammered as he looked me over.
"Yes. I was hoping to spend a relaxing hour in the pool with a frosty drink. Loud noises, dust, and gas fumes will sorta ruin that. Do you mind putting this off until later?"
"Sure, no problem."
"Thank you. By the way, a lawn service that does this work during the week is beneficial to the whole neighborhood."
"Sorry, I know. I've always wanted to try mowing my own lawn. These little tractors are awesome."
I rolled my eyes at him and nodded.
"To each his own. Thanks for delaying your work for me."
"Thank you for visiting my yard in a bikini."
I rolled my eyes at him again before returning to my own yard. I retrieved my drink and climbed back into the pool and onto my float. I took a deep breath and sipped my drink to relax again. My chin was suddenly sweaty, thanks to my cute bow and the extra walking, so I untied it to let my skin breathe. Less than five minutes later, a gust of wind removed it from my head. I let out a curse as it sailed over the wall and into Henry's yard. I groaned and laid back on my float, determined not to get out of the pool again. The sun was brutal on my face, quickly ruining my attempt to relax. I sighed in defeat and started to climb off my float again.
"I think you lost this," Henry announced.
He had just appeared beside the pool, holding my hat.
"Oh, thank you. Can you toss it to me?"
"Sure thing."
He tossed it like a Frisbee right into my lap. I smiled and quickly tied it back on.
"Sorry I upset your relaxation time. I'll leave you alone now."
"You don't have to apologize, Henry. I'm not mad at you or anything. You're allowed to enjoy your yard on a noisy mower if you want."
He smiled and leaned his arms on the edge of the pool.
