"Elise," Chapter 26 (MF, old/teen18, oral, finger)
Sandy
I was up next to Elise, kissing her face, when she came to. She had fainted for maybe 20 seconds or so. It was nothing new to me -- Beth had done so several times after a particularly powerful bout of pleasure.
"Oh shit, did I pass out?" were the first words out of her mouth.
"Yes, dear, not for long. You're OK now. How do you feel?" I replied.
At that, emotion overtook my beautiful young woman, and she started to sob uncontrollably, one arm coming up to cover her face.
"What's wrong, babygirl?"
Between sniffles: "Nothing, Sandy. I'm just overwhelmed, and a little bit in fear of the feelings my body is capable of having. Maybe a little in awe of them is a better way to put it. Through all the times I've ever felt anything, through all my orgasms, everything, I never ever thought I could feel anything that intensely. My body was absolutely overloaded. Right now, my mind is sitting halfway between craving it every day of my life and being afraid to ever have it happen like that again."
Overcome with emotion myself, I hugged her close, my face buried in her hair. With a ragged voice, I softly said, "Baby, you are telling me I've accomplished my ultimate goal as a lover: to cause my partner to experience all the pleasure she possibly can. This doesn't happen very often, despite my best efforts, and when it does, it's a truly unforgettable experience for me to be a part of. There's no nicer thing I could possibly do for another human being, particularly one I feel for the way I do you."
"Sandy, having just felt this, how could I possibly live without this? How could I ever live without YOU?"
Ah, this was a question that needed some discussion. Right now, lying in each other's arms, having heard what she had just said, it was as good a time as any to have it. I fetched our waters from the bedside so we could refresh, then I began.
"Elise, when I had that discussion with your mother last Saturday, you know what's one of the things she wanted to know?"
"No. What, Daddy?"
"She wanted to know what my designs on you were. She asked whether I intended to seduce you into marrying me."
"She didn't!"
"Yes, she most certainly did, and I assured her that that was never going to happen."
Elise looked offended at that. "What right has she to dictate whether I marry you or not? To dictate what I do with my love life?"
"Don't be upset with your mother, dear. She only has your welfare at heart. And, now that you're 18, she has no right to dictate that to you at all, except that as long as it's her house you live in, she can set rules related to your occupancy there. That would include who you brought there, under her roof. But as far as you ever marrying me goes, I, not her, am the one who has a say in it. A big one."
"And so why did you promise her that?"
"Because we two are friends with benefits, wonderful benefits, and that's the most we'll ever be. I will not entertain a romantic relationship with you, or for that matter with anyone your age."
She looked stricken. "Why not? Couldn't you love me?"
"Oh, I easily could, and in some ways I already do. But we would never work as a permanent couple."
Pouting, she asked, "And why not?"
All this time, I'd been tracing little circles on Elise's exposed skin as we talked, trying to control the temperature of this discussion. "Because I'm 63, and you're 18. And by the way baby, you have the cutest little pout," I teased, flicking her nose.
Showing a bit of irritation, she snapped, "Oh, cut it out. Anyway, age is only a number. Didn't you have to convince yourself of that before you came after me the way you did?"
"Sure, for purposes of 'friends with benefits,' it's only a number. There's nothing inherently wrong with two consenting adults of any age being fuck buddies. But two adults marrying one another, committing to one another for life, that's quite another thing entirely."
"Why, Daddy? If you love someone, you love someone. Simple as that."
"Well, no, it's not. Let me give you an example. Let's say we got married, and you wanted to build a career before having children. A lot of women do that. Perfectly common and reasonable, right? Well, suppose it took you 15 years out of college to get where you wanted in your career, a timetable not uncommon in a lot of professions, by the way. So OK, you're around 37, established in a leadership position in your field, making a good living for us. But your biological clock is ticking, and you want to have a couple of kids. OK, fine, we decide to do it, and we have two lovely children, one born when you're 38 and the other when you're 40. Tell me, how old will I be when they're born? Go ahead, I know you're good at math. Tell me."
She did the figuring. "Uh, that would make you 83 and 85 when they were born."
"Very good. Now, keep in mind that my parents were both in their early 80s when they passed away. And for a few years before they did, they had some bad issues with arthritis and osteoporosis. For all I know, I might have inherited those conditions from them, and they might well show up in me somewhere down the line. Do you see where I'm going with this?"
I could see that she did. I continued, "And further, how old would I be when they graduated from high school at 18?"
"101 and 103," she said glumly.
"So, chances are, in that scenario I wouldn't live to see my children graduate high school, and probably wouldn't see much of their childhood at all. And even if I did, odds are I wouldn't be in any physical shape to keep up with them, to participate fully in their lives as their father. And I can assure you, I want no part of that for myself -- or for you, or for them." I smiled then at another thought. "Anyway, how would we ever explain to our kids that their half-sister Rachel is some 60 years older than they are?"
Elise pressed on, undaunted. "Well, we could have kids earlier. Then you could live long enough to watch them grow up."
"And what would that do to YOUR options, babygirl? It would be much harder for you to make a good living, already having had children. Plus, even if I'm in my 60s or 70s rather than my 80s, you'd have to assume I wouldn't have the physical stamina to take care of them full-time. Much like a single working mother would, you might well have to pay for daycare or a nanny. Would you really want someone else to raise your kids because neither of us could do it?"
"No, of course not. But I think you're just looking at worst-case scenarios to try and frighten me."
"Maybe I am. But all that aside, here's the real reason a 63-year-old and an 18-year-old shouldn't marry. It's not the natural order of things. I believe human nature is set up so that people who are at a similar stage of life ought to pair up for the purpose of forming a family unit. This is the way two people in love can enjoy their longest and happiest life together, and I believe that's exactly what should happen, and, by the way, that it is also the best for the welfare of humankind as a whole. Beth and I met in college and married shortly thereafter, and that's what allowed us to be together for 40 years and raise a wonderful daughter, even though cancer took my wife before her time.
"Here's another scenario for you: Say we marry, and I live until around the age my parents did, which means about 20 years of marriage. If that comes to pass, you'll be a 38-year-old widow, perhaps with young kids to raise as well. If you're then interested in re-marrying, do you think it's going to be easier to find the husband of your dreams at 38, or into your 40s, and with all your adult responsibilities always getting in the way, than it will be for you in the next few years? For one thing, in 20 years, many of the best prospects you have for a husband will already themselves be married. So your pool from which to choose will be a lot smaller. Get all that?"
Frowning, Elise admitted, "Yes, I do. But I don't have to like it."
Smiling, I tousled her hair and gave her a peck on the lips, which in turn drew a small smile from her. "Of course not, sweetie. I didn't expect you to like it. But trust me on this, OK?"
"OK, Sandy, if I must. But now that you've explained to me what I won't be able to do, do you have any idea of what I SHOULD do? That is, if I don't want to be alone my entire life."
Wrapping my arms around her, I said, "Aw, baby, as wonderful a person as you are, I don't think there's a chance in the world you'll be alone for very long. You are definitely going to be the grand prize for some lucky guy." Leaning away, I saw the skeptical expression on her face. "And if you haven't yet gotten tired of my lecturing yet, I have an idea of how you go about helping make sure that all I just said will come to pass."
"Well, Daddy, I'm known to be really stubborn, but I do always consider advice from my elders. So yours is always welcome." She smiled -- the little imp.
I chuckled in response. "I appreciate that, dear one. It's not complicated, really. But it's going to require you to change the way you look at men your age."
"What do you mean?"
"So you go to a pretty good-sized high school, don't you?"
She nodded. "So?"