Chapter 1
Jim awoke the following morning to sunlight streaming into the bedroom window. When he turned over he found an empty place in the bed beside him. He saw a note pinned to the pillow.
"Good morning sweetheart,
I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed last night. You are a wonderful and caring lover. You were sleeping so nice that I didn't want to wake you. Give me a call when you get up sleepyhead!
Love J"
Jim fell back on the pillow with a smile on his face. She certainly had it wrong about who was the caring lover he thought. When he turned and looked at the clock, his smile faded as his eyes fell on a picture of Sally. A cloud of overwhelming guilt suddenly enveloped him. He closed his eyes and sighed then looked at the clock. It was already 11 am on Sunday morning. He would normally have been at Sally's gravesite for his weekly visit by this time.
Jim got up, his muscles aching and his head still buzzing from his alcoholic binge. He dressed quickly and hurried downstairs. He stopped at a table that held the many photos of Sally and picked up a locket that Sally had often worn. Inside was a photo of Sally and him taken not long after they were married. It was the two of them, cheek to cheek, squeezed into one of those cheap carnival photo machines.
As Jim stood there looking at the locket, a feeling like he had never experienced before came over him. It was a feeling of warmth and comfort, like everything was going to be okay. He suddenly knew what he had to do.
With the locket in his hand Jim left the house for the cemetery. He stopped at a roadside flower stand like he did every Sunday and picked up a bouquet of flowers.
It was a beautiful mid-September morning when Jim stepped out of the car. He looked around at the still green trees, their leaves not yet showing any hint of the fall season that was just around the corner. There was a gentle breeze rustling the leaves and the sun was shinning brightly in the crystal blue sky.
Jim walked on weak legs up a grassy knoll to Sally's grave. This was the place that Jim had come every week since Sally had died. It was his place of solace, a place he could talk with Sally, his light in his darkest hours.
Jim held the flowers in his hand and opened the locket to look at the photo again. He felt comfortable here; his little talks with Sally always left him feeling better. But today the emotions were somehow different. There was a strange feeling surrounding him, sad but yet happy, almost like this wasn't his place anymore.
Suddenly from out of nowhere, Jim was surrounded by thousands of colorful butterflies, flapping their wings in a frenzy of activity. Jim couldn't help but smile.
Then almost in unison, they landed on the grass around him, with the exception of one lone butterfly. It landed on the open locked Jim held in his hand. Jim gazed at the beautiful butterfly as it sat silently, slowly moved its wings. When the butterfly didn't move, Jim knelt and placed the locket and flowers on the grave marker. When he stood back up, the butterfly flew from the locket and as if by some unheard signal, all the other butterflies flew back into the air in a whirlwind of color.
Jim watched in amazement as the kaleidoscope of color moved again in unison, floating on the gentle breeze, climbing toward the top of a large oak tree. Soon they were so high that they disappeared in the blue September sky. Strangely with the movement of the butterflies Jim felt his guilt lift from him like a blanket, his heart soaring on the breeze that carried them away. He turned, leaving the locket and flowers on the grave and began to walk back down the hill. As he passed an old couple that he often saw at the cemetery he said, "Did you see all those beautiful butterflies?"
The old couple looked at him and shook their heads. "Butterflies?" The old man said. "I don't think there are many butterflies around this time of the year."
"Oh really?" Jim said in surprise and looked one last time above the oak tree at the empty sky. He thought he saw one lone butterfly hover atop the tree then disappear. He smiled at the old couple and said goodbye and walked away, feeling an exuberance that he hadn't felt in years. Everything was going to be alright now.
Chapter 2
Jim went home and packed up all of the memorabilia of Sally from around the house. He left a menagerie of pictures on the wall but otherwise everything went carefully into an oak hope chest of Sally's in a spare bedroom. Then Jim called Jenny.
"Hi sweety," he said with exuberance in his voice.
"Hi," Jenny answered brightly, "you sound excited."
"It's been a very good day. I was wondering if you had time for dinner tonight?"
"Certainly," Jenny answered. "I know a quiet little Italian restaurant not far from here if you're interested?"
"That would be great. I'll be over at seven."
Jim arrived a little early and was surprised to see Katie answer the door.
"Hi Jim," Katie said and hugged Jim, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Jenny's still getting ready, come on in."
Jim was a little surprised at the kiss since he really didn't know Katie that well. What he did know about her he liked. She seemed to be a sweet girl, if a little shy, or so he thought. Jim could still smell her fresh scent of soap, shampoo and a hint of lilacs. She smelled good.
Katie took Jim's hand and led him into the living room.
Jenny had told Katie all about Jim and what had happened this weekend. She and Jenny told each other just about everything. Katie knew that Jenny liked Jim a lot and she felt the same way. She thought he was a much better match for Jenny then those other sex toys Jenny liked.
Jim watched Jenny's pretty friend as she led him into the living room. He was a little surprised that she was wearing only a man's long sleeved button down shirt and nothing much else. The shirt covered her butt but just barely. Jim began to wonder if she even had panties on.
"Can I get you a beer or something?"
"I think I've had enough alcohol for awhile," Jim said with a chuckle. "How about a coke?"
"Coming up," Katie said as she went into the kitchen.
"So how come you're not out with Jerry tonight," Jim asked as he watched Katie get a beer and coke out of the refrigerator.
"Jerry's out of town for a few days. I'm just going to relax tonight," Katie said as she went to the cabinet to get a couple of glasses.
When Katie reached up, her shirt pulled up, revealing her panty covered ass to Jim. Well that answers that question Jim thought. He sat there and admired Katie's strong thighs and well proportioned ass as she stood on tiptoes. Jim shook his head and looked away. It seemed like he was thinking of sex every second of the day now.
Katie brought in the coke for Jim and a beer for her then sat on the other end of the sofa from him. She curled her legs under her. Jim took a drink of his coke, his eyes moving almost immediately to Katie's exposed thighs. He could clearly see the crotch of her panties. In spite of his conscience, he felt a stirring in his pants. When he looked up, his face flushed as he saw Katie looking directly at him. She had a little smile on her face.
Jim watched in total amazement as Katie deliberately spread her thighs wider. Jim's face turned three shades of red as his eyes opened wide. He looked from Katie's exposed panties to her smiling face. His heart began to pound in his chest.
Fortunately at that moment, Jenny came down the stairs.
"Has Katie been entertaining you," Jenny said, startling Jim as she walked up behind him.
"Uh...yea...we were just talking," Jim said with one last look at Katie's exposed thighs. Jim stood up quickly when she made no move to cover up.
"Wow, you look great," Jim said as he noticed Jenny for the first time.
Jenny was wearing a pleated black skirt and a pink, tight pullover jersey with a turtleneck and short sleeves. Her soft, round braless breasts were prominently displayed, her nipples plainly visible.
"Thank you sweety. I thought we would just walk the couple of blocks to the restaurant," Jenny said as she kissed Jim, pressing her soft breasts to his chest. "Mmmm, you're excited to see me already," Jenny said as she felt Jim's almost hard cock.
"Uh...yes, we had better get going," Jim said embarrassed that Jenny had felt his half cock pressing to her.
Jim and Jenny said goodbye to Katie and left for the restaurant.
The restaurant was delightful and the food delicious. Jim ordered a bottle of wine for Jenny but stuck to cokes for himself. They had a wonderful conversation, talking about their friends and their childhoods. Time flew and before they knew it dinner was done and a bottle of wine consumed by Jenny.
Jim had a big question to ask Jenny and knew that time was drawing short. "Jenny, I want to ask you something. I know that we haven't known each other that long but I feel like I know you so well.
"I feel the same way," Jenny said.
"I meant what I said about loving you," Jim said sincerely.
"I meant it too," Jenny answered and reached over and took Jim's hand. "I love you Jim Lewis."
"Well, since we love each other, would you consider moving in with me?" Jim said in a rush, afraid he wouldn't get it out before his voice gave out.
"Wow...uh...I uh...I don't know Jim," Jenny said at a loss for words. "This is so sudden."
"You don't have to answer me now, just tell me you will think about it."
"Okay, but there is a lot you don't know about me Jim," Jenny said thinking about her sex drive and her sexual partners.
"I want to learn all about you Jenny."
"I'll think about it," Jenny said and squeezed Jim's hand, not sure he really knew what it meant when he said he wanted to learn about her.
They left the restaurant and walked back home, Jim's arm around Jenny's waist, holding her close, a slight chill in the night air.
When they reached home, they stopped on the front porch. Jim wrapped Jenny in his arms and kissed her lips, their bodies pressing tightly together. Jim could already feel his cock becoming erect as Jenny pressed her crotch into his. He reached down and grabbed her ass and pulled her tight and moaned.
"Wait here," Jenny said pushing Jim down on the front porch swing abruptly. "I'll get us something to drink."
Jim moaned in frustration as he sat down.
As Jenny walked into the kitchen, she saw Katie getting a cup of hot tea.
"How was your date?" Katie asked.
