After my sophomore year of college, I decided to take a pair of courses in summer session, rather than taking a summer break at home. I couldn't really afford to go anywhere else, and I had a decent job fixing bikes at the local cycle shop. Staying put would give me the opportunity to get ahead financially and academically, so I thought it was a no-brainer.
Just before spring session ended, my landlady stopped by the house with a proposition. She was a big buxom mid-Western gal of, I guess, about sixty. She knew everyone else would be out and she wanted to get some work done on the place during the summer. My hanging out would put a crimp on that.
Her proposition was simple: she'd put me up in a local motel that she owned and forgive the rent if she could do the renovations. It would be all summer out of the house, but I figured it was a good deal, as long as the motel didn't suck too badly.
"Look, Cal, it's a family-friendly place. It's got A/C and a pool. And it's closer to school--I know you're riding your bike in, which has to be sweaty in the summer heat."
It was a fair point, so the next day I went over to check out the rooms.
The manager was waiting for me. He had a nice end unit held for me at the back, where it'd be quiet. The place was carefully maintained, even if the buildings were of mid-century vintage. There was a newer flat screen TV and a queen-sized bed that wasn't too hard to sleep on. There was even a small table and chair I could use as a desk.
I called my landlady up and gave her the green light.
The third night I was there was a Friday. I worked that day, had an early dinner, and biked back to the motel just as twilight was giving way to night. The room next door stood wide open, and a woman was taking suitcases from a worn minivan into the room. Inside I could hear a baby crying and another kid going "mamma, mamma, mamma" on endless loop. I could see her frustration, so I parked my bike quickly and stepped in to help with the luggage.
"Hi, I'm Cal. We're neighbors tonight. Let me help you," I said.
Her mouth said, "I'll be fine," but her flushed sweaty face said she was ready to scream.
"Really, it's no problem." I took a suitcase and a big square thing that turned out to be a portable crib out and marched them into the room. She went to the baby first and then her other daughter. By the time I'd carried in the last bit, calm was descending. She had a towel over her shoulder to hide where she was nursing her child, so I just said "There you go. Have a nice evening" and stepped out.
The next morning, I was able to sleep in and didn't roll over until nearly eleven. The walls of the motel were thin, so I could hear the mom in the next room talking to her kids, although I couldn't tell what was being said.
After I was cleaned up and decent, I propped open the front door and sat down to study. It was going to be a scorcher later, but fresh air is always preferable to air conditioning and airing the room out seemed like a good idea.
At some point, my neighbor tapped on the open door.
"Hey there," she said, "I wanted to apologize for being rude yesterday. That was really nice of you."
"It's alright. I was glad to help." I looked up. She was wearing a dark blue one-piece swimsuit under one of those beach coverups like my mother used to wear. Her hair, somewhere between brown and blonde, was drawn back and she had spritely blue eyes.
"Well, a gal on her own can't be too careful, but the girls can be a handful sometimes." She was hovering by the door, not willing to go into some guy's room, I guess. "We're on our way to Oregon, although we're taking a break today. The pool looks too nice and, frankly, I'm not ready to face another day in the car with the kidlets."
"I'll bet. I haven't tried the pool yet. Maybe I'll join you later." She thanked me again and I turned back to my studies.
About one I decided it was getting too hot to study. I could hear some excited kids screeching in the pool and the idea of a dip had cemented itself in my brain, so I cranked on the A/C unit to cool the room for later and switched into my swimsuit.
The pool was one of those shallow amoeba shaped things suitable for small children. There was another couple there with their two boys and Neighbor Lady's daughter was cavorting in the water with them. I looked around for a place to park myself and she beckoned me to sit near her.
She'd shed the coverup, giving me my first real look at her. She had some nice curves under the spandex of her suit. Maybe a bit of belly fat leftover from the baby, powerful thighs, and a fairly substantial bosom. The twinkle in her eye was still there too: she'd caught me surveying the landscaping.
"You're Cal, right? I'm Sara." She reached out so I shook her hand.
"Yeah, I'm a student at State. My landlady owns this place and she's putting me up here while she does some renovations on my usual place."
"What are you studying?"
"At the moment, nineteenth century English poets. But my major is civil engineering."
"Hail to thee, blithe spirit!"
"Shelley! But mostly it's the heavy stuff..." and I recited a bit of Tennyson.
Dark house, by which once more I stand
Here in the long unlovely street,
Doors, where my heart was used to beat
So quickly, waiting for a hand.
She laughed. "Are they still making undergrads memorize that stuff?"
"Sounds like the voice of experience. Yes, at least Professor Schott does. She says it's how the poetry is meant to be experienced."
"She's probably right, although that particular poem is rather lengthy, isn't it?"
"Luckily I don't have to memorize all of it. I think there are over a hundred cantos. On the other hand..." And then, trying to imitate my professor's voice, "
By God, we'd have no Homer but for the memories of our forebears.
"
Her daughter crawled out of the pool then, tired and looking for a snack, and then her baby started to fuss.
"It's nap time, so I'm going to head in."
I waved them off, took a plunge in the pool, and relaxed a bit before returning to my room.
When I arrived, Sara had her door open, and everyone was cranky. Her A/C unit was producing only hot air, making the already blazing afternoon unbearable. I'd seen the "no vacancy" sign and I could see her restful day was slipping away.
"I've got an idea. Why don't you put them down in my room. My A/C works great, and housekeeping has done up the bed." We got her drooping three-year-old into the bed and the baby sleeping in her crib while my unit kept the temperature in the habitable range.
