A story that is part Mature and part Romance.
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Prospect Road is a dead end street just outside of Albany, New York, and at the end of the row of modest bungalows was the residence of Esther Campbell. Esther had lived in the same home for most of her 62 years, but since the passing of her husband Henry three years ago Esther had been there alone, The place, like its owner, had seen better days but it was paid for and Esther had no interest in packing up and moving at this stage of her life.
On every evening when weather permitted, after dinner the petite grey haired senior would step out to her tiny back porch where her rocking chair had been for decades, and there she would sit with a cocktail and look out to the woods which lined the back property lines the length of the road. The Campbells' had always feared that some developer would buy the land and build a new development but that had never happened so it remained as it had always been, a patch of nature which came alive at night. The sounds of the nocturnal creatures along with the sparkle of fireflies in season was much more interesting than reruns on TV to the elderly lady.
Esther had always lit a citronella candle to keep the biting insects away as well as a little beacon to any raccoons or skunks that might have been tempted to visit her as she gently rocked the evenings away, but in recent times that candle had served to attract a different kind of visitor, one of the two legged variety.
It hadn't been her plan for the man next door to slip over uninvited and socialize after dark, but when Andy North began to stop by Esther did nothing to discourage the visits. It was clear from the start that while Andy was married he was as lonely as the widow was, proving that you can live with someone and still feel alone. Esther never probed for information, but over time the 29 year old accountant opened up on his own.
Too much information? Esther thought so but she listened and consoled when Andy would tell her that his wife was having an affair with her boss, and when Andy told Esther what his soon to be ex-wife said after he confronted her the elderly lady's heart went out to him. Now it was just a case of Andy's wife waiting for her boss to dump his wife and she would be gone, off to a much nicer house where she would be taken care of by a much better man, or so Diane North claimed.
Esther thought Andy to be a very nice fellow, from what she knew of him. He was clean cut and boyish looking despite being on the cusp of 30, and while Andy might not have been the most manly of men he was a sweet and mild mannered man who appeared to be very considerate. Esther wasn't sure what Andy's wife was looking for, but she knew that a gal could do much worse than Andy North.
The last few visits Andy made got much more intense, and as for the previous evening, Esther was so embarrassed at the behavior that she was tempted to go down to the church for spiritual guidance. It hadn't been Andy's disturbing behavior so much as her own because she knew how boys were - even though Andy was 29 years old - but what she had done herself in retrospect was shocking to the widow.
Andy had made his attraction to Esther clear in both words and deeds, and while the elderly lady was flattered she was also confused. Esther had always taken care of herself but the fact was that she was more than twice the young man's age, and while they may be having problems, Diane North was a very attractive woman with the body of a gal in her 20's. The very petite silver haired Esther felt she looked every bit her age, no matter what the sweet talking neighbor said.
Esther had passed on stopping by church, but until the sun set she was determined to stay inside for once. Esther even hoped for rain, the one thing that kept her inside, but the evening was warm and inviting, too inviting for Esther who found herself back on the porch with a vodka and club soda. She lit the candle and as she looked over at the North's house Esther hoped Andy had come to his senses overnight like she had, though she knew in her heart that if she didn't want his company she would have stayed inside and not lit the candle.
Hearing the familiar creaking of the screen door as it opened, Esther didn't have to look to know that Andy North was walking over in his pajamas and slippers, the solitude of their properties at the bottom of the dead end street giving them a degree of solitude that permitted such things, and as the scuffing of his feet got louder she reflexively clutched the top of her bathrobe together while her heart raced.
"The irresistible lure of Mrs. Campbell's candle," Andy chirped happily as he did every night he stopped by while waiting for Esther's reply, but on this night she broke with custom and didn't say something about how the candle was supposed to discourage pests butinstead just smiled nervously and said hello.
"Wasn't sure whether I would be welcome here again," Andy shrugged.
"Look dear, I think what happened was just a case of two lonely people..."
"Please don't tell me that you're sorry," Andy interrupted as he said down at the top step of the porch, right next to Esther's feet. "I could tell that you enjoyed what we did."
"I think I made my cocktail too strong.," Mrs. Campbell mumbled.
"And I meant what I said about us moving in together after Diane serves me with the papers," the young man insisted. "We can move in together, either your place or mine, and if you feel badly about living in sin we can get married."
"Andy honey, can you imagine what people would say about that? I'm old enough to be your mother," Esther reminded him before shuddering when she felt his hand on the bare skin of her leg just above her ankle socks.
"I don't care. After all these months of talking and getting to know you, I love you so much it hurts when I have to leave each night."
"I'm very fond of you Andy. You're the sweetest fellow I know."
"I want you to take me inside so we can make love," Andy blurted out.
"I've told you many times that I'm not a homewrecker," Esther said, and after he reminded her that he had no home left to break she was adamant. "Still, you would be cheating on your wife. Regardless of what she's done to you, it's not right."
"What about what we did last night?" Andy asked as he lightly rubbed Esther's shin.
"That was wrong."
"Your legs are so smooth," Andy deflected as his hand glided up to her knee and back down.
"When you get as old as I am, the hair stops growing," Esther replied as the hand went up and down like it had the night before.
"Diane started going to the beauty parlor to get waxed. Everything from the neck down," Andy admitted. "I told her it looks horrible but she said she didn't care what I thought because Connor wanted her that way."
"Honey, please..." Esther pleaded as the hand went up to her knee, causing that side of the robe to fall to the side.
"I was so happy to find out last night that you aren't that silly," Andy added as he lightly squeezed the petite woman's skinny thigh. "Are you not wearing panties like last night?"
