I came across this one in the files whilst I was actually looking for something else and as its this time of year I thought I'd put it out to see what the readers think of it.
As usual I thank my LadyCibelle and Techsan for their patience, proof reading, editing skills and of course encouragement. As always I'll also add that I've got the nasty habit of playing around with stories after they have returned them to me and that we don't always see eye to eye with each other, so I take full responsibility for the content and any cock-ups in this story.
Clarification: Local Bike or Village Bike = promiscuous girl or woman, anybody can ride them.
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The Twenty-sixth
Alternative title
For The Good times.
You know, sometimes life can throw some real curve balls at you. Then you can finish up getting left to make choices that really you're not sure which way to go on. My problems started when I got talked into doing something really quite innocent, but which had consequences I never really expected. Before I knew it I found that I'd come to a point where I had to re-evaluate almost everything that had happened in my life before and make a serious decision about my future.
The decision that brought me to that particular point in my life came about a few months after the wedding of one of my friends. Well, to be honest, she had really started out as just another girl who worked in my office. I was never really sure why she had latched on to me in the first place, or even how it came about that we started going to lunch together. After all, I was nearly twenty years her senior.
Maybe she figured I was a safe bet, as I hadn't made a play for her when she started working in my department. Or maybe, as I was the boss and old enough to be her father the thought of me making a pass at her had never crossed her mind.
I think nearly all the other guys in the place - whether single or married - had had at least one try at chatting her up over the five years she'd been with the firm. And I've got to admit, she'd made a pretty good and sometimes very public, job of shooting them down. She didn't really need my help on that score.
I don't mind telling you Theresa or Terri as she was known in the office, was one hot looking young lady. You know, her body went in and out in all the right places and she wore clothes to show it off to its best advantage. And I am going to admit that I really did enjoy the looks I got when we went to the café or pub together for lunch.
I'm willing to bet that quite a lot of guys would get jealous when they saw her hanging on my arm. But I'll tell you now that the friendship between Terri and I was strictly platonic. She treated me more like a surrogate father than anything else, although I did get some nice kisses under the mistletoe at the firm's Christmas dos over the years and I do believe there were a few rumours flying around at times.
Whatever, I didn't really care; it kept the gold diggers at bay. I was one of the high earners in my company and before I retired it was rumoured I'd be in the running to be top dog.
Terri's own father had passed away whilst she was still at school and I soon found out she missed him a lot; it could be that's why she had chosen me as a mentor when she first joined the firm. From what I had learnt over the years, there didn't appear to be anyone else in the frame for that particular job and I assume Terri had decided I was the best candidate around.
As the years had passed, I'd come to know first Terri's mother Brenda, and then her boyfriend Kevin, who eventually became her fiancé, very well. Theresa's mother was about my age, extremely good looking, and with a very vivacious personality. Brenda, or Terri and her fiancé would quite often baby - or should I really say, child - sit my children for me when required.
Wow, wow, wow, now don't any of you go getting ideas about Theresa's mother and I. We had on occasions gone out for a meal or to see a show together, and she had been a wonderful help to me with the children. But there was definitely no chemistry there and we both knew it. We had a long and very personal conversation shortly after we first met, we had come to treat each other almost like brother and sister. Any affection that we felt for each other was strictly on those grounds. Funny really when guys asked Brenda out, they found themselves presented to me for my approval.
And if you must insist, I will admit that Brenda and I had shared a bed on occasions. We'd had some fun and kept each other satisfied, but that was as far as it went. I believe we'd successfully kept those liaisons a secret from Terri and my children though. We had no intention of showing any of the children that Brenda and I considered sex outside of wedlock acceptable behaviour.
Over the years Brenda and Terri had produced what appeared to me to be a never-ending line of women to whom they enthusiastically introduced me. I have never been able to understand why it is that women think all unmarried men need to be clapped back into irons. I was doing quite nicely, thank you, on my own. Well, with the kids around, that is!
Anyway eventually it came to the time when Terri had finally accepted Kevin's proposal and she decided was going to deign to walk down the aisle with him. Terri had that poor guy twisted around her finger. She asked me to have the honour of giving her away. She claimed that there was no one else she could ask to do the job and made it quite clear that there was no way I was going to get out of it. Ah, yeah, I think I was under her spell as well, almost as much as Kevin was. If only I'd been a few years younger!
In these modern times, I did suggest that Brenda could have done the job quite easily, but neither of the women thought that was a good idea. Probably for the best actually, because Terri's mother was in tears (of joy) for most of the ceremony and I had to almost carry her back up the aisle. I also had to support her (physically) during the photo call, and the receiving line at the reception. Well, she was losing her only child.
It also fell upon my shoulders to read Brenda's speech at the end of the meal, as she had to give up after about three or four attempts at starting it; she kept breaking down in tears. Terri's new husband, Kevin, had asked me to make a little speech also; he said that I was the nearest thing Theresa had to a father, so I did the best I could.
Whilst I read out Brenda's speech, I had been concentrating on reading it from the piece of paper she had handed me. But when it came time for me to have my little say, I was reciting from memory most of the time. Until that is, I saw 'her' sitting there at the back of the room!
I must have stopped speaking for a moment, because I suddenly became aware of the silence in the room and that everyone was looking at me expectantly. My mouth suddenly very dry, I fumbled around until I found where I thought I had broken off in my little diatribe; then I did as good a job as I could of reading the rest of it out. I think that the latter part of my little offering didn't go quite as well as the beginning.
The speeches over and the cake ceremonially cut, the tables were moved from the dance floor. As usual Terri and Kevin had the first waltz together and then Kevin's father came over and took Brenda's hand; I had been asked to do the honours with his wife Shirley.
We had only been on the dance floor for a couple of moments when she said, "Okay, Jack, who the hell is she?"
I think I should tell you, that I had gotten to know Shirley and Ken (Kevin's father) quite well in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Besides that we'd met many times during the previous few years, whilst Kevin and Theresa were courting. I think I can refer to them as good friends. But I'll add that I'm a fairly private person, and I rarely talk about my past with anyone.
"Pardon, Shirley, what do you mean?"
"Come off it, Jack. You saw someone out there and it knocked the stuffing out of you. You struggled through the rest of that speech. Come on, tell me who could have had that effect on the Rock?"
"Sorry, the Rock?"
"Jack, you're a Rock. Just what Brenda and Terri would have done over the last few years without you around, I don't know. Now I know they've introduced you to every available female within a hundred miles. But from what they tell me, you have never been in the slightest bit interested. Then quite suddenly you saw someone out there in this room this afternoon and you went completely to pieces. Now come on tell me who she is?"
"Okay, you've got me. If you insist on knowing, it's my ex-wife."
"Oh, my, and you didn't know she was coming?"
