This was going to be an entry for the Winter Festival competition, but for numerous reasons it was not possible to finish it on time. However as I liked the story I decided to finish it and submit as usual. If you enjoy reading it please vote and try reading some of my other stories.
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It was Christmas 1999, five months after Annie, the love of my life, had died. I wasn't doing widower-hood well, I was a grumpy, angry, lonely man. Pancreatic cancer is like an assassin with a stiletto - silently, unnoticed it creeps up and kills. It killed my wife so quickly that I had not had the time to come to terms with Annie having cancer before she died.
Now I had to live with all the words I wished that I had said to her. Had I really told her how much I loved her? Could I have spent longer with her. Did I have to do those things that I did during her last days - I should have spent more time with her, All those regrets haunted my waking and some of my sleeping hours. If I made myself a mug of coffee often I would brew a cup of tea for her before remembering Annie was no longer there.
I could have spent Christmas with Annie's kids, I had the invitations but I preferred to be alone. Alone with Benjy, my dog. Every day Benjy and I would get into the camper and drive from home to the beach, five miles there and five miles home. We would park, then walk across the dunes towards the beach. These dunes are full of industrial archaeology as they were the site of what had been, a large explosives works.
Walking I would of course meet other dog walkers. Single men like myself, morosely wrapped in a world of their own. Women walking packs of dogs for the local Dog Rescue home. Other women walking other people's dogs. And of course lone women walking their own dog. Usually we would pass one another barely saying more than a couple of words of greeting, sometimes if the dogs were off the leash and playing maybe a few more words would be exchanged, but not real social intercourse - nothing too personal.
Christmas eve, about two thirty it was cloudy, the sun already dipping to the south western horizon. Benjy was chasing over the hillocks accompanied by another lurcher. Good he'll get a decent run, I thought. "Ally... Ally..." I heard a woman shouting. I looked about quarter of a mile away on a hill a woman stood calling. The lurcher turned and began running in the direction of the woman, Benjy turned with the other dog. I was going to call Benjy, then thought what the hell! - let him have a run. I knew Benjy was friendly towards other people and other dogs.
Slowly I walked in the same direction as the dogs had run. Both dogs were on the hill not running to the woman but running with one another. Once again I briefly pondered if I ought to get a second dog, but one dog was more than enough.
"Hi." I heard a woman say.
I was startled. I had not realised that the woman had walked in my direction, breasting a fold of the dunes, we were suddenly less than thirty yards apart. "Oh hello." I replied
"Ally seems to ave made friends with your dog."
"His name's Benjy."
"Ally seems to have made friends with Benjy."
"A run does them good." I answered. By now I was scrutinising the woman, she was younger than me, I reckoned under the bulky Parka she was probably quite slim, although all togged up on a winter's day she looked like a Michelin woman - I probably looked the same.
Her next words violated the unwritten, code of dog walkers, "shall we walk together?"
Stunned, (this was the longest dog walking conversation I had held since Annie died), I said. "May as well."
"So I know your dog's called Benjy, you know my dog is called Ally, and for your information my name is Sue."
"My name is Nicholas usually shortened to Nick."
"I've seen you down here quite often."
"It is a good place to be."
"Your always alone."
"I've got the dog."
"No family?"
"Not since Annie, my wife died."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be it wasn't your fault." I said a bitter tone betraying my annoyance at that phrase, my eyes were prickling - and it was not the wind.
"Sorry because I did not mean to upset you. I guess it was recent."
"Five months ago - last July."
"No other family."
"No Sue no family. No one at all. What about you?"
"A husband, three kids and the dog."
"So where are they now?"
"At home - this is ME TIME. A time for myself. Tomorrow Christmas day I will not have a minute to myself, until that is I take Ally for a walk."
Suddenly it grew really dark and at that moment the heavens opened. This was not a shower, it was a deluge of Biblical proportions. The wind rose, driving the ice cold rain at us horizontally. Even my rainproof jacket was sodden. In moments the rain had soaked me to the skin.
As one we turned, taking the shortest route back to where everyone parked. "This wasn't forecast," she said.
"Some light shower." I replied, quoting the forecast, "scattered light showers".
"I am wet through and freezing too," she said.
"Your a poet and don't know it."
"My kids say things like that."
We passed an old chimney and I could see the camper. "Coffee next, would you like one?"
"No I haven't time to go anywhere, and not when I am wet like this." She answered.
"No not going somewhere, I mean I am making the coffee in my camper."
"Oh is that you?"
"My van yes."
"OK I will. But I am so wet I'll get everywhere in your van wet."
"No matter."
We put both wet dogs into the cab. "This is cosy," Sue said looking about her.
I threw a towel to her. "Take your coat off dry your hair."
"Thank you," she said, and commenced vigorously towelling dry her short hair. The advantage of a short cut became apparent, her hair did not look unduly untidy, if my Annie's hair got wet really wet like Sue's was, only a trip to her hairdresser would have put it right. I put my wet coat, T-shirt and jumper into the shower compartment. I emerged towelling myself dry - I took a clean T from a drawer. Put the kettle on the gas and turned on the heating.
"I hope I'm not being forward," said Sue, "but could you lend me a shirt."
I passed her a sweat shirt. Immediately she peeled off her wet fleece, top and bra. I thought my eyes must stand out like organ stops watching her towel herself dry. "Do you know what is really annoying?" She did not expect or wait for me to answer. "Even my knickers are wet and I haven't had any fun."
"Yes my jeans and pants are wet." I agreed, grabbing clean jeans and pants, I changed in the shower compartment. When I emerged Sue was sitting on the settee, her wet jeans and pants on the floor, a towel around her waist.
"What's good for the gander is good for the goose!"
I muttered an inconsequential comment and made two mugs of steaming hot coffee. The good thing about the van's blown air heating system was the speed with which it heated the van. "Shall I hang your things so they dry?" I asked.
"No I'll do it." As she got to her feet the towel slipped. Now I had seen all of her body. I have not had sex since two months before Annie died. Gone completely off it, I had thought. That had changed when Sue first flashed her tits. Now she had revealed her bottom half. For the first time in months the trouser snake stirred.
I was not aware how obvious my erection was until Sue turned, looked toward my crotch and said, "Is that a canoe in your pocket or are you pleased to see me?"
"A Blackadder fan." I responded, "I'm sorry, but yes you are very attractive."
"Don't be sorry. I think it is quite flattering no one has ever lusted for me or not as obviously as you are."
"You're an attractive woman,"
"I recommend a visit to the opticians. My tits are almost non-existent and what I have droops, I have a saggy bum and my waist is too thick."
As we spoke I could not take my eyes from her body. True her breasts, were small but she was petite. Yes her breasts did droop a little, although her elongated teat shaped nipples made them look very interesting. Her arse was small and her belly flat, almost too flat for a woman who had carried three children. Her body is best described as androgynous. Her arresting feature, was her pubic hair. In this day and age when most women trim and shave, au natural is remarkable.
Sue had a luxuriant growth, a veritable chestnut coloured fleece, to call it a thatch would be to demean this hirsute wonder. Diamond shaped the lower point appeared to be between her legs at the sides it followed the crease where her legs and abdomen join, then came inwards to join forming a point about a half inch below her belly button. It was thick enough to groom with a brush or a comb!
"I still maintain, you are an attractive woman. Look at this!" Driven by lust I had thrown caution to the wind, I gestured toward the bulge in my jeans. "Sue this is my first spontaneous erection in five months." She blushed, making me aware this degree of honesty might not be welcome. "I am sorry if that is too much information but it is the truth - I sort of thought that side of me had died with Annie."
"I'm sorry, really sorry. I would love to but I can't."
