Lesley's alarm went off at stupid o'clock on the Monday morning. She had a quick shower, got dressed then made us both a quick cup of tea and sat on the bed next to me while she drank hers.
"I'll see you on Friday then?" she said, as if looking for some kind of reassurance that I wanted to see her again.
"Make sure you bring a pair of jeans and a jacket if we're going to go out on the bike."
"I will." Then she followed it with, "Are we ok?"
"Yes, we're ok."
"I'm sorry about Saturday."
"I know you are."
She kissed me, then picked up her bags and left.
I decided that since I was awake I might as well get up and go for a run. I waited to hear the sound of her car leaving before getting up but it never came. Instead, I could make out the sound of Ruth and Lesley in conversation. A door closed but still no car and I figured that they must have gone into the house. Half an hour later Lesley's car drove away and so I got up and put on my running gear and ran my now regular route. When I got back an hour later Ruth was waiting for me.
"Good morning," I said.
"Why don't you come and have breakfast with us each morning?" Ruth said. "Then afterwards I can show you what needs doing to the house."
"Ok. I'll just get a shower then come over. Give me half an hour?"
I showered and put on my work gear, an ensemble which basically consisted of my most expendable clothes, then went over to the house for breakfast.
"Morning gaffer," I said as I walked into the kitchen.
Ruth laughed and pointed to a place laid out on the table, then served up scrambled eggs and bacon.
"How was your weekend?" she asked, then added, "and before you say anything Lesley's already told me that things didn't go to plan."
"Oh I don't know. I fixed the Mini and got the bike working. I'd say that was a result."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know it isn't." I replied.
"I got up early to speak to her before she left. She's very upset."
"What did she say to you?"
"She told me how she'd been keen to meet new people and that you had come up with a plan to pick up a guy in a hotel bar. The plan worked and the guy invited you both up to his hotel room then she basically ignored you while she fucked him. Oh and he had an enormous cock."
"Stark, but honest I guess. And his cock was enormous," I said, trying to make a joke of it. "What did you say to her?"
"I told her that she was a stupid little tart and that I was disappointed in her. I said that if she wanted to spend the rest of her days picking up guys in bars then fine, but if she wanted to keep you then she was going to have to grow up, otherwise there were plenty of other women who'd be happy to take you off her hands."
"Thanks for the endorsement, how did she take it?"
"She burst into tears I'm afraid. She said that she desperately wants you. She knows she's let you down but she doesn't know how to make it right. I think she wanted me to tell her that it was all going to be ok. But I told her instead that she'd better get her thinking cap on and fast, because if she thought she could keep her man satisfied by lying on her back and taking someone else's cock in her, then she was going to be very sorry, very quickly."
"That was a bit harsh, wasn't it? She admires you Ruth. Your opinion of her probably matters more than anyone else's."
"I know. I was harsh because I think that she can be so much better. She's not entirely to blame though. She's been used to David making all the decisions for her. She brings the body and the rest is up to him. Left to her own devices she'll make mistakes. She needs to learn the rules Steven and most importantly she needs to learn how to keep her own man satisfied. It's as simple as that."
"I guess."
"How have you left it with her?" Ruth asked.
"I don't know, we just said that we'll see each other on Friday."
"I might be able to help. In the meantime keep this between us. I've told Lesley not to say anything to David."
"No problem."
We finished breakfast and then talked about what I needed doing to the house. The first of my summer jobs was to paint its exterior. The walls of the house were rendered and the windows were those old fashioned metal framed ones with hundreds of individual panes. Everything needed painting and a few of the panes were cracked and needed replacing. It was going to be a big job.