Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter
I was about to step into my local Subway for a quick lunch when I saw them. A young couple stepped out of a small storefront that advertised Western Union and Payday Loans. The young man had an envelope in his hand she held a medium sized purse. They got about five steps from the doorway when the young girl put her hands to her face and began to sob. I tried to ignore the scene, but I had to walk by them to get to the Subway. Against my better judgment I asked them if everything was all right, although it obviously wasn't. The young man quickly said, "we're fine", the girl just leaned into him and cried harder.
I responded that they did not seem fine and in a rare moment of compassion invited them into the Subway for a sandwich. The girl looked up at the fellow, wiped some snot away with her sleeve and nodded.
I lead them into the nearly empty restaurant, directed them to sit at a table in the corner and asked them what kind of sandwich they wanted. At the counter I ordered an Italian sub which they would split and a six-inch long meatball sub for me. I brought over some drinks and went back to the register to pay and wait for the order.
While standing at the register I watched the young couple. He as of medium height and a bit on the thin side. They both looked to be young, I would estimate in their early 20s. She was also smallish, cute but not a beauty. She had mousy light brown hair, pretty blue eyes and small breasts.
I brought over the sandwiches and a couple bags of chips and told them to dig in. After a few minutes of silence while we dressed our sandwiches, the girl said thank you for the food and that her name is Micah Lawrence and her husband's name is Nathan. I said my name is Tim.
There was an awkward silence for a couple of minutes as we each started on our food. I really did not want to get involved in whatever problem these kids were having but the quiet was uncomfortable, so I asked them if they wanted to talk about what was going on outside. The young man said Micah is upset over what happened with a title loan they just took out. I really should have let it go but, I blundered along and said, I hope you didn't take out one of those payday loans. That started Micah to crying again. In between breaths she said "We are in so much trouble, I think we might lose our house".
Then the story spilled out. They are both 26. They married four years ago just before Nathan got out of the Navy. After his discharge, he found a good job as a small engine mechanic at the local True Value. She had been working at Red Lobster as a waitress since high school.
While Nathan was in the service, Micah lived with her parents. They both squirreled away most of their pay as they planned to buy a house as soon at Nathans enlistment ended. Within a year of his discharge, they had enough for a minimal down payment on a small house.
Things were looking pretty good until life caught up with them. True Value declared bankruptcy and Nathan found himself out of work with few prospects in this small town. Red Lobster also went into bankruptcy costing Micah her job. Micah found work at another restaurant quickly but because she was the new girl, she did not get the best shifts, and her tips money decreased significantly.
Nathan got unemployment for 13 weeks so they held on for a little while but the unemployment plus what Micah was making didn't cover everything so they started to run up their credit cards thinking they would catch up when Nathan found a job. There were not many decent jobs locally and most employers wanted at least an associates degree which Nathan did not have. When their credit cards maxed out, tried to borrow money from friends and relatives but nobody they knew, was in a position to give them anything significant. They were making choices between the mortgage, credit card payments, necessities like food. They were smart enough to focus on the mortgage, but they had been late on three payments over the past six months and were currently past due on the current payment. Which led them to try to get a title loan on their six-year-old car. The car was paid off but because of the age the Title Loan company would only give them $450 on their title which would allow them to make the past due mortgage payment but the terms of the load were vicious. To get their title back, they would have to pay $50 a week in interest until they paid off the $450. Even though the title loan allowed them to get current, they weren't going to be able to make their upcoming mortgage payment that is due in two weeks. In short, they were in desperate.
I am not usually very soft hearted, but I had an idea how I could help these young people out and get a little something for myself. I am a 64 year old widower. I have worked my whole career in Information Technology which paid very well. My wife, God rest her, was very frugal and managed our money well. I recently retired with a very comfortable amount of savings and investment funds. My house and cars are paid off and I have no debt. I traveled extensively during my career and have no desire to ever get on another airplane. So, I am basically a lonely guy who keeps busy puttering around the house and working on his hobby's. I am content with my life. I have no desire to remarry but I do miss sex.
My idea was simple, I could help these young people with their financial problems, and they could help me with my sex problem.
Of course making this type of proposal is delicate so I started out by asking. "Micah, Nathan, If I could take care of your mortgage for a few months, would that help you out and would you be willing to do somethings for me in return?"
At first they thought I was joking but I convinced them that I would seriously consider some type of arrangement until they got back on their feet. They both became quite animated, Micah said she could clean my house, do errands or even take care of the bookkeeping for my bills. Nathan said he could do yard work and work on my car or do handyman type work. I let them ramble on until finally I said that I have all those areas handled. The type of service I have in mind were of an "adult" nature. I promise it would be a very private arrangement just between us. Micah got very wide eyed and shook her head. Nathan seemed to oscillate between anger and incredulity. Both said they wouldn't consider such an arrangement.
I said I understood and was sorry for bringing it up. I continued saying I just thought having their mortgage covered for a few months in exchange for the providing some intimacy to me might be something that they might consider. I explained that I have not been with anyone since my wife passed 3 years ago and I am not looking for a replacement wife, I just wanted to have a little harmless adult fun. I said I was sorry if I offended. I gave them an old business card that still had my mobile number and told them they could call if they ever wanted to reconsider. I wished them a good day and got up and left feeling shame for trying to take advantage of two people who were in such a desperate situation.
Chapter 2: The Negotiation
My lunch with Micah and Nathan was on a Tuesday near the middle of January. I figured that I would never hear from them again and I was somewhat concerned that I might get a knock on my door from the local sheriff's department. It probably wasn't a good idea to hand them a business card even if I no longer worked for the company.
On Thursday morning I saw a call on my mobile from an unknown number. As usual I did not take the call figuring it was another spam call. A while later I noticed I had a voice mail message waiting for me. I was very surprised to hear the message from Micah. "Hello Tim, This is Micah, you bought lunch for Nathan and I a couple of days ago. We have been discussing your proposal, and we would like to hear more about what this all would entail. Can you call me back please."
I returned the call and arranged to meet Micah and Nathan at a nearby bar and grill at 6:00 PM that evening. I spent the rest of the day considering what I really wanted to get out of this arrangement, how much I was willing to invest and how to best protect myself from any legal problems this venture could pose.