This story is dedicated to PiccoloGattino. Thank you for allowing me to use you as my muse.
Isabel, was an enigma. She had lived next to Paul for the last four years. And although he had many a conversation with her, they had been fleeting and awkward, on her part. She seemed shy and could not look Paul in the eye when they talked, yet she did not try to scamper away either. The way she dressed was another thing that made it difficult for Paul to know her body type. She would always wear baggy jumpers, non-descript jeans and trainers. Even her brown hair, he could not tell the length of. For she would always wear it in a bun at the nape of her neck, much like his granny used to. The rather geeky glasses that she would often wear, just made her face look plain and unattractive, not that he had ever thought of her in any other way, than his next-door neighbour.
Her chest size, waist or length and shape of her legs, were complete unknowns, as she seemed to go out of her way to hide them. Even her partner was a strange choice, seemingly much older and more fatherly than you would expect a woman of......of.....Paul had no idea about her age either. The frumpy way in which she presented herself, suggested she was in her late fifties, but she could equally be in her twenties, thirties or her forties, there was something rather timeless about her.
He had seen her wear a dress once, but it was a rather long affair, which she wore black woollen tights with, and white trainers. Again, if there ever was a sexless creature, then poor Isabel was it. Paul wondered just how often she had sex with her partner, and would guess that if she did, it was not frequent, and would no-doubt be conducted with the lights out and under the covers. It was during that thought that he was interrupted.
"Hi Paul, how are you today? Still working on edging, I see?" Isabel had a slight twitch of a smile at the corner of her mouth, but Paul could not fathom why.
"Hello Isabel, yep have been doing this for a while, need to dig out to level, then a soft sand base, then the sleepers."
"They look large Paul; I imagine they are heavy too?" Her smile broadened as she spoke.
"Yes, these are oak, so they do weigh a ton."
"How do you handle them when you are on your own?" Her smile was now broad enough to show her teeth, and Paul suddenly realised, or at least thought he did, that despite her usual awkwardness, Isabel was playing with him a little. Which was unusual for this socially awkward woman.
"Er..... carefully. If I can't hold it, I let it go. I don't want to do myself any damage."
"Oh no," Isabel almost panted out, "I agree letting it go is definitely better than trying to stop it."
Paul was now sure there was inuendo in there somewhere, but couldn't believe his ears, or his brain's translation of what he was hearing, so chose to ignore it. He sat down on one of the sleepers for a bit of a break. His naked back and chest, were covered in the sweat created by the heavy task, with many a dirty mark from the railway sleepers, across his arms, chest and shoulders. His body was tanned from many weekends working on his garden, and the physical nature of what he had been doing, meant that he sported a good physique, which Isabel seemed to be coyly admiring, unless he was much mistaken? He reached to his left, for his bottle of water, and heard Isabel gasp. Looking smartly up, he saw her turn her head away from him saying, "Look, a Squirrel, I do love the way they chatter at you and tell you off if you are too close to them."
"Yes, grey squirrels are characters all right, but I would love for there to be red squirrels in this area instead. They are smaller, but fair more attractive, and cute."
Isabel had turned back to Paul and seemed distracted. Her face had flushed and her jaw was open. "Are you OK Isabel? Can I get you a drink, you must be hot with that jumper on in this heat?"
"No, no....don't you move." She suddenly said with more force than intended. I'll get us both one, what would you like, tea, coffee, water, juice?"
"I'd love a coffee if it is not too much trouble."
"Not at all, how would you like it?" That smile was back and Paul decided he would chance his arm with inuendo too.
"As it comes, hot and wet please."
Isabel caught her breath before replying, "Coming right up!" She turned and almost ran into the house, making Paul giggle a little to himself, before getting up and moving another railway sleeper into place.
As Paul was making a retaining wall, he didn't want the sleepers moving, so had been using the long, sleeper screws to retain them in place. Once he was happy with the location of the sleeper he had just put down, he screwed three screws in, locking it to the sleepers below. On the last screw, his impact driver was getting low on battery power, so he went into the garage to put the battery on charge and grab the one that had been charging.