I was 21 years old at the time, just out of the army and drifting from town to town. I came back to my old neighborhood and noticed a familiar woman doing yardwork in front of the corner house. She said "it's so nice to see you again." I smiled back and walked over and hugged her.
I answered "It's certainly been a while, I haven't seen you since high school." I looked around the house and yard and asked if she needed help with anything. I felt a need to help her and asked if she wanted any assistance with her chores.
As long as I've known her, I had considered her to be kind of a bitch. She never treated me very well and I only came around because her husband had recently died. She and I hadn't gotten along very well before I left for the military.
Betty asked me if I would to cut the front lawn and repair a faucet inside the house. I said "Sure, I'm glad to help." I took care of the yard work and asked her about the sink. She asked me to come in and showed me around. She took me to her bathroom and showed me the new faucet she had purchased for it. I replaced it and cleaned up and came down to the kitchen.
She asked "How have you been recently?"
I responded "I've traveled a lot but I wanted to visit where I grew up again." At the time, things weren't going very well for me and I was looking for place to live. Betty offered me an extra room she had.
She offered "You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need." I didn't want to put her out but she insisted. I decided to stay the night. The room was nice and felt very familiar as I became more at ease with being around her. In the morning, I woke to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking as she was preparing our breakfast. As we talked, she seemed to have changed a lot from what I remembered of her.
I asked if there were any other items that she needed me to look at and I worked on the list the rest of the day. She brought me refreshments and snacks during the day but we didn't talk much. I started seeing her in a much different light than I remembered before I left. The negative opinion and feelings I had years ago were fading quickly. I felt very close to her, more than I had imagined I ever would.
After dinner we watched a movie while cuddling on the couch. After it ended, she kissed me on the cheek and said she was going to bed. We each went to our own bedrooms and a short time later a huge thunderstorm woke us. A violent storm was beginning and the noise and lightning were tremendous. I heard a scream come from her room and went to investigate. Elizabeth was frightened and asked "Would stay with me, I'd feel much safer." I laid in bed with her and she snuggled up to me tightly. She was warm and so soft. I began wondering what this was leading up to.
After the storm had passed, I suggested "I should probably go back to my room."
She said "I don't want to be alone; would you stay with me until morning?"