I was still damp from a shower; barefoot with no shirt wearing a pair of well worn, but freshly cleaned red sweat pants when the doorbell rang. I scowled across the room at the front door. I had gone on my first twenty mile run that day, I was exhausted and none of my friends would come over without calling first. I did not want to listen to someone ask me if I found Jesus.
I sighed, briefly considered putting on a shirt, and shook my head as I walked to the door. Possibly an aging bare chest would offend the unwanted visitor and send them packing. I yanked the door open after the first of what was intended to be two nocks and ended up with a small hand pressed against my solar plexus as a petite woman nearly fell into the house. My annoyance disappeared as my midwestern manners kicked in and I felt a bit embarrassed.
Once she recovered her balance and looked at me I recognized her instantly. Twenty five years ago I had dated her for a few months after a nasty divorce. She was a sweet girl who liked to play Dungeons & Dragons, but I had been in a very dark period of my life and had not treated her well. I had looked for her a few times over the years hoping to apologize, but couldn't remember her last name. Don't look at me like that, I did mention I hadn't treated her well. It was a really dark part of my life.
One score and five years later she stood in my doorway, petite, thin, shockingly sexy and looking pissed. I flinched a bit at the anger flashing in those lovely green eyes. I unconsciously straightened up standing taller and sucking in my gut like a cadet in basic training.
You need to realize that this was a first in my lifetime experience. After enough years pass you get fewer and fewer "firsts" and over those years I had grown to believe I was calm and controlled in unexpected situations. That is not how I was handling it so far.
She was wearing a classy black satin blouse with long wide cuffed sleeves that came just past the ball of her hands, the material shimmering in the light. The wide cuffs had attractive silver buttons with a line of similar buttons down the front. The blouse was hanging loosely over a pair of dark blue form fitting jeans which showed off shapely legs without the ridiculous skin tight look so popular with kids. Her straight blonde hair was loose and fell well below the shoulder just a little gray sprinkled in spoke of a woman aging gracefully. First impression left me admiring the woman she had grown into.
"Do you remember me?" she said looking me challengingly in the eyes.
"Of course." I responded.
"You treated me like shit." she said her cheeks flushing with fresh blood from her angrily beating heart.
After a brief pause I said "I agree." as politely as I could.
That took her by surprise and the anger faded into a questioning look.
"How rude of me, won't you please come in?" I asked and stepped to the side holding the door open for her.
She looked at me and I knew this confrontation was not going as she had expected. I knew how it felt to play a moment out in your head over and over until you think you know the future only to have it derailed. As she walked past me into the living room I realized I had treated her badly twenty five years ago, I had been rude the very moment I saw her again, and I had screwed up whatever closure she had come for today.
I resolved myself to do my best to correct that. Whatever she came for I was going to do my best to make sure she left with it.
She walked to the middle of the living room, her heels making soft clicks on the hardwood floors. I closed the door and followed keeping my distance, stopping when she pivoted on one heel to look at me again.
I held up my hands forestalling her and said "Please, you are absolutely right. I was a total ass and I will make whatever atonement you came seeking."
She stood looking at me for a long time and I suddenly realized I wasn't wearing anything except sweat pants with messy hair. I glanced down at my bare chest as if it may have suddenly grown a shirt all on its own then looked up and said, "Let me grab a shirt."
As I turned toward the bedroom she said "Wait."
I turned and looked at her questioningly. After an uncomfortably long silence I began counting breaths; when I hit ten she opened her mouth to speak. She closed it and twisted her head slightly giving me a distinctly odd look with squinty eyes.
When I became uncomfortable in the silence I began counting my breaths again and at thirteen she opened her mouth and said "I want a proper apology." She looked at me challengingly.
"Of course," I said. "I'll just get dressed and..."
"No," she cut me off. "You came to my apartment often enough unexpectedly and expected me to be naked. You take off your pants, get on your knees and apologize like you mean it."
I realized my jaw was hanging open in shock and closed it with a noticeable clicking sound. I had forgotten what it felt like to blush, but I could tell my cheeks were bright red.
I swallowed and said. "As you wish" and pulled my sweats and underwear off in one pass placing them on the floor beside me as I kneeled ten feet in front of her.
I felt like a fool. I was in shape, but in shape at nearly fifty is a lot different from in shape at twenty. To top it off I had an obvious erection that was so hard I could feel my heartbeat in it. It stood out straight in front of me looking absurd.
I took another breath, trying to relax, and considered my words carefully. "The way I treated you was inexcusable. I showed up at your door unannounced like some booty call which is a rude way to treat anyone. You were nothing but kind and," I paused taking struggling to find the right word. "and all around amazing. You deserved far better and I sincerely apologize."
I waited on my knees for her to respond. She tapped the toe of her left shoe drawing my eye. She had sexy feet and I was the one girl I dated who had always enjoyed me kissing them. I hadn't had a long list of sexual partners, but most of them thought feet were gross.
"Are you enjoying this?" she demanded.
I looked back at her face then down at my erection and responded. "I cannot help but enjoy it."
She stamped her foot and paced back and forth. My knees were beginning to hurt, but I waited without moving. She walked with firm steps over to the chair, put her feet up on the ottoman and said. "Crawl over here."
I obligingly shuffled on all fours over in front of said ottoman and paused uncertain what to do next.
"Take off my shoes." she said.
I raised up and carefully undid the buckle on both of her shoes then lifting gently I slipped off one shoe after the other. I placed them neatly to the side so that she could easily reach them if she desired.
The very first time I ever noticed a girl as a woman had been a fellow student who wore a skirt with hose. That moment in a boy's life is usually his first epic life event. It forms certain parts of his desires and resulted in a fetish of sheer materials, especially pantyhose. Some of my fondest memories involved a date dressed up and later that evening giving her a foot rub. The smell of the foot with hose and leather had become an aphrodisiac and one I had not gotten to enjoy for many years now.
