Alicia's Tryst

Hi readers, thanks for the good reviews on what I've written so far. Hopefully, I'm getting better at this, time will tell! Anyway, this story is kind of a spin off from 'My Getaway with Gabby Pt. 2', but it stands on its own, regardless. It's another first time story, since it's the first time this lady's been intimate since being wounded and disabled in Iraq. It was a whole new experience for her. It's a little on the long side, in fact, a mentor did some editing, you'll have to guess who.

But I felt that there was no quick way to tell this because it really is special. So please enjoy. We begin right after Gabby's overnight visit with me.

****

The next morning dawned cool and bright. I had a Cessna King Air arriving about noon from Savannah for washing, but the morning was free. After we cleaned up and let Khan do dogly things, we went and ate near Gabby's place. She didn't work at the hardware store that day, but needed to be back soon to look in on her housemate.

"You ought to meet her." Gabby forked in a piece of egg onto her wheat toast. "I think I told you her name's Alicia. She's very sweet, but sometimes a little hard to understand. She has problems with her left side not cooperating. I mean, she's not paralyzed, but lots of nerve damage."

"Man, that's rough. What happened to her?" A waitperson brought more coffee and poured.

She waited until we were alone again. "She was in a supply convoy in Iraq when her truck was blown up. She said they did a lot of work on her in Germany. Now she goes to the VA every week." She poured more cream in her cup.

"Can she drive herself?"

"Not really, she's blind in her left eye. Retinal damage. That's where I come in. Her sister was taking her as well as helping out, but with Covid restrictions winding down, they're starting to make her go to the office again. Alicia has her father's old car. It's big, easy for her to get in and out, well, not real easy for me sometimes. All I've ever driven was a Corolla."

I was glad to get out of the diner. All the dishes clattering in back, the echo of conversations off the hard floors and honestly, the way some guys stared at Gabby. I think it was at that moment I realized all this might not be a fluke. I'd never had a real girlfriend. Instead, I was always someone's study buddy or bestest friend. I didn't want to presume, especially since I still didn't know her last name.

We got out on the sidewalk, her ahead of me as I pocketed my wallet. I liked the way she walked. It didn't telegraph 'do me', but it was by no means chaste. Anyone could tell she wasn't a nun. She took my arm as we walked to the van. I loved the way she jiggled in that muslin blouse, the same as she wore over her jeans yesterday.

She caught me watching. "Are you perving out?"

"Was it obvious?"

"You called them apples last night, remember? That's cute, never thought of that. I do own a bra, you know. It's in the laundry, somewhere."

"Some of those old guys in the diner were choking on their bacon, ogling you."

"Ogling. Huh. Now that's a good word puzzle. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say it before though."

"It pays to increase your word power. Says so in the paper."

"I'll have to try, if I can get past the funnies. We used to get the paper..."

"Yeah, who's we?"

"It was me, mom and my big sister. Grew up in a speck of a place in Alabama. I'll tell you about it sometime."

****

Alicia's house was a brick Arts and Crafts, so common in the midtown neighborhoods. Two women sitting on the porch watched as I parked at the apron of the driveway.

We mounted the steps, Gabby making introductions. I met Trish, the sister. She seemed nice and smiled at me. I remember her having long brown hair tied back high, falling over her shoulders and what appeared to be expensive looking sandals. She went inside to get her things and a sweater.

Then I met Alicia. She had a pixie hairstyle and deep blue, almost violet eyes. I'd never seen such and tried not to stare. She grinned at me kind of lopsided. "So, this is Billy, Gabby's first responder feller." She nodded her head. "I'd get up, but I just sat down." She laughed at Gabby's evident consternation.

I glanced at Gabby. "Am I an EMT or something?"

She was blushing, "Well, uh, no. It's like this. I might have told Alicia some of my backstory and uh, you were in some of it?"

Alicia. "She sure was excited about you getting her last night. She sat on the porch for hours waiting." Another grin.

Gabby was shaking her head. "She does this to me, I'm telling you. Pay her no mind, I waited all of twenty minutes, tops."

Me. "Okay, so I'm not a medic. Alicia, Gabby was telling me a little about you at breakfast. I think it's special that you two met. It's just amazing."

Trish came back out, purse in hand. "Sorry, but I gotta go. I wish I could stay. Sis, I'll call you later, love you." She paused. "Billy, right? Nice meeting you, be good to Gabby. See ya soon, Ok?"

Off she went up the street to her car. I heard it honk. Moments later she zoomed by, waving.

Gabby murmured, "I'm totally embarrassed. These two, they collaborate, I just know it. Weird fun."

Alicia asked for a cup of lemon herb tea. Gabby went inside.

"You don't have to stand."

I sat.

"No, come closer. I don't bite like I used to." She chuckled and patted the spot cornered from her."

She looked to be in her mid to late twenties. The left side of her face was at odds with the other, like they didn't line up. She looked down the avenue. She'd had some facial surgery and there were pink lines back by her ear.

She wore a long sleeved blouse and khakis with boat shoes. With her sitting there it was hard to tell how tall she might've been, but she looked pretty thin. She wore a cotton glove on her left hand.

"I like to talk and visit in the mornings. By dinner, I'm pretty pooped, especially when they've been working me over. I guess Gabby told you about my little mishap, huh?" Alicia was still looking down the avenue at a boom truck replacing a streetlight.

I nodded. "Were you driving when it happened?"

"Yes, the truck in front of me went up, so I swerved to the right to go around him. I guess they'd planned for that. My left front wheel got blown into the cab with me, so they said."

I ran the scene through my head, horrified.

"But, enough of that. I'll tell you before the tea gets here that you've made quite an impression. She says you don't even swear. Is that true?" Now Alicia was looking at me steadily. It was kind of unnerving how she looked at me. I found out later that she did that to everyone.

I considered. "My dad taught me that swearing was just giving up on trying to find a better word. He minored in English, so he was serious about it."

"What's your dad do for a living?"

"He died four years ago of an aneurysm. He flew for Delta. My uncle still does."

"Ah, well that explains it. Gabby said you have model airplanes hanging from strings in your room?"

"It's true. I guess all that just runs in the blood."

Just then Gabby came out with hot tea. "Oops. Billy, I forgot to ask if you wanted something!"

"No, I'm good. Looks like I need to get on. The airplane should be getting there about now."

Alicia offered her hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "It's been a pleasure, Billy. I hope you come back soon."

Gabby walked me over to the van. "Y'all have a good talk? I took my time in the kitchen. Isn't she amazing?"

I climbed into my seat. "She is at that. Hey, thanks for you calling me, coming over." I looked at her. "And thanks for staying. You're amazing too."

She grinned, arms on the door ledge. "Call me if you want. Phones work both ways."

I worked up the courage finally. "I will, but what's your last name? I don't think you ever told me."

"It's Smith."

I looked at her.

"It really is, honest. I found yours out by looking at the mailbox!"

I laughed, "Aren't we a pair?"

Gabby looked me dead on. Softly, "If that's what you want Billy. Oh God, how mushy!" She stepped back waving, laughing and shaking her head.

****

Spring started giving way to summer. As you might imagine, Gabby and I grew closer. She met my mom and they seemed to get along just fine. It wasn't so easy having time together. Gabby was usually needed at Alicia's in the evening, plus her job in the day. My business grew when a fellow washer at the other local airport fell and got hurt. I filled in for him except for a week in July when a customer allowed me to fly with him to Oshkosh for the airshow. That's a whole 'nother story.

The night of my return, Gabby came over. We shared some gummies, acted afflicted like kids do and then had some long slow loving. Afterwards, we laid on our backs, watching the ceiling fan as our breathing returned to normal.

Gabby arched her back, then nestled against my shoulder. "Do you remember before you left how you came over and after while we snuck upstairs and diddled when we thought Alicia was asleep?"

I smiled. "Old iron beds are a challenge, that's for sure. And, it squeaked."

She giggled. "I like riding my mule hard, what can I say?" she tickled my ribs. "I might make you give me a high protein snack in a little while, come to think of it."

"You said ride, hard and come in just two sentences. I think you're involuntarily naughty."

Her finger stabbed my belly button. "You and your fifty cent words!"

"It pays to increase..."

"I know, word power, I get it, yeesh. But anyway Alicia was awake when we were frolicking. Ha, there's a good word! Anyway, we talked the next day. She wanted to stand and get a shower so she could wash her hair better."

Gabby sat up and reached for her ice water. "So when we do this, I have to get in there with her. She holds onto this bar while I wash her and do her hair. It's so unfair Billy. She used to be beautiful! Her right side still is. Anyway, I have to get naked too when we do the shower thing and she said how pretty I was and that I had you and then started sobbing."

I rubbed the small of her back, staying quiet.

Gabby toyed with my pubes, twirling them, thinking. "I asked her when was the last time she was with someone and she told me before she shipped out, you know, before she got hurt. She grinned back at me and said she used to make a bed squeak too! I blushed and she laughed then. Then she asked me to get the shower massager down for her. She took it from me and asked me to hold her up. Then she leaned back against me and did herself with the sprayer."

The cicadas outside were in full song by now. The lights winked off at the main house, which meant the eleven o'clock news was over. It wasn't hard to imagine the scene, two girls in the shower, one against the other...I felt a stirring and chided myself for my prurience. "Wow, you mean this just happened out of nowhere?"

Gabby sighed. "You're getting hard, aren't you. I'm not going to say another word about this."

"Ok."

"Wrong answer. You were supposed to protest or something. So, anyway, I felt her tremble and I think she asked me to not drop her. It was hard to tell. But she was able to use her left hand to open herself enough to make the water hit her better. She started to moan and she leaned back harder on me. Then she cried out and came. It was hard not to drop her. She kind of slid down me, before I got both arms under her shoulders. She looked up at me with her head between my tits and told me I had the nicest boobies she'd ever seen. We laughed and I finally got her out and dried."

"That's the best bedtime story I've ever heard, Gabby. Am I supposed to know this?"

"Um, well, it's like this. I thought maybe sometime you might be willing to, you know, share yourself? I mean, I haven't volunteered you or even brought it up to her...um, gee haw mule, say something?"

There's out of the blue and then there's out of this world. I was confused at the sudden turn in our conversation. "Gabby, I haven't looked beyond you, so...

"I know, I know. I mean, I'm not gay and I'm not a guy, so I can't give her what she really wants and needs. She's very sweet to me and took me in solely on trust. We really like each other, I mean a lot and that's why I thought that just maybe...I don't know, Alicia may not want anything to do with it. So I had to ask you first, if you might consider doing something for her that I can't do. There, that's what I've been trying to say. Your turn."

I thought. The room air conditioner rumbled to life. Gabby got up to close the other window. When she came back, I said, "I like what we have. Let's be careful and not do anything to cause regrets."

Gabby nodded, "Billy, I'm not worried about you. Otherwise I never would have said a word about all this. Now let's go eat something, I'm starving."

****

Mom being a Delta widow afforded her the opportunity to travel, which she had started to do, what with the virus easing up. It was a Sunday morning and I could hear the bells of the Prebyterian church tolling first service as I was skimming the pool, Mom being in Europe. A Buick SUV pulled up to the garage and gave a beep. Khan jumped up, then ran off to find a toy.

Gabby was helping Alicia out of the car by the time I got to the gate to let them in. We said our howdies and helped Alicia up the path, she using a single crutch and sat her down waterside. I adjusted the tilt umbrella to shade her where she sat and asked if she wanted tea.

She grinned, genuinely amused at all of our service. "I hope you two are around when I get old. I could get used to this!" Both of them were wearing wraps over their bikinis, broad straw hats and oversized silly sunglasses.

They were exclaiming and laughing over Khan when I returned with a tray of drinks.

Alicia. "Your dog is so adorable. How old is he?"

Khan dropped his toy and rubbed his head against her.

"He's six and wants his ears rubbed. The deal is, he brings you a toy, he gets a rub." I tugged on my trunks. I'd been losing some weight, doing my own cooking.

Gabby. "Khan's a big ham is all. He'll jump into your lap if he likes you, so watch out. So. Y'all want to stick a toe in the water?"

Alicia, "I'm in if you are."

Gabby helped her up and took her wrap off.

I had gone to close the sliding door and was returning when I saw Alicia's back as her wrap came off. There were lines and tracks from her left hip nearly to her neck. Her left leg was smaller than her right and her arms didn't match either. Doctors can only do so much.

If the children of those who fomented war came home maimed like Alicia, war would end.

We carefully stepped her into the pool, Alicia watching her feet. You could see her relax when she became buoyant. She patted my arm and smiled. "You can let go. You're such a sweetie. Oh, here, take my hat. I don't want it to get wet."

Things went uphill from there. We played and swam, yelling and being silly while Khan barked from the edge. Dimly, I heard the church bell toll the eleven o'clock service. Gabby got out to go to the car for towels and sunscreen. I was in the deep end when Alicia paddled up to hang on me.

"Mind if I catch a ride?"

" Sure, hang on. You do great in the water, Alicia."

"FDR did too."

"Yeah, I remember going to Warm Springs. Folks took me down there back when."

A breeze stirred, rippling the trees. Alicia almost lazily dragged her hand down my back. "She was right. There's not an ounce of fat on you, not at all." She felt my arms, squeezing, rubbing. Her left hand tightened on my shoulder as her right hand quested lower, brushing below my waistband in the front. She let go, coming around to face me. There were drops of water on her chin and those violet eyes peered at me deeply.

The car door slammed down below.

Alicia didn't blink. "I'm in if you are."

****

The shadows were getting long. Khan was checking the azaleas carefully, one by one, when my phone rang. Gabby.

"She told me."

I watched the dog watching a squirrel. "Yeah. She was pretty direct."

"Honestly, Billy, I'm Ok either way."

I sighed. "Let's just let it play out. Maybe we're making too much out of things. She tell you she grabbed the mule?"

"No, serious?"

"Right afterwards is when she declared."

Gabby giggled. "She wanted to see if the fable was true, hee, hee."

"What have you been telling her, girl?" Khan emerged from the bushes with a stick.

"I might have averred, whoops, word power there, about the infamous city mule that I know of. Oh, and have access to although less than I want. Speaking of, can I come over late? Trisha is in tomorrow."

Khan dropped the stick at my feet and stared at it.

****

The day came about a couple of weeks later without anyone knowing it would happen. The rain had set in and all I had were tarmac washes, nothing in the hangers. The guy I'd been helping out called and said he was in the same shape. I took the ladders off the van to let the rain wash them and called Gabby at work. She was getting off at two. She'd borrowed Alicia's car so I didn't need to pick her up. We could meet up at Alicia's and have a late lunch.

Cars shushed down the avenue as I rang the doorbell. No Gabby. I rang again, then looked down to see if the car was garaged. The house door opened, Alicia leaning on her cane.

"Hey Billy, come in. I heard the bell, but I was in the bathroom. Everything Ok?"

"Yeah, I'm rained out today. Gabby's supposed to be here in a minute. How you doing? Is it a good day for you?"

"Well, other than VA's tomorrow, it's all good. I took... a gummy a little while ago so if you want something... to drink, you know where it all is." She chuckled, "They tend to make me a bit... loopy but I'm off the pain meds now."

"I'm good on the drink, but thanks." I watched her lower herself on the sofa.

"Come sit with me. Tell me about airplanes, whatever. It's good to have company." She patted the adjoining cushion.

I complied. "I'm still company?"

"Poor turn of phrase. My mind is still on my short story."

"Oh yeah, what are you reading?" I didn't see any books laying around.

Alicia held up a clip microphone like you see people wear on cable news. "Saying, really. I dictate and the computer writes it down." She glanced over shyly. "I like to write steamy romance stuff. Have you ever written?"

Her mantle clock ticked away and another car went by slowly. It was the mail truck. I took a breath.

"I wrote about how I met Gabby."

"Oh, that's wonderful! You ought to email it to me. I'd love to read it."

My phone rang. Gabby. "They're asking me to work a while longer. The men are unloading a whole truckload and stocking plumbing, so I'm at the cash register. Are you at Alicia's?"

"Just sat down. We're talking about literary stuff."

"Ok baby. Sit tight. I"ll be there soon as I can. Bye."

Alicia stretched. "They work her a lot for part time. They're... holding her over again?"

I nodded, watching the rain pour down out her picture window.

Alicia rubbed my arm. "What else have you written?"

"More about Gabby and her first stayover with all the details. I haven't sent it in yet though. It needs polishing."

"Send it to me too. Maybe I can help a little. It's what I enjoy doing since I...don't get out much anymore.

Her voice had trailed off, but her hand was tracing my biceps and quads, gently kneading.

I touched her hair, trailing down to her neck just as gently. She shivered.

"That's nice. Some of my nerves are still very well connected." She laughed, leaning back into my hand, turning towards me. Her mouth was so close.

I leaned in, kissing her just ever so softly. She breathed out of her nose, not breaking the kiss, opening her lips gingerly and her tongue gave me the tiniest of licks before withdrawing. It's just how she did it was so erotic. She gave a little moan, pulling my head tighter to her, running her hand through my hair, kissing me deeply. Finally, we broke for air.