Her humiliating first time fuck has consequences
This is my non I/T entry for the Summer Lovin' 2019 comp.
Thanks to all that have read the draft and given me feedback.
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Cathy and I started karate training about the same time, but for different reasons. We'd never met before, and if it wasn't for this activity, we probably never would have. I was about twenty years older than her, and getting very out of shape. Work was also getting to me and I needed a distraction. Preferably one that improved my fitness and made me focus on something besides petty office dramas. Cath was a single mum. She had a seven-year-old son who was pretty hyperactive, and she brought him to the junior training to see if it would help him expend some of that energy and learn self-control. After watching him for six months, and with some nudging from the trainers, she started at the senior classes. Her mum looked after Zac those nights.
I consider myself average. I always have. 5' 11", 230 pounds, dark hair going grey, average looks, nothing remarkable. Mostly average marriage to Rebecca, but no kids, comfortable but average job. Even my dick's bang on average. Five point one inches. Depressing, but there you go. The most exciting thing anybody has said about me was "Tom's pretty smart." That's debatable. I've done some pretty stupid things in my life.
You'd probably consider Cathy average as well, apart from her height. She was a bit over 6', with a solid build. Shoulder length brown hair, pleasant face with a bit of a square chin, smallish boobs, and brown eyes that occasionally sparkled but mostly had a sad or faraway look in them. I found out through small talk we have before and after training that she used to be a competitive butterfly swimmer in her teens. I could see that from her broad shoulders. Apart from that, we really didn't know much about each other.
Because of our respective ages and ability, we always stood next to each other in training, and because we were physically similar we tended to be partnered for combined exercises such as fight training. Sparring was interesting initially. We're only supposed to do light contact fighting in the Dojo, but Cath didn't want to hit me at all. She was comfortable with me lightly hitting her, but she always pulled her punches and kicks. No amount of coaxing from anybody could get her to follow through. After a couple of months, I managed to catch her alone and quietly asked: "Why?"
"Just stuff that happened years ago," she replied.
I said that we were all friends in this place, and she could talk in confidence to me if she wanted.
"Thanks," she said. "I'll think about it."
We didn't see each other for a couple of weeks. The next time I saw her at training, there was a small difference. She was a little more confident, a little more aggressive in her fighting, and a little more chatty.
After training, she tapped me on the shoulder and asked, "Do you think we could get a coffee together sometime this week?"
"Sure," I replied, "Is tomorrow morning ok?"
She beamed "That'd be great."
We organised a time and place near my work and went our separate ways. I told my wife, Rebecca, about my idea to have a chat with Cathy. She was very supportive of the idea.
"Good." Bec said, "The times I've met her I can tell there's something sad inside her. She needs to get it out otherwise it will just eat at her. I've tried to have a bit of a talk, but she always turns the conversation to either Zac, anime, or Pokémon." I love Bec, but she can be a bit of a "stray collector." She's the sort of person that sees something or someone that needs help and wants to bring it/them home. It can be frustrating, but I was happy she agreed with me about Cathy.
The following day I met Cath at the coffee shop. We got our drinks and sat on a bench seat in the park next door. Spring weather had been awful, and a touch of early summer sun was nice. She took a sip of her coffee and turned to me "Thanks for asking about me. I don't get too many guys wanting to talk, particularly when they find out about Zac."
I shrugged "No worries. I'm happy to chat, particularly if coffee's involved."
She laughed and it transformed her face. It looked like the dark clouds had blown away for a second and the sun had lit up her face. For a moment, she did look beautiful. The clouds then returned, but not as dark.
"You should do that more often." I remarked.
She laughed a bit more and went back to contemplating her coffee, but Cath now wore a small smile. Her shoulder-length brown hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she wore 1950's style black winged frame glasses. She wore a loose grey hoodie and grey tracksuit pants. To me, it looked like Cath was trying to blend into the background. She turned slightly and asked how I was enjoying karate.
"Pretty good. I can now do 10 push-ups without collapsing. Haven't lost any weight but lost a couple of inches around my middle." I replied. "And you?"
She nodded slowly "It's good. Been a long time since I've been able to get out and socialise. Well, sort of socialise."
"Because of Zac?" I asked.
"Partly," she replied but didn't elaborate. I didn't push it. We finished our coffee and got up. "Thanks again. It's good to get out and talk to people." Cath said. "Would you like to catch up the same time next week?"
"Sure," I said and waved my finger at her. "But I'll see you later at training."
Cath smiled brightly. "I look forward to kicking your arse."
"And I look forward to you trying," I replied.
This became a regular thing. Not a lot of chat, just sitting, drinking coffee, and watching the world go by for about a half hour. I did learn that she was trained as a journalist but had to go freelance when Zac came along. It had given her more time at home with him before he went to school. Cath was thinking about going back full time but was ok with things at the moment. She was getting enough work to get by reasonably well.
One day she looked at me thoughtfully and commented "We really still don't know that much about each other. When I was studying journalism we had to do this Q&A session with a partner in class. The first person asked a question, the other must give a reply that couldn't be a one-word yes/no or similar answer, the first asks a follow-up question, and the second gives their reply. And that's it for that topic. You can't ask another question about it." Cathy explained that it was to get you to think carefully about a question, and also the reply. "It was a good thing at parties. There were some very... interesting responses. But you have to tell the truth."
I shrugged, "I'm game if you are. I don't think my life is all that interesting."
We started. It was actually fun trying to carefully frame a question or an answer. The initial questions were fairly bland - where did we grow up, why did we move here, favourite animals, that sort of thing. After a couple of weeks, the questions started to get more personal. I asked where Zac's dad was.
Cath got a hard look on her face and growled: "Bastard's on an oil rig somewhere I think."
My unthinking follow-up question was "Why'd he leave?"
Her reply - "I broke his jaw."
I looked at her and opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish. I wanted to say something, but she just had this really black look on her face. And that was it for the day.
The next night Cathy trained like she was possessed. I think I inadvertently opened a deep wound again. Whatever had gone on between her and Zac's dad had hurt, and she was taking it out in the Dojo. After class, I drew her to one side and quietly asked if she was ok.
Cath looked down "No, not really." She looked at me "I need to tell someone what happened. It's been boiling inside of me for years but there's never been anyone I can talk to."
I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder "Well, I'm here. If you want it kept quiet, I'm very good at keeping secrets. Goes with my job. I deal a lot in contract negotiations..."
Cathy looked at the ceiling, looked at me, looked at the floor again. She sighed. "That would be great. It's not a coffee talk though. There's also something you need to see, but it's not good. I don't want you to think badly of me after you see it, but I'm afraid you will."
I didn't know what could be so bad but I replied "I promise I won't judge you. Whatever it is. Scout's honour." I gave the appropriate three finger salute and opened my phone's calendar. I had a few spots that I was free throughout the week, so we arranged a time to meet at her house. I just booked out the time as a new client meeting.
A couple of days later I knocked on Cathy's door. With coffee. She opened the door dressed as per usual but with her hair down. It really helped lift her look. She didn't look so stern.
"Good morning Cathy," I said cheerily, "I know you said it wasn't a coffee talk, but I think better with caffeine."
She smiled and waved me in "You know me well. Thanks."
I followed her to the lounge room and looked around. It was a fairly old but well-built house, probably 12-foot ceilings, wooden floorboards with rugs, and suitably aged furniture. I sat down in an oversized leather winged chair and Cath sat in a similar chair opposite.