Sexy new neighbor rolls in
Unlike most of her neighbors, Sue decided to plant her own flowerbeds. She hired a gardener to do the weekly lawn mowing and maintenance but wanted to do the initial planting. Already, she'd put roses in around the pool and other plants that the landscape architect suggested to put in as part of the plan. Now that she was almost finished, the exterior of the house was looking as nice as the inside. It had taken longer than she thought, but now the house was truly done.
Sue stood with her hands on her hips, looking down at the bed when an S-class Mercedes pulled into the driveway next to her house. A dark haired woman rolled down the window and said "Hi..."
Sue had never met the woman because, as far as she could tell, no one had been home since she moved in a month ago. Obviously, she was either her neighbor or associated with the owner.
Sue waved and, trying to be friendly, said "Hi..."
The door opened and the first thing that came out was the frame of a lightweight wheel chair. The woman quickly opened it, attached one wheel and then the other. The last thing that came out was a black cushion that velcro'd into position.
Sue started to walk over thinking she could help and stopped when the woman waved and simply said, "I've been doing this for more than twenty-two years."
She watched while the woman lifted herself off the car seat and onto the wheelchair. She then pulled her legs out and placed them on the stirrups before using a wide Velcro strap to hold each one on the footrest. Expertly, she spun the chair so she was facing Sue. "Hi, I'm Liz Henderson and I'm your neighbor.
Sue walked over and held out her hand. "Susan Raymond. My friends call me Sue. It is nice to meet you. Can I get anything out of your car?"
"Sure, there are some groceries on the back seat."
Sue picked up two handfuls of plastic bag handles and stood there awkwardly holding them. "Do you want me to carry them in?"
"If you don't mind. There's some more stuff in the trunk so you'll have to make two trips."
"I don't mind."
She followed Liz into the house and put the first load on the counter that was lower than normal. Each counter in the kitchen had a cut-out under which Sue assumed Liz could park her wheelchair. Liz was organizing the food on the counter to make it easier to put away when Sue came in with the second load of bags. Liz gave her directions as where things went and before she knew it, she'd helped the woman put everything away.
Liz pulled back on one wheel and pushed on the other to spin her chair so she could face Sue. Liz's muscular shoulders and withered legs were the giveaways that she'd been using a wheelchair for a long time.
"Sue, may I get you a glass of ice water or a Coke or something?"
"Water would be wonderful?"
"Sure." Sue's eyes darted around looking for signs of children or a significant other. Her realtor told her that she thought her neighbor was single.
Liz retrieved a large glass, stuck it the door and waited for several cubes of ice before filling it. She handed it to Sue and then made one for herself. "Again, Sue, thanks."
There was something about Liz that Sue liked. "No problem." She took a sip and decided to be direct. "How about dinner tonight?" Eating with someone had to be better than eating alone.
"As in a dinner date? Or, as in one or both of us cooking?"
"Either way, but if I had a preference, let's eat out. I could go for a steak and I heard Bob's was really good."
"Well, if you want a steak, the best place to go is Pappas Brothers. I'll make a reservation for seven-thirty or a little later. Why don't you come over about six-thirty and we can have a glass of wine before we go. It'll only take us about fifteen minutes to get there from here. And, if you don't mind, I'll drive. Trust me, being in a wheelchair has its advantages when it comes to parking places!"
"Done. I'll even wear a dress."
Liz giggled. "I heard on the grapevine while I was away, that a tomboy moved in next door. I couldn't wait to meet you. Highland Park is kind of stuffy at times."
"Where were you?"
"Palm Springs. My parents live out there and I flew out for two weeks that turned into six after my mother fell and broke her hip. It was fun watching her learn how to move around in a wheelchair. She's now back on her feet and should be fine."
"That's wonderful. I'll see you in a couple of hours. I've got some stuff to do around the house."
"Me too."
When she walked up to the front door, Sue was wearing a simple dark gray dress and a necklace with a large, six carat diamond and, underneath, nothing but a bra and panties. It was summer in Dallas and hot so she chose not to wear panty hose. She rang the doorbell five minutes early and didn't know why.
A voice from a speaker blared, "Sue, its open." She heard a clunk of a deadbolt retracting and opened the knob. "I'm in the living room."
Liz was pouring a glass of red wine. "I hope you like fruity Shiraz's because that is what I had open."
"I love them." She held up the glass and said, "New friends" as she leaned over slightly so they could clink glasses.
"O.K., I have two choices when it comes to mobility. I can go upright or in my wheel chair. By upright, it means I put on my leg braces and can walk, if you want to call it that, with crutches. Getting up out of a chair and sitting down in one is a bit of pain, but I like the idea that I can get stand up and move around. I can get the braces on in about fifteen minutes by myself, or faster with your help."
Sue looked down at Liz. "Chair."
