This story happened about this time a year ago. It would only be possible to write it after the fact as l could have never predicted it or even thought of doing such. Seduction is my husband's area, and he is the master at it. We never know where life will take us and how kindness can multiply into something remarkable.
Word got to me about a friend of mine, about my age, getting a divorce; bad enough in general, but Cindy and Bob never had kids, so he was all she had. With no control over the situation, l still wanted to reach out and do what l could. The fact Cindy wasn't even in, say the top tier of friends didn't matter. Putting myself in her place was all I needed to want to help.
We hadn't talked in years, so our first call took hours, and in the end, she agreed to take me up on my offer of her coming to town for a visit. She was an only child with both parents gone, so now, without her husband too, Christmas couldn't come at a worse time.
It all came on short notice, so my husband would miss most of her visit being, but that would give me more time to focus on Cindy, and just maybe she would be more comfortable with it being just the two women; men might be a nasty word to her in the foreseeable future.
l hardly recognized her as l waited in the terminal to bring her home; the last six years had taken their toll, and l would guess the last six months were at most fault. But that had no bearing on how l felt or the means l was after; besides, l own a mirror, too.
We stopped for a bite on the way home, as she hadn't eaten since before she left for the airport, and besides, it saved me from having to cook, giving us more free time to catch up. We talked for hours, and at the end, l felt l had a better understanding of the moving parts, and l wanted to help her more than ever.
At one point, she excused herself to shower before bed; l waited in the nearby living room with plans on doing the same as soon as l heard her finish hers. The soft sound of the running water was interrupted by the sound of sorrow as she began to cry. Heartbroken, l entered the bathroom, finding her slumped over and in tears.
I had undressed when she first went in and was in my robe as l waited, so l shed it and entered the shower to join her. l wrapped my arms around her from behind and just held tight as she continued to weep. She finally stopped and commented on how good it felt to be embraced again. My heart dropped to this; unable to imagine, l wiped away her tears and then l kissed her softly, not sexually but more like how l would kiss my own children. Then l instructed her to hand me the shampoo so l may wash her hair, forgoing my own, and then we rinsed ourselves off before climbing out of the shower.
l was pleased that she allowed me to pat her dry; l knew she never had an interest in other females, but at this point, there was nothing sexual to any of it. l left her on the bed wrapped in her damp towel as l returned to the shower and grabbed the bottle of baby oil. Back in the bedroom, l instructed her to roll over so l could massage her shoulders.