The music suited the atmosphere of the darkened Clubrooms; I thought it was a bit too loud – but of course I realised almost instantly about what they said about that line of thought. Yes, I guessed I was a bit too old for it all now. It was alright every now and then – but there was no way I could do this sort of thing every weekend like I once did many years ago.
I took another mouthful of beer from my stubby and looked over toward the small bar some ten metres away. She was still standing there talking and laughing with two men – one of them a bit of a youngster that I didn't know, and the other was someone I had known for nearly twenty years, although I had not seen him for the better part of the last ten. Something to do with moving to another State could do that to a good friendship.
I continued to watch the trio with an almost casual disinterest – once upon a time if she had been flirting like she appeared to be now, I would have been getting wound-up big time!
I smiled at how jealous I once could get – and then skulled the rest of my beer, another one sat on the arm of the old couch that I was lying back on – I had fallen behind in a shout with my old friend and he was having a "wedgie", waiting for me to catch up.
I picked up the other beer and took a mouthful – I already felt a little drunk and knew I wouldn't be driving to the motel we'd booked into anymore – not for awhile anyway – something that I hadn't allowed for before coming here with my wife. Of course I should have known better, and just left our car at the motel and booked a cab!
I thought briefly about our impromptu visit here; we had just been passing through the town on the way back home via the coast – the long way by about a day, but far more scenic than the alternative inland route. It was quite by coincidence that as we stopped to fuel up our car, my old friend had pulled up alongside on his bike.
At first I was a little nervous – I guess that was partly because of the long gap in our friendship – but I also had a far deeper concern than that.
Mick had acted totally rapt to see me and soon put my mind at ease with his usual friendly, easy going manner that I remembered him for. This soon convinced me that he still did not know what had happened over a dozen years ago – just before Claire and I had packed up and left for interstate – something that still had me feeling guilty if I ever allowed the memory to pop into my head.
Lounging back in the chair, I looked at my watch; quarter past three in the morning. Fucking late enough for me usually – but it was a once off I knew. The Friday night crowd had thinned a bit since we had arrived at around nine – the party waxing and wanning as they did – still, I guessed there to be around thirty or so people settling in – mostly blokes, but there were a few women about too, and a couple of them quite pretty!
I looked back up at my wife and found myself comparing her to some of the other women – she still stacked up pretty well; all five foot three of her, dressed in her tight hipster jeans and her little white crochet top that showed off her tanned midriff nicely. I knew she had only put on a couple of extra kilos since I had first met her nearly twenty years earlier – but I reckoned she looked better for it anyway – her tits a nice looking 'C' cup now and her butt more shapely too. The almost perfect hourglass figure, I thought proudly.
Yep, she looked fine still. Her long auburn hair was my favourite asset of hers – that and her sparkly blue eyes. No wonder I used to get jealous of her talking to other men!
I watched the barman line up three shots in front of Claire as she laughed at something Mick had said to her. The other fellow picked up one of the shot glasses and handed it to my wife, and then picked up one for himself, as did Mick. All three of them thumped the glasses down onto the bar top almost simultaneously and skulled them in an instant. It just had to be good ol' tequila slammers, I thought, something's never change.
Mick looked over at me briefly and smiled, then nodded his head and at the same time he winked at me too, in a friendly gesture.
I couldn't help it – but I suddenly found myself thinking about Mick's wife again and the age-old guilt I'd been harbouring all these years was upon me instantly!
Sighing deeply, I found my mind drifting back to a sorry event that happened over a decade ago.
* * *
I'd loved my old bike – I'd loved her because she was a bit different – and she went well. I loved riding her almost anywhere and almost anytime. But most of all, I loved to ride her on my own over the hills in the country – around fast corners and step roads where her torque gave me a thrill whenever I opened her up. Brilliant stuff!
It was even better when there was a rice-burner or two in the way to blast past – ball-tearing fun at its best!
And that was what I was doing that warm summer's afternoon when I had seen the old station wagon in front of me. I could see clearly the driver was a woman with a big mop of curly strawberry-blonde hair cascading over her shoulders and blowing out of her open driver's side window.
I'd quickly checked ahead and dropped my old girl back a gear and cranked it past the wagon – grinning.
But as I drew alongside the car, the driver stuck her arm out and waved more than friendly-like and I glanced in at the woman.
Well fuck me, I'd thought instantly as I'd recognised her, it was Kim!
I hadn't seen her in around a year since I'd last stayed at Mick's house and here she was driving down a quiet country road – well, except for the occasional noisy motorbike – pretty much miles from her home!
I smiled back at her instantly and powered around in front of her car for a bit, but just keeping in front and looking at her in my mirror.
I liked Kim – there was just something special about her.
She was still waving – and I noticed her indicator go on and she slowed down to pull off the side of the road. So she wanted to say hello hey?
I stopped just a few yards in front of her car and put down my stand – switching my bike off at the same time.
Getting off my bike and turning to walk back to Kim's car, I watched her open her door and get out. Honestly, she looked about as happy to see me as I was to see her!
"Garry!" she exclaimed as we embraced warmly, "Long time no see you bastard, how come you haven't called in for awhile?"
I looked down at her fondly – I'd known Kim for nearly as long as her husband Mick. She was one of those people you sometimes just click with – but so was Mick.
"I've been around a bit," I said admiring her happy face, "Crikey, it's good to see you, Kim," I said honestly, looking her up and down, "You're looking good."
She laughed – reckoned I was just a smooth talker.
Leaning against her car bonnet, we had a bit of a chat for awhile catching up. She'd told me she was heading to a girlfriend's place just down the road and asked if I'd like to pop in for a couple of beers.
I'd thought about it for a few seconds and then declined graciously, as tempting as it was – you see I'd promised to drop in on my old uncle in the next valley some thirty miles away – my excuse for a burn across the gap road which was all good fun on a warm day.
Kim looked a bit disappointed – and then she suggested that I call in maybe on the way back through.
Well, I couldn't say no to that too, it would have been downright rude of me. So it was settled – Kim said she'd pick up a few coldies and meet me there later on.
It sounded great of course – and I guess alarm bells should have been going off, but I figured it would be okay, as there was going to be other people there too.
I watched her draw a rough mud-map of how to get there as she lent over her car bonnet and felt warmness for her in the pit of my stomach – Mick was a lucky man.
Well, the ride over the hill to my uncle's was a good as ever – but I was quite distracted – and of course I knew why – Kim!
During my ride along one of the straighter stretches of road, I'd remembered one of the first times I had seen her; a friend and I had stopped in at Mick's house one cold foggy night on our way home after a near miss with a bloody great semi-trailer coming towards our bikes on the wrong side of the road. Scared the crap out of us both and discretion being the better part of valour, the incident had us seeking shelter at Mick's not too far away.
Well Mick was out of town, wasn't he – not that I had known that before we had arrived, but Kim didn't see a problem with it at all, and as it was pretty late and she was working the next morning she made up a spot for us both to sleep in her lounge on the floor and then bid us an early night – it was well after midnight anyway mind you.
I remember feeling someone digging me in the ribs just on sunrise as I slept on the floor snuggled up in a sleeping-bag – a bit annoyed at being woken so early and a bit disorientated at first, I opened my peepers and saw me mate winking at me and pointing out into the kitchen.
It was then that I noticed that the central-heating was on and it had warmed up the room nicely. Then I turned to look into the kitchen to see what was so important that I had to be woken up to see – and stared totally gobsmacked!
There standing in the small kitchen as the morning light filtered in was Kim – almost completely naked, bar for a very small pair of red-lace knickers!
I'd immediately felt guilty for perving on her – but looked a bit longer anyway. She seemed totally oblivious to us in the lounge staring out from under our sleeping bags at her, as she fidgeted around eating a piece of toast and making a cup of tea.
For fucks-sake, she looked nice! She had a pair of beautifully firm breasts, with the type of areoles that jut out like little mountains – and her nipples, while not overly large, pointed upward, noticeably hard, but quite delicate looking too.
I knew I should not have been looking – but I continued to admire her lovely trim body a moment longer – just before she turned around to face us – fuck, I'd thought we'd been busted! But no, she stood there for a few seconds, brushing off some crumbs from her deliciously-cute tits and then walked into the still-darkened lounge room and out the sliding doors to her bedroom.
I'll tell you something for nothing – I could have sworn I could smell her sweet womanly aroma as she passed barely two feet from my head! And it was that beautifully innocent memory (well, sorta innocent) that had stayed with me every time I was near her after that.
Yep, that lovely memory kept popping into my head when my uncle was still chatting to me, just as I was putting my helmet on and preparing to head back over the hill. I figured I'd be at Kim's friend's house just on dark.
I took it a bit easier over the gap this time, even though I was a bit excited about my rendezvous – I didn't want to slam into a big old wombat crossing the road did I? Something like that can really spoil your day!
