G'day All and Happy New Year,
Yep, I've finally got around to finishing another story. Hope you enjoy it.
Thanks to John, who took time out in a very difficult period for his family, and Alvalanche for their help editing. I couldn't have done it without you.
Cheers
CharlieB4
All characters are the result of my overactive imagination.
*****
I walked from room to room checking to make sure everything was all right. I knew it was, that's all I'd been doing since I got up, but one last look wouldn't hurt. Finally satisfied that the job was done I checked my watch. 1.55pm. They'd said they hoped to be here by 2 so any time now I could expect the doorbell to ring.
Stopping by the hallway mirror I checked my hair and reapplied some lipstick. I took a moment to appraise myself. 'Not bad for fifty,' I thought. The hint of grey had been banished by a visit to the salon. A few lines but I wasn't going to subject myself to the needle. Yes I used creams and tried to limit my exposure to the sun but Botox was a step too far.
"What time are they supposed to be here?" Tom, my husband, called from the kitchen.
"They said 2 so anytime now," I replied as he walked into the hallway where I was standing.
'Damn' I thought looking at him as he moved towards me. 'Men are so lucky. A hint of grey and a few lines only makes them look better.' I thought. Tom smiled broadly as he got close. He moved behind me and wrapped his arms around my body, hugging me tight.
"You look gorgeous as always," he gushed as his head appeared in the mirror over my shoulder and he nuzzled my neck.
"And you're a great liar." I said, leaning back against his firm body and pulling his arm's even tighter around me
We stayed like that for a moment, enjoying the closeness.
"Are you nervous?" Tom asked.
"Fucking petrified," I grunted. "Why did I agree to this again?"
"Because you are a nice person," Tom mumbled as he nibbled on my ear.
"Even nice people don't invite their husband's old flame to stay for the night."
"She's hardly an old flame. I only stayed with her for two weeks, thirty years ago."
"You fucked her for two weeks, thirty years ago." I corrected him.
"She is coming with her husband." Tom countered. "You're just jealous." He whispered as he tried to slide his hands up higher towards my breasts.
"So what if I am." I pouted as I fought to keep his groping hands at bay.
"Hey, they'll only be here twenty hours and in a week they'll be twenty thousand miles away back in Australia." Tom said as he gently turned me around so I was facing him in our embrace. "Beside she's probably fat and frumpy now."
"I'm friends with her on Facebook. She's not fat and frumpy."
"Photoshopped?" Tom tried with a lopsided grin.
"I wish." I replied resting my head on Tom's shoulder.
Tom reached down and cupped my butt pulling me closer. I could feel the beginnings of his arousal as it pressed against me. Just then a chime sounded signaling that somebody had turned into our driveway.
"Save by the bell." I said breaking our embrace and fending off Tom hands as he tried to slap my bottom. "Come on, we'll go outside and greet them."
* * * *
It had been six months ago that I'd got a Facebook friend request from a stranger in Australia. I clicked on the name and glanced at their page. A blonde haired woman with two adolescent children standing beside her on a beach somewhere smiled back at me. Dismissing it as a mistake I had clicked off the computer and got on with my chores.
I could imagine Tom saying it served me right for being on social media in the first place. He abhorred it and always chastised his co-workers for wasting the company time checking their updates. In a small concession to the twenty first century he had allowed me to post a shot of us both as my profile picture.
Later that evening when Tom got home from work we'd been sitting down watching the news when a small piece on some catastrophic wildfires in Australia came on. It had reminded me of the friend request and so I'd related it to Tom.
"You were in Australia for a while after university weren't you?" I'd asked. "Did you know any Julie's?"
After looking at me strangely Tom had replied. "Yes... but the chances of it being someone I'd met would be very small. Did you meet any Aussie's named Julie when you were backpacking in Europe?"
I had shaken her head and would have moved on to something else but Tom continued.
"Whereabouts in Australia was she from? What was her last name?"
I hadn't been able to remember so I'd booted up the laptop, logged onto her Facebook account and passed it to Tom. On seeing the picture Tom's eyes had widened his mouth had hung open.
It had turned out Tom did know that Julie. In fact, he'd known her very well... for a couple of weeks. He'd gone to Australia on an exchange in his third year of an engineering degree, to the University of Adelaide in South Australia. As part of that he'd spent a month in a smaller rural town on a work placement with an engineering firm doing some early trials on a new development for combine harvesters. The boss of the firm had put him up and in his last two weeks, the bosses' daughter Julie, had come home after her first year of university.
* * * * *
As the car pulled up in front of the house we walked out the front door and stood at the edge of the covered decking. The motor stopped and they could see the occupants unclicking their seat belts. My stomach was doing backflips as the passenger side door opened. A woman with blonde wavy hair and a loose fitting sundress got out. She waved and called out "hi" as she walked up the four steps to the deck. Julie had arrived.
I held out my hand but Julie ignored it and pulled me into an embrace with a squeal of delight.
"Ashley, oh my god, I know we haven't really met but after messaging back and forth I feel like we're old friends."
Julie kissed me on the cheek before stepping back at arm's length and looking me up and down.
"Your photos don't do you justice. Those legs, and your skin... you'll have to tell me what moisturizer you use before we go."
I didn't get a chance to reply before Julie's focus moved to Tom who'd moved a little to the side.
"Come on you old rascal. Give me some lovin'." Julie demanded holding her arms out to Tom.
She went through the same routine pulling him close to kiss his cheek before stepping back to examine him thoroughly. But, instead of complimenting Tom, she turned her head back towards me.
"Doesn't it piss you off? We try so hard to fight father time but the boys just get better and better."
I couldn't help but giggle as I remembered having the exact same thought only minutes earlier. The awkwardness of the situation was forgotten as the force of cyclone Julie battered us into submission. The smile that had been forced on my face as we watched the car pull up was now genuine and radiant.
"Uh-hum." Julie's husband cleared his throat.
We had been so caught up with Julie we hadn't noticed her husband was now standing one step below the deck.
"Oh sorry honey." Julie said disengaging from Tom. "Ashley, Tom, this is my husband Richard."
"Hi Richard," I said once again offering my hand. This time with some trepidation because Richard was a massive man.
"G'day," he said as his huge hand, which resembled a baseball mitt, engulfed mine and he smiled warmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
His touch was surprisingly gentle and his smile grew wider as he sensed my relief. His face was partially hidden by one of those hats you often Australians wearing in films. An Akubra I think they're called. Still it was obvious from his weather-beaten face and calloused hands that he worked outdoors. I already knew he was a farmer and it certainly appeared he was hands-on in his management.
He released my hand and moved towards Tom. The psychologist in me watched with interest as the two faced off. There was no direct threat but both sized each other up before they reached for a handshake.
"G'day Tom," Richard greeted him in his broad Australian accent.
"Hi." Tom managed as he tried to stop himself from wincing as Richard shook his hand vigorously.
Seeing the two up close it was a good chance to compare them. Tom was probably only an inch shorter in height but Richard dwarfed him elsewhere. That is not to say he was fat, just broad across the shoulders with a barrel chest and legs, that resembled tree trunks. Seeking to save my husband from being shaken to pieces, I intervened.
"If you get your bags I can show you to your room."
"Oh no dear," Julie said as the two men released each other. "We couldn't impose like that. We saw a motel on the way into town with a vacancy sign so we took down their number and we'll ring them shortly."
"The Astor?"
"Yes I think that was it. Was that right Richard?" Richard nodded.
"No way, no how." I said feeling a bit put out after all the cleaning although Tom shot me a look of surprise. "I'm not letting you stay in that flea pit. We've got a four bedroom house and we are the only ones in it now so there's plenty of room."
"I just didn't want to impose," Julie explained. "I feel like I rather pushed you into this meeting so... "
"Nonsense. If we can't show a little hospitality for people who's travelled so far then we ought to be ashamed."
Richard looked at his wife and she shrugged so he turned and went back down the steps to the car. He hefted a couple of large cases out of the trunk then followed the procession as I led them inside. Tom and I left them to freshen up in the spare room and made our way to the kitchen.
"They let you off the hook and you jumped right back on." Tom said with a bemused look on his face.
"Oh come on Tom, it's only for one night." I replied a little annoyed, mostly at myself for not accepting their offer to stay at the hotel.
But really, what could one do?
Opening the refrigerator, I got out some cheese while directing Tom to get some crackers from the cupboard. We'd just finished putting a platter together when Julie and Richard appeared.
"Too early for a drink?" Tom asked Richard.
"Never too early mate." Richard replied enthusiastically.
"Julie?" I was relieved he was polite enough to ask her as well.
"That would be lovely."
"What's your poison?"
"Well, Richard will have anything as long as it's beer." Julie said with a hint of sarcasm, "and I'd love a white wine."
"Make that two dear," I said as Tom opened the refrigerator." I picked up the platter and curled my finger towards our visitors to indicate they should follow me. "We'll go out on the back deck. It's lovely out there at this time of day."
