'Til fate do they part. Part 1 of 6 parts
The 'phone call, when it arrived, came as no particular surprise. I'd told Jayne that if she needed any help looking after her father, I and my wife would be pleased to help. Her father, John, a colleague of mine had been ill for some time; he'd been in hospital for an operation having been told beforehand that recovery would take some time considering his age. He'd lost most of the use of his legs and was largely confined to his bed in the house he lived in alone - he and his wife had separated some years earlier. He was approaching his 65
th
birthday and thus retirement, which I knew he was not looking forward to in any way.
I am John's line manager and he'd met my wife on social occasions and was clearly charmed by her, referring to her many times as a 'refined and elegant lady' He has a point, she it six feet tall, slender and with a very fine figure. Her accent, what some may call 'Oxford English,' marked her out as a well brought up woman. In her fifties, she has retained her good looks, figure and deportment. I am indeed a fortunate man. Her name is Elizabeth, she prefers to be called Liz, but John always refers to her as Elizabeth which he says befits a woman of her standing.
Jayne needed a break for a weekend; she wanted to go away with her husband to a seaside cottage they owned. He travelled a lot and getting him away from his work wasn't easy, so she wanted to grab the moment. Her problem was that she visited John every day just to tidy him up and settle him for the night as he was perfectly safe on his own until the following morning. I told her not to worry, and that Liz and I would meet her at John's house and then Jayne and her husband could depart from there, leaving us settle John for the next three evenings and nights, visiting each day. Liz quite looked forward to being of help as she appreciated John's good manners and a gentleness not often found in men.
We all met at the house. It was a very warm day, and they were in the garden when we arrived; John was in a wheelchair. Despite Jayne and her husband being in their thirties, John in his sixties and Liz and I in our fifties, we all got on very well and Jayne and Tony (her husband) were later leaving than they'd planned. As early evening approached, Jayne mentioned to John that she would settle him in bed and then she and Tony could leave. John momentarily looked disappointed, and I realised that he was enjoying the occasion. I offered to stay with Liz and that we would settle John for the night. Indeed, it was going to be a rare warm evening and I offered to go to the local supermarket and pick-up a couple of disposable barbeques and some steaks. John was delighted with the idea and Jayne was clearly comfortable with it. I said my goodbyes to Jayne and Tony and set off.
Later, when I returned, I pulled up to the front of the house. When I went in, I could see through into the rear garden. Liz was talking animatedly and John listening intently, with a lovely smile on his face; it was a pleasure to see him so happy following his illness. As discreetly as I could so as not to break their mood, I took out two glasses of the chilled wine I'd bought at the supermarket and set them down, indicating to Liz that I go back to prepare the food. She nodded her understanding and carried on the conversation with barely a break. I returned to the house and unpacked the goods, putting a second bottle of wine in the fridge. I peppered the steaks and made a salad, having a second glass of wine as I did so. I was enjoying myself and Liz and John continued their conversation. I took out the bottle of wine and offered them a second glass. John hesitated, but not for long and happily accepted; Liz smiled her acceptance. I said that I was about ready, and I'd light one of the two barbeques to cook the steaks. I lit it and returned to the house to get the food whilst it heated up and stopped smoking.
We all had a most pleasant evening. The steaks were good, and conversation flowed between the three of us; John had a third glass of wine, his last he said, as did Liz.
It was dusk when we finished. John was getting tired now, so I offered to get him to bed, via the bathroom. Liz said she would clear the supper things whilst I did so.
I got John to the bathroom where he said he could manage, and he'd call me when he needed to get into bed. I joined Liz in the kitchen and helped her finish clearing the supper things. She remarked what a pleasant evening it had been. I thanked her for being so kind to John and how pleasing it had been to see him happier than I'd seen him in a long time. I pulled her towards me to give her a hug and she came into my arms and kissed me in her own sensual way, the way she does when she wants to make love. I was pleasantly surprised at this unexpected move and reacted accordingly. Thank heavens it wasn't far to go home. John's call interrupted us, and I reluctantly pulled away and moved towards the bathroom.
I wheeled him to the side of his bed, and he lifted himself sideways from his chair onto it. He wore only a pair of loose-fitting shorts as the night was warm. Once comfortable, he pulled the thin sheet over himself and settled back onto his pillows.
'I can't remember when I've had such a lovely evening and in such good company.' He said.
'We've both enjoyed it too John,' I replied, and then added, 'I hope I didn't give you too much wine; we've all drank more than usual.'
'Worry not,' said John, 'it was much needed. Thank you again for such a lovely time.'
I asked him if he was ok for the night and he replied that he'd be fine. We shook hands and he thanked me again for the evening. I said we'd be here again by 9 o'clock tomorrow. Just as I was about to leave, Liz tapped on the door and asked if she could come in.
'Yes!' John called out enthusiastically.
Liz came in, and to my surprise, said she wanted to make sure that John was comfortable for the night. She eased him forward and plumped up his pillows and generally fussed about. He looked rather pleased. She then sat on the side of his bed and made sure that the 'phone was within his reach and that he had programmed our number into it. Then she did something which she seldom does to anybody, she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on both cheeks and then held his hand while she thanked him for a lovely evening. I was surprised on two counts; first, Liz doesn't do the kissing thing when she meets people other than very close family; second, prolonged physical contact, the holding hands, with anybody but me is virtually unknown. However, from the look of pleasure and admiration on John's face, he clearly didn't mind. He was enraptured.
Liz gave John a further kiss on the cheek and rose from the bed. We all said goodnight and I closed and locked the front door which John could unlock remotely from inside the house. As I pulled away from John's house, Liz rested her hand briefly on my thigh before moving across my crotch and then back to the inside of my thigh.
'Just checking that everything's working.' she said without looking at me.