Part 1
I was not an ambitious young man. After high school, I could not find a good full-time job. I entered the U.S. Army and retired after serving 20 years at army bases in the USA, and in Germany and Korea. Soon after I retired from the army, my marriage to an ambitious and beautiful lady ended in divorce.
My wife, Betty, was a nurse and got a job wherever we moved to. She got tired of moving around and my low ambition. I longed to return to civilian life. We did not have any children of our own. We adopted a girl in Korea. My wife and I had an amicable divorce; Betty got custody of our daughter.
I have been working as a building maintenance supervisor in one of the local elementary schools. I did most small repairs myself and called a contractor for large jobs. I am enjoying working in the school; I love the kids and the dedicated teachers who do not get paid what they really deserve. I got to sort of know most teachers, but rarely had a chance to talk to many of them.
While fixing a leaky drinking water fountain one morning, I met Beverly Windsor, a fourth-grade teacher for the first time. She had short, light brown hair, and a beautiful face with large green eyes hidden by large red-framed glasses. She was about 5 ft 2 in, and 115 lb. She dressed in a loose fitting and conservative dress that came below her knees; it did not reveal much of her figure. I noticed that she had nice legs and ankles.
She introduced herself to me, “Hi, I’m Bev Windsor. My room is across the hall. I need to ask you a favor.”
“Sure Bev, I am Jack Turner. I have been working here for about a year. How can I help you?”
“I have couple of small projects at home. I am hoping that you can help. My husband is unable to make repairs at home.”
“Sure, Bev, I will be glad to take a look. I will help if I can.”
Bev wrote her phone number and handed it to me, “Here is my phone number. Please call me in the evening.”
Next day evening, when I called Bev’s phone number, a weak male voice answered the phone, “Windsor residence.”
“Hi, this is Jack Turner from the school. May I speak with Bev, please?”
“Sure, hold on a second.” I could hear the man calling Bev to the phone, mentioning my name. I also heard him wheezing.
After a few moments, I heard Bev’s voice, “Hi Jack. Thanks for calling. I need your help fixing couple of leaky faucets in the house and a garden hose. I will gladly pay you for your work.”
I said, “Sounds to me like they are small jobs. When can I come to work on them?”
“If possible, please come tomorrow evening.”
Next day evening, I took my toolbox and drove to Bev’s home. Bev and Earl were friendly people. He was frail, and coughed and wheezed almost continuously. Periodically, he was breathing Oxygen from a small cylinder. He seemed to be about 70, while Bev seemed to be about 50. Bev was dressed in a pink short-sleeve blouse, jeans, and sandals. She looked very alluring, particularly her large boobs protruded out prominently. She had slim arms and forearms, and delicate hands. She had on bright red lipstick and painted toenails. I smelled her light perfume every time she came close to me.
The plumbing problems were indeed not complicated, torn washers that I fixed in about 30 min. “Earl and Bev, the jobs I did are too small for me to charge you. I had the right tools and they were easy to fix.”
Earl said, “At least have a cup of coffee and a piece of carrot cake Bev made earlier. You helped us save a lot of hot water.”
I accepted their offer. I stayed for another hour or so. Over the cup of coffee and cake, I found out that Earl had been an accountant and retired about ten years ago. I told them of my service in the army and my fondness for the school children.
Bev looked very attractive in the pink blouse. She had a nice smile and an easy laugh. I was drawn to her, but I knew she was a married woman. I always kept away from married women, however attractive they were. But, I never met a woman as beautiful and voluptuous as Bev, either married or unmarried.
Earl explained, “I smoked cigars and a pipe for a long time going over books before computers became part of our lives. I was under the delusion that I was not inhaling the tobacco smoke. I retired because of emphysema. My medical insurance policy is good. Bev's policy is a bonus; it pays for most of my prescriptions.”
Bev and Earl, and I became friends. I learned that Earl was a widower and Bev was a divorcee when they met. He was about 20 years older than her. Whenever we ran into each other at school, Bev and I talked to each other. Because Earl was incapacitated, I continued helping them with small chores, especially lifting heavy items and doing minor repairs. I cleaned their pool that was three to five feet deep and about 15 feet long. Their backyard was surrounded by various bushes and offered considerable privacy for using the pool. Bev continued to ask me to help with various chores at her home, with Earl's concurrence, if not his permission. I visited them several times during weekdays after dinner. Couple of times I was sure that I smelled alcohol on Earl's breath.
One day, Earl said, "You have been helping us quite a bit. How about having dinner with us on Thursday night?”
I replied, “Sure Earl, if it is ok with Bev. I am sure Bev is a great cook. Can I bring something, say a bottle of wine?”
Earl replied, “Bev already agreed to have you as our dinner guest. Bev loves wine, semi-dry Riesling is her favorite. I prefer martinis with olives.”
Bev added, “Earl likes martinis made with Bombay gin, with as little vermouth as possible.”
On the way to the front door, Bev whispered to me, “Earl is not holding his martinis as well as he used to. Sometimes, he passes out in his Laz-y-Boy chair and sleeps their till dawn.”
Part 2
On Thursday evening, Bev's face looked beautiful in dangling gold pierced earrings and a necklace with a heart shaped pendant encrusted with diamonds. She served tossed salad, baked chicken, cooked green beans, and rolls. I opened the chilled bottle of wine I had picked up on the way to their home, and poured a glass each for Bev and me. Earl started on his second martini.
I helped Earl from his chair to the dinner table. He seemed all right as we talked about the beautiful weather we have been having. Occasionally, Bev and I talked about the happenings in school. Earl continued to drink and was inebriated by the end of dinner; his speech was quite slurred. Bev was right; he was not able to hold his martinis well.