We met at a vulnerable point in my life. I was young, barely over eighteen and fighting an enveloping melancholy when he came into my life.
Strong, experienced, patient, and sexually exciting . . . he was just what I needed.
************
I remember when Cooper Reynolds moved into the neighborhood.
How do I describe the way it was between us from the beginning? The sexual thing started slowly, but evolved into a satisfying sexual relationship that has lasted for several years.
Coop had originally lived three towns away, but worked here in Auburn, where his family's large construction business was located. Not long after being honorably discharged from the military, Coop's wife of five years left him, tired of putting up with his infidelities and a growingly unhappy marriage. Coop sold his house and moved into the home across the street from us. I remember clearly the day he moved in and came over to introduce himself to us, his new neighbors. Mom and Dad were in the driveway washing the car, and I was as usual seated in my wheelchair on the front porch.
I had been involved in a skiing accident the winter before and had experienced a serious fall that injured my spine and left me unable to walk. Fortunately, my doctors were optimistic and reassured me that with time and hard work, I would regain use of my legs. Because I couldn't face going back to school and so my folks arranged for me to be homeschooled. Confined to a wheelchair for the foreseeable future, between my physical therapy sessions and increasing depression, I spent most of my day sitting out on the porch in front of the house watching other people live their lives.
Introductions were made and though Coop seemed like a nice guy, but I had been in a depressed funk for the last several weeks and was a little standoffish and definitely in no mood for introductions or the sharing of neighborly pleasantries.
Sitting out on the porch or watching people from my bedroom window I would see him a couple of times each day, walking his dog, working in his garage, mowing his lawn; Coop and I had only spoken a few times in passing, you know, just regular homeowner stuff. Occasionally I would see a red sports car pull into the driveway and a very pretty, blonde lady would get out and go into the house. She would usually stay the night and leave the next morning, looking a bit frazzled and well fucked. I figured she must be his girlfriend and thought, "lucky girl." Coop was a very attractive man, maybe mid-thirties, tall, hard-bodied, dark hair, brown eyes, and rugged facial features with full sensual lips. What girl wouldn't consider herself lucky to have a man like Coop in bed next to her, inside her at night? I chuckled to myself, after all what would I know? I'd barely had a boyfriend before my accident let alone had sex.
**
For my eighteenth birthday, my parents insisted on sending me to visit my older brother Jack who was in the Navy and stationed in Hawaii. The main reason my folks wanted me to go was to see a well-known orthopedic specialist, a Dr. McGraw, who had his office in Honolulu and secondly to get away, enjoy the beautiful sunny weather and forget everything that had happened, at least for a little while. I didn't want to go at first, but after talking with my brother Jack and thinking about the quiet and tranquility of just sitting out on the beach every day, I changed my mind and actually began to look forward to the trip.
The flight to Hawaii was uneventful and the visit itself proved quite enjoyable. During my trip, one day while stretched out on the beach sunning myself a young man approached me and said Hello.
"Hi, sorry, I don't mean to intrude, but I saw you here and thought how pretty you were, obviously meaning to flatter me. So gathering my nerves I decided to come over and introduce myself."
With a bit of a struggle, I pulled myself up into a sitting position and stared at him as if he had horns.
"Go away," I said in an annoyed voice.
"Oh, Okay . . ." he said. And as he was about to turn and walk away, he added "I didn't mean to bother you, I just had this urge to come over and speak."
"Wait . . . I said, I'm sorry, I must have sounded terribly rude."
"Yeah, you did," he said and broke into a pleasant, throaty, masculine laugh.
"My name is Michael, Michael Canari and I'm stationed here at the Naval Base."
"My name is Bethany Phillips. I'm here visiting my brother for the summer."
And that's how innocently our relationship began. Michael was twenty-five, attractive, smart, funny and thoughtful. We were immediately open with each other, Michael confessed that he was engaged and planned to marry later in the year. I have no doubt he loved his fiancΓ©e, who was still on the mainland, but there was something between us that he hadn't found with her and was obviously attracted to. I shared with him my sometimes depression, loneliness and most importantly my disability. Happily I realized that instead of repulsing him, it drew us closer together.