Kindness Pays

How he imagined it:

The old man sat in a deck chair looking over the beach -- watching a younger (younger hell -- she's in her 60s) woman walk up from the shore. She was nude except for a swim mask and snorkel pulled up on her head and was carrying a spear gun and two fish. In spite of her age, her body showed the fitness of a woman who swam daily. She came up to the deck, gave him a quick kiss and puts the fish into a small refrigerator.

"Happy Birthday Professor" she said "I'll clean these later, do you want anything?"

"Call me Jack -- can you hand me a beer."

"Its 10 in the morning, are you sure?"

"I turned 100 today, I don't think a little indulgence will hurt" he said

"OK, I'm going to rinse the salt off" she said, handing him the beer. She stepped over to an outdoor shower. It was fully in the open, but the cottage was secluded and no one outside of the property could see. When she was finished, she put on a floral print beach wrap. The colors reminded him of Monet's Lily Ponds. The sheer fabric did nothing to hide her body -- her nipples were clearly visible along with the dark triangle of her pubic hair. "What are you looking at?" she asked Jack, "you've seen me like this a thousand times"

"I've seen a thousand sunsets, but I still look at them. They are beautiful and so are you," he said

"How are you feeling this morning?" she asked

"I'm stiff where I don't want to be and not stiff where I do," he said

She reached down and patted the front of his swim trunks. She grinned and said "I feel you are a bit stiff here as well."

"And the rest of me is scrawny and wrinkled -- doesn't my body scare you?" he said

"I'm 67 years old and I've seen lots of bodies," she said.

"As ugly as mine?" he asked.

"You do win the prize, but parts of you are very nice" she said

She leaned over again and pulled his swim trunks down to his ankles and then began stroking him into an erection.

"Nice to know it still works -- sort of" said Jack

Christina lifted her beach wrap, then straddled Jack's lap, slipping him into her as she sat down. Both of them quietly enjoyed their co-joined bodies -- Christina moving her hips just enough to keep him stimulated. Jack pulled her closer and told her he loved her.

"Hello the house!!!"

"Someone's coming down the path" said Christina, standing up, then pulling Jack's swim trunks back in place.

"Hello, are you Christina -- It's Jen, were you expecting me?"

The woman was about 70, but still in shape. She was wearing a White sleeveless blouse and tan shorts. Jack noted how her breasts moved under the blouse and thought she likely wasn't wearing a bra.

"I brought your mail -- it looks like a bunch of cards"

Christina shuffled through the envelopes and said "this makes 127."

As Jack's 100th birthday approached, Christina had contacted the Alumni newsletter and asked that Jack's former students send him a birthday card. Her goal was 100 cards for the 100th birthday. Most of the greetings were electronic, but quite a few, like the ones in her hand, were physical cards sent through the mail.

"Professor Burns, Do you recognize me?" said Jen.

"Jenny Carpenter," he said.

"I used to be Jen Carpenter -- now I'm Jen Fischer," she said.

From Christina "Would you like something to drink? We have juice, water, the Professor's having a beer, and we've got wine -- both red and White. I'm drinking pomegranate juice."

"It's early, but I'll have some white wine if it's OK" said Jen. She leaned over the table to pick up her glass. Her position gave Jack a good view down her blouse -- no bra there!! As she sat down at the table, Jack realized he could see up the leg of her shorts -- no panties either!! "What's going on?" Jack thought.

"How come you're here?" asked Jack

"Well, I thought that if my favorite professor ever was turning 100, I might visit him in person. I got your number over the internet and Christina answered. At first I thought she might be your wife or daughter"

"Nope, former student too, we haven't gotten that formal" Jack interjected

"How long have you been here?" Jen asked Christina

"About a year, I was on vacation in the area and heard his wife died. I stopped by to say "Hi", but when I saw how much help he needed, I decided to stay."

"I know we've talked a lot" said Jen "but have I told you about the first time I met him"

"It was likely the Chem 302" said Jack

"No, it was earlier than that" said Jen "I was working at the local hospital and you got on the elevator with me. I knew who you were, but you didn't know me. You asked about my work and encouraged me. You were nice. I had been worried about taking your class in the fall, but, having met you, I knew I'd be OK -- and I did well in the class"

"You did well because you are smart and you did the work" said Jack

Then Jen surprised him -- she leaned over and gave him a tender kiss on the mouth, licking his lips lightly in the process. "We're giving you a threesome for your birthday" she whispered.

How it really happened:

The old man sat in a wheelchair looking over the beach -- watching a younger (younger hell -- she's in her 60s) woman walk up from the shore. The blue of her bathing suit matched the sky so for a moment she appeared transparent in the middle with only her head, arms, and legs visible. She wore a swim mask and snorkel pulled up on her head and was carrying a spear gun and two fish. She came up to the deck, gave his head a pat and put the fish into a small refrigerator.

"I'll clean them later" she said, "do you want anything Professor?"

"Call me Jack, would you hand me a beer?"

"It's 10 o'clock in the morning -- are you sure -- Jack?"

"It's my birthday -- I don't think a little indulgence will hurt"

She grabs a bottle from the fridge, opens it, and hands it to the man. As he holds it, his hand shakes so much it is spilling out the top.

"Damn Parkinson's!" he said

She holds the bottle up to his lips and gives him a sip. "Maybe we should wait until your meds kick in" she said, "I'm going to take a shower, then we'll do your therapy, how are you feeling this morning?"

"Stiff" he said

She stepped behind an enclosure and he heard the water start. The blue swimsuit was tossed over the top and he imagined what is under it. After a bit, she came out wearing a floral-print beach wrap, her head wrapped in a towel -- the colors reminded him of Monet's lily ponds. She took the towel off her head and somehow wrapped her silver hair into a knot at the back of her head. "Let me help you up to the table" she said.

He pushes himself up from the wheelchair and steps unsteadily toward a massage table. The sun is hot overhead, but the heat feels good. "You do what you can, and I'll do the rest" she said

His therapy that morning was range of motion. Each joint from his head to his toes was moved -- as far as it would go at least 10 times. She was working on his toes when he glanced down. Her wrap had gaped and he saw one of her breasts -- he looked away. She's a former student, he thought, what was he doing? He looked again and both were in view -- no tan lines there. She must be laying out in the nude somewhere. She was so focused on his therapy that she didn't realize how she was exposed. He looked away again. She helped him roll onto his stomach and the range exercise became a massage -- her strong hands digging deep into his back muscles, it felt good on his old body.

"Someone's coming down the path from the drive," she said, "it's Father Guillermo."

The Latino priest comes around the house to the back "Hola Christina, ¿cómo estás esta mañana?" "Bien, bien, ¿y tú?"

"Buen, buen... Hola old man! How's it feel to be 100?"

"Shitty! I'm stiff and sore and I don't know why I'm still here" he said as Christina helped him back to his wheelchair. "Blame Chrissy -- if she weren't here, I'd be dead. Do you want some coffee -- or maybe a beer?"

In spite of the heat, the priest is wearing a black shirt with a Roman collar and long pants. He holds up some envelopes "Coffee would be good -- or iced tea. I brought down your mail."

Christina reaches out and sorts through the envelopes -- "This makes 127" she said. She went on to explain that she wanted the Professor to get 100 cards for his 100th birthday. She wrote to the alumni magazine with her request. Most of the greetings were electronic, but quite a few, like this batch, were actual cards sent through the mail.

"Does this mean I need to go through another 27 years!" said Jack, "I don't know if I have it in me."

"Some of the cards have very nice messages in them," said Christina, "One of my favorites is from a former student named Jen Carpenter "She wrote how she was worried about taking your class in the fall. She was working at the local hospital and the you got on the elevator with her. He asked about her job and encouraged her. She didn't tell you she was a future student of yours, but she wrote that she stopped worrying after that and she did well in your class."

"I remember her, and she did well because she was smart and did the work. Me being nice or not didn't matter."

"You were kind to a lot of people and it did make a difference," Christina said, "there were a lot of messages like hers," To Father Guillermo "He used to do recitation sessions in Spanish -- we would go to his office and he'd go over class materials with us."

"I did them in English too, my primary responsibility was assuring you all learned." said Jack

"How long have you been here?" the priest asks Christina

"About a year, I came to visit after his wife died and I saw how much help he needed, so I stayed."

"I need help with my bath," said Jack "and I think Chrissy will be embarrassed"

"I'm 67 years old, I've seen lots of bodies."

"As scrawny and wrinkled as mine?"

"Well, you do take the prize," she said

"And sometimes I don't make it to the bathroom," said Jack

"You forget I used to be a nurse" she said

"I'd never forget - Anyway, Guillermo, I think today is the day." said Jack "Do you believe in Heaven and Hell?"

"I do" said Guillermo

"Well, I'm not sure of either. I sure don't want Hell, but Heaven doesn't sound so great either -- singing with Angels all the time -- with my voice, when they hear me sing, they'll send me to Hell anyway. I'm OK with just ceasing to exist"

"I think you have too narrow a view of Heaven. I cannot condone your plan, you know the Church considers it a mortal sin" said the priest

"Well, lets have some lunch and we'll talk about it later. Chrissy got some fish this morning and they should be good." Said Jack

"Do you want to give me your confession?" said the priest

"No -- no" said Jack, "If you heard my sins you would storm off in protest and Chrissy would run away."

"Are you sorry for your sins?"

"Most of them, but some I would happily do again if my body would let me. For example, I peeked at Chrissy's breasts this morning while she was doing my therapy and I'd do it again"

"DOCTOR BURNS!" said Christina with a look of exasperation. She then stood up, untied her wrap and opened it up fully -- giving them a full-frontal view. The priest sputtered out his coffee.

"Beautiful" Jack said

"Thank you" said Christina, then closed up her wrap and tied it securely.

"Let me give you communion before you do this. I'll stay with you and pray for your soul" said the priest

Later:

"Stop!" said the priest, "you can't help him, he has to do this himself or you could be charged with murder"

"He's right" said Jack, shaking the glass "besides my tremor helps mix the concoction -- it seems like a waste of good Irish whiskey. Jack takes a sip "Ugh!! It tastes awful!" then downs the rest. "Here, can you rinse this out please and give me a refill of the whiskey"

After a while he gets sleepy; the world is fuzzy to Jack -- he sees some shadows, but everything is blurred. Christina comes briefly into focus "I love you," he said

"I love you too," said Christina.

And then..... nothing.