"Ow! Goddamit! Fuck!"
The rusted bolt Ray Peterson had been attempting to loosen on the 1934 Ford he was restoring abruptly broke loose, raking his knuckles against the vehicles frame.
"Why didn't I wear the goddamn gloves?" he muttered, shaking his injured hand. Then he heard barely suppressed laughter; it sounded like a woman.
"What the hell?" he muttered. Sliding his creeper from underneath the Ford, he saw a pretty young girl standing there, her hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking in mirth.
"I'm so sorry," she said, still giggling, "You sounded just like my uncle when he hurts himself." She saw Ray's bloody knuckles and continued "Are you okay? Do you need a bandage or something?"
"Nah, I just skinned my knuckles. There's a first aid kit hanging over my workbench over there."
"I'll get it," she replied.
'Now who the hell is this?' Ray wondered. All the children in the neighborhood were grown and gone and, in many cases, their parents as well. Dottie never wanted kids, but he got along well with everyone else's in the neighborhood and watched them grow up and set out on their own.
"Here you go," the pretty girl replied, kneeling beside him as he sat on the creeper holding his bleeding hand. She opened the kit, wiped his wounds with an alcohol swab making him wince, then applied an antibiotic cream and carefully bandaged each knuckle.
"You sure know what you're doing," Ray said admiringly.
"I used to volunteer in the hospital back home," she replied. "Sometimes I'd help the nurses bandage people up."
Ray grabbed the door handle and raised himself to a standing position, the girl standing up with him. She was tall, nicely built, with auburn hair and green eyes, dressed in cutoff hip hugger jean shorts and a tube top which set off her figure nicely. Emeralds decorated her ear lobes and belly button.
"What can I do for you, Florence?" Ray said playfully.
"Florence? My name's Heather, Heather Wilson," she replied.
"I was making a joke," Ray said. "Florence Nightingale was a famous nurse in the Crimean War. You bandaged me so well, I ..." He saw the confused look on her face and continued "Aw, forget it. Do you live around here?"
"I just moved in across the street 'cause my dad got a new job in town. He and my mom went out shopping for furniture and I got locked out when I went on the back deck to lie in the sun. I called their cells, but they aren't picking up. Can you help me get back in?"
Ray was sure he could. Charlie and Madge's place had been on the market for some time after they retired to Florida. He and Charlie were friends for sixteen years and he knew the place like his own. If they didn't take their spare key ...
"Sure, I can help you," he replied, "C'mon, we'll get you inside in a jiffy."
"Yay!" she replied, That'd be great. Thanks so much."
Ray slipped on his moccasins and they went across the street. Heather was intrigued by the older man and checked him out while they walked. He was of average height, stocky with black hair turning gray at the temples and on his deep chest, a rugged, yet handsome face and piercing blue eyes.
He wore only a stained pair of athletic shorts and the sweat ran in rivulets down his muscular frame. He walked with an easy stride, head held high, exuding confidence. Heather licked her lips, he was hot for an old guy.
Reaching the house, Ray walked carefully along the flagstone walk that led around the house, looking for a specific stone. When he saw one with a star incised on it, he bent and lifted it by a corner revealing a small metal box. Brushing the dirt from it, he opened the lid revealing a grimy, yet serviceable key.
"Here we go," he said, "This opens every door in the house, front and back."
"Yay!" Heather said again. "That's so cool."
Continuing down the walk, they climbed the stairs to the deck and crossed it to the back door. Ray put the key in the lock and turned it; nothing.
"Damn," he muttered, "Must be the rust. Might need some WD-40. Lemme try this again."
He turned harder, the lock snapped and the door swung open.
"There you go, hon," he said. "I'll put this back in case you need it again."
"Oh, thanks so much," Heather said, hugging him impulsively. "Can I get you something to drink? You look like you're thirsty."
"Uh, yeah, sure, some water'd be good."
Ray remembered the kitchen well with its patterned vinyl floor, oak cabinets and butcher block countertops. He and Charlie had drunk many a beer in this kitchen while Madge and Dottie cooked dinner. They'd had some good times together and he missed them.
Heather took two bottles of water from the fridge, motioned Ray to sit at the kitchen table and sat across from him. Twisting the caps off the bottles, they both took a drink and stared at each other.
Heather had a lovely smile, a heart shaped face and a cute little nose. Her auburn hair hung below her shoulders and her eyes were like glittering emeralds. The tube top molded itself to her high, firm breasts and her nipples stood out proudly against the thin fabric. Her skin was smooth and lightly tanned, lacking a blemish or a wrinkle, suffused with the bloom of youth.
'She's a little sweetie', Ray thought and his cock stirred in his shorts. He suddenly realized she was talking to him and began paying attention.
"... so my Dad waited until I graduated school before we moved," Heather was saying, "I knew I'd miss my friends, but I knew a lot of them were going to college in the fall anyway, so I wasn't too sad when we left. We still text and go on Facebook and 'phone each other."
"Are you planning on going to college too?" Ray asked, getting back into the conversation.
"I guess. Dad wants me to go to law school like he did and Mom wants me to study Communication and Journalism like she did; I'm not sure I want to do either one."
"What do you want to do, then?"
"I want to be a forest ranger. I love being outside; going camping and fishing. My Uncle Paul used to take me camping and fishing all the time and I loved it. We went hunting a few times, but I didn't like killing animals, so we quit that. He was fun."
"He sounds like a nice guy."
"He was, so was my Aunt. They didn't get along real well with my parents. Dad called them hippies, flower children and bums because they lived in a cabin in the woods. He wore his hair long, lived off the land and worked odd jobs to make money when he needed some. My Aunt sold eggs from their chickens and veggies from her garden to make a little money too. I thought they were cool. I miss them a lot."
Ray noticed her eyes sparkled when she warmed to her subject. Damn, she was pretty.
"I better get goin'," He said. "I need to finish gettin' the bell housing off that tranny and check the gears before it gets dark. Thanks for the drink. I'll see you around."
They stood up and she walked him to the door, holding his arm, saying "Thanks so much for helping me. You're really nice. Maybe I'll stop by and say 'Hi' if I see you in your garage."
"Anytime. Take care, Heather."
"Bye, Ray."
She watched until he rounded the house and disappeared. The scent of him lingered on her clothing from when she'd hugged him. Her heart began to beat faster and her pussy was moist. Man, he was hot.
***
Two weeks passed. Ray saw Heather from time to time and she always smiled and waved and he waved back. If he was twenty years younger ... then he shook off the thought. He was still married after all.
He had tried calling Dottie any number of times at her sister's after she left, but she never answered his messages, so he figured she was still pissed at him about him not being the Executive Vice President of Amalgamated Steel any longer.
When he decided to take the golden parachute offered to him when Amalgamated and Consolidated Smelting merged, Madge was furious. He'd had enough of the corporate bullshit and wanted out; she, on the other hand, liked the prestige it gave her in her circle of snobby friends. They fought about it constantly until she moved out and went to live with her widowed older sister.
Ray missed her at first, then, after a year had passed, became used to living alone. Many of their mutual friends had retired and moved away, so he mostly kept to himself. He still went to the American Legion post on Saturday night for a beer and to see his 'Nam buddies, but he was happier alone restoring cars in his garage, which is where he was when Heather visited him again.
***
When he felt something cold against his bare back, he flinched, then ducked out from under the Ford's hood to see Heather standing there, grinning and holding two bottles of water. She wore a bikini top, cutoff jean shorts and sandals. Damn, she was cute.
"I didn't scare you did I?" she said, playfully. "I thought you might like a cold drink."
"Scare, no, startle, yes. Thanks for the drink. How ya doin'?"
"Okay, I guess. My folks are kinda pissed at me because I told them I wanted to major in Forestry and Environmental Studies instead'a what they're interested in, but they'll get over it. I'm gonna go to the Community College in town for a few semesters and get my GPA up a bit. I didn't do too well in high school; too much sports and not enough studyin'."
"What kind of sports did you play?"
"Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Track and Field; I was good, not great, but I liked the exercise. I still go jogging in the park twice a week. Maybe I can get on a team in college."
"I played football four years in college and lifted weights. I still go to the gym; don't wanna get flabby."
"Oh, you're not flabby," Heather said emphatically, then blushed, "I mean you look damn good for a guy your age," she blushed again, "I mean ..."
Ray chuckled, "Thanks, hon, I got it. You wanna go sit on the back porch for a while. I could use a break."
"I'd like that."
