When Bob woke up from a deeper sleep than he had experienced in years Rose was not in bed. He could smell her on the pillow, the mixed musty smell of a woman who has had sex mixed with sweat and the faint leftover of her cigarettes.
Bob got up and as he started to dress he saw a note on the pillow.
Bob,
You have no idea how wonderful today has been. You made me feel attractive and loved. I have to go and you were sleeping so soundly that I didn't want to wake you. I hope you are as satisfied as I am.
Rose
Bob was disappointed but he understood. She had to rush back to the asshole she was married to. Bob lay back down and with his face turned to the pillow that smelled so much like her, fell asleep again.
The next morning Bob unloaded the trailer of rotting wood and went back to his job. He hoped that their time together had not caused Rose any problems with the jerk.
He heard activity in the house but no one came out and he began work, tearing down the last of the rotting dry wood. He spent a lot of time cleaning up the nails and hardware and when the trailer was loaded and he was about to leave, Rose's husband came out. He seemed pleased with the progress on the deck and was actually nice to Bob.
Bob told him he was going to dump the old wood and then should be back with the new materials early in the afternoon. The jerk told him that he would be gone again for the rest of the day. Bob left wondering how Rose was and was a bit worried because he had not seen her at all.
After dumping the old wood Bob went to the lumberyard where they already had his list of materials. He loaded wood and boxes of screws, lag bolts, joist hangers and carriage bolts and then started back. When he arrived it was quiet and he began unloading the wood.
This first load was treated lumber for the underpinning. Bob worked for nearly an hour when he looked up and Rose was standing in the basement door with a pitcher and two glasses. She was wearing a silky halter dress that showed off her lovely neck and shoulders and her knew at a glance there was nothing between the thin silk and her breasts.
She shyly said "Hello", and walked over to the picnic table in the shade. Bob followed, totally at a loss for words. Having not seen her all day, he had worried that she was upset and then having her appear like an angel in this dream of a dress rendered him speechless.
Bob sat down as Rose poured glasses of ice tea. Finally she looked up at him and smiled, "Don't you have anything to say today?"
"You are so lovely you take my breath away", Bob said, "I was worried when I didn't see you and I wondered if something was wrong."