*Author's Note: Any and all persons engaging in any sexual activity are at least eighteen years of age.
*Disclaimers: This story has been edited by myself, utilizing Microsoft Spell-check. You have been forewarned; expect to find mistakes.
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The day after Christmas, cleaning the remnants of wrapping paper and tinsel and glitter, Linda Boudreaux felt a wave of loneliness suddenly wash over her. Glen and Jenna and their three boys had left early Christmas morning; they had a seven hundred and fifty mile drive from driveway to driveway. Scott and Fauna left this morning; their next stop was to see Fauna's mother and father before driving home to New Orleans.
"A shame that Fauna can't have babies; she'd be the perfect Mommy," Linda thought, thinking of how Aunt Fauna helped Jenna look after Robert and William and Alex. (And Glen and Scott.)
While the brood was there, Linda had tried to take care of her boys and the wives, and the grandchildren. But, Linda found herself being relegated to the post of observer while others took on her duties.
Linda worked out three mornings a week at Shapes Wellness before going to her job at the St. Elizabeth Parish Courthouse. She had friends at work, friends among the neighbors; she was no recluse. But, the fifty two year old woman had to admit, she was lonely. Over the years since her divorce, and then the boys moving out, Linda had fallen into a rut.
"Cooking for one just isn't much fun," Linda thought as she used some leftover pot roast to make herself a hot open faced sandwich for her lunch.
On January 7th, Linda Boudreaux stood in the lobby of Gilbert Hall, looking at the cluttered bulletin board. A large sign stated that only Authorized Personnel could remove posted material, but there were fliers from the previous year's Greek Week Rush, signs announcing Homecoming parties, one for a Blood Drive that the St. Elizabeth Parish Trauma Center had held in April of the previous year. The hall was eerily silent so Linda took it upon herself to remove the fliers that were older than six months from the long and wide cork board.
"You've got to be kidding me," Linda said, finding fliers that were one, two and three years old; the oldest ones buried underneath more recent fliers, if seven and eight months ago could be called recent
That task completed, Linda then affixed her 3X5 bright yellow index card advertising room for rent to the bulletin board. Her feet echoed loudly as she marched out of Gilbert Hall into the bitterly frigid January wind.
"I uh, yes, yes ma'am, I, I'm calling about the room?" a young man said when Linda answered her cell phone.
"Oh dear," Linda thought. "I, I didn't put down 'Only Females Need Apply'?"
Lawrence was a nineteen year old man with dimpled smile and curly brown hair. He said he was sick of living in the dormitory, sick of roommates that had no idea what hygiene was, or how to respect the property of others.
"And, Ms. Boudreaux? I hate being called Larry," Lawrence said.
"Hi. I'm calling about the room for rent?" another young man said when Linda answered her phone.
Linda had intended to rent out one room. She made a snap decision; there were four bedrooms; she could rent out two and still have room for Glen and Jenna and the boys to visit.
Charles was a handsome young man of twenty. He too complained about living in the dormitory. Looking around the house, Charles nodded his approval and filled out the application.
Linda then drove to the University and plucked the index card from the bulletin board. Reading it again, Linda saw that she had not specified 'Female Only' on the card.
Within a week, the three had settled into a comfortable existence. Lawrence and Charles did inform Linda that usually 'Room for Rent' did not come with laundry service. Room for rent did not include breakfasts and suppers.
"I mean, Ms. Linda, not that I'm complaining," Charles said as he polished off a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.
"Hey, Chuck? Shut up, huh?" Lawrence laughed. "Ms. Linda wants to cook? Let her, huh?"
"Huh? Oh, oh sure thing, Larry," Charles smiled.
"Well, it just doesn't make sense for me to cook and not have y'all join me," Linda said, smiling as Charles gave her an affectionate one-armed squeeze.
"Supposed to get down to twenty one tomorrow," Lawrence said, looking at his Weather Channel app on his phone.
"Twenty...wow, that's cold," Charles said, making sure he'd not forgotten anything at the table.
Lawrence also gave Linda an affectionate one-armed squeeze and a soft kiss to her cheek. Linda finished cleaning the kitchen, then went to her bedroom.
Scottie, her youngest son had noticed almost immediately that his mother seemed happier when he called home on Saturday. Since leaving her home to go to college, Scottie had started the ritual of calling home on Saturdays, even when he didn't need anything.
Glen, her oldest son would call on Sundays, would call when Linda was due to arrive home from Mass. Within minutes of his call, Jenna, his wife was yanking the telephone from Glen's hand and talking Linda's ear off about Glen and about herself and about their three boys. And, even as self-centered as Jenna was, a few weeks after the boys had moved in, Jenna noticed that Linda was happier.
"What can I say?" Linda thought as she undressed for her shower. "I love taking care of my boys."
She showered and dried herself off. After giving herself an approving once-over in the foggy mirror, Linda pulled on her flannel nightgown.
"My frumpy, grandmother nightgown," Linda thought, looking at herself in her slightly fogged mirror.
That night, Linda did not pull her trusty battery powered boyfriend from her nightstand. She lay in her bed and stared at the ceiling for a long while before turning off her bedside lamp and attempting to sleep.
Linda's supervisor wasn't concerned when Linda decided to take a 'Personal Day' the following day. Linda was thrilled that Miss Helena was able to squeeze her in at the last moment.
Hair styled and colored, to hide the strands of gray, pussy freshly waxed, again, to hide the strands of gray, Linda then drove to Abdul's Department Store. She spent a few moments in the lingerie department; the helpful young lady making suggestions and comments.
"Man oh man! It, it is some cold out there," Charles declared, coming into the house.
"Can tell he's in college, eh, Ms. Linda? Don't nothing get by him," Lawrence said, closing the door.
"Either of you boys ever had hot buttered rum?" Linda asked from the kitchen.
"Hot buttered...no ma'am," Lawrence said, seeing Ms. Linda at the stove, stirring a large saucepan.
"Figured, nice cold day like this?" Linda smiled over her shoulder at the two handsome men. "Y'all might like a nice hot beverage, really warm y'all up."
"Yes ma'am; we do anything to help?" Charles offered.
"Hmm? No, no, just go get out of those heavy coats. I'll bring the drinks to the living room," Linda cheerfully said.
