I had been in the home for just three weeks, and I wasn't happy. In fairness, it's not really a home. It's one of those senior independent living facilities, where we all have our own little apartments and can live our own lives as much or as little as we choose, but there's a dining hall that serves meals, and staff available to help us with anything we can't manage on our own. There's a bus service for folks who can no longer drive their own cars (not me, yet, thank God), and basic medical and health services available on site. All in all, for what it is, it's not a bad place.
But I was unhappy. And I let everyone I met know it. Staff, other residents, I was a pain in the ass to everybody.
I had recently lost my wife of forty-eight years to a heart attack, and eight months later, my kids, realizing that I wasn't managing too well on my own at seventy-seven, convinced me to move here and sell the house. I didn't like it. I didn't like giving up a lifetime of things we had acquired as a couple, I didn't like leaving the comfort of my home for so many years, I didn't like relocating to another part of town and having to learn where things were and meet all new people.
And so, I was sitting alone on a couch in one of the common areas one afternoon, thinking about how miserable I was, when a resident I had been introduced to as Claudia walked up and sat down next to me. Claudia is a nice looking lady, if you understand that "nice looking" doesn't mean the same thing here that it does out in the world. Nicely dressed, full-figured but not obese, tastefully made up, with silver-colored short-styled hair, nevertheless her skin was wrinkled and aged and she moved about slowly. Most of the residents here are in their seventies, plus or minus, and Claudia fell into that category. There are some much older, but you don't see them often. Occasionally one or two of them will sit quietly in the library or one of the other common areas, or will come to dinner in the dining hall, but mostly they stay in their apartments and have their meals brought in by the staff. Eventually, they move on to full-service nursing facilities. Or, they just don't wake up one morning.
When I met Claudia, I had been in my perpetual bad mood, and had spoken sharply to her. As she sat down, I thought to myself, "Well, I guess I'm in for a lecture now."
Claudia started right in. "Jim, I know you're not happy here. We all see it. I feel badly for you, but what you need to know is, most of us felt the same way at first. I was miserable for weeks when I moved here. Trust me, it will get better." I started to apologize for my behavior, hoping to forestall the real scolding I was expecting to begin, but it didn't. Claudia continued, "I want to tell you that we've found a way to bond as a community, to fight the loneliness, and to just feel better about ourselves. I'd like to tell you about it. Is that all right?"
I nodded, thinking, "Here comes the Bible pitch."
I was wrong again. "Jim," she asked, "do you like to be touched?"
"What do you mean?" I responded.
"I mean touching. Physical contact with another human being. Most of us haven't had much of that for a while when we arrive here," she sad, placing her hand on my chest, rubbing it gently. "Does that feel nice?" I nodded. "Good," Claudia replied. "Let's walk back to your apartment and talk some more about this."
I agreed, and we stood up and began walking down the corridor. On the way, I asked her, "What kind of touching are we talking about?"
"All kinds" she answered. "As much or as little as people are comfortable with."
"Sexual touching?"
"It's sexual, or it can be, but it's not sex. It's touching each other, everywhere. It can include genital and anal touching and fondling, and mutual masturbation. Even oral stimulation sometimes." We arrived at my unit and walked inside. Claudia began unbuttoning my shirt. "It's better skin-on-skin," she explained, as she began rubbing my bare chest. My nipples crinkled up as she tickled them, and, running her hands through my chest hair, she observed, "You're a hairy fellow, I see."
"I guess so," I replied.
"Would you like to touch me, too?" Claudia asked. "Go ahead, touch my breasts." I hefted them in my hands through her blouse, and then she began unbuttoning it. Sliding it back revealing her large breasts, secured in her bra, I reached behind to unclasp it, and slid it off her arms, exposing her melons, sagging a bit but far from spoiled. I gently touched them, held them, and began teasing her fat nipples, which stood erect promptly. "That's it," Claudia encouraged. With both of us shirtless, we stood there in the living room, caressing each other's chest. "That's nice, isn't it?" she asked.
"It is," I agreed.
"This is what I'm talking about," Claudia went on. "Touching. Just making each other feel good. It's relaxing, comforting. Making contact with another person after being alone for so long. Would you like us to take off the rest of our clothes?"
"I . . . I'm not sure," I stammered. "I don't know if it will . . ."
"Don't worry. You don't need to get an erection. We're not having sex. I'm going to touch it and fondle it, and it's ok if you get hard or if you don't. It'll feel nice either way, right?" I nodded. "And you can touch my vulva, too, if you like. I don't really get moist anymore, but if you're gentle, it will also feel good." We slid out of the rest of our clothes, and faced each other naked. I was surprised at how lovely Claudia looked to me. She was still an elderly woman, but, I realized, very appealing nevertheless. I reached up to cup her breast once again, and slid my hand down her body, brushing my fingers through her thick, dark pubic hair, and resting at the top of her cleft. She held my balls, and then traced a finger over my soft penis and, as it twitched once, held the shaft in her palm. We stood there for several minutes, gently caressing each other's genitals, and then she suggested we sit down on the sofa.
As we sat, Claudia snuggled up next to me, something I hadn't felt in many months, and reached down to squeeze and stroke my cock in earnest. I grew a little in length and thickness, but never became erect. Nevertheless, I was enjoying the sensations immensely. After a bit, Claudia spread her legs, and said, "Now, Jim, put your hand on my pussy. Slip your finger, very gently, between my lips just a bit, yes, just like that, and find my clitoris." I found it. "Now, don't touch it but softly, slowly, run your finger around it." I did, and it stood up. As gently as I could manage, I touched the tip with my finger, and Claudia gasped. She reached over, and as I continued to tease her bean, she ran her fingers through my bush.
"Would you like to suck each other?" she asked me. I nodded, and slid down to put my face against her vagina. "Be sure to get plenty of spit in my slit," she instructed. I pressed my nose into Claudia's pubic hair and began exploring below with my tongue. I couldn't believe this was happening. It had started so naturally. I breathed in her fragrance, made my tongue wet and began licking her little button. Continually adding saliva, getting her very wet, I worked her pussy with my mouth and tongue, and before long, her breathing became louder. Her clitoris was hard in my mouth, and I sucked on it firmly, before returning to my licking. Claudia moaned once, twice, and then shook underneath me as her climax kicked in. I licked fast and furious while the orgasm continued, until she finally shouted, "Stop!" and squeezed my face between her thighs. I stood up, intending to mount her, but my penis remained soft and limp, hanging straight down. I stroked it a couple of times, but then gave up, a disgusted look on my face.
Claudia saw my disappointment. "Oh, Jim, it's ok. We're not having intercourse. This isn't about that, so there's never any pressure to perform. You don't have to get it hard, because you're not putting it in anyway. Now, lie back and just enjoy." She took my organ in her hand, lowered her face to it, touched the tip with her tongue, and then, very gently, took it all into her mouth. Moving her face around, sucking it in and out, I thought maybe my cock would stiffen at last. It didn't, although it did grow a little more. Claudia was unfazed as she continued on, giving pleasure to my penis with no thought of bringing me to orgasm. After a time, she stopped and sat up next to me, her naked body pressed against mine. I put my arm around her and held her breast as she rubbed her hand up and down my hairy chest.
