It was over a week before Danny tried to contact Kath again following the visit of her daughter and grandchildren. When he did try, he was surprised to get her answerphone. He didn't bother leaving a message but decided to try again later that day. When he did, again the answerphone message kicked in.
"Hello, this is Kath speaking. I'm sorry but I am unable to speak to you at present. Please leave your name and number after the tone and I'll call you back as soon as possible."
"Hi Kath," said Danny. "It's Danny. Give me a ring when you've got a minute and I'll come along and stoke your fire again! Speak to you soon. Bye for now. Mwah!" He signed off with a kiss.
When he hadn't heard anything by the next morning, he decided to ring again, and again all he could get through to was the answerphone.
"Hi Kath, is everything okay. I'm beginning to get a bit worried about you. Please ring me as soon as you get this message. Love you. Bye!"
By three o'clock he had still not received a reply so he decided to have a walk round and investigate. At the back of his mind was the fact that Kath was after all sixty-six years old, lived alone and could be lying injured or even unconscious. When he got to her house, he rang the bell and waited. There was no reply, so he tried the back gate which was locked. He then looked in the front room window. The curtains were partially drawn both downstairs and upstairs although one of the upstairs window vents was open. He tried the doorbell once more but still nobody came to answer it. He couldn't understand why, if she had gone away, she hadn't let him know beforehand.
It was obvious she wasn't at home so he set off back home again. As he passed her friend Bernice's house he decided to knock on her door and see if she knew anything. To his disappointment there was no reply there either. He was just crossing the road to go home when Bernice came round the corner driving her car and pulled up outside her house. Danny crossed back over and waited for her to get out. She had parked with the driver's door kerbside.
"Hello," she said opening the door and pulling her handbag and a shopping bag from the passenger seat. "I remember you. You're Kath's friend, Danny, aren't you? Are you looking for her?"
She was wearing the same green flowery dress that she'd worn the last time. It was sleeveless and very shallow at the neck so that no cleavage showed. It was also very short as Danny had noted at the time, coming a good two inches above her knee, but a good deal of her upper legs was showing as she sat in the driver's seat. She put her right foot out on the kerb as she spoke and inadvertently gave Danny a flash of her floral briefs, though sadly he could see no sign of a slip or underskirt. He felt his cock acknowledge the sighting and slightly stiffen. She didn't seem aware of either event and was soon out of the car. For some reason she was also wearing a beige mackintosh, unfastened, though Danny couldn't understand why as there was hardly a cloud in the sky. A soft breeze blew, flapping the mac open from time to time.
"Yes," said Danny, regaining his composure. "I've left messages on her answerphone yesterday and today but there's no reply. I hope she's alright."
"Oh yes, she's fine," said Bernice. "She's gone to stay with her son for a few days. His wife has broken her wrist and Daniel can't get time off work this week due to holidays so she's helping to look after her and little Jessica. She had a call late last Sunday and went on Monday. She'll be back at the weekend."
"Oh, I see," said Danny feeling somewhat relieved and slightly stupid for thinking that something had happened to her. "Oh, well...By the way, I hope we didn't embarrass you too much last week when you walked in on us."
"Last week? Oh, er yes, I remember," said Bernice remembering how she had found Danny and Kath making love in the kitchen. "I wasn't expecting to find the pair of you doing that there or anywhere for that matter. Kath has told me a bit about you, I mean she didn't go into great detail you understand, but I wish my husband was as outgoing as you."
"Why, does he never make love to you?" said Danny. "Oh sorry, I'm being too personal."
"No it's fine," said Bernice with a sigh. "We only do it now and again. It's usually just a quick fumble under the bedclothes on a Saturday morning, cock in, five minutes and done. To be honest, half the time I fake it just to get it over with. I was envious when I saw you and Kath. My Liam would never do things like that to me. In fact I don't think anyone has ever done that to me. All I ever seem to have had is a quick fumble."
"So you've never done it in the daytime?" said Danny quite taken aback at this revelation.
"Oh, I try," said Bernice, "But he usually says he's busy or wants to watch the racing on the TV or he falls asleep. It was different when my daughter Charlotte was at home but now she lives with her boyfriend, we have more time when he's here, but he just can't be bothered."
"Where is he now then, at work?" said Danny.
"He's in France. He's a coach driver and has taken a party to Disneyland Paris. He's back on Friday, then back out again on Monday for a six day trip to Scotland. I don't really see that much of him, but when I do, he just doesn't seem interested," said Bernice, looking sad.
"Perhaps you need a few tips on how to improve your love life," said Danny with a smile.
"Who with? You? I don't know. I've never been with another man since I've been married," said Bernice. "It doesn't seem right. Even before I was married I only had one boyfriend and I only did it with him once, behind the bus shelter in Church Street. I still love Liam, despite everything, and besides, think what it would do to Charlotte."
"The Church Street bus shelter has quite a reputation," thought Danny to himself. He had even taken a few of his own conquests there when he was younger. Many a couple had missed the last bus home due to getting carried away at the Church Street bus stop. "Look," he said, "Perhaps I've overstepped the mark. I'll go. If you see Kath, tell her I'll give her a ring."
Bernice thought for a moment. "No, it's fine. Why don't you come in for a coffee? I'd appreciate some advice."
The room layout of Bernice's house was an exact replica of Kath's, with the lounge on the front and a smaller kitchen at the back which also contained a small table and two chairs. She took off her mac and hung it in the hallway then went into the kitchen and put the kettle on. While it was boiling, she unpacked her groceries.
Danny stood in the doorway watching her. He couldn't help thinking that she looked a little 'old-fashioned'. She had short collar-length mousy brown hair, brown eyes and wore no make-up. Even the dress had the appearance of a time gone by. She wore no hosiery, just a pair of black flat slip-on shoes which didn't really suit her. Being just five feet two inches in height, Danny towered over her by nearly a foot. She crouched to get some milk from the fridge and once again her dress rode up exposing her shapely thighs. She added the milk to two matching mugs and placed it back in the fridge again.
"Do you take sugar," she asked. Danny shook his head. "I do, I can't drink coffee without it. I'm okay with tea, though, so long as it's not too strong."
Everything on the kitchen worktop was arranged just so. A set of three containers labelled Tea, Coffee and Sugar, a biscuit tin and a spice rack all sat in a line. She reached for the coffee container and put a spoonful into each mug, then the sugar container. This was almost empty so she reached up and took a bag of sugar from the cupboard above, her dress once again revealing more of her thigh. Having refilled the container, she threw the empty bag in the bin, and then poured the hot water into the mugs. She handed one to Danny and they sat either side of the table.
Danny wondered how to introduce the subject of Bernice's marital problems. Should he be direct and offer some solace or should he be subtle. However it was her who took the lead.
"Kath tells me you met at the bus stop," Bernice said. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you two... er, become...er..."
"Lovers?" said Danny.
"Well...er...yes, I suppose so." Danny noticed that when she was embarrassed she was inclined to stutter slightly. It was one of her endearing qualities.