[I put this story in the mature section because the characters in the story are all over fifty. There is sex in this story but not in the hard charging, wham, bam way that sex shows up in other stories. The only man in this story never gets an erection in the story. Oral sex is here, female to female sex is here, and love, respect, and care are here. I would like feedback on this story, either public or private.]
"I'm not sure I should say anything," Cally said.
"Something's wrong. We're your best friends." Martha leaned toward her friend.
They were sitting in a round booth in their favorite Italian restaurant. Cally, Martha, Janice, Helen and Beth. They had been friends for fifteen years. Cally was sitting with two women on either side and had hardly touched her meal. The sixth member of their group, Colleen, was away visiting her daughter's family on vacation.
"It's Pete. He's sick." Her voice broke and tears started.
"How sick?"
Cally broke down and cried. Mario their waiter came over and before he could ask Martha said, "It's OK Mario. The food is fine." He walked away. The meal stopped. The conversation stopped and the four friends waited for Cally. They all knew Pete and liked him. He had married Cally before they all had met. Whatever any of these women had going on in their lives, he was supportive. He had fixed things for them in their houses, lent them money when they needed it, had thrown birthday parties for each of them, and always surprised them with flowers at least once a year. For some he was a brother they didn't have, for others he was the John Wayne hero guy they could always count on.
Cally stopped crying and took a big breath. No one moved or spoke.
She took another breath and said, "He has cancer." She paused and no one moved. She looked up and said, "The doctors give him six months to a year." The tears started again.
"We need a second opinion." Beth said. Cally shook her head.
"We've been to City of Hope and UCLA. They gave us the same verdict. I'm going to lose him."
Martha put her arm around Cally and they were all quiet for a while. When Cally looked up at her friends Janice said, "What can we do? This is happening to all of us."
"We all love him, too. Whatever it takes we're here for both of you." Beth reached out and touched Cally.
"I don't know. I think I'm still in shock. I want to be in denial but I know too much. His cancer has spread and is growing."
"How does he feel?"
"He feels tired quicker than he used to. He doesn't feel pain, yet"
"Is there anyone he can talk to besides you?"
"I don't think so. You guys are our closest friends. His guy friends aren't as close as you guys. He just never was one of those guys who wanted to bar hop and drink beer."
"Will he talk to us?"
"I just don't know. Pete was raised to be the strong, quiet man and take whatever comes without complaint. He hasn't cried with me, or yelled or anything except look really sad all the time."
Martha asked, "Is he still working?"
Cally nodded.
"How are you with finances?"
"OK. We have a good retirement stashed and five years ago Pete took out a life insurance policy on us that will pay a million when the time comes."
A quiet pause sat with the five women at the table. Cally was the only one married. Martha had been married once, for twenty three years to a controlling man who treated her more like an employee than a wife. Beth had never been married but had lived with a man for fifteen years and bore him two children. In the end he had just walked away, leaving her with two teenaged children to raise alone. She did a good job and both kids were now grown and doing fine on their own. Janice had married right out of high school and raised two boys before her husband divorced her to marry their insurance agent. Helen had spent twenty years in the Air Force and never married. She loved tennis and swimming and now worked for the county parks and recreation department managing the tennis courts and pool. None of the group had ever heard her mention a date much less a romance. She was good looking for a woman in her fifties. They all were. The missing member of their group, Colleen, was a tall, thin woman who had been married twice. The first guy had been the quarterback of the high school football team and married Colleen between his junior year of college and his senior year. She was pregnant at the time. Two years later he moved to New York City and divorced Colleen. She married Tom Bratton three years later. He was just back from Vietnam and she felt he needed her. Four years later Tom was committed to a hospital and he was still there as far as anyone knew.
"Where is Pete now?" Helen asked.
"Home, watching TV or maybe asleep in his recliner."
"Can we go and visit?"
"Now?"
"Yes. Now. I want to tell him I'm here for him. Cally, I love Pete and I want him to know it. He has treated me with love and respect all these years. He is always a gentleman and always willing to help. Now is my chance to do something for him. I want to." Helen said.
"Yeah, me too." Beth said and the others nodded.
"OK. I don't know how he'll react but inside I think he'll appreciate the gesture."
They paid the bill and left Vitorrio's together. They didn't need to follow Cally home; they had all been there many times. It did look like a five car caravan with Cally in the lead. She pulled into her garage and the others filled the driveway and parked in front. They trooped into the house through the back door. If they had thought about it none of them could have remembered the last time anyone had used the front door. Pete always said the front door was for salesmen and cops.
Cally had been right, Pete was in the recliner. If he had been asleep five minutes before the noise of the door opening and five women entering the kitchen had woken him. As they walked into the family room he looked up and smiled.
"Did you guys get rowdy and Mario threw you out?"
"No," Martha said, "We came to see you."
His smile faded. He looked at Cally and saw the tear tracks.
"You told."
She nodded.
Martha spoke. "Pete, we love you. You don't need to keep anything from us. God, you've been so good to all of us. We came over to let you know that we're in. Whatever support you need, we're in."
"I don't need anything. I don't even feel sick."
"Good" Beth said, "And when you do feel sick or tired..."
"Or sick and tired, we're here." Helen said.
He smiled. It was hard to let them take care of him and just as hard to let them say they would.
Cally sat on the arm of his recliner and said, "I think this is where you surrender Sweetheart. Save your strength for other things. You've taken good care of all of us for years now we get to take care of you."
Pete raised his hands over his head and said, "OK. I'm out numbered and out classed. I surrender."
The group stayed for less than an hour. They could see that Pete needed to get to bed. He still planned to teach the next day. Pete taught English at the high school and he hoped to finish out the school year. Cally helped him get ready for bed and into bed after the others had gone. She snuggled with him for the couple of minutes it took for him to fall asleep. As she lay against him listening to him breathe she cried. 'He's dying.' was her reoccurring thought.
The next day Pete was at school and Cally at her job at the bank by eight. After his third class Pete had an open period which he usually used to meet with students who needed extra help and to eat his lunch. This day was different. After the last third period student walked out of his room Pete put his head down on the desk, "for a moment" and woke up when the students for his fifth period class trooped in. He'd never done that before.
