Emily Grant had lived in the same house most of her life, and while the little bungalow had seemed too small when her husband had been there to share it, now it seemed too large for just the widow.
At 67 Emily now had time on her hands, and more and more she found her thoughts going to places that she had left alone for a long time. Dark and naughty places, so when the neighbor boy had told her recently he would be going off to college soon, Emily thought that might be for the best.
Jimmy was the sweetest thing, a wonderful boy who had been a godsend to her over the years over the years, always offering to run errands and do odd jobs like mowing the lawn. While the boy's mother might have instigated those things at first, Emily knew that Jimmy did them on his own now.
It was hard to believe that Jimmy was now 18 because he was still a little fellow in many ways, only being about a half foot taller than Emily's barely 5' height, and he didn't outweigh her by all that much either. Jimmy was becoming a man though, and when she thought about the boy that way Emily felt dirty.
It didn't stop her from thinking about the lad that way though, and one day when June was turning to July Emily let her dark side take over.
***
"On the counter would be wonderful Jimmy," Emily told her neighbor as he carried the bag of groceries into her kitchen, clutching the top of her robe together while a shiver went through her body at what was going through her mind and the twisted scenario she had concocted.
"I can put these away for you if you would like Mrs. Grant," Jimmy offered.
"Oh you don't have to do that. I'm so grateful that you went to pick these goods up, but since you seem to know where things go better than I do..."
"No problem," Jimmy replied with a smile, and as Emily walked over to the sink her eyes went over the little fellow, cursing herself for what she was thinking.
"You're so sweet. Some girl is going to get herself one fine husband someday," Emily told him, enjoying the blushing on Jimmy's dimpled face. "I wish I was 50 years younger myself."
Jimmy was wearing a baggy tank-top with a character from some video game on it along with blue shorts that he swam in, and as the lad reached to put up some cans of soup Emily was enjoying the faint ripple of muscles in his skinny arms.
"What am I going to do without you around?" Emily said. "You're like the grandson I never had."
"I'll be back around during breaks and stuff," Jimmy said.
"Jimmy going off to college," Emily proclaimed. "I remember when you were knee-high to me and now you're all grown-up and a man."
"Not grown up all that much," Jimmy lamented, the fact that he had never gotten very tall always on his mind.
"Nonsense," Emily said as she patted his bare shoulder, and as he put a box of pasta on the top shelf her eyes went under his upraised arm to the wisp of fur that was exposed. "Look at you, you've even got hair under your arms now."
Jimmy almost dropped the pasta as his face turned red, the cheeks that likely had never felt a razor now beet red at the mention of his practically non-existent body hair.
"A little hair on your legs too I see," Emily noted regarding the down on the insides of his calves, adding, "Just enough. My Warren rest his soul - he was so hairy all over - and I loved him dearly but it was like hugging a bear."
"My friend Eddie, he's like that," Jimmy responded. "He's even got hair on his chest and he kids me because I don't."
"Well I wouldn't worry about that," Emily said before changing the subject. "That young lady Priscilla? She doesn't care about that I reckon. I haven't seen her lately. Are you two still..."
Jimmy shook his head sadly and Emily felt bad at his reaction, leaning over and putting her arm around his shoulder, the feel of his warm bare skin making her heart flutter.
"I'm sorry. You'll do better anyway. Once the girls at college get a peek at you, watch out!" Emily suggested, and when she saw Jimmy's eyes going to the top of her open robe she was tempted to pull the robe together but didn't, surprised once again that he would find the sight of her sadly hanging teats in the nightgown under the robe worth looking at.
"Maybe," Jimmy responded, and as Emily gave his shoulders a squeeze she recalled that this was far from the first time she had caught him looking at her like this. "Well, that's it for the groceries."
"I know we're going to start our usual battle," Emily said as she grabbed the two crumpled bills from her robe pocket and tried to press them into the boy's palm, and after he resisted she got upset. "Use the money for books."
"I'm okay," Jimmy said as he made her take the money back, and as the two faced each other his eyes went back to the open robe and to the very worn and now off-white nightie.
"What can I give you?" Emily asked. "I want to thank you."
Jimmy shook his head but kept looking, and while he had often peeked this was more like a stare. While Emily had no idea why a young man like Jimmy would want to look at a woman whose small breasts hung almost to her waist, she didn't care.
"Tell me honey," Emily said and then repeated the words as a plea. "Tell me what you want."
"I dunno," Jimmy said, drops of sweat beading on his forehead under his shaggy light brown hair.
"Tell me honey please," Emily said as her nipples stiffened under the thin silk, wishing that instead of the banana boobs her breasts were perky once again. "You can tell me anything."
"Can't..."
"Yes you can," Emily responded, and although she had fantasized about this moment many times recently and had even practiced the move once before Jimmy got here, the senior was surprised when she actually did it.
Emily shrugged her shoulders, and after a second effort the robe dropped off and onto the linoleum, leaving her trembling and feeling naked despite the tattered nightie still being on.
"You should have seen me back in the day," Emily apologized, but Jimmy shook his head.
"I look at you - a lot."
"I know honey. I don't care," Emily assured him. "I like you looking at me even if I don't know why."
"Sometimes at night when your living room light goes out I sneak out and go out back and look through your bedroom window when the curtains are open," Jimmy said in a quivering voice, and when he saw his neighbor's shock at that revelation he added, "I know it's wrong and I feel dirty afterward but I can't help it. I can't really see good from out there but I do it anyway. Please don't hate me for this."
"I don't know what to say honey," Emily finally managed to get out. "One thing I would never do would be hate you. I adore you and you're very brave for telling me this, even though I don't understand."
"I've always loved you for as long as I remember," Jimmy confessed. "You're like a little doll, so tiny and perfect, and I cringe about the things that go through my mind when I think of you."
"That's okay Jimmy," Emily said as she took a step closer and took the lad's trembling hands. "I think things about you too."