The Towel
Author's Note:
This story was targeted for the Loving Wives category but the more I thought about it I wondered if Fantasy wouldn't have been better. It reeks of sci-fi but much of the character behavior told me to stick to my plan. One reason is the irony; that is that pieces of it are based in pure truth, personal truth. I myself am subject to serious blood pressure issues just like one of the main characters. They are compounded by medication conflicts that cause sharp spikes and rapid drops. I've passed out during sex, dangerously so. Our sexual activity has all but ceased. My wife suffers from both osteoarthritis and high calcium. Arthritis inflammation and deposits on the vertebrae now encroach within 1 millimeter of her spinal chord and her bones are brittle. You can see the threats. Another main character suffers this combination as well, so this story is close to my heart.
We all have dreams of some sort where our life situations are amazingly improved by some fantastic, even unearthly event, such as finding the winning lottery ticket in a convenience store parking lot. This is such a story. It has a good bit of sex in it, even a lot at one point, but it isn't there to be self gratifying. Everything about them, from the odd way they occur, to the crazy physical actions, are crucial events, the big one resulting in a chain of actions that could destroy a world. It is not meant to be just a sex story. Please do not take it as one.
Enjoy.
CHAPTER 1
Kimberly sat on the edge of the bed in tears. She knew this day was coming but was still totally unprepared for it. For on thing, she had lost track of the days. She knew it was coming and had once had the date marked on the calendar but at some point lost the date. Since then it was hold on and wait. Now that it was here...
The loss she was feeling caused her to recall all the things that had occurred thirty years ago and so many special moments since then. They were amazing, utterly impossible. They were the makings of wild stories, dreams, imaginations... If only the forces that made those things happen could console her now. Where were they? Were they gone forever? She thought back to them and all that occurred...
A Day on the Water
Kim lay in bed taking inventory of herself. She was stiff but that was nothing new. She had no unusual aches or pains today. Maybe it would be a good day for her.
She raised the bed, slowly rolled to her side and swung her legs cautiously over the side. From there she was able to pull herself up into a sitting position using the rope from the ceiling. At a mere five foot three, she was light enough to do it without assistance. She still felt no pain. Her back seemed better today than most days. Maybe she could get away without the back brace for a while.
Kim could easily hate her life since the accident. She was 55 and many at this point would just give up. A woman, late for an appointment and harried by crying kids in the back seat, ran a red light and changed Kim's entire life. For the last 23 years she suffered from ruptured disks and displaced arthritically distorted vertebrae. Some were repositioned, some fused, some scraped, but after too many surgeries there was little more that could be done. Her body was processing calcium too fast and it was rapidly accumulating on her spine and neck. Now it was threatening her spinal cord. She had frequent pain, often paralyzing. Soon it would completely encroach on the cord leaving her totally paralyzed, and eventually killing her. There was nothing more to be done.
She looked over the dresser at the mirror. She looked so much older than her age. Her shoulders were rolled, her head angled forward, breasts sagging, too many wrinkles, and graying hair. Her eyes had lost that youthful luster and her spirit felt broken.
She turned and looked out the sliding door. A bright sunny day. So many things she wished she could be doing on a day like this. She stood slowly and went to the door looking out across the deck and over the ocean. The Pacific was so blue... It was strangely quiet today, a rare sight. She wondered where Tim was. He should see this. She laughed to herself. Silly her! Certainly he knew.
"Oh!" Kim turned at the sudden voice. "I'm glad you're up. I was just coming to get you." Tim was at the door smiling. "You see how beautiful it is today?"
Tim was the same age as Kim. They shared birthdays, which was tomorrow. It also happened to be their anniversary. For them it was the most important day of the year, more so than any holiday. He was a good looking guy, handsome face, six foot, somewhat heavy build with some muscles present but not as fit as he should be with some extra pounds in the middle. He too was showing a little extra age. He had his own issues that kept him from being active enough.
"I was just looking," Kim said back smiling. "Its beautiful out."
"Well get dressed and come out. I have plans for us."
"Really?" She asked, smiling even more. "What are you up to?"
"Well I thought, if you were up to it, we might take the boat out. The water is so calm... We just have to take advantage of it."
"Sounds nice! I think I'm up to it." She watched his face brighten. "I'll join you in a minute."
"Good, because I already got the boat ready."
"You were really hopeful, weren't you?" Then she frowned. "You're not pushing too hard, are you?"
"I've been up for hours. I'm taking it real easy."
"Better be. Alright, I'll be down in a minute." He smiled again and headed back out of the room.
Kim closed her eyes a second and took a deep breath. Tim tried too hard to make her happy sometimes. He had to be careful too. It hurt that they were going through such health issues at this age. Yes, he too was suffering a serious health concern. Less than a year after her accident, he was involved in an industrial accident where he was exposed to some terrible chemical mix. They didn't know what it was he was exposed to as the accident involved different parts of different processes and resulted in some weird mixture that couldn't be identified. He and two others were affected.
The end result was a nervous disorder that gave him tremors and later caused issues with respiratory and cardiac functions. Now the worst thing he had was blood pressure issues due to heart problems. His pressure could spike crazy high under activity or stress leaving him vulnerable to heart attack or stroke. He could also suffer dangerous drops that would starve his brain and heart of required blood killing him just as sure.
So the two of them lived very quiet lives. They couldn't even enjoy quiet sex without threatening their lives. They tried for a while, her gently riding him very softly bringing them both to climax with her never moving too greatly. It was all they could do. He couldn't lie on top of her and being up behind her caused rapid blood pressure drops. Then after some time, after a near catastrophic incident that hurt her back, they were told never to try anything like it again.
It had been hard for them both since then, almost 20 years ago, each of them at some point falling into depression with the constant feeling of being on the edge of death, not just their own but that of the other as well. They desperately held on to each other for help going on. Their relationship was the making of love songs.
She dressed and made her way to the kitchen. She found a plate with a pork roll and cheese bagel sandwich along with a cup of coffee, and there an invitation for her to join him down on the boat dock.
She smiled even more brightly. He was being so playful about this. She couldn't wait to get down there and see what else he had in store. She poured the coffee into a travel mug and put the sandwich in a bag. Out of security, she also put on her hated back brace. Out on the porch she paused. It was three flights of stairs, some 25 feet down to the dock. She would have to be slow and gentle if she went that way. She could hurt herself so easily. Instead she settled for the open lift he'd put in for her instead.
"Good!" Tim declared on her arrival. "You're here! Did you eat?" She held up her cup and bag. "Great!" He chuckled.
He helped her onto the boat and onto her special seat, a fabrication of foam pads on which she could recline safely and would absorb any jostling. Once there he finished his preparations.
