Paige

Paige and I were both nervous about Elizabeth's arrival. We tidied up the house as best we could and greeted Elizabeth when she arrived at 1:40 PM.

Paige was the perfect little hostess, leading us to the kitchen and serving us a lunch that she had learned to prepare on some cooking show. We drank a little wine and toasted Sarah several times. Elizabeth was as cold as usual toward me. I had never felt as uncomfortable around anyone as I did around Elizabeth. I was walking on egg shells from the time she arrived.

After lunch, Paige asked if she might go spend the rest of the afternoon with Megan. I said that was fine and Elizabeth agreed. Paige had prepared the spare room for Elizabeth. I would have occupied that room, but I had only meant to stay a couple of days, and crashed on the couch. Then I found my self sleeping in Paige's bed. So it was back to the couch for me. No one had entered Sarah's room since we had received the sad news.

I was so relieved when ol' Lizard Breath repaired to her room after lunch. Elizabeth showered and rested and we met me in the kitchen just after 4:00. We shared some casserole that one of Sarah's friends had dropped off, drank the rest of the wine we had opened at lunch and reminisced about Sarah. Elizabeth told me some stories about Sarah as a girl that I had never heard. Some of those stories were sweet, some were funny and some were sad.

Elizabeth revealed to me a side of Sarah that I had never seen, and a side of herself that I never known. I found a whole knew appreciation for Elizabeth that afternoon.

We opened another bottle of wine and talked a while longer. We swapped stories and jokes and laughed together, until the wine bottle ran dry. Elizabeth had really loosened up and I felt a bit more relaxed

The only other time that I could recall getting along so well with Elizabeth, was the first Thanksgiving after Carl's passing. That evening didn't end well, though.

"I'm going to say something, here, if you don't mind," Elizabeth stated, suddenly.

"Would it stop you if I did mind?" I interjected.

"No it wouldn't, so shut up, and listen!"

"Go on."

"I want you to know that I appreciate all you've done for Sarah and Paige."

"Forget it."

"No, seriously, you have gone out of your way to take care of my sister and her little girl over these years, and nobody has acknowledged your efforts at all."

"That's what families are for,"I said. What she meant was, she had never acknowledged my efforts. Sarah and Paige always had.

"And I've been awfully mean to you at times."

"Don't worry about it."

"You're being awfully sweet about this."

"You want to watch a movie, or something?" I asked. I had to change the subject. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable again, and I felt terrible about the things I had shouted as I went on my rant the night before. I had never seen that kind and sensitive side of Elizabeth.

"Sure," she said. "I'll pop some corn." Elizabeth popped the corn and I went to the family room and picked out a flick.

When Elizabeth entered the family room I held up a DVD case asked. "What about this one Liz?"

" 'When Harry Met Sally'! Excellent choice," she said, "But I'd rather you call me Beth. I hate to be called Liz."

"I've noticed."

"And still you've continued."

"I can be a bit of a prick."

"I've noticed."

"Touche!"

We sat on the sofa, eating popcorn, watching the movie and laughing. It was quite nice.

After a while I noticed that "Beth" wasn't paying attention to the movie. He attention was else where.

Presently, she began to cry. Without hesitation, I slipped my arm around her and pulled her close to me. She laid her head on my shoulder and started to sob. I just held her, and let cry as I sat there, staring at the TV screen.

Beth cried until her tears ran dry. After a while she grew quiet and fell asleep. In her sleep, she snuggled up very close to me and I held her a little tighter. She curled up beside me in a nearly fetal position, so child-like.

It felt awfully good, cuddling with Beth that way. My shoulder was wet with her tears and her body felt so warm against mine. I found myself, once again comforting another weeping woman. And once more, I was aroused by the crying creature.

I felt my cock getting harder and harder as Beth snuggled closer and I pulled her tighter against me. I hadn't held Paige in my arms since we'd gotten the sad news. I'd held Megan, as she cried, but I had to get away from her. So the closeness and the warmth of a woman was very exciting to me just then. Besides, in those sad days, as I found myself comforting those weeping women, I took great comfort and consolation in the closeness that Beth afforded me. I also enjoyed a fascinating excitement.

There was no getting away from Beth. At that moment I wanted anything but to get away from her. I suddenly found her very alluring. Beth was by no means unattractive. She wasn't cute in the way that Sarah or Paige were. Beth was taller and darker complected with features that were a little more course. She was quite pretty, actually.

But, "Pretty is, as pretty does." my dear mother always said, and Beth had never expressed any prettiness toward me, so I never looked at her in that light. Or I should say seldom looked at her in that light.

As I lay there on the sofa, feeling all warm and fuzzy, with Beth snuggling up so tight to me, I began to reminisce. I thought back to that Thanksgiving, so long ago.

It was the day after Thanksgiving, that Friday, that I recalled. Sarah had invited me to her mother, Martha's, for the holiday. It was a sweet gesture, considering I had been in town since Carl's funeral and had no where to spend the holiday.

I traveled up to Martha's with Sarah and Paige. Sarah's father had passed a few years prior and it meant a great deal to Martha to have her family gather for the holiday feast. I felt honored to be invited.

Besides Sarah, Paige and me, Elizabeth was there with her husband, Paul, along with their two boys, Peter and Alex. Martha had invited some of her friends from church and some of her neighbors, as well. She had a houseful, and we all had a wonderful time.

The following day, Friday, was far more relaxed. It was just family. We enjoyed a huge brunch that morning. In the afternoon we played touch football, in the yard, like a bunch of Kennedy's. Then we adults lounged about the house, snacking, watching TV, swapping stories, and gossiping as the kids galloped about the yard. Martha could not have been happier. Her daughters could not have been more pleased.

The evening was a bit more festive, the women prepared a wonderful supper from the left-overs of the Thanksgiving feast. We ate and drank and enjoyed one another's company.

The adults drank and played a trivia game around the table as the children fell asleep, in chairs and on the floor all about the house.

I recalled that Elizabeth was particular jovial that evening. She was bright and clever, very funny. I was amazed at her. There was a gleam in her eye and a glow about her that I had never seen. She was quite fetching as well. She wore a rather tight, white angora sweater, that revealed just a hint of cleavage, and a black skirt. I had never notice what lovely legs she had.

Elizabeth and I were the finalists in the trivia game. We jousted, verbally , back and forth, about the minutia of useless facts, never losing sight of the fact that is was all a game. It was quite fun.

By the time game was over, Elizabeth and I were the last two in the house awake, and she had won. I congratulated her and rose from the table with a whole new appreciation for her.

I stepped out onto the porch to have a smoke. The weather was mild for November, just slightly brisk. I stood there at the rail, blowing smoke rings into the still autumn night air. There was a half moon as I recall, so the lawn was bright.

I was standing at the porch rail smoking when Elizabeth came out of the house.. She stepped up to the rail and said, "What a beautiful night."

I turned and saw Elizabeth, standing in that moonlight, gazing out across her mother's lawn. There was something about the way that light struck her face. Her profile, at that instant was astounding. I wanted to say something clever, about how she was more beautiful than the night, or how the moon paled in her glory, or something.

I really wanted to impress her, but I realized how stupid those things would have sounded, and how inappropriate it would have been to say something like that. So I simply muttered, "Yeah, beautiful night."

I stared at her until she turned and looked me in the eye. "Yeah, beautiful night." I repeated.

"Yeah, beautiful," she echoed. For some reason, I felt that she knew that I wanted to say more.

Then, suddenly, it felt as if, all that wonderful comradery that seemed to be developing, was slipping away. Perhaps it had been just a charade.

Then Elizabeth made a small, subtle, clever joke, a reference to one of the trivia questions from earlier, an inside joke, that only she and I would understand, and we laughed. We looked into each others eyes and realized that no one else in the world would get that joke. That made it special, in a way, and it made it all the funnier. We laughed until we were breathless. Once we caught our breath. We looked at one another. We both felt embarrassed and looked away.

I looked out over the lawn for a minute then turned to steal another glance at Elizabeth's profile, but she was gone. I turned a little farther and saw her standing in the corner with her back against the wall, half bathed in moonlight, half concealed in the shadow of a porch column. The stark contrast of light and dark was amazing. The pale moonlight, the black shadows, the white sweater and the black skirt, it looked like something from an old film noir. I had to move closer and get a better look at her.

I took a step or two in her direction and saw that she looked amazing to me in that light. I glanced into the house as I passed the window and saw Elizabeth's husband, Paul, sleeping in the lounge chair and Sarah, asleep on the couch. Martha had long since gone to bed.

I looked back at Elizabeth and she stared back at me. I started to walk toward her, again, very slowly, giving her every opportunity to indicate that I should stop, or turn and walk away. She did neither. She just leaned against that wall, staring me in the eye as I approached her.

It seemed to take hours to cross that porch. I moved closer and closer until I was finally right in front of her, just inches away. I leaned forward until I could feel my shirt slightly brushing her sweater. I felt her breasts heave as she drew a deep breath. I smelled the wine on her lips. My face was only an inch from hers, looking deep into her eye, when we heard the door knob rattle.

Elizabeth quickly turned to her right as I turned to mine. By the time Sarah had opened the door, Elizabeth was there to meet her. I was at the rail about to light another cigarette.

"Oh, Sarah!" Elizabeth said to her sister, "I was just on my way in to put the boys to bed."

"I'll be right in."

"Take your time It's a lovely night."

Sarah stepped up beside me, tenderly laid her little hand on my shoulder and said, "Beth's not such a bad person, is she?"

"She's OK I guess."

"You guys seemed to be getting along famously tonight."

"Yeah, must be the holiday spirit."

"Or maybe the holiday spirits."

"That could be it too."

"It is beautiful out here tonight."

"Yes she is," I said , then quickly added, "It certainly is."

We stood there in silence for another minute, then Sarah said, "I'm going in to put Paige to bed."

"Good night my dear," I said.

"Good night," she said sweetly and went back in.

Elizabeth didn't speak to me the rest of the weekend.