Of Times Gone By

***All characters depicted herein are of age, 18 years old at least, and all sexual activities portrayed are consensual. Enjoy!***

At a quaint little cottage nestled far out in the countryside, Pleasant Cummings, 24, is taking her fiancee, Frankie, 21, to meet her grandparents, Archibald, 85, and Elise, 82, whom are living the happily retired life in the bosom of nature, enjoying it's many delights.

Arriving by car, with Pleasant driving, the engaged couple are met warmly by Archibald and Elise out on the driveway, with the fancies of spring's sweet blossoms wafting on the air. Pleasant and Frankie get out of the car, and they approach the elderly couple, who give them warm greetings, with Elise saying, "Girls, welcome. It has been so long since we saw you, Pleasant, and it is so good to meet you, Frankie. You both look well. Young love certainly has a lustre like none other, and you wear it so openly on your faces, like the budding flowers displaying their petals."

Pleasant courteously bows slightly in their presence as she greets them in return, "Grandmother. Grandfather. It is good to see you both."

Elise takes her granddaughter's face in her hands, and plants a kiss on her cheeks, and she smiles brightly as she gazes into her eyes before doing the same with Frankie.

Frankie nervously smiles and giggles upon receiving kisses from her fiancee's grandmother, and she says, "It's good to meet you too. Pleasant speaks very fondly of you. I look forward to getting to know you more."

Elise responds to Frankie's comment, saying, "Quite. We have much to learn of one another."

Archibald steps forward, and places his hands on Pleasant's shoulders before leaning to kiss her on the cheeks, and he does the same with Frankie, saying to her, "You certainly make a fine first impression. I look forward to seeing many years of happiness between you two. For now, let us sit inside."

Inside the cottage, Frankie helps Archibald prepare some tea for the four of them, and takes a tray to the living room with a teapot, cups and saucers arranged upon it. She serves the tea, refusing to see Archibald waiting on them, and they all sit comfortably, sipping on a herbal blend, fragrant like the surrounding gardens.

Catching them mid-conversation, Elise says to Pleasant, "So, we really haven't had much contact with the castle and the businesses, and we have had no cause to. I have made it abundantly clear to Domhnall and Gracie that we are perfectly happy and perfectly self-sufficient.

"I think it is difficult for them to imagine living such a life as this, where you have to actually work to do anything, rather than just moving money from one holding to another. That, is not work. Their home comforts being lavishness and excess is all well and good, but it is not all their is. I think they have forgotten, by choice or otherwise, that Archie and I started with nothing. Literally, nothing.

"They dare not entertain the idea of living like this, but, that is their loss. We are rich, with an abundance of the glory and majesty of the natural world. We are well provided for here, but it comes because we work, and we plan for it, and through nothing but determination and a mind for learning, we have made it work."

Pleasant says to her grandmother, "I couldn't imagine living like this. I wouldn't know where to start."

Elise sips her tea, and tells her granddaughter, "That is because you have never needed to worry about this. You have everything you want or could need. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying it is bad. I am merely saying that there is more than one way to make a living. I am in full support of what you do," and she winks at Pleasant to a blush.

Flustered with embarrassment, Pleasant asks, "You... have... um..."

Elise says, "When you said all those years ago that you would no longer answer to Angelina, and you were to become Pleasant Cummings flaunting yourself on the internet, it was something I could not have prepared for. However, I am aware of the allure of sex, and have seen that industry flourish throughout my life, so, I was proud you were exploring that world and what it entails. I was curious, and, I have... shall we say... checked in, from time to time. Which reminds me, tell young Miss Gabriella that I said, 'hello,' when you next see her, and that we would like to see her soon."

Pleasant swallows a gulp of tea, along with some of her pride, and she calmly answers, "We will be sure to tell Gabby. I am embarrassed about my grandparents... checking in... on my work, but, I appreciate the gesture. You would check in on anything I do. It's just that I chose work that is unconventional."

Archibald states, "You forget that we were young and amorous once too, only it wasn't strictly a profession when we were young. Although, we grew up through a sexual revolution. A far more innocent time of less than innocent things."

Frankie pries, "I would love to hear more about this."

Pleasant admits, "I guess it would be nice to hear your stories. How you got together, perhaps?"

Elise recounts, "If I recall, the first time I met Archie was at the town market. My name was Burnwood then, and I was actually quite shy. I didn't mind helping out at my father's stalls, selling our produce, but I was utterly hopeless in conversation, or with any social interaction.

"I always did have the boys wanting to talk with me because of my looks, but they would usually be bored of me very quickly from not being very talkative, and unwilling to do what they wanted with me. Archie was different. He stuck around, just happy to be next to me I imagine."

Archibald continues the story, "I remember being very smitten with Elise from that tender age, and I was determined to do anything to impress her, so, I made sure I stayed around her by offering to work at the Burnwood's market stalls; for free. They couldn't afford to pay me, and that wasn't my intention, although we could have used the money at home. Instead, I was happy to help, and Lewis was happy to have it; that was her father.

"Lewis saw the reason why I was there, and I just thought I was being all cool about it, but I guess my intentions were plain as day on my face. He would even offer to have me around the house so Elise and I could have time with each other."

Elise recalls, "I became very comfortable with Archie, and I opened up to him about dreams of fame and fortune, wanting to be like those hot film actresses, dressed in their glamour, with their porcelain looks and tiny waists, but I knew at that time that was something far beyond reach. Archie, however, had other ideas."

Archie explains, "The produce that the Burnwood's were growing was really good, so I wanted to get it to as many people as possible. There were huge fields right at the back of the allotment which were basically their back garden, but the fields were just public land, not owned by anyone, so I took cuttings from the crops and started using the land to expand.

"After a year had passed, the new crops were ready, and I had learned to drive in the intervening time, so I took a van, filled it, and went to the city to sell at the market there, and I got a lot of interest and attention. Some of the vendors didn't take too kindly to a young lad coming from the country into the city and poaching their business, so I said I would include them in the business if they could spare some workers to help pick the produce, and transport to get it to market, and I would cut them in to the profits of the increased sales.

"I had to show these people that when you have something that is good, people will be willing to pay for it. What was coming from the Burnwood Allots was great tasting produce: fruits and vegetables that would make your mouth water, rich with nutrients and flavour, and the proof was in the tasting. Give people a taste of what you have, and it will sit with them; they won't be able to think about anything else. They have to have what you are selling because it makes them feel good, and nothing else will do. We had people coming back at each gathering, wanting more, saying they rarely had fruit leftover for pies and puddings, and that they felt good eating a hearty meal with our food.

"It worked, but it took a while to be able to make it profitable with the increased outgoings, but we were selling more, so it balanced out, and we started to see more money. It didn't stop there, because I took our business to other places, and I got other vendors to sell portions of their wares in other areas too. It was an undertaking, but through sheer ambition, we made it work."

Elise says, "We created a community of commerce through networking. By exposing each vendor's wares to other markets, we were able to get them to sell to customers beyond their own locals, and we eventually saw such an accumulation of our profit shares that we were getting richer, and richer.

"When I turned 18, we married, using the castle as the venue. It was a ruin, and of no interest to the council, nor with any historical significance, so we bought it for next to nothing. What the council got out of it was using our connections across the county to hold fundraising events to raise money for local charities to help improve life for the those in need, and we really made a difference to a lot of people, and, made ourselves attractive to investors to help raise capital to expand ourselves. We rebuilt the castle, renovated, had the wedding, and had Domhnall, and we made it a real home, and now it is worth millions.

"The castle became the headquarters of the Cummings' family empire. With us brokering deals with more and more businesses nationwide, expanding with changing shopping habits and social attitudes, and eventually we got global, connecting internationally, and, the rest is history."

Archibald adds, "It all started because I was determined to impress Elise, and give her everything she ever wanted."

Elise tells her husband, "And, you did. I have enjoyed so much with you, because of you."

Archibald tells the young couple, "Elise put a lot of work in to make it all happen, right from the start."

Frankie smiles listening to the story, and says, "Wow. That sounds amazing. I would've loved to have seen your wedding at the castle."

Archibald picks up his smartphone from the arm of his chair, and hands Frankie his phone, saying, "I have all the photos we had here."

Frankie sees on the screen the first photo is Archie and Elise on their wedding day, all those years ago, younger than her and Pleasant are now, and she holds the screen between her and Pleasant as she comments, "You two were so hot. Elise, you look so good in your wedding dress, and, Archibald, in your suit, you look so handsome."

Pleasant says to her fiancee, "I hope we look this good together on the day."

Elise tells the young couple, "You look so good together. Pleasant has inherited my looks. I didn't have anything to speak of as a young girl, but was a looker. I wasn't so bold with it as you two are though."

Frankie shoots Elise a smirk, and says, "You still have your looks, Elise. I'm worried I won't be the most beautiful woman at our wedding."

Everyone laughs, and Elise says, "I make no promises," and winks coyly at the young woman.

Frankie curiously asks, "So, when was the first time you did it together?"

Elise doesn't even bat an eyelid as she shares, "We first did it on the night of the wedding, at the castle. A lot of fumbling without either of us really knowing what we were doing, but we just did things we had heard about or dreamed of, and that was that. It was probably more awkward than hot, but we didn't care.

"You have to understand, there was such pressure socially at the time for everyone to be doing it, regardless of attachment, with no thoughts of consequence. Free love was rife during our courtship, but, I wanted to do it right. The moment had always been mythologised to me as a young girl, that such intimacy has a proper time and a proper place."

Archibald states from his perspective, "I really wanted to, like any of the boys at that time, perhaps some of the girls too, but I was there for her, and what she wanted, not for me and what I wanted, so I respectfully waited. We were more focused on business as an outlet for our energies, which certainly helped, but, it also made the first time all the better for waiting, I have to say."

Elise remarks, "Pish! You can say that and believe it all you want, but true love doesn't get in the way of great sex. It felt good the first time, and it felt good for hundreds more. If I could go back and convince myself to do it sooner, I would have.

"Let me tell you girls, you keep doing what you believe in, but also enjoy what life has to offer."

Pleasant asks her grandmother, "Are you saying I should be involved more with the family's businesses?"

Elise looks Pleasant in the eye, and tells her, "No. I am saying to not let your morals stand in the way of enjoying what life has to offer. The only person who will suffer for your abstinence is yourself.

"Now, I know you never warmed up to the goings on with the businesses, and we have that in common. I gave up my interests in all that because it wasn't making me happy, and I just wanted to live away from it all. I can't speak to Archie's reasons, but, we chose to live another life. It seems simpler on paper, but it is anything but. This is hard work, but it has kept us alive and healthy this long. If we were at the castle, living like royalty, we would have stagnated and died a long time ago. Morbid thought, but I feel so alive here. This is where I belong."

Archibald agrees with Elise's sentiments, and adds, "It is true. We have responsibilities here that would make your heads spin. This is life, but it's also work, and that's okay because it's its own reward, and it makes us feel good about ourselves and the world around us."

Elise remarks, "Domhnall and Gracie could never do this. Their whole purpose in life is to prove they are superior to us. That is their agenda; or, rather, her agenda. I don't care about that. I admire the ambition, but they will never understand the value of life, and what it takes to make life worth living. Strip all their status and wealth from each other, and they will have nothing. Even she will be gone by the end of the week. Strip away everything you two have, and you have each other."

Frankie says, "We don't have much anyway. I wonder what we would even do?"

Elise frankly tells Frankie, "It doesn't matter, because you would figure it out together. You have each other, and you have love, and you have passion, and you have respect. You could have this, if you wanted."

Frankie gasps, overwhelmed by the ideas of what it would take to have this life, away from everything she knows, and she says, "I wouldn't know where to start, but, I would be willing to learn. We have the internet, and we can ask for help from the locals, and it would take time to get used to living like this, but... we could make it work.

"This place is so magical like something out of a book I read as a child at school. I have never even been to a place like this in my life, and, it's so different, but, I suppose what you are saying is, we could live here, Pleasant and I, and we could make it work because we have each other. We would help each, and be there when times are hard, and we would share the joys when it goes well and feels like the best thing ever, and it would be because we are sharing it with the one we love most."

Elise smiles, and says, "Now you get it. Now you understand. What do you both say, when the time comes, you can have this: the cottage and the grounds, all yours?"

Pleasant looks to Frankie, and Frankie to her, smiling with elation and wonderment at such a proposal, and Pleasant asks her fiancee, "I would do anything for you, if you want it?"

Frankie looks at Elise, and says, "Yes, we would love to."

Elise says, "Great," and laughs as Frankie comes across to the room to hug her, and Elise holds her tight, with warmth and respect.

Archibald says, "I will see to it that it happens."

Frankie takes her seat again, Elise tells the young couple, "The reason we would offer this to you is because Domhnall and Gracie would not care in the slightest about it. They only assess a property's worth and value from it's assets and holdings rather than anything that actually matters. They can't see the potential of a life here. They only see money... ugh... disgusts me.

"You two could make this a home, for a family, or, a nice little retreat to the country when you need to escape, although you would need to appoint a groundskeeper in such case. You would have everything you need here, if you know how to avail yourself of it all.

"Back to what I was talking about with regards to enjoying what life has to offer, we don't expect you to be exiled from your families, and relinquish your rights to other property, or anything like that to have this. You should enjoy what is afforded to you. Indulge in the fineries of life, and the heights of excess, but also take no shame in being humble. When all is said and done, and you look back on your lives, you will find no comfort in what you have, but only what you have done, and who you have done it with."

Pleasant looks nervous as she stares at the floor, reflecting on her past with her family, and she says, "We will be sure to make every effort to enjoy what comes our way, to the fullest extent we can."

Elise tells her granddaughter, "It would make me so happy to see you get along with the family. Lord knows, they are infuriatingly selfish and difficult to be around, and, Archie and I are in some part responsible for that, but, still, they are family. They are your family, and you have a lot of time to live with whatever you choose to feel about them, so don't let them drag you down; use them to lift you up instead. Please?"

Pleasant looks sincerely into her grandmother's eyes, and says, "I will."

When they finish their tea, Archibald and Elise take Pleasant and Frankie for a tour around the gardens, enjoying the spring splendour, the scents of the pollen wafting by, and the buzzing of insects flittering by. The greens, yellows, and whites are dotted with blues and purples, with flowers in a variety of shapes dancing in the breeze. The couples lounge on the lawn amidst the lush, thick, natural beauty surrounding them, gorging their eyes with the glare of the sun shining down on them.

Amidst the kisses of the cool spring breezes, the couples enjoy the soft touch of tender kisses and wandering hands, feeling their own warmth and that of the sun's soft shining relax each other as the hours slip by until the brisk chill of the evening and the dying light.

Inside the cottage's kitchen, the couples enjoy a humble meal as a family, sat around the table together to share the steaming hot comforts of the food, as well as steamy stories of young romance shared between the two generations. Their appetites for food are soon satiated by full stomachs, but their appetites for flesh soon yearns in trembling thighs and quickened pulses.

Maintaining propriety between them, the couples take their tales of young love back to the living room, sitting cosily by the hearth of a fire to take the chill off the evening, as they indulge in a rich bottle of red wine; it's strong and fruity flavours fulfil the tastebuds on the tongue, and the alcohol seeps into the flesh, numbing the amorousness of the couples as they regale each other with their titillating tales. The concoctions of lusty imaginings take root in their minds, steeping in the wine and hormones coursing through their bodies, until tiredness takes it's grip, guiding them all upstairs to the comforts of their beds.

For the young, engaged couple, the second bedroom has been prepared for their stay, with the double bed made up with fresh sheets, so the elderly couple wish them both a good night and leave for the master bedroom.