On a quiet Tuesday afternoon, I dropped the girls at the airport. On the drive there, I periodically checked that they had all the necessary documents and essentials. When (the usually patient) Yupin rolled her eyes at me, I knew I was probably being overly protective.
"Ok, ok! I'll shut up."
We pulled up to the drop-off point and the three of us got out of the car. I instinctively went to grab the girls' cases from the trunk, but they had already retrieved them. I hugged them both.
For once even Sunee appeared to be in a good mood, finally on the verge of reconnecting with her family in Thailand.
"I guess this is goodbye for now, kiddo," I said as I embraced my goth teen stepdaughter. "I hope you have a great time and make lots of friends. Believe it or not, I
will
miss you! As I said, if you ever visit or need a place to stay, mi casa es su casa."
"Thanks, Andrew," she said quietly.
I may never see her again, I realized, with a pang of trepidation.
She had been almost cordial over the last two weeks, and though I wouldn't miss her mood swings and sullen comments, I knew that despite everything Sunee still needed patient guidance. I hoped she would find what she was looking for with her mother's family.
"You two look after each other. Bangkok can be... a little crazy, but I guess your cousins will show you 'round." I patted my chest pocket. "One last thing..." I produced two credit cards and handed one to each of the girls. "... in case of emergencies
only
."
"Oh, wow! Thanks, Dad!" Yupin beamed and gave me another hug. Her eyes twinkled. "Sooo, what's the limit?"
It was my turn to roll my eyes.
"Thanks, that's... very kind of you," Sunee said.
"Oh. My. God! Is this actually happening!?! I could be wrong but... I think, after just 6 years, Sunee
might
be warming to me!" I joked, and Yu laughed.
Her sister couldn't help but smile wryly. "Let's not go nuts," she mumbled with a shake of her head.
I waved as they walked towards the sliding doors.
Seconds later, they were gone.
Returning to my car, I sighed before turning the key in the ignition. As I drove, I listened to the radio, wondering what to do with my day. Or my month, for that matter. Yu had decided to stay four weeks before coming back to the US so I would be on my own until then.
When I got home, I opened a beer and watched some NFL. Before I knew it, I had drunk a six-pack.
I must have drifted off because I woke at 5 a.m. with a mild headache.
Fuck that, I thought. I'm not spending a month working on a beer belly.
Getting out of the shower, I paused to look at myself in the mirror. I was in pretty decent shape but figured with all my free time, I had no excuse not to tone up.
After packing a bag, I drove to my local gym. It was quiet for that time of the morning, so I could use most machines without waiting. By 7:30, I had gotten in a pretty decent workout and my muscles had that familiar, well-deserved ache.
I felt surprisingly good.
Working out in the morning and swimming in the evening became my daily routine. I began to take protein powder too, something I hadn't done in years. After two weeks, I had lost a few pounds of fat and I was starting to feel more energized. By the third week, I noticed my biceps and thighs becoming slightly more muscular.
I began to look forward to seeing my reflection in the mirror, watching as my effort incrementally paid off.
Yu messaged me most days, and even Sunee sent an occasional photo. In one pic, the girls visited a temple with their cousins. Sunee looked content for once. The broad smile she had as a young, innocent girl seemed to have returned. I was relieved, but it also made me more aware of my own growing loneliness.
When Yu sent through photos of the girls at a pool, I found it hard not to look at their young, wet bodies wearing only bikinis.
I don't know what it is about bikinis, but they are a hundred times hotter to me than the skimpiest lingerie, leather boots or high heels.
As I leched over the image, I recalled how Yu had basically caught me jerking off to her photo. I pushed the memory from my mind... hopefully as she had done.
Struggling to think of a response to her message, I replied:
LOOKS LIKE YOU GUYS ARE HAVING FUN!
She sent one more pic of herself posing, one hand on her hip as she blew a kiss at the camera. Her brown skin, long wet hair, and pursed lips reminded me of how her mother had looked when she used to climb out of our pool.
Goddamnit...
My cock stirred.
Settle down, Andrew, I told myself. Get your shit together. You were lucky she didn't read you the riot act for jerking off to her photo.
Still though... I couldn't deny I was horny. Extremely fucking so.
And for once, I had the house all to myself.
Screw it, I thought. Let's do something about that.
_______________
I called up a couple of buddies and that night we went to a bar in town. As my friends played pool, I eyed up a couple of college girls drinking at a table. One was a leggy blonde with big tits. Certainly not bad, but not really my type either. The other was a cute, petite Chinese girl, probably about 5'1 with a well-rounded ass that I could easily imagine burying my face into.
When I approached, I asked if they were waiting on their boyfriends. At first, the blonde seemed aloof and dismissive but the Asian girl replied politely that they were just having one last drink before they went back to their dorms. Her smile seemed genuine, and I sensed a spark between us.
I casually invited them to play pool with us. The blonde replied with a smirk, "Oh? Wouldn't your
wife
mind?"
Nonplussed, I simply shrugged.
She nodded her head towards my wedding ring, her eyebrow raised accusingly.
When the implication sunk in, I felt myself bristle.
"Oh, I see," I said, more than a little annoyed at her superior attitude. "My wife... died a few years ago. You know what? On second thought, forget about it." I turned to leave.
The blonde knew by the fire behind my eyes that I was genuinely pissed off. Realizing her misstep, her expression quickly turned apologetic.
"Oh my God, I'm
so
sorry! I thought you were..." She searched for the right words but seemed unable to think of something that wouldn't make the situation worse.
With a sigh, I offered a lifeline.
"You thought I was a dirty old creep?"
"I mean, yeah. Not
that
old... but..."
"Hmmm... Well, I do
feel