I was in my home workshop, when I heard her: "Hello Ben, what are you busy with today?"
The honest answer was 'not much at all' -- the best thing about retirement is being able to put off until tomorrow, whatever you can't be arsed to do today -- but having turned to find my wife Sarah's younger sister in the doorway, I actually replied: "Hi Julie, I've just finished servicing the lawn mower and was about to go and make a myself cup of tea; can I offer you one? Sarah's not in I'm afraid."
Julie's a slim, leggy, redhead and still as fit as a butcher's dog; she'll be fifty-six next birthday but looks a ten years younger and might even pass for forty in sympathetic light. Julie's wardrobe remains young too -- mutton dressed as lamb as Sarah so often says -- and today was no different. Actually, today perhaps was; even by Julie's standards she was offering quite an eyeful: hair tied back in a pony tail, wearing white plimsolls, bare-legs, a skirt whose hem finished comfortably above her knees and a tight blouse tied in a bow beneath her boobs and exposing her belly; four kids and still washboard flat, how does she do it?
I spent a good few seconds appreciating the sight; Julie's attire seemed more suited to a game of tennis or a picnic in the park, rather than calling around at ours, Jeez but those legs just went on forever. Julie still hadn't replied and she looked nervous, almost uncomfortable, I thought for one moment that she was going to turn on her heel and run, At the last, Julie halted in the doorway, stepped back inside and closed the door. Curious.
When Julie turned back around she was looking a little more relaxed and sashayed -- Julie never ambled, or even simply walked like we mere mortals -- across the workshop, turning to lean back against the work-bench as she finally spoke. "No I've just had a coffee before coming over thanks. I knew Sarah was out for the day; it was you that I was hoping to catch up with."
'Curiouser and curiouser.' Actually, that was my second thought; the first had been: 'You're going to get your skirt dirty off that bench'. Julie's a fastidious lady, so her choice of seat was yet another thing to be curious about, but her coming around for chat with me; now that was definitely intriguing. My Sister-in-Law is living proof of that old adage about beauty being only skin-deep; on occasion she can be... difficult, but for the most part, Julie's an absolute bitch.
Our animosity stretches way back, but we share a connection through Sarah, so I've learnt to tolerate her; however, chummy conversations, especially private ones were certainly not something we went in for. I was struggling to think of what to say, so with the silence between us growing, I played safe and asked after her husband: "How's Charles doing... (He'd had prostate cancer surgery a while back)...his chemo treatment's finished now isn't it?"
"As well as we could have hoped I suppose; he went for a check-up just last week and his PSA levels are looking very good, but as for the rest..." Julie made a small hand gesture, hanging her index finger loosely downward and giving it a wiggle - "... he's never going to get back to managing anything more with it than emptying his bladder."
Too much information; I winced: "Sorry to hear that, but at least he's going to survive it."
"Charles mustn't know that I've told you that; don't mention it to him, ever!" When I nodded in response, Julie added: "He doesn't know I've come here today either, so keep that quiet too." I gave that instruction a silent nod also.
We returned to silence and Julie was again beginning to looking distinctly uncomfortable; perhaps to cover for that she began gazing around my workshop: "This place reminds me of Dad's garage when I was a kid; all the tools and machinery."
"I guess it ought to; that lathe, the milling machine and the press-drill were all your fathers, your mum gave them to me when he died and I moved them up here; even that workbench you're leaning against was your dad's."
Julie ran a contemplative hand across the bench top, then looked directly toward me and smiled: "Of course it is, I should've recognised it straight away... do you still remember daddy's work-bench too?"
Shit a brick! The cogs finally meshed, gears turned and the penny dropped; did Julie mean what I thought she did? Even her attire made sense now. That was over thirty years ago; hell, nearer to forty, Julie was barely eighteen and I would've been twenty-four; just after I got engaged to Sarah. I was fixing my motorbike in her dad's garage when Julie strutted in, having returned from playing Frisbee or some-such with her friends; she'd glowed with perspiration.
Just like today she wore a short skirt and sneakers, her hair in a pony-tail and a tight blouse tied-off below her boobs; I clearly recall, that blouse had but a single button fastened and no bra beneath it! I don't remember our conversation, but within three minutes we'd been in a clinch, Julie's tongue halfway down my throat while I had one hand inside her blouse and the other beneath her skirt; five seconds later and it would've been inside her pants!