After a while we stopped and smiled. There was something in her eyes that told me if I wanted more, she was ready. I could understand; she hadn’t been with a man in six years, and we clearly had good chemistry. Physically I wanted her and if that’s all we were looking for, it would have been easy to go to bed with her. But she was a Lady with a capitol ‘L’, and I wasn’t out to use her like that. More important, I didn’t feel ready yet. Eva.
“Olivia, this has been a very pleasant evening. But I think I need to go. It’s getting late. But we’re still on for tomorrow, aren’t we?” I asked as I held her hands in mine.
I could see a little disappointment in her eyes, but there was understanding as well. “Of course, Jon. I’m looking forward to tomorrow night. And I had a very nice evening as well. You’re a very good kisser.” Her laugh was soft and touched her eyes.
“I can say the same for you. Very nice indeed. I’ll pick you up at eight?” She agreed and at her door, we shared an intense goodnight kiss before I walked through the frosty air to my apartment, two buildings away.
I smiled at Eva’s picture when I got inside, then went to the bedroom to change. As I got undressed, I realized I was hard. Not just hard, actually. Pulsing. I couldn’t believe how excited I was just from kissing, like a young man gets when he makes out with a girl for the first time. It was almost embarrassing. And it wasn’t going away. I hurriedly washed up and brushed and flossed, and when I sat in my living room to watch the late news, I was still throbbing. Olivia must have really gotten to me. I watched the news, not touching myself. I figured listening to the usual mayhem etc. would solve my problem. No such luck. Still had my pesky problem.
In the two and a half years since Eva had gotten too sick to have sex, I had masturbated maybe half a dozen times. Not exactly frequently. But that night I had to or it would be hell trying to sleep. I laid back in my dark bedroom, closed my eyes, and I did what I had been doing to some degree since I was young. I fantasized about Olivia, what it would be like to see her nude, her long, slender body, her toned legs, her small breasts. Were they as brown as the rest of her body? Were her nipples dark brown? Did she shave or was she natural? Trimmed? Did she enjoy oral? I imagined she did, imagined her bobbing up and down slowly on my aching cock, imagined looking down to see her…and I saw Eva there, where I had seen her so many times over the many years. I bolted upright in my bed, any thought of pleasuring myself forgotten. That also ended my erection. Fuck. My psyche was torn. Sleep took a very long time to come that night.
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I woke up tired at my usual time, 7:30. There was no point in trying to get some more sleep; my body and mind were used to waking up the same time every day. My bladder was used to being emptied. Rolling over to go back to sleep was just not an option.
I got up and did my routine, then got some breakfast together, fruit and yogurt. I figured I’d call Larry a little later and talk to him. He was my closest male friend and had been for more than 40 years. But that was for later; he and his wife were late sleepers.
After breakfast, before I jumped in the shower, my daughter Maria called. My Grease Monkey. My youngest and, secretly, my favorite child. By a tiny bit. She had to be calling from work; she and her husband Max owned two auto repair shops. Not gas stations; not a lot of people had gas powered cars by 2034. But people still needed their cars serviced and they had a thriving business.
“Hey Dad, how’s it going? Are you feeling good?”
“Feeling fine, Sunshine” I teased her, eliciting a sweet laugh. She really was my Sunshine. “How are Max and my granddaughter?”
“Everyone’s good, busy. Business is good. So, what’s up with you, Dad?”
“Funny you should ask. Can I ask you for some advice?”
“Really? My Dad is asking me for advice? Mark the day!” My little ballbuster.
“Very funny. Seriously. I could ask your sister or one of your brothers, but since you called I’m asking you. I met a woman the other day. Well, actually I’ve seen her around my complex a number of times, but we formally met a few nights ago. She engineered it, actually.” I then told Maria the story of how Olivia and I met, how we had dinner the night before, and that we were going out that night. I didn’t mention our kissing session. I wasn’t ready to share that, not with my daughter.
“So what, Dad? Are you asking permission? My opinion? Because I think it’s a great idea. I know it’s hard for you. I told you back in high school how you and Mom could be a little annoying at times, how lovey-dovey you were. I also told you how amazing it was to see. But Dad, Mom’s gone. You’re not. You should live your life, wherever it takes you. If that means you find someone new to be a companion, or more, so be it. No way would Mom have wanted you to be alone. That’s what I think. Live your life to the fullest. And loneliness sucks, Dad.”
I guess she could hear the emotion in my voice as I thanked her. And like Cammy and Kyle, I knew she was right. I didn’t think I could love another woman, not like I loved Eva. But maybe I could find someone to share the time I had left in a romantic relationship. I was in good health and could have a lot of years still ahead of me. There was only one way to find out.
I picked up Olivia right on time and she was dressed to kill. A version of the little black dress, but instead of clinging to her legs, it flowed from her hips and the sleeves were 3/4 length, appropriate for a winter night. She was the definition of class. It was a good thing I wore a suit.
I made reservations at a French-Vietnamese restaurant, the type of place you dress up for, so we fit right in, not overdressed. I held all the doors for her, helped her on and off with her coat, gestures she appreciated and expected. During dinner I learned she was from an old time, upper class Mexican family. She had a sheltered life growing up and went to all girls boarding schools. She even told me she hadn’t been with a man until her wedding night. “I couldn’t risk my parents finding out if I had before I was married. They would have been crushed, especially my father, and I adored my parents.”
I told her about my parents, about how decent and loving my family was, the tragedy that happened to my mother and how Eva suggested we get married quickly so my mother could share that day with us. Olivia gave me a gentle smile (she had an abundance of them) and touched my hand across the table. Not sexual, but warm and comforting. “I think we were both very lucky, Jon. Your Eva and my Tomas. They were both wonderful partners.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Olivia. Everything you’ve told me about Tomas tells me he was a fine man in every way. We were both lucky.”
Her fingers squeezed mine a little tighter. “Do you think people can get lucky twice in life? I’m not usually so direct, not with someone I’ve met so recently. But I like you very much, Jon. I wasted a lot of years by myself. I’m not jumping the gun here. I don’t know if we can have a future, not yet. But I know I am very attracted to you, emotionally and physically.” A little tighter squeeze. “Jon, if you want to come home with me tonight…” It was there, out in the open. The opportunity was there.