Chapter 5

Pam saw me stir and cooed, "Good morning Mr. Wood." She reached for my erection.

"Very funny."

"You mean you're not Mr. Morning Wood?"

"Pam, I've got to go. Can you give me a moment?" I almost ran to the bathroom.

Returning to the bedroom, I saw Pam looking out the window at the sunrise. I walked to her and lifted her into my arms like a baby. Pam squealed with excitement and wrapped her arms around my neck. With one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back, I carried her to bed. As I gently laid her down, she smiled and held her arms out to embrace me. The room was very cool and I pulled the sheet and quilt over her. I slipped under the covers and we hugged and kissed. Pam's eyes showed the mischievous excitement I would see many times in the future.

She whispered, "I feel special."

"You are special."
Just then her foot touched my leg. "Jeezz girl, those feet are like ice."

She whined, "I'm sorry."

"Let me warm them for you. Turn your back to me and bend your knees so I can hold your feet." I slid down so they could be flat on my stomach, which is always one of the warmest parts of my body. Holding them against me, I massaged the tops with my warm hands. She relaxed as I slowly rubbed and cuddled her feet and ran my fingers over and between her toes.

"That feels amazing. Can you do this for me every day?"

"If they're this cold, I will."

In a few minutes, her feet were almost back to normal temperature and Pam turned to face me. She quietly whispered, "I really, really need you."

"Now?"

"Yes, I need you now."

I crawled under the covers and moved between her legs.

Since Pam remained covered by the sheet and quilt, she couldn't see anything I did. She could only feel the touches and experience the sensations as I tended to her body. She bent her knees toward her chest. I supported her legs with her feet on my shoulders and slowly spread them open. It was so dark in the room and under the covers I couldn't see what I was doing.

Her moaning and fidgeting were non-stop. I knew she was ready. I focused everything on her pleasure. She was quivering and breathing erratically with short gasps when I began my special finger technique.

As her excitement built, she grabbed at my hair and pulled like she was trying to force my head into her. Pam moaned loudly. The spasms hit her like a truck. She bucked, twisted and whimpered trying to get away from me. Her body twitched and bounced as she tried to close her legs and roll away. I held on. She screamed and water erupted from her as tingling heat singed every nerve in her body.

As soon as my relief came, I threw off the covers and ran for a bath towel while Pam tried to catch her breath.

As I flung open the bedroom door, Jerri was standing there with her hand in her panties and an excited look on her face. Of course, I was naked so I brushed right on by and ran to the bathroom as Jerri ran down the hall the other way to her bedroom.

When I returned and switched on the light, Pam was struggling to untangle herself from the sheet and blanket. I "helped" by throwing the covers over her head and began trying to sop up the fluids. After a moment, she was able to crawl out from the covers once again and I got my first good look at her face.

She was flushed bright pink and covered with perspiration. Her hair was matted and tears were rolling down her face.

"What's wrong sweetheart?"

She struggled but finally whispered, "Not a thing."

"Why are you crying?"

"I cry when I'm happy."

"So I did alright?"

"I don't have the words to describe it. What were you doing to me?"

"It's a secret. Can you get up? I need to pull off the sheet and pad now."
She struggled out of bed and stood naked as I removed all the bed linens. It took a while to get the two sheets and pad off. The sheets were really tangled with the quilt. Pam still looked dazed.

Someone knocked lightly on the door and Pam, without even thinking, said to come in. In walked a fully clothed Jerri.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you'd be dressed."

I said, "That's okay. We don't have anything you haven't seen before." I walked over to get underwear as she talked.

"I came to apologize." Of course, Pam had no idea why. "I was walking past your room and heard Pam screaming and moaning. It just got the best of me so I eavesdropped and I shouldn't have. I'm very sorry."

Pam responded, "No problem. I probably would have done the same to you. I'm sorry I was so loud."

Jerri nodded her head and turned to walk out but stopped, turned to me and said, "I wish you'd teach David whatever it was you did to her." I smiled. She grinned, walked out and closed the door.

After our bathroom duties, we dressed and carried the bed linens down to the laundry room. As we loaded them into the washer, Ruth walked in and asked if she could help.

"No thanks, Mom. We had a little accident so I'm washing the sheets."

Ruth smiled and replied, "Yeah, I heard the screaming. Brought back some old memories."

Pam and I glanced at each other and all three of us laughed.

"Are you two ready for breakfast?"

I volunteered. "Let me take charge of that. Pam will be glad to help."

"Mom, he makes wonderful pancakes. Do you have corn meal?"

"I always have cornmeal, sweet. It's in the freezer. I'll pull it out."

"Do you have any bacon or sausage?"

"Of course dear. It's in the fridge."

Once the washer started filling, Pam and I walked to the kitchen. Jerri was already there making a pot of coffee. The girls hugged and kissed cheeks. Jerri and I grinned at each other.

"Tom's going to make the best pancakes you've ever tasted."

"Great. So he really does cook."

"No I don't. Making pancakes and grilling are not the same as cooking. Pam is a cook. I just watch and try to stay out of her way."

Pam replied, "Jerri, why don't we cook together this afternoon like we once did?"

"That'd be fun. After lunch, we can toss out ideas and decide what to do."

Then the devious Pam joined the discussion. "Maybe we could get Mom to invite her boyfriend for dinner."

Jerri exclaimed, "Yes! Great idea. Where's Mom?"

I replied, "I think I saw her walking to her bedroom."

Pam cut in, "Why don't we ask her at breakfast?"

When the pancakes and bacon were ready, Pam carried the platters into the dining room and Jerri went to get her mom. Once we all assembled and said the blessing, everyone attacked the food. Jerri commented, "These pancakes are fantastic. I saw you added cornmeal but what are the proportions?"

"I substitute about a third of the flour with cornmeal. It's not precise and you can do more or less."

Ruth chimed in, "The flavor and texture is really good with the syrup. Girls, we need to make a note of this."

We continued to talk about food, the weather and Thanksgiving plans. Then Pam brought up the subject of the hour. "Mom, Jerri and I are planning to cook for tonight's dinner. We were thinking it'd be good for you to invite your friend. We'd love to meet him."

Ruth responded, "Sweet, I already have. I was planning on fixing dinner for everyone including him. He's coming at 6:00."

Both girls reached over to grasp their mom's hands. They were giggling and squealing like teenyboppers. Jerri exclaimed, "Mom, that's wonderful! What's his name?"

"Rudy Anderson."

"Tell us all about him."

"Well, we go to church together. He lost his wife to cancer about a year ago. I've known him for a few years. We started sitting together at church and then he asked me to dinner and we've become good friends."

Pam asked, "Is that all?"

"Yes, sweet. Unlike you girls, I believe in taking things gradually."

Pam came back, "You mean you haven't even spent the night together?"

"No, not yet."

Jerri cut in, "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing is wrong with him, as far as I know."

I finally butted in, "Now girls, stop pestering your mom. Ruth and Rudy are both mature adults." Everyone resumed eating but I saw Jerri and Pam glance and smile at each other.

After breakfast, Jerri and Pam insisted on cleaning up while Ruth and I enjoyed the fire in the living room. It was the first time that just the two of us were alone.

"Tom, I appreciate you bringing Pam home. I know it was difficult for her to come."

I responded, "Pam was a conflicted young lady. I think she wanted to come but was very embarrassed by her treatment of you and Jerri. She even felt that she was responsible for Richard's death."

"Oh no! Surely not! Richard had an inoperable heart defect and we'd known for years that he'd eventually die from it. None of us expected it'd be so soon. We just never told the girls. You know how that is."

"Of course. But somehow, in her mind, she linked Jerri telling her Richard was heart broken when she left with the fact that he died from a heart attack."

"Richard and I were heartbroken for a while. But we slowly realized that we needed to let her go out into the world and just trust that God would take care of her. We prayed for her every day. He and I had to grow into the fact that we couldn't protect our girls forever. But we still loved her and wanted her to be happy. We looked forward to seeing her occasionally. It was a big event when she called."

"I think it'd be good for you and Pam to talk through that. She clearly misunderstood and she's carried around a lot of guilt. I think that affected her relationship with you and Jerri."

"I will. I'll get both of them together and set the record straight. Thank you for letting me know."

We sat quietly and watched the fire. We could hear the girls good-natured bantering and joking in the kitchen. Pam suddenly yelled and then Jerri began screaming and laughing. Ruth and I went to check.

Pam had a straw and a glass of water chasing Jerri into the dining room trying to blow the water on her.

Ruth yelled, "Pam, what are you doing?"

"Mom. She just blew water all over me. I'm paying her back."

"Girls! Please show Tom how adult you can be. You're making a mess!"

"I'm sorry. We'll clean it up. It's only water," Pam replied.

We returned to the fire and, as we sat, heard Pam squeal one more time before they both started laughing.

Ruth shook her head and continued. "I've seen an amazing change in Pam this week. She's still full of energy but there's something very different-almost like she now has a new outlook on life. She's much happier and not nearly as focused on herself as she was."

"I think she does have a new outlook. We've talked a lot since we met and have spent several days together. We both think God has brought us together and that it's now up to us to decide our future."

"Tom, you and I both know that love is a lot more than sex. After the pleasure comes real life. You and I have been there during the rough times when our worlds were falling apart. We've struggled with life and losing our spouses. Sex is wonderful and it brings a lot of temporary happiness and joy. But you wake up in the morning and must face the rest of the world and its challenges. The only thing I ask is that you and Pam make sure you're truly in love with each other before thinking about marriage. I'm not so much worried about you as I am about her. All her life, she has been impulsive and does things she immediately regrets. She seems to be better now but I think she still has a lot of growing up to do."

"Pam is the first to admit she's made a lot of mistakes and I think she doesn't really trust her own judgment right now. But she and I are working on that. She was the first to say she wanted to come here and apologize to you. She is starting to make good decisions and to take responsibility. Thank you for loving her through all of this. I know it's not been easy."

"Tom, at dinner tonight, would you ask the blessing for us?"

"I'd be honored."

The girls joined us and the conversation turned to plans for the day. And, as usual when women get together, the subject turned to shopping. Jerri kicked it off, "Mom, Pam and I'd like to take you shopping this morning. How about we go to that big outlet mall up the interstate above Spartanburg?"

"That sounds like fun. Can Tom also go?"

Jerri responded, "Of course! I'm sure Tom loves to go shopping with three women. Don't you Tom?"

I knew what I wanted to say but then decided to say what I should say. "Absolutely! Maybe I can find a few men's stores while you three hit the others."

With that decided, the ladies scrambled to get dressed and their makeup on. I sat and read the newspaper and gazed at the fire.