Chapter 5: Togetherness

Despite the rush, Knut managed to get out of work Friday at five. He was home to hand ‘Becca off to Candice. He put in nearly a full day Saturday, getting home in time to take Sarah and Billy to The Chinese Lantern. The kiss was the one bright spot in the week. He let the laundry go and the video store, too. The tape, and his memories of Sarah, sufficed. He put in a nearly -full day Sunday.

He worked over lunch all the next week, snatching something at his desk. He came home late with Thai take-out Monday and Thursday nights. Saturday, he left ‘Becca preparing for Sarah. When he got home, ‘Becca was in bed and a lovely dinner was waiting in the ‘fridge. He’d eaten once, but that was hours before. Sunday, ‘Becca spent the way home from church telling him what a wonderful woman Mrs. Jenkins was. He bought her two films for the VCR and took some meat loaf to work. He only spent a few hours there, though. He was home to cook them a supper.

He couldn’t see Sarah the next week. He barely saw the apartment that weekend. By the next Sunday, though, the rush was over. When he and ‘Becca took Sarah shopping, he apologized for slacking off. “No problem,” Sarah said. “I’m just glad I could take up a little of the slack.”

“More than that. I couldn’t teach ‘Becca to cook like that. I’m a survival cook; we go out for anything good.”

She came into his arms in her kitchen. They cuddled and kissed until he had to say, “‘Becca will be wondering where I am.”

He called her on Tuesday to ask, “Can you and Billy go out to the Chinese Lantern Saturday?”

“Billy can’t,” she replied. “He’ll be with his father that weekend.”

Did that mean what he hoped that meant? “Then, can you?”

“I’d be pleased,” Sarah said. ‘Becca nowhere around; Billy nowhere around. Sarah hadn’t promised anything, but Knut could hope. He stopped off at a loop drugstore to buy Trojans on his lunch hour Wednesday.

And, since they didn’t have to worry about Billy’s eating habits, either, he called her again Thursday evening. “The Chinese Lantern is a fine place, but what I’m really looking forward to is your company. The Turkish place wasn’t a success, it’s been a while since the Middle Eastern place. Should we go back there? Should we stick to The Chinese Lantern? Should I surprise you?”

“Surprise me!” she said. “But what should I wear?”

Immediately his mind pictured her in high-heeled shoes and nothing else. “Don’t hand me straight lines like that when I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

“Then what will you be wearing?”

“An ordinary business suit,” he said.

“All right.”

“5:30 again?” The schedule was for Billy’s benefit, but she’d be used to it. “I’ll have my car.”

“Fine.” My! she was agreeable.

She hadn’t promised anything; his imagination might be leading him astray in a second adolescence. Still, he put one of the Trojans in the breast pocket of his shirt, and then he hid it with a folded piece of paper. He checked in the bathroom mirror to make sure that it was undetectable. He combed his hair once more before starting out for his date. He rang her bell when his watch said 5:29.

Sarah came down the steps from her apartment looking delicious. She was dressed to the nines. “I’m impressed,” he said. ‘Aroused’ would have been more honest but would have struck her as gauche.

The Korean dinner pleased her. The food was good, but her company pleased him more. She continued her story of a school day through their entry into her apartment as if she took his accompanying her home for granted. Now, that was acceptance.

“Thanks for coming,” he said.

“Thanks for inviting me.”

They had one kiss standing, then sat together on the couch for another. After tasting her mouth and hugging her shape, he unbuttoned her fancy blouse. He needed to look to figure out her bra, but -- once he looked -- it opened from the front. She wanted his caresses! “Oh, Sarah,” he said before putting his mouth to better use.

He needed to kiss so much of her, but he only had one mouth. After exploring her mouth once more, they got into a more comfortable position for his kissing the rest. She lay down on the couch while he knelt beside it. He kissed from one delightful nipple to the next and then back.

Wonderfully accepting, she clasped his head to her breast while he caressed her center. Wonderfully responsive, she came for him even though she was still wearing pantyhose and panties. He was almost certain when she stiffened, and then her sounds were unmistakable.

She looked worried, though. “Billy’s way across town. Nobody can hear you but me. And I love you,” he reassured her.

He kissed her face. As she recovered, his kisses went lower on her torso. “Help me with this,” he said with his hands on her pantyhose. She raised her torso, accepting him!

He didn’t have the nerve to try for her skirt. Even above her waist, there was so much to kiss. As his mouth moved up her belly, his hand moved up her thigh. Even when he reached her center, her response was positive; her legs parted to give him room. “Oh Sarah!” She was so wet, and her clit was so prominent! Her nipple was stiff in his mouth, and she moved her center against his hand.

She held his head against the breast he was sucking. Then, she groaned again. Delightful Sarah; desirable woman. He enjoyed all of her sounds and motions, but he was so stiff that his trousers were uncomfortable. And the slight pressure of the wrapped Trojan against his chest, undetectable for hours during the meal and after, now burned like a brand.

He sat beside the couch, though, holding his love as she returned from where he had sent her. When she relaxed, he rose to look for her bedroom. One door was the bathroom, one was Billy’s room, one was the closet, and one led outside -- he already knew those. The only doors in the kitchen were the back door and one into the closet-sized “pantry.” That was it!

Sarah was still lying on the couch; but she was a quality lady, not a high-school slut. Now that he looked closely (closely? he was looking desperately), the couch was convertible. Get her up, sit her on a chair, pull out the couch, lead her to the bed? Impossible! She was recovering from her passion even now.

He had to get out of there before he did something she would resent. “Love you,” he said. He kissed her forehead first but couldn’t resist that mouth. He had to get out while he could resist anything.

Once back in his own apartment, he put the Trojan back in the locked cupboard. He got some magazines out before stripping, but they were unnecessary. The memory of Sarah’s sounds, Sarah’s motions, the taste of Sarah’s breasts, the feel of Sarah’s center were really enough. The sniff he took of his right hand where it had bathed in her juices was more than he needed, but it was wildly erotic.

The next morning, he showered and changed his sheets. He resisted calling Sarah before he’d done his laundry. Once back, though, lunch eaten, beds made, he had to call her.

It rang so long he’d almost given up when she answered the phone. “This is Knut. Is this a bad time?”

“let me get the door.” A long pause, but whoever had been at the door didn’t seem to be somebody she invited in. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I just wanted to tell you that you are a beautiful woman with a delightful personality and a remarkably kissable abdomen. I had a marvelous time last night.”

“I had a marvelous time, too.” Which was delightful to hear.

“I’m glad. Partially because I love you and want you to enjoy yourself. You strike me as always looking out for Billy’s benefit, and -- after all -- if you don’t, who will. That’s too complicated. But since all your attention is to his pleasure, somebody else needs to see to yours. I’m appointing myself to that office. But, even more, I’m glad because -- if you enjoy yourself with me -- then you’ll be willing to be with me more often. And that’s my summum.” This was much too complicated, and she was an English teacher. He’d have to work on his grammar and composition if he wanted to date an English teacher.

“Did I say that right?”

“Knut, you’re going to give me a swelled head.”

“Not a danger. Well, you sound busy. I’ll let you go.”

“Goodbye,” she said.

And it had been a marvelous time, more marvelous than any he could look forward to in the next two weeks. On the other hand, a little planning might make the next time even more marvelous. He needed to bring her back here. Why? She wasn’t the sort of woman you invited back to your apartment because the bed was easier to get at. How about a movie in his VCR? And not one of the XXX jobs. Sarah was a lady. Romance or comedy? She had such a delightful laugh. Anyway, a romance would be too obvious.

A movie date, just like in high school. But, if she happened to be willing, he would happen to have a bed at hand. Which meant he would have to clean up his bedroom. Maybe, he should clean it twice, even three times. Tonight, so any smell would have two weeks to dissipate so as not to offend a sensitive female nose -- and a cute nose it was, too. Next weekend, including a laundry -- that accumulation must have an odor as well. And Friday before he invited her over.

He needed a few purchases, too. Monday, ‘Becca asked when she could cook meat loaf again. After she was in bed, he called Sarah. “I didn’t just call to say, ‘I love you,’” he said, “even though I do. Is this a good time?”

“It’s always a fine time to talk to you.”

“Not always, and you should tell me when it isn’t.”

“You never call in the mornings,” she said.

“Should I? I thought getting yourself and Billy ready...”

“No you shouldn’t. That’s what your comment about bad times brought to mind. If Billy’s having a tantrum or dinner is boiling over on the stove, I can tell you ‘Later’ or simply not answer. The morning is when I get calls from the sub center. I have to answer, and -- if you call, and I say, ‘not now,’ and they don’t call that morning -- then I’ll never know whether they called then and got a busy signal. So, if you want to know a good time not to call -- a bad time to call -- it’s mornings of school days.”

“I’ll remember “ he said. “Anyway, aside from saying that you’re beautiful and adorable, which can’t be said too often, I had an actual subject to discuss. Billy will be home next weekend?”

“Yes.”

“So will ‘Becca. What do you think of her inviting the two of you to dinner?”

“Do you need to hide behind her skirts?”

“Her apron. She wants to cook meatloaf again.”

“Sounds delightful,” Sarah said.

“Good. This isn’t the actual invitation; that will come from her. It’s just that I don’t want her to get her expectations up and then not met. And I don’t want her to call when Billy can hear and have him hear you refuse.”

“Sometimes kids have to hear that things are impossible.” Sarah sounded like an experienced parent.

“Oh yes! And ‘Becca hears that a lot. It’s just that, what you and I see as impossible, the kid might see as an imposition of the parent’s selfish will. Some years ago, I went through that about going to work when ‘Becca was home. You know, I only audit those accounts because it’s so much fun; if I really loved her, I’d stay home and play with her.”

“And you don’t think that auditing is that much fun?”

“I’d rather conduct an audit than undergo a root canal.” That might be too strong. “Most days, I’d rather conduct an audit than undergo a root canal. Dentist’s visits are another thing I impose on her out of sheer sadism. Anyway...” He was talking about himself again.

“Anyway?”

“Anyway, enough about me. How did you feel about my performance?” No laugh. He was trying too hard. “I think we have established several things this conversation. An invitation from ‘Becca would be welcome. Eat at six again? Saturday?”

“Both sound fine.”

“And will Billy come along on the shopping Sunday?”

“Yes. He’s not too bad in stores.”

“And,” he concluded, “as we established early in this conversation, you are a delightful person with a personality as beautiful as your body.”

‘Becca was enthusiastic about inviting Mrs. Jenkins and Billy for a meat-loaf dinner. She called Tuesday and issued the invitation. He didn’t even try to speak to Sarah then.

He did call Thursday after ‘Becca was in bed. “Nothing new to say. Just thought you might need reminding that you are a lovely woman.”

“Knut!” she answered. “You’re going to give me a head so swelled it won’t fit through the door.”

“I’ll stop when you begin to appreciate your real worth. That looks like it will take a while.”

He came home at noon on Friday. He did the laundry and gave the place a thorough cleaning. He set ‘Becca to straightening her room before dinner, and he ran the vacuum there after dinner.

So the place to which they welcomed their visitors on Saturday was cleaner than it had been in months. After dinner, he gave Sarah the choice of the kids’ company watching “Sleeping Beauty” of or his washing dishes. At least, he was the lesser of two evils.

“Doesn’t that [rinsing the dishes thoroughly before putting them in the dishwasher] reduce the advantage of having a dishwasher?” she asked.

“Hey!” he said. “I don’t wear suspenders with my belt. Be grateful for small things.” Now that got a laugh. “You have a sexy laugh.”

“You’ll make me self-conscious.”

“Now, that is a problem. Threaten me with your head swelling all you want, it’ll never happen. But I don’t want you to be self-conscious about the sexy things you do. You might stop doing them.”

“Knut!” She looked to see whether the kids had overheard.

“Lost in ‘Sleeping Beauty’ -- for the umpteenth time for ‘Becca. But come here and I’ll stop saying things which can be overheard.” She came into his arms. They had a wonderful kiss.

For a while he just enjoyed her mouth and her body. Then he drew back far enough to whisper. “Listen. While they can’t hear. Billy was real nice about this; but, someday soon, he’ll figure out that visiting our place is going to mean that he won’t eat sweet and sour shrimp as often.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” she said.

“But it might be an opportunity. What would you think of a restaurant meal for the four of us some weeknight?”

“Knut! You’re impossible.” Was she going to get all stuffy about expenditures again?

“After the divorce,” he explained, “I thought things out. ‘Becca needs some things -- talking only about what money can buy, now -- and she enjoys other things. I enjoy some things, and -- I suppose -- you could list things which are necessary for me. Why spend money on the rest? I need a car which works. Well, I enjoy a car which works; you seem to get around without one. But I don’t need a car with the latest styling. Why should I buy a new car before this one wears out? Suits from the racks fit me just fine. I’ve lived in a big house in the ‘burbs; thank you very much. My landlord mows the lawn now. One thing I enjoy, we both enjoy, is eating out. Another thing I enjoy, though I didn’t know it then, is your company. Why shouldn’t I have both?”