Chapter 10: From Bad to Worse

Tammy had come into her dorm room with a letter from Jason, the love of her life. It was a shock to learn that he was not only married, he was a lowlife, insensitive jerk. After reading it I dropped it to the floor.

Tammy and I were spooned on Shirley's bed with me trying to comfort her. I was rubbing Tammy's stomach and talking about whatever entered my mind. She had stopped crying but was clearly still very upset.

I froze and felt Tammy's body go rigid. We waited for Shirley to ask us what was going on. Seconds passed and turned into what felt like minutes or even hours. Why didn't she say something? What was she doing?

Shirley's sigh broke the tension and I knew she had read Jason's letter. I felt her lean over me and kiss my cheek. She whispered in my ear, "Let me take care of this." I rolled off the small bed and she took my place next to Tammy, who began crying again.

I tried to concentrate on my accounting homework while Shirley comforted Tammy, but found myself paying more attention to the whispering that was going on between the two girls.

Shirley, I thought, was making matters worse by trying to convince Tammy that she would be better off without the louse, Jason. In my opinion, that was not what Tammy needed right now. But Shirley must have pulled the right strings because eventually they were sitting up and joking about how Shirley had come into the room and found Tammy and me cuddling on Shirley's bed.

We invited Tammy to come to the apartment to have dinner with us but she declined, saying she needed to be alone. Again I wasn't sure that was the right thing to do but Shirley pulled me out of the room and we went home.

That night we retired early because there was so much to talk about. What had happened in Tammy's room that afternoon was forgotten; there were more pressing matters to discuss.

First, Angie had announced at dinner that she was moving. She didn't elaborate. All she said was that she would need some help, not saying where she was moving or with whom she had arranged to live. Charlie, who had been sleeping on the couch the past few nights, and I, who had been staying out of Angie's way as much as possible, agreed to lend a hand.

Angie had excused herself, saying she needed to pack. This left Charlie and me to do the dishes.

"Did Charlie say anything?" Shirley asked.

"He sort of apologized for bringing Angie into the apartment in the first place. He blames himself for allowing her to carry her actions to the extreme. I let him off easy and told him I was glad it would be over soon."

"I'm glad it's coming to an end too. Want to go for a run later?"

I winked at her and opened my economics textbook. The run would feel good but knowing we would be showering together afterward made it easy to concentrate on trends and economic policies for now.

The next day brought even more excitement. At lunch I learned that Tracy was moving out of Kent and Skip's apartment, but Kent clammed up when Amy joined us so I didn't find out where Tracy was moving.

Observing them during the meal, I could see why Kent and Amy had hit it off together. Their dispositions complimented one another perfectly. While she was outgoing, he had a placid personality and let things come to him. In addition to tennis, Kent's interests included classical music, something Amy claimed to have an appreciation for. I secretly wondered if she could remain quiet long enough to really listen.

Seeing them together was a treat. He was a foot taller than her and his arms were long enough to wrap around her twice. The way they looked at each other said it all; they were a perfect match.

"How's Skip getting along with Laura?" I asked.

Kent smiled at Amy before answering. "Splendidly, we think. I've hardly seen him since the party."

"I can't wait to tell Shirley she was wrong. She scoffed at me for trying to be a matchmaker."

Amy cocked her head, quizzically. "Was that why you invited Laura to the party? Were you being a matchmaker?"

I nodded, not wanting to divulge the truth that I had invited Amy to meet Skip and I saw Laura with Kent. It didn't turn out the way I'd envisioned; it had turned out better! Someday I would tell the two couples about the domino I had seen but not for a long, long time.

Later that day, when I saw Skip in our computer class it was hard to believe that he had sought me out to talk about his lost love only a week before. It sort of irritated me that he didn't thank me for bringing him and Laura together, but seeing him exuberant about life again was payment enough.

"Spring is more than a season," he said, making me think about our conversation the previous Friday. It was an offhanded remark but it told me he had been paying attention to my analogy.

Olli didn't meet me at the gym so I went through my routine on my own, extending my times on the bicycle, stair-climber and rowing machine. While changing from one piece of equipment to the next I looked around the room, recognizing most of the same people that always worked out on Friday. Noticeably missing were a pair of girls who usually used the rowing machine before me.

I made the run to the apartment at top speed, looking forward to the weekend. While I was in the shower, the machine answered two phone calls. I returned Luke Foster's call first. He offered the two desks at a reduced price if I would take them unfinished. He said they had been sanded and were ready for a couple of coats of stain. I agreed to put the finish on and he said he would deliver the desks the following morning. He ended the call with, "Remember, it's a cash transaction."

The second call was from Olli. He apologized for not meeting me at the gym that day. "Thanks for working out with me. You're the only student I knew that I could trust."

"What do you mean?"

"Sammy, I was working under cover. Don't worry; I didn't put you in any danger. The case was wrapped up on Wednesday night. Thanks again, buddy."

He hung up before I could find out what the case involved or if he would be coming back to the gym on Monday. I got the impression he was finished working on his stamina.

Charlie came in alone, his eyes full of excitement. "Did you hear about the drug bust?"

"No, but I suspect I'm about to hear it."

Shirley came in just as Charlie was finishing his story. Naturally, she made him start over at the beginning.

"A dorm room opened up and Angie wanted to move in right away so we took some of her stuff over. We'll move the rest of it tomorrow. While we were there we learned why the room had been vacated. Two girls were kicked out of school for selling drugs."

This triggered something in my mind. "Did this happen Wednesday evening by any chance?"

"I suppose so because Angie heard about the room on Thursday. She told us she had a place to stay last night, remember?"

"That's right, she did."

Shirley wanted to know who the girls were but Charlie didn't know.

"I believe I know who they are, I mean I don't know their names but they worked out at the gym when Olli and I were there. He just told me he had been working under cover and wrapped up the case on Wednesday."

Anger showed on Shirley's face. "That bastard! Is that why he wanted you to work out with him? They could have been armed and dangerous."

Shirley had her arms around me, rubbing the center of my back, to make sure I hadn't been shot in the back, I suppose. Her action was over the top but I liked what she was doing. "Now that you mention it they did look dangerous. They didn't wipe down the rowing machine seats when they were finished either," I said, winking at Charlie.

"I'm concerned for your welfare and you're making fun of me," she said, accusingly, pulling me closer so she could reach my shoulder blades with the palms of her hands.

"I'm sorry. Would dinner at Stella's make it up to you?

"We could go into the bedroom so you can prove to me that you weren't harmed but on second thought I'm hungry and pizza would be good. That way I wouldn't have to get dressed up."

Charlie overheard her and offered to go after the pizza. Shirley immediately perked up.

"Get the kind you and Angie had last weekend."

And that is how the Friday night pizza tradition got started. By the time Charlie returned with two large pepperoni pizzas we had changed clothes and had a bottle of chardonnay on ice.

Even Charlie looked more relaxed without the threat of Angie's outbursts. I realized this was the first time we had really talked since school began. I told them that Luke was going to deliver the desks the next day and since I would need to hang around the apartment to receive them, Shirley agreed to help Charlie move the rest of Angie's stuff. That was fine with me.

Tammy had declined our offer to spend the weekend at the apartment, saying she needed to be alone. But we didn't talk about the letter Tammy had received, not in front of Charlie.

Nor did I say anything about the letter I had received from my sister. We were having too much fun. I didn't want to upset Shirley. Well... I didn't want to think about Heather's letter either.

Dear Sammy,

Your nephew is going to grow up without knowing his uncle. Is that what you want to happen, Sammy?

But K.O. isn't what I'm writing about; it's Mom. She's been having headaches, so bad that she has to stay home from work. She thinks something is growing inside her head but the doctors can't find anything.

Some days she's so sick that I have to stay home from work too because I don't dare leave K.O. with her when she's hurting so badly.

Let your conscience be your guide but I urge you to come for a visit before it's too late.

Thanks again for the money. It really comes in handy, especially when we can't go to work.

Love,

Heather

P.S. If you come to see us, let on it's to see your nephew. Don't tell mom I wrote to you about her headaches. Okay?

I did show Shirley the other mail I had received that day. It was the official invitation to Alice and Carter's wedding. Shirley immediately started sketching a dress she planned to make.

"Don't you have enough to do without making your own dress?"

She looked up from her drawing, glanced at Charlie and then at me. "I like sewing and I know exactly what I want to wear to the wedding."

"You work in a dress shop. Isn't there something downstairs that would serve the purpose?"

"No," she said, with finality.

"Charlie, let me give you some advice. Don't ever fall for an older woman. They're too set in their ways to listen to reason."

Charlie didn't know whether to laugh or crawl under the table. Shirley's look even frightened me for a second.

There was hell to pay in bed that night. She resisted my attempt to pull her to me.

"You're going to miss me when I'm gone. Who's going to look after you?"

"You're not going any place. You're going to the graduate school across the river."

"I'm not even thinking of the grad school. That's strictly your idea." She still sounded adamant but shoved her hips into me when I slapped her on the ass.

"You're going to stay right here with me."

"What would you want with an old woman like me?"

"You're mature. That's one of the things I like best about you," I said, feeling her nipples harden against my chest.

"Am I a good kisser?"

"I don't know. Let me check."

Our kiss was soft, nibbling at first, progressing to full suction until we were forced to stop and take a breath.

"Well?"

"You're an excellent kisser."

"Not bad for an old lady. Is that what you mean?"

"Not bad at all."

"Am I a... good... lay?"

The way she asked the question, haltingly, uncertain, like she really didn't know, made me want to assure her.

"You're the best!"

"How do you know? Shouldn't you check?"

My cock was fully extended, pressing against her pussy. It felt open and damp.

"It's not necessary to check. I already know you're a good lay," I teased.

The head of my cock was buried in her pussy and we were dangerously close to full insertion. I knew she was on the edge and wouldn't have objected if I had pushed forward.

"That was yesterday; this is today. I'm a day older. You need a current evaluation to see if I've lost something... or, I could be better. Aren't you curious?"

"I'll get a rubber."

"Ooooh, okay, hurry," she said, but when I didn't budge she became inpatient and wrapped her leg around my ass.

Concerned that she would draw me into her, I broke away and ran to my dresser where we stored the condoms. When I got back to the bed she was on her back, legs spread wide and folded at the knees.

She became very talkative the second I entered her. "Tell me you love me. Tell me it's good. Tell me I'm not too old."

"You're not old at all. It's good and I love you."

"Shut up and fuck me," she laughed, pushing her pelvis up to meet my thrusts. "Shut up and fuck me," she whispered.

We wore each other out and immediately fell asleep in each other's arms. An hour or so later I got up and flushed the used condom down the toilet. Shirley welcomed me back to bed but decided she needed to pee. I was almost back to sleep when she came back to bed, wanting to talk.

"Well?"

"What?"

"How was it?"

"Fantastic."

"Am I a good lay?"

"I said you were fantastic, didn't I?"

"Not too old?"

"No."

"I like it when you tease me."

"That's nice."

"It makes me want you more."

"That's nice."

"You made me beg for it."

"Mmmm."

"Do you love me?"

"Mmmm."

"How much?"

"Mmmm."

She finally rolled over, mumbling, "I'm not old; you are."

Shirley woke up in a playful mood but when she saw that I wasn't responding she asked what was wrong.

I showed her Heather's letter.

"When do you want to go?"

"I was thinking between Christmas and New Years."

"Heather's letter sounds serious. It's got to be sooner than that, Sammy."

"We can't go at Thanksgiving. Alice would never forgive me if we missed her wedding."

Shirley folded the single sheet of paper. "How far is it?"

"From here? I don't know exactly. It's six hundred miles from home but it may be a little less from here."

"We'll have to take one day off from school. Which is the best for you, Monday or Friday?"