Chapter 5

A few weeks later, Barbara was getting as close as she ever had to committing child abuse.

She was modeling dresses for Bobby and Sammy. She had a date with Raul in an hour, and she was still assembling and discarding outfits at a dizzying pace. The amused teenagers were eager to help her, but they also couldn't help teasing her as she tried to find the "perfect" combination.

The kids had a pretty good idea of why Barbara was wound up so tight. Raul had dropped off Sammy a couple hours ago with an overnight bag. It didn't take a genius to see that her sleepover with Bobby made it possible for Barbara to have a sleepover with Raul.

It was also clear from Barbara's adrenaline level that it wasn't a sure thing either. Barbara was excited, apprehensive, horny, afraid, eager, and unsure several times a minute.

The latest outfit was a lavender backless dress with a slit up the side of her thigh.

"I think this makes me look too eager," she fretted.

Sammy giggled. "Aren't you?" she asked.

"Shut up young lady. A woman is not supposed to reveal everything to a man all at once. We're supposed to prolong the mystery, and make them work for it."

"Work for what, Mom?" asked Bobby innocently.

"Shut up, Bobby. You've gotten straight A's for too many years to play stupid with me now."

"I think that dress looks great, Mom. You look hot."

"Hot? Hot! I don't know if I want to look hot. I mean this is just our third date."

Sammy chimed in. "Ms. Taylor..."

"Call me Barbara, honey. After all, I'm dating your father."

"Okay. Barbara, this may be your third official 'date, ' but you've known each other for years. All that time you've mostly seen each other in jeans and sweatshirts. It's time for something hot." She grinned at her. "You need to let Daddy see what he's chasing."

"You just get your mind out of the gutter, Samantha Elizabeth Ramirez. Your Father is a respectful man that I care for a great deal, and I will not have you implying he is planning anything improper tonight. Are we clear on that?"

Bobby and Sammy almost ruptured their stomachs trying to keep from laughing.

"I'm sorry, Barbara," Sammy said eventually with a gasp. "I didn't mean anything by it. What are you all planning this evening?"

"We're, uh, going out to dinner."

"Gee I guess those steaks that Dad has in the 'fridge at our house must be for him and me for tomorrow then."

Barbara blushed crimson. Raul had said he would try to prevent the kids from knowing they were having a private dinner at his home tonight. Well, so much for that idea.

Attempting to recover, she said "If you must know we're actually going out dancing later. I thought mentioning dinner would keep your imaginations from running wild about your parents going crazy and hitting the bars or something."

"Sure Mom."

"Of course."

"That makes sense."

"Absolutely."

Barbara glared back at them. She wanted to grab their smirking heads and smack them together.

She glanced at the clock for perhaps the hundredth time in the last half hour. It seemed to both crawl and race by at the same time, as the hour that Raul was supposed to pick her up approached.

"Maybe I should change back into the little black dress," she fretted. "You can't go wrong with a little black dress. They're kind of a classic that way, you know? Everybody knows a little black dress is always a safe choice."

Sammy and Bobby listened in growing alarm as Barbara began to vent an almost incoherent stream of consciousness.

"But I don't know if a little black dress sends the right message either. I mean, a little black dress almost implies you're expecting something to happen, but really, I don't know if anything is going to happen. I don't even know if I want something to happen. I mean, is it too soon? And I don't even know if he's over his wife either, I've never felt comfortable asking, he's just always so worried about my feelings, which is very sweet, but how he feels is important too, and I'm not sure what he's thinking. I respect what he must have gone through, and maybe he's not ready either. Or maybe we're both ready but we're just scared about whether the other is ready, you know? Oh god what am I doing? I just don't..."

"Mom!" exclaimed Bobby.

She stopped talking and looked at him with wide eyes. "Stop it Mom." Both he and Sammy got up and wrapped her up in a team hug. "Just stop it. Whatever happens tonight, you and me and Sammy and Raul are all going to be okay with it. All right? Just relax and see what happens." He paused and grinned at her. "And the dress you have on is fine. Don't change a thing."

"You think so?" she asked in almost a little girl voice.

Sammy replied, "It looks great, Barbara. I know my dad, and I'm sure that he is going to really like it."

Just then the doorbell rang. "Well I guess it's too late to change again anyway," said Barbara. "It's show time!"

Sammy said, "You stay upstairs and check your makeup Barbara. We'll let my dad in, then we'll call you, and you can come down the stairs to him and blow his mind, okay? Go on!"

Raul stood nervously on the front porch, a single red rose in his hand. He was wearing his best suit and tie, his shoes polished to a Marine Corp standard of reflective brilliance.

He was thinking that he was probably crazy. How could he ever hope to land a woman as wonderful as Barbara Taylor? Sure they'd shared a few kisses, but he still suspected that deep down her responses to him were simply out of gratitude for the help he'd given her and her son during the last year. It was a long way from that to having a real romantic relationship.

He was afraid that tonight Barbara would finally tell him the limits of their friendship. She was such a beautiful accomplished woman! How could she ever find an auto mechanic with dirt under his nails worthy of her love?

He sighed and squared his shoulders. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Dare to be great, like one of his officers had once told him.

The door opened to reveal Bobby and his daughter looking at him with wide grins on their faces. "Hi, Daddy," said Sammy. "Bobby, go tell your mom that her date is here."

"You bet," replied Bobby. "You look nice, Raul. I'll go tell her."

Bobby turned and climbed up the stairs. He found Barbara sitting on the edge of her bed, her purse clutched tightly in her hands. "Ready, Mom?"

"Oh god, you would have to ask me that!" she replied.

"You know what I meant Mom. You're going to be fine. You're going to be great! Now I want you to relax and have fun, okay? Remember, he's just as nervous as you are. You need to help him relax too."

Bobby couldn't help but find the conversation an amusing role reversal with his parent. At the same time, it made him feel good that he could help his Mother, like she'd helped him so many times in the past.

"Okay, give me a minute to get down the stairs ahead of you, then come on down, okay?"

"Okay son. Thanks honey."

"You're welcome, Mom. I love you."

Barbara looked up at him with a grateful smile. "I love you too, Baby."

Raul smiled tightly as Bobby returned down the stairs without his mother. "Is everything alright?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah, everything's fine, she said she'd be right down, Raul."

Just then, a vision appeared at the top of the stairs. Other than office dress, Raul had never seen Barbara in anything but casual clothes. The woman that was descending the stairs to him now was a spectacular enhancement of all those prior images stored in his mind.

Her hair was piled on top of her head, with strands from each side hanging down to frame her slightly blushing face. The top of the dress tied behind her neck, showing a fair amount of chest without being plunging. The hem line came to a couple inches above the knee, with the high slit over the side of her right thigh. She wore 3 inch stiletto heels that brought out the muscle definition in her firm calves, thighs, belly, and butt and as she descended the stairs.

Her lower half moved with subtle power and grace, while her upper half remained motionless, with her eyes fixed on his face over a shy smile. Her body reminded Raul of a jungle cat stalking its prey.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hello, Barbara. You're so beautiful," said Raul reverently, as he handed her the rose.

And with that simple reassurance, most of Barbara's tension left her. She really liked this man. "Let's not mess this up," she told herself.

Bobby and Sammy realized that their parents were no longer aware they were present. With a look at each other, they slowly backed away towards the kitchen, huge grins on their faces.

"Are you ready to go?" Raul asked.

"Yes, Raul. I'm ready."

They turned to the door, and left without a backwards glance or goodbye to their children, their eyes seeing only each other.

Two hours later, Barbara and Raul were sitting on the floor in Raul's living room in front of the fireplace. They were leaning back against the couch, legs under a coffee table, working on a second bottle of wine.

They had spent the first hour of the evening teaming up on making dinner, giggling like teenagers as they fed each other ingredients. Then Raul had lit candles for the dining room table, and they had sat side by side enjoying the meal, occasionally interrupting the increasingly intimate conversation with brief touches and soft kisses.

The conversation had crossed many thresholds of intimacy between them. Barbara had finally found the courage to ask Raul about his late wife Maria. Raul in turn had asked about how Barbara and John had first met and how they fell in love. Barbara shared her regret at not being able to have more children after Bobby.

In both cases, each came to understand the depth of the love the other had shared with their lost spouse. At the same time, there was joy in the sharing, joy in giving the other insight that they knew instinctively would be shared with no other.

They could tell that there was hurt and loss that would never go away. They could also tell, by the confidences of love shared, that the other was ready to move on to a new love.

Eventually, after a long session of necking on the floor like teenagers, Barbara stood, and held her hand down to Raul. Thinking it was time to take her home, he regretfully scrambled to his feet and started looking around the room for their shoes, until he noticed that Barb still had hold of his hand.

When she saw she had his attention, she stepped away to stand in front of the fireplace. The embers cast a golden glow on her face.

"Raul?"

"Yes?"

"I've had a wonderful evening."

"So have I, Barb."

"Raul?"

Chapter 6 »