Chapter 16

Two weeks after moving in, Beth Ann was still adjusting to living with a man who adored her. My injuries continued to heal, and rehab was advancing little by little.

Since Beth Ann's marriage to Bruce was the turkey of all time, Beth Ann was still gun shy about giving her entire being to a relationship. Whenever it looked like she needed it, I gave her time and space without pressure, so she could think her way through a problem, or issue, and make up her own mind,.

We made a set of rules to live by.

Rule Number One – Don't Pull Beth Ann's Hair. You might be laughing right now, but the day I used the back of her chair as a support and accidentally pulled her hair taught me a very important lesson.

Never pull Beth Ann's hair. Don't do it.

It should be very easy, and we laughed about it many, many times. Whenever I found that I had a handful of hair instead of the coat I was trying to help her remove, we would both laugh, and say, "Rule number one," and laugh.

Rule Number Two - Try to never sit on separate pieces of furniture in the same room.

That seems easy, right?

But, you have to work at it.

You have to remember that you made a vow to always sit close together and then do it. It gave us comfort to be close, and the comfort turned into interdependence. We WANTED to sit close together, because we did it so often that it was obvious whenever we didn't.

Rule Number Three – Always ask for a booth, and then sit on the same side, so we can hold hands and talk quietly without having to do it across a table.

Our long talks were enhanced by proximity. By being side by side, we were much more likely to chat, instead of staring off lost in our own thoughts. Greeters at restaurants we frequented began to know us by our preference and would automatically take us to a booth, so we could sit side by side.

Once it became a habit, it could be ingrained for life.

Rule Number Four – ALWAYS talk to one other about each other's day.

After we were apart for any length of time, at all, we would sit down and tell one another about our day. It might only be a quick update on my rehab, or her hair appointment, but we CHOSE to be interested in whatever the other was doing, and made it our mission to talk about those times apart.

It created a neutral zone where we brought our uninteresting bits of news and shared them. Sometimes we talked about nothing, but still talked.

Beth Ann had no hesitance to use the bathroom in front of me and no hesitation to walk in while I was in there. Given her lousy marriage, her openness came as a surprise, but she explained it to me one night.

"Bruce never spent time with me. He never knew me at all. Bruce certainly never showered with me, washed my hair, or brushed it after it was washed. We never shared an ice cream cone, or ate after one another, nor did we talk about the less graceful things in our lives.

"I never talked to Bruce about getting my period or having stomach cramps. He never ran to get me tampons or handed me a roll of toilet paper. We just shared some of the same space and accidentally made a baby together. That was it.

"Carl, you let me expose all of me, without making me feel ashamed of my body, my needs, or the things I have to do for myself. You don't get wrought up if I walk in while you're caring for your needs, and it is so intimate! I love you for showing that part of yourself, and refusing to be embarrassed about it.

"The night you coaxed me to touch myself for you was the most intimate, sexy, and embarrassing thing I have ever done, but I came so hard because I was showing you that part of me without fear. You gave me the freedom to expose my secret self, and then you explained how exciting it was to watch me do it.

"And I believed you...

"I love you for loving me, and for the way you touch me and make me feel special. I love you even more for wanting to watch me pleasure myself, and then making a big deal out of how special, not to mention horny, it made you feel.

"Thank you for letting me just be me, without expectations, demands, or complaints."

I assured Beth Ann that, good, bad, or ugly, I loved her and everything that came with her.

That's why we were having the conversation we were having.

"Carl, Rebecca and Colleen seem to like having sex with you, and if I had to guess, I'd say that they are both in love with you, at least a little, if not a lot. Women notice things, particularly about other women, and those two light up when you pay special attention to them.

"How would you feel about making them part of our relationship?