10 comments/ 72390 views/ 15 favorites A Cautious Man Ch. 01-05 By: coaster2 This story was inspired by an old Bruce Springsteen song of the same name and used without permission. Sometimes, being careful doesn't always work out. * A Cautious Man: Chapter 1 Bill Orton was a cautious man. He was also a skillful, organized, disciplined, and thoughtful man. Even at age five, his parents were impressed with his neatness and organization. His clothes, his toys, and his schoolwork were all placed in an orderly, specific manner in his room. He rose at the same time every day. He was never late for any meal, school, or church. He dressed neatly and never came home in a disheveled or unkempt state without good reason. Young Bill was also curious. When a toy broke, he would examine it to see what had happened and attempt to repair it. Now and then he succeeded. As he got older, he became very analytical about how things worked. His curiosity led to discovery, which led to knowledge. With his father's encouragement, he learned all there was to know about the inner workings of the gasoline engine, electric motor, and a variety of mechanical devices that were found around the house. He got great satisfaction as he restored an old toaster or vacuum cleaner to operating status. As Bill entered high school, he was an enigma to his schoolmates. It wasn't that he was shy or withdrawn, but no one in his class could say they knew him well. Bill just didn't let anyone get too close. He had a small number of male friends, and while a few of the girls wanted to get to know him, most of them failed. Only Sandra Thompson was able to make any impression on Bill, but at best, it was a very tenuous relationship based on their partnership in chemistry class. Physically, Bill was of medium height at 5' 9" but deceptively strong. No one would call him handsome, but neither was he homely. He was just plain Bill. He had a long fuse. It took quite a bit to anger Bill, or even draw a heated response from him, but when he reached his breaking point he was a dangerous opponent. When he was sixteen, a bully from the senior class decided to provoke Bill with taunts about his quiet nature. Unable to elicit a response, the young punk decided to push Bill around, all the while spewing epithets concerning Bill's family and his heritage. He never saw the punch that decked him. It caught him flush on the chin and his lights went out immediately. By the time he had picked himself up off the ground, Bill had disappeared along with the bully's audience. After word got around, no one bothered Bill again. Bill was an average-to-above-average student in school. It wasn't because he wasn't smart, but his interests lay in the mechanical world while his studies involved wider subject material. He did fairly well in mathematics because he spent a lot of time on his homework. He passed chemistry with Sandra's help and he did well in physics because he knew it was important to his main interests. He struggled in history, English and Spanish classes. It wasn't for a lack of effort, but it didn't come easily to him and it took all his energies just to pass the required courses. He had one very important thing going for him however, his teachers. Every one of them wanted him to succeed. They saw his effort and dedication and exemplary behavior, and they gave him every opportunity and assistance they could legitimately provide. Bill was the only child of Fred and Violet Orton. They were a happy, middle-class family living on the outskirts of Cambelltown, in a three bedroom brick bungalow with a basement and a detached garage. Fred Orton was an accountant at the local furniture factory and Violet was a stay-at-home mother. They loved their son, Bill, and yet never spoiled him. Fred was also mechanically inclined and an all-around handyman. He encouraged Bill with his interests and was outwardly proud of his son and his accomplishments. He was a highly motivated young man and a diligent worker. He may not have been the quickest, but he was the most thorough and his work seldom, if ever, required correction. The Ortons owned one car until Bill was 17, when he spent most of his savings to purchase a used, mid-sized pick-up truck with a camper shell. A local printer produced 500 single page flyers for Bill, advertising his services as a handyman. Within six months, Bill Orton had successfully combined his school work with his entry into the entrepreneurial world. He was now officially a businessman. Bill's father volunteered to help him with his bookkeeping and tax responsibilities. When Bill graduated from high school, he had an established and profitable business. Bill thought there would come a time to think about expansion. He was working out of the family home and that couldn't go on indefinitely. He discussed his ambitions with his father and handed him his written business plan. His father looked at it and endorsed the concept. It was conservative and very well thought out. As he leaned back in his easy chair, reading his son's prospectus, he was smiling to himself. His son was everything a parent could hope for. If only he could find a way to help him with his personal relationships. Bill was a loner and Fred worried that it would hinder his future happiness. He wasn't sure if Bill had ever even had a date. Fred and Violet met at a local church social. Fred was studying accounting at night school and working in an office during the day. Violet Shepherd was a cashier at the supermarket and had just broken up with her long-time boyfriend who had decided he was going to join the Navy. She had no ambition to live in married quarters on some naval station, waiting who knows how long for her husband to return from sea duty. She wanted a steady, reliable man who would be home for supper every night and would love, protect, and provide for her. She had no unrealistic ambitions. Neither Fred nor Violet would be described as beautiful people. But beauty is, after all, in the eye of the beholder. When they met at the social, they were almost immediately attracted to each other. They sat and talked, and at the end Fred asked Violet for a date. She immediately said yes. They dated for three months before they became intimate. Both of them virgins, it was an awkward union to begin with, but over time they became comfortable with each other and even a bit adventuresome. Eventually, Fred produced a ring and they set a date. They had been married two years when Violet happily announced to Fred that she was pregnant. She quit her job at the supermarket and stayed home awaiting the birth of their first child. All went well until the third trimester when Violet began to have some problems with fatigue and her breathing and was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. Bed rest was ordered and when she finally delivered, it was a healthy son, William Frederick Orton, 7lbs. 9oz. Her doctor advised her against becoming pregnant again. As was the custom at that time, she was referred to a gynecologist, and a hysterectomy was performed. The Ortons' were resigned to being a one child family. Chapter 2: Bill lost his virginity a few weeks before his twenty-first birthday. It didn't happen in a usual or predictable way. It wasn't expected or planned, it just happened. He had been called to the home of Darla and Gordy Therrien. Apparently, there was a problem with the kitchen sink and the garbage disposal unit. Bill had plenty of experience with this type of problem. People were invariably putting silly things down the sink with the mistaken idea that the noisy, thrashing sound would look after it. He was sure this was another jammed machine with bent blades and possibly a burned out motor. If it was both, it wouldn't be worth fixing. He had a couple of spare, sealed motors that might do if they would fit the casing. He would just have to pull it apart and see what was needed. Darla Therrien was about to step into the shower when she heard the doorbell ring. She cursed, thinking that the repair man wouldn't be calling this early, would he? She pulled her robe on over her naked body and walked to the front door, looking through the peep hole first. She didn't recognize the young man, but she could see his truck in the background and she was sure it was young Orton. She opened the door to him. "Good morning, ma'am. I'm Bill Orton. I'm here to see about your kitchen sink." Darla was impressed. He was dressed neatly and he was polite. Surprisingly, he was also quite young. "Come in. I'll show you the problem," she said as she led him to the kitchen. She stepped to the sink and turned the water on. It wasn't draining very much, if at all. She pressed the switch on the disposal unit and all that could be heard was a humming sound. Bill reached around her and turned the machine off. "It's jammed, ma'am. I'll need to take it off and clean it out. Sounds like the motor is OK, so I should be able to repair it." He was smiling at the woman as he reassured her. Darla smiled back at him. "So polite and quite handsome looking too," she thought. It had been a while since Gordy had run off with that skinny floozy, Carlotta. She had been lonely and often horny. She appraised the young repairman as she stood only a few feet away, watching him as he ducked under the sink to begin his work. "This is going to take a bit of time, ma'am. If it's OK, I'll work here on the kitchen table. I have a protective cover so that it doesn't get marked or dirty." "You go ahead ... uh ... Bill is it?" "Yes, ma'am." "I'm Darla ... you don't have to call me ma'am. It makes me feel old," she said, somewhat surprised at her own comment. "Yes, ma'am ... I mean, Darla." He didn't sound very sure of himself. "I'm just going to take my shower. I'll only be a few minutes." Darla Therrien walked down the hallway of the bungalow and turned into the single bathroom, glancing back toward the kitchen before closing the door behind her. She was strangely aroused for 8:30 in the morning. She had been going without the company of a man, her man, for six months, and it was harder than she thought it would be. She took off her robe and looked at herself in the mirror. She was thirty seven years old and her figure could most politely be described as "roly-poly." She was round in every location. Her face was round. Her large breasts were round, although beginning to sag from their own weight. Her belly was round and her butt was two, flawless round mounds. Her thick thighs were smooth and unwrinkled, but they were short, ending in thick knees and strong calves. She was just a little over five feet tall and she felt like she was a human bowling ball. Until Gordy had run off, none of it had mattered. He loved her, and my god was he good in bed. He would light her up like a roman candle when they made love. Her orgasms were fabulous and plentiful. He would bury his face in her breasts and feast on her nipples. And god, could he eat her out. She got wet just thinking about it. But all that was gone now. Their last time together was the night before he left and it was as wonderful as it always was. She had no inkling of what was to happen. The note on the kitchen table the next morning told the whole story in five sentences. She was devastated. She finished her shower and was about to go to her bedroom to change into her usual jeans and t-shirt when she stopped and looked again at herself in the mirror. She put on her robe and walked to the master bedroom and selected her one and only muumuu. It was a souvenir of their vacation in Hawaii a few years ago. Gordy and earned a big bonus and they decided to take "The Vacation of a Lifetime." It was. They spent ten days in the Islands, and nine nights making love. It was wonderful and Darla thought of those ten days often. She removed her robe and, without putting on any underwear, slipped the bright, aquamarine colored garment over her head. She deliberately left the top two large buttons undone. She returned to the kitchen to find Bill sitting at the kitchen table with the garbage disposal unit on the table in front of him. It was in a state of disassembly and there must have been twenty different parts all arranged in some specific order on the table. She leaned over to inspect the inner workings of the unit, thereby giving Bill a close-up view of her breasts if he looked up. He looked up. He first glanced at her face to see what she was looking at and then, as his eyes dropped, he saw the swaying breasts of Darla Therrien less than two feet from his face. "How's it going?" Darla asked innocently. She knew exactly what he could see and the sway of her breasts was deliberately invoked by the movement of her shoulders. The seduction of Bill Orton had begun. "Uhhhh ... fine. Just some fibrous stuff ... jammed in the blades. I can fix it OK." he stammered. He had turned crimson as he desperately sought a way not to look at her breasts. He looked down at the table, but his hands were no longer moving. He was locked in place, uncertain what to think or say or do. "Your taps are leaking," he finally managed. "I'll put in some new washers while I'm here. It'll save me having to come back." "I wouldn't mind if you came back, Bill." She said it with a hint of innuendo that was lost on the young repairman. "It'll save you some money, ma'am ... I mean Darla. It'll only take me five minutes." Bill went back to his work and within a few minutes had reassembled the disposal unit, re-installed it under the sink and replaced the tap washers. A quick test confirmed everything was working properly. "Do you have a girlfriend, Bill?" The question had come out of the blue and Bill was totally unprepared for it. "Ah ... no ... no ... I don't. I guess I've been too busy with my business to find the time." He was clearly uncomfortable. "Well, I don't have a husband any more. I suppose you heard ... he took off with that Carlotta Thurston. I guess he thought she was prettier than me." She couldn't hide the disgust in her voice, and it was directed at Carlotta. "I heard about that." In a small place like Cambelltown, word travels fast. "I'm real sorry. He shouldn't have done that to you." Bill was surprised at how strongly he felt about her loss. He thought Gordy Therrien had made a big mistake. Darla was a nice lady and didn't deserve what happened to her. Darla was also surprised. He had sounded very sincere with his comment and she smiled her thanks to him, all the while leaning over the table once again to give Bill another view of her ample cleavage. Bill was almost hypnotized by the swaying breasts of the buxom woman. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from them. It was noticed immediately by Darla. "Have you ever seen a naked woman, Bill?" It was such an outrageous question that Bill was stunned into silence. "I guess not. You've lived a sheltered life. I can tell from just how polite you are and just how fascinated you are with my boobs. Would you like to see my boobs, Bill? Would you like to touch them? Maybe, kiss them? I bet you would." She was almost taunting him now. She began to pull the Muumuu up over her head, revealing her naked body to Bill. He was shocked into immobility in the kitchen chair, unable to move, watching every part of her body as it was revealed. He truly had never seen a live, nude female before and he was fascinated. She was very round and very feminine, but not in the movie star fashion. Her skin was flawless and unwrinkled and seemed to be stretched tightly over her rotund figure. The hair covering her sex was a different colour and texture from the hair on her head. Darla moved toward Bill and as she came to his side, she held and then pressed her left breast against his lips. Bill's eyes were fixed on her face, but almost involuntarily, he began to suckle at her breast. He could feel the nipple extend and become hard and he used his tongue to lick it, at first gently and then with a bit more intensity. Darla held her breast to his face and began to feel the stirring in her groin as the sensations Bill was creating travelled through her. She smiled at him and he continued to watch her. Finally, she withdrew her breast and exchanged it with the other. Bill needed no encouragement to continue. Darla lifted her leg and straddled Bill in his chair, finally lowering herself onto his lap. Her hands clasped his face and she tilted it up from her breasts to her lips and she began to kiss him deeply and passionately. At first, Bill didn't respond, but it wasn't long before he probed her mouth with his tongue, and his hands began to massage her breasts. He was going on instinct and hoping that he was doing it properly. After an extended period of kissing and fondling, Darla stood and took Bill's hands. Wordlessly, she pulled him up and then turned and led him down the hallway to her bedroom. Bill followed as if he were a child being led to his room. Darla pushed him down on the edge of her bed. She looked fondly at him before she kissed him lightly on the lips. "You're a virgin, aren't you Bill?" He nodded, his eyes wide and fixed on Darla's face. "That's nice. I'm going to teach you everything you need to know about pleasing a lady. When you and I are done, I bet you will be a wonderful lover and some young woman is going to be very happy having captured you." She said it so gently and softly that it sounded like a mother talking to her son, soothing his fears. It was exactly the right thing to do. Bill began to relax a little, but was still very nervous about what was to happen next. Darla began to help Bill remove his clothes. First, his shoes, then shirt, pants, socks and finally, his underwear. Bill was very uncomfortable being naked in the presence of this very insistent woman. He was completely unable to anticipate what might come next. He had decided to leave it all up to Darla and let her guide him. He was excited. He was to become a man this morning and no longer would he feel that he had been left behind. He would be "one of the boys" at last. "Bill, I know this is all new to you and I know you are nervous. I want you to relax and let me show you how you can give and receive pleasure with a woman. I do hope you want me to do this for you. I really do want to, you know." They were reassuring words. Bill nodded and offered a weak "Yes, ma'am ... Darla," as she held his shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. She smiled a broad smile and kissed him lightly on the lips. She began with working her way down his compact body and landing butterfly kisses on his nipples, licking the nipples and causing Bill to react to her actions. She continued on down until she reached his groin and she immediately felt tension in Bill's body. He was unprepared for what Darla had in mind next. She softly grasped his slowly growing erection and began to stroke it. Within seconds, it was even harder and standing straight out as she held it. She looked up at his face and could see the intensity that he felt as he watched her and waited for what was to come next. Darla smiled at him and then bent her head to lick the pre-cum from the glans of his rigid cock. Bill reacted violently as he felt her warm tongue on his private part. His hips snapped upward and he gasped as he experienced this strange, new feeling. "Relax, Bill. You're going to love this, trust me." Her reassuring words helped as he tried to exhale and let his contracted muscles return to normal. It was like waiting for a needle at the doctor's office; only this was the anticipation of pleasure, not pain. He closed his eyes and willed himself to wait and let Darla look after the rest. She smiled to herself as she saw Bill battle his emotions, trying to comprehend these new sensations. Darla returned to her task, and began to lick the length of his cock. It wasn't any longer than normal, but it was definitely much thicker than any she had experienced, including Gordy's prodigious member. But what Gordy had in length, Bill had in girth. She couldn't wait to feel herself stretched around his lovely, young penis. But first, some lessons in foreplay. A Cautious Man Ch. 01-05 She spent several minutes tending to Bill's erection and he was beginning to struggle to keep from erupting. He had masturbated before, but nothing could prepare him for the sensations that were shooting through his entire body as she worked him over with her lips and tongue, licking and sucking and kissing. He was nearing the end of his tether. "Darla ... I can't ..." He never finished the thought as he exploded into her mouth. Darla had been expecting it and was ready for him. He surged several times and each time his hips rose, driving his cock deeper into her mouth. She had smiled inwardly as he lost control and released into her. She looked at his face to see his eyes closed and an intense grimace on his face. It was his first time, but she was sure there would be plenty left for her when he had recovered in a few minutes. She would make certain of it. Young Bill sank back into the bed, breathing heavily and trying to understand just how intense his ejaculation had been. It was all new and he was worried that he had done something he shouldn't have. Darla didn't take him out of her mouth, however. It seemed to be OK with her. He didn't really understand just what she had done, but he did know that he had just had his very first "blow job." As he began to recover, he too was smiling inwardly. It had been very exciting and very rewarding. He wondered if there would be more and what it might be. Darla kissed her way back up his body and lay beside him with her arm across his chest. She wanted to encourage him and she wanted to know how he felt about what he had experienced. "Did you like that, Bill?" "Yah ... it was very ... exciting. I hope you weren't upset. I didn't mean to just go like that. I couldn't stop myself." He was very apologetic. "Nonsense. It was lovely. I wanted you to come in my mouth, Bill. I love making love to your cock. It tastes wonderful and I wanted to give you that pleasure." Darla had become very aroused as she worked on Bill. She hadn't had sex for the six months that Gordy had been gone and she was determined she was going to have sex this morning with Bill Orton, and, if possible, many more times in the future. She was sincere when she told him that she intended to teach him what he needed to know to please a woman, and she would be one of the beneficiaries. There was no time like the present. "Bill, there's something that you can do for me." "What's that, Darla?" "What we just did ... I want you to do that for me. I'll show you how you can do for me what I did for you. Would you like that?" "Yes ... I want you to enjoy this too. I want you to teach me how I can make you feel just like I did." "I want to show you something," Darla said, sitting up. She spread her legs to display herself to her young apprentice. "This is my private place. It has outer lips and it has inner lips and down here is my vagina. That's where that lovely cock of yours will go." She had used her little fingers to display her labia and the entrance to her sex. "Here at the top, is a little, tiny thing called a clitoris. It is very sensitive and it can make me come if you touch it just right." She looked up at Bill and his eyes were riveted on her hands and her now-wet pussy. "I want you to make love to my pussy just like I made love to your cock. I want you to use your lips and tongue, your fingers and even, sometimes, very gently, your teeth. I will tell you what I like, and that will help you give me an orgasm just like yours." Bill just nodded in fascination with what she was suggesting. She wanted him to lick and kiss and touch her private parts and he was anxious to please her. Darla lay back on the bed and reached for him with her hands. He lowered himself onto her and kissed her lips and massaged her breasts. He gathered his courage and began to move down her body toward her pussy and was bestowing kisses on her rounded body as he went. He was intoxicated by her taste, and, as he approached his target, the scent she was exuding as well. It was musky and he thought this must be the scent of arousal. He tentatively stuck his tongue out and just barely touched her labia, waiting to see her reaction. When nothing happened, he slowly began to move the tip of his tongue along the pink slit in her body. "You don't have to be too gentle, Bill," she said, propping herself up to watch him. "Drag the top of your tongue along my slit and try and push in between the folds. I'll help you," she said, moving her hands to her inner thighs. Thus began Bill's introduction into oral sex and the giving of pleasure to his partner. They spent at least a half hour and Darla experienced her first orgasm in months as Bill proved to be a quick and enthusiastic student. It was time for the big event. She wanted his thick, powerful member inside her and she was very ready. She grasped Bill's erection and began to stroke it. Within a minute he responded, and he was hard and ready for her. She pushed him onto his back and straddled him. He watched in fascination as she guided his cock into her and she slowly began to take him inside her body. It was a sensation like no other he had experienced. She was tight and he could feel every bit of her as he was slowly drawn inside her. He had nothing to do but allow her to ride him. It was a wonderful feeling. His earlier ejaculation would help him hang on longer and Darla was now lost in her own world. She was driving herself toward an orgasm and she was almost oblivious to Bill's presence other than the wonderful sensation of his cock stretching and filling her so completely. "Oh, Bill ... I've been waiting so long. Oh ... this feels perfect." Her eyes were closed and she was virtually dancing on him as she rushed toward her climax. Bill watched in fascination as her breasts bounced all over her chest and she continued her uninhibited dash toward satisfaction. She ended it with a gasp and a small cry of pleasure as the orgasm swept over her. Bill was still rigid inside her and was secretly pleased that he was still "alive" and ready for more. There was so much more to learn. Bill left Darla Therrien's home just after one o'clock that afternoon. They had spent most of the remaining morning hours in her bed, deeply involved in his education. When he was spent and Darla was more than sated, they showered together, dried each other, dressed and shared some sandwiches that Darla made. Bill had completely forgotten to charge Darla for the repair job, but when he did remember, he felt he had been paid in a much more significant manner. He was dizzy with his newfound experiences and had been quick to agree to visit Darla in the evenings when he could get away. Darla watched Bill leave the house that afternoon and cracked a smile of satisfaction. Young Bill was going to be a formidable lover when he learned all that Darla had to teach him. He was patient, considerate and just as anxious to please his partner as he was to find pleasure for himself. He was still cautious with his moves as he was unsure of himself, but he had great potential. Darla was feeling very good about her new lover. She would show Gordy that he wasn't the only great swordsman in town. Chapter 3: In the weeks that followed, Bill and Darla had become frequent bedmates. Bill would visit at least twice a week in the evenings and occasionally on Saturdays. He would not call on her on Sunday, it just didn't seem right. After all, she was still legally married to Gordy. Bill was a regular church attendee, and felt his pastor wouldn't approve. It was twisted logic, he supposed, but it was his logic. For her part, Darla reveled in Bill's tender yet powerful lovemaking. It wasn't just sex, it was lovemaking. He was anxious to learn everything that Darla wanted and gradually they tried almost everything. Darla had no enthusiasm for anal sex and that certainly didn't disappoint Bill. She explained what it was and that some women enjoyed it, but not her. Bill found the idea mildly revolting, but since it wasn't an issue between them, he didn't worry about it. For their time together, neither Bill nor Darla would ever be less than satisfied with their union. Bill's expansion plan had been percolating for over a year when he found the combination he was looking for. It was an older shop, about 900 square feet, with a small apartment above it. It was perfect for his needs. It gave him a work station, a storage area and a living space. He could finally move out of his parents' home and take the collection of parts and pieces that occupied half their basement with him. The rent was quite low because it wasn't in the best part of town, but that was unimportant to the running of the business. Bill spent almost a month moving his supplies and tools and cleaning both the apartment and the shop. It had been used as a warehouse for a local furniture dealer who had finally decided to move to larger and cleaner quarters. The living space had been unused for years. Apparently, the building had originally been a beauty salon and the owner lived above the store, just as Bill planned to do. Bill's mother and father helped enormously with the move and the cleaning, painting and finding of furniture for the apartment. It wasn't that they were anxious to see Bill go, but they knew this day would come sooner rather than later and they wanted him to have the nicest place possible. By the time the three of them were finished, Bill had an efficient shop and a workspace with plenty of racking and storage bins. The apartment was freshly painted, spotless and bright with a refurbished stove, fridge, washing machine, and dryer. The furniture was modest and nondescript, but clean and sturdy. Every single item was used and in the case of the appliances, rebuilt by Bill himself. Bill moved in and immediately invited his parents for dinner on the first Sunday night. He had taught himself to cook, and while he was not chef quality, he was quite efficient and reasonably skilled. He chose the traditional Sunday pot roast for his first meal, and both his parents complimented him on it. His new life had begun and he was pleased with the change. He had his own business, his own apartment, and most importantly, he had Darla. Chapter 4: Bill picked up the phone on the second ring with his customary business greeting. "Hello, Bill's Repairs, Bill speaking." . "Hi Bill, it's me." "Hi Darla, how are you. I was thinking of you. Can I come over tomorrow night?" he said in a quiet voice. "Uhhhh ... Bill ... that's what I called about." She sounded uncertain, perhaps even unhappy. "Darla, what's wrong? I can hear it in your voice." "Bill ... I don't know how to tell you this ... but ... Gordy's back." There was a silence following her shattering statement. "Oh." It was all he could manage. He knew instantly the consequence of those two words. "You knew I always thought he would come back, didn't you Bill. We talked about it. We knew what it would mean ... to us," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "Yes ... yes ... I knew." He paused for a minute. When Darla remained silent he spoke. "I'm happy for you, Darla. I know it's what you wanted. I'm happy for you." He was sincere, even though his stomach was churning and he was suffering the emptiest feeling he had ever felt. "Thank you, Bill. I won't forget what we had. I will never tell Gordy, but you were what kept me alive these last few weeks. I was dying without him and you saved me. I won't forget that." "I won't forget you either, Darla. I couldn't if I wanted to. You taught me everything about being a man." He meant what he said. She had been as important to him as he had been to her. They fed on each other and sustained each other. In their own way, they were in love, even though they both knew it could never come to anything. "You already were a man, Bill. I just helped you find a way to show it. I know you are going to find a good woman someday soon and you are going to make her very happy. I just know it." "Are you going to be OK, Darla? I mean, you and Gordy? Is he going to stay this time?" "Yah ... he's back for good. He learned a very hard lesson. Carlotta just wanted him as her servant. She didn't give, she just took. He knew almost right away he had made a mistake. He told me that last night. He's been on his own for months after he left her. He just didn't have the courage to call me and admit he was stupid and made a bad mistake. He didn't think I'd forgive him. Just goes to show you, he didn't really understand me or her." "That's good, Darla. That's good. I would be very unhappy if he hurt you again. You don't deserve that. You never did. Besides my parents, you are the most loving person I know." "Stop it, Bill. You're making me cry. I don't want to cry about us. It was wonderful and I want to remember it that way." The tears had come despite her protest. Bill could hear her sobs on the phone. "I wish you well, Darla. If you ever need anything ... anything at all, you know you can call me ... anytime." It was a sincere offer, but one filled with regret. "I know. I have to go now. Take care, Bill. I love you." And with that she was gone. Chapter 5: While Bill's business thrived, his personal life was dormant. He was having a hard time with the loss of Darla. He hadn't realized just how much she had meant to him. Now she was back with Gordy. Part of him wished Gordy would go away again and the other part was happy that Darla was whole again. At first, he had no interest in women. He buried himself in his work and in building his business. But after a few weeks, he began to think about the sex and the comfort and the satisfaction he had with Darla and he knew he wanted to find someone else. Someone just like Darla. Bill never knew that his father had stumbled onto his relationship with Darla. It was quite by accident, a casual remark by a business associate about seeing Bill at the Therrien house frequently. Fred's friend's wife was the prototypical nosey neighbor and was constantly reporting on the comings and goings at the homes within her viewing area. She quickly sussed out the nature of Darla and Bill's relationship and had dutifully reported it to her husband. She had known about the separation of the Therriens and was not surprised that Darla had taken a lover. She knew from her previous snooping that Darla and her husband had an active and passionate love life. In the summer, when the windows were open, she could sometimes hear them "going at it," as she put it. Fred was at first surprised at his son's liaison with Mrs. Therrien, but the more he thought about it, the less inclined he was to interfere. He chose not to burden Violet with the discovery. It would only cause her to worry about Bill and fret about the possible damage to his reputation. Their son was a man now and he was entitled to have a relationship with whomever he chose, providing it did not hurt anyone else. In this case, her husband had abandoned her, leaving her free to pursue her own affair. He couldn't detect any negative effect on Bill, and decided to say nothing. What did attract his attention later on was the somewhat subtle change in Bill's attitude not long after he moved into his new quarters. He seemed less upbeat and more absorbed in his work. When he learned that the Therriens were back together again, he realized the cause. He wanted to comfort his son, but he didn't know how. He could only hope that he would find someone else to be with. It was far too easy for Bill to be a loner. Bill's shop was open from 8am to 5pm on weekdays and 8am to 12noon on Saturdays. It had become his father's custom to drop by just before closing on Saturday and bring some deli sandwiches and a couple of bottles of beer and they would talk about whatever came up. Fred decided to try and bring Bill out on the subject of women and see if he couldn't encourage him to socialize more. "Bill, have you had a date lately?" It was a topic his father had never raised before and it caught his son off-guard. "Uhhhh ... no ... not lately. Why do you ask?" He was guarded in his answer. Did he know about Darla? Why was he interested in his personal life? It wasn't like him. "You're almost twenty two and you haven't developed a personal relationship with any of the girls in your age group. I was just wondering why." It was a carefully crafted truth. "I dunno. Just not travelling in their circles I guess. Some of them seem pretty ... immature." The double meaning wasn't lost on either man. "I met your mother at a church social. It was a nice place to go and meet people. You never know. You might meet someone there. I was pretty lucky, you know," he said with a smile. "Yah ... you sure were," Bill smiled in return. "I'll give it some thought. There's another one coming up in a couple of weeks, so I'll see if I can find the time." "Good ... it's good to get out. Don't bury yourself in your work all the time. There's more to this world than work," his father said seriously. "I like my work, Dad. I don't find it boring or stressful. I like what I do. I get a lot of satisfaction from fixing things and making them work again." "Yah ... I know what you mean. I'm glad you enjoy what you do, but ... like I say ... there's more to life than work." The two men continued their lunch and the conversation shifted to more day-to-day topics. But Bill had to agree with his father. He needed to get out and find out what the rest of the world was doing. Most of all, he needed to find someone to share it with. To be continued ...