6 comments/ 23470 views/ 9 favorites Rose Tattoo By: thornapple By Philip Johnson Chapter One "Mister Montgomery, Mister Camden's secretary is on line one." "Thanks Millie." I picked up the phone and said, "Hi Jean, this is Barry." "Hi. Mister Camden would like to see you if you have a minute." "I always have a minute for the boss. I'll be there shortly." "Thank you, I'll tell him." I went out and told Millie where I was going and went upstairs. I went straight to his office and knocked as I entered. "Morning, Barry." "Morning, Abe." "Have a seat. Coffee?" "No, but thank you." "Can you make a place on your calendar to go with me to North Carolina?" "Of course." "There are two furniture manufacturers there that I'd like to talk to, so needless to say as our materials manager I'd like you closely involved." "Sounds interesting." "I have a DVD from each company that gives us a nice overview of their operation and I'll send those with you to review before we go." "Thanks, what kind of time frame?" "Can you pack and be ready by Thursday?" "Sure." "I'll meet you at the airport at the Delta counter at nine." "I'll be there." "Anything special you'd like me to have along?" "No, just the usual stats." "I'll be ready." "If you'd like to take a couple days off ahead of time, I certainly don't mind because we may stay through Saturday and golf a few rounds with the CEO's of the companies." "It's a tough life, but I'll survive." Abe laughed said, "Get out of here and go practice your swing or something. I'll see you at the airport" and that was the end of our little meeting. I took him up on his offer and after finishing a couple of small tasks, I told Millie I was leaving and wouldn't be back until next Monday. I was just home when I decided that I didn't want to go anyplace or do any chores around the house. My choice for the remainder of the afternoon was a cold beer and a lounge chair in the backyard with my book in hand. I made it through one chapter of my book and half way through my beer before I dozed off. Somewhere in the fog of my sleep, I heard a noise and woke up to find my neighbor home in the middle of the afternoon. I could just see her over the fence and called out, "Hey Kara, are you playing hooky from work?" "Hi Barry, I could ask you the same question." "I'm legal. I have to go to North Carolina Thursday." "I'm legal too, I have to work the weekend." "Sorry about that." "I don't mind. I volunteered actually so somebody else could get the time off." "That's nice of you." She came over to the fence and looked at me half lying there in my shorts and smiled. "Now don't you look comfortable." "It isn't bad. How's Burt?" "He's fine. You still seeing Lynn?" "I think so. When she finds out I'll be out of town again she won't be any too happy." "I'm sure you're not too happy about it either though." "Not at all. I just wish she was that understanding." "Well, good luck telling her." "Thanks." Kara gave me a wave and went inside and left me to dump my warm beer and try my book once more. Once I knew that Lynn would likely be home, I called her and told her about my trip with my boss, she was well short of being understanding. "Damn it Lynn, I don't really want to go either, but it's part of my job. I like my job and I like my boss so that's just the way it is." "But the last time this happened you said you'd tell them no." "I said no such thing. That's a good way for me to lose my job." "But we were going to go to that resort for the weekend." "We can still do that, but it will just have to be another weekend." When I finally hung up I felt tired. She was getting more demanding, or I was getting more impatient with her, I wasn't sure which it was. I met Abe at the airport and we were soon in the air. It would take us less than two hours to get to Raleigh, but it was another hour and a half drive to get to the Radisson at High Point. Abe and I weren't exactly friends, but we got along well and he always treated me very well. The two of us had been through junkets like this before, so I had a good idea how it would go and what he expected of me. There was no real tension or preparation to be done on our part. It would be up to the two companies to sell us on their products and abilities to meet our needs. What I would have to provide were numbers. How many of this or that unit and our delivery needs. One thing we didn't want was a lot of inventory sitting around. We picked up our car at the Raleigh airport and headed west with me behind the wheel. Once we were clear of town, both of us relaxed and settled in for the drive. When we had taken off from Indianapolis, Abe and I had talked about a little bit of everything except business. There would be time and need to do that later. Now as we rolled down the road headed west he asked me, "You are still unattached aren't you?" "Yes I am." "Lucky you." All I could do was laugh. I'd met his wife, and though she seemed nice enough, she struck me as cold or maybe just lacking emotion, either good or bad. All in all not a very exciting person to be around. "Were you ever married, Barry?" "No, I never was." "Do you think you could ever have an affair if you were?" "That's a tough one. I don't know if I could or not. I guess there are circumstances where an affair could be justified. I mean, hell I'm too busy taking care of myself, to be worrying about what somebody else is doing." "So you don't look down on someone if they cheat on their spouse." "No, it's none of my business, if it works for them then okay. If they get caught at it then, those are the risks one takes when they play around." "There are just so damn many desirable women in this world." "Isn't that the truth." Was he trying to test me or was he having an affair? This trip could be interesting. We had separate, but adjoining rooms at the Radisson and took our time getting settled. We went down for dinner, and while we waited to be seated, a very attractive brunette about Abe's age came up and kissed him on the cheek. "Hi love," Abe said as he smiled at her. "Barry, this is Melinda a very good friend of mine." "Nice to meet you Melinda, I hope you'll be joining us for dinner." "Yes, if you don't mind." "Of course not." Okay, now I knew why he was playing twenty questions on the drive over. Old Abe was indeed having an affair. Miss Melinda was quite a good looking woman, and certainly had more spark than his wife ever displayed, at least when I was around her. Like I told Abe earlier, it was none of my business. After dinner I stayed long enough to have one drink with them and then excused myself. They didn't need me around and I felt like a fifth wheel, so I went back to my room and watched television and went over statistics on my laptop. I didn't really need to do that, but it gave me something to do and it couldn't hurt. Friday morning, Abe and I drove over to Furniture Expressions and met with them. We were given a tour of their facility and then went back to their conference room and talked business, and most of the time I sat there, and listened, and made a few notes, adding technical data where and when it was needed. We were finished there by half past eleven, and went to lunch before going to Oak Creations at one thirty for another tour and another meeting. When that was over, Abe and I went back to the Radisson and talked about our impressions of both companies, in size, capabilities, and quality of product. It would be Abe's decision, but he respected my input to the extent that I felt free to speak my mind. By the time we had finished with all of that it was seven o'clock, and went down to dinner. "Will Melinda be joining us this evening?" "No, I'll be meeting her a little later." "She is a very attractive woman and I was most impressed with her." "Thank you, I'll be sure to tell her you said that." We had dinner and over coffee Abe said, "Barry, you've said how you feel about situations like what Melinda and I have and thank you for that. It isn't the lifestyle that I'd prefer, but for the time being at least a little discretion is required." "I understand. It's like I said before, whatever works for you." "Will you be ready for an eight o'clock tee time tomorrow?" "Sure. I think I'll have breakfast in my room though, so I'll be sure to be ready in time." "Good idea." We walked out together, but at the lobby I went upstairs and he went out the front door no doubt to meet Melinda. Chapter Two Saturday morning was golf with the president of Furniture Expressions, followed by lunch, and then we golfed with the president of Oak Creations in the afternoon. It was a very pleasant day, and not surprisingly, as much business was done on the course as there was done in those conference rooms. By the time we left, we had a pretty good idea of what we were going to do. Our trip home on Sunday morning was quiet and both of us nodded off as we flew west, and by the time I got home, I was tired and took a nap as soon as I went inside. An hour later I fixed myself a light meal and went out to my patio to enjoy what was left of the day's warmth. I didn't see Kara, but I heard her move so I eased over to the fence and called to her. I could always count on a nice smile from her and this time was no exception. "Hi Kara." "Barry, you're home from your trip." "Got in an hour or so ago. You done with your weekend shift?" "Yes, thank God. You have a good trip?" "I did. We accomplished a lot and even squeezed in a couple rounds of golf." "Good for you." "Is Burt around?" "In a way, we had cocktails with a couple we know, and he didn't stop in time so he's sleeping it off." "That boy is a glutton for punishment." "Both from the booze and from me." "Uh oh." "How did Lynn take you being out of town?" "Not very well at all. I thought about it while I was gone and I think I'm going to have to make a change." "I'm sorry it's come to that." "I think I knew it before, but just didn't do anything about it." "There's a special woman out there just waiting for you." "I hope you're right. I guess I better go call Lynn and get it over with." "Good luck, Barry." "Thanks." I called Lynn and told her, "I'm home." "And?" "And what?" "Did you work?" "What kind of question is that? That's what I went out there for. So you think I went out there for a vacation is that it?" "I don't know." "You do know because I told you. What you just did was call me a liar. Lynn I don't want to try anymore. I'm calling it quits." "Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" "No, actually that isn't it. I just tired of you," and I hung up. All I could think of was screw her. I went from mad to sad to relieved. By the time I went to bed, I felt better for having severed my ties with her. Monday, I spent a good part of the morning meeting with Abe and our accountant, and worked up a couple of ways we might want to go. By four in the afternoon, I had written up what I thought we should do, and explained my reasoning and left if for Abe to review. Tuesday morning he called me upstairs and we spent another couple of hours working on details, and then he was going to talk to Ralph Delmar at Furniture Expressions. My part was done for the time being. Tuesday evening, I did my laundry and decided what the hell and threw in what I was wearing too. I wasn't expecting company, so like most evenings I had dinner and watched the evening news while I finished my coffee, except this time I was in the nude. By bed time I'd washed and dried my laundry and ironed the few pieces that needed it. Wednesday after work, I finally saw Burt as he dragged the trash cans to his backyard as I was doing the same thing. I looked over and said, "The glories of home ownership, we get to hose out the trash cans." "It's one of our more pleasant tasks." I put down my hose and leaned against the fence. "I hear you had a pretty good time yesterday for a while." He continued spraying his trash can and answered, "Yeah, I did." "Kara didn't seem too pleased with you." He made a face and shook his head. "No, she wasn't in a very pleasant state you might say." I just smiled and shook my head. It was like Abe's affair. It was none of my business, except I really thought a lot of the two of them, especially Kara, and I hated to see them having trouble over booze. I just waved at him as I returned to my chores too. The next time I saw either of my neighbors it was Kara and I was using crutches. "Barry, what happened to you?" "Well, you know how I have to go down one step from the kitchen to the garage?" "Yes." "Yeah well, I guess I forgot it was there." "Ouch. Did you break anything?" "No just a sprain, but the doc wants me to stay off of it for a few days." "Can I do anything for you?" I paused and gave her my best innocent smile. "Well you could come over and wipe my brow and see to my needs." She just laughed. "I guess that's a no then, but it was worth a try." "Now seriously do you need anything?" "No, I'm fine. I'm going to order a pizza because I don't feel like hopping around the kitchen to cook." "I'll bring you dinner." "That isn't necessary I'll be fine." "No, I insist. You can have pizza tomorrow night when I'm not here to cook for you." "How can I say no to your cooking?" Within an hour Kara was in my kitchen and serving me dinner. She stayed and had coffee with me while I ate and we talked. When I was almost done I stopped for a second and said, "Kara are you okay? You seem quiet, introspective maybe." "Do I? I feel fine." "I'm glad." "Maybe I'm just a little tired." "Maybe that's it." "Thanks for worrying about me though." "This was a wonderful dinner and I can't thank you enough." "You're welcome." She even cleaned everything up and then used the kitchen towel and patted my forehead and smiled. Then she bent down and kissed it and said, "See I know how to take care of you." I had to return her smile as I said, "You certainly do." My ankle healed quickly in the coming days and I was soon hobbling around pretty well, and within a week I was almost back to normal. By Monday, I was back to my old routine of watching television while I had breakfast and the evening news while I had dinner and that was about all the TV I watched as a rule. I didn't see Kara or Burt for several days, which wasn't all that unusual and I didn't give in another thought. The morning news on TV talked about a motorcyclist that was hit by a car, and they showed what was left of the bike while they told the story. The driver of the car was arrested because they found drugs in the car. Then they talked about a one car accident where one person died and the passenger was in serious condition. Again they showed the footage and you could just about tell it had been a car at one time and that it had been a black one. Other than that it was just a mangled mass of metal. For whatever reason, the car had veered into a cement bridge abutment at a high rate of speed. All they said was the accident was under investigation. Shortly after I got to work we received our first shipment from Furniture Expressions, so I spent the morning in receiving going over everything with a fine toothed comb. Everything seemed in order, so I finally left and spent the rest of the day getting caught up on a whole laundry list of minor things that I had been neglecting. It was a good day and I went home in good spirits. I didn't feel like cooking, so I stopped at the deli and came home with a huge sandwich and a couple of salads. Not healthy, but very tasty. At least I ordered whole wheat bread. I was done with dinner before the news came on so I dropped onto the couch and turned on the TV. After the commercial break, they went through the national news highlights and then went into the local news. They showed the mangled car again and said the passenger was in the hospital and still in serious condition but was stable and then they released the names of the victims: Burt and Kara Whitt. I almost dropped my soda. They didn't say which one was in the hospital for what seemed a long time, but then they said that Kara, the passenger was expected to recover. I just dropped back against the couch and stared at the television like I could will it to tell me more. It didn't take me ten minutes before I was on my way to the hospital to see Kara. Chapter Three Her room was on the fourth floor and when I got there I paused at the door. I was afraid of what I was going to see. The car was so totally destroyed she had to be pretty badly busted up. I took a deep breath and tried to will myself to be strong as I tapped softly on the door. "Come in." I eased the door open and saw a young woman that I didn't know sitting in a chair. I didn't know for sure if I even had the right room. I could see the foot of the bed as I entered, and as I continued in I looked around the corner and saw her lying there with her head elevated a little. The strange woman stood up and put out her hand and said, "I'm Nancy, Kara's older sister." "Nice to meet you Nancy, I'm Barry." "I thought you might be." I looked over at Kara and could tell it was her, but she was an awful sight. She was awake but her face was so swollen that if she was smiling I couldn't tell it. "Hi, beautiful." I had to lean down a little to understand her, but she managed to say, "Hi, Barry." "I just learned about all of this and I came as fast as I could." "I've been sleeping a lot so you didn't miss anything." "I won't stay, but I had to come see you for a minute. I'll come back though I promise. If there is anything I can do for you just say the word. I know you already know that, but I just want to remind you." "Thank you, Barry." I turned to Nancy and said, "That goes for you too. If you need anything just call." "Thank you." Kara's lips were so swollen I had to guess at some of the words, but I got the general idea of what she was saying. I leaned over and gently kissed the only spot that I could see that wasn't bruised and that was high on her forehead. "I'll be back tomorrow night." "Thanks for coming." "I'm sorry for your loss Kara." "Thank you." When I left I was rattled, and yet I was amazed that she looked as good as she did. How she survived at all was a mystery, and to survive as well as it appeared, she did was a miracle. I'd ask her about her injuries when she could talk a little better. I went home and mowed and trimmed her yard. I still couldn't believe Burt was dead. After I left the office on Wednesday, I went straight to the hospital to see Kara. When I went in, she was sitting up a little more but was asleep, so I quietly sat down just watched her for a time. Needless to say her face was still a mass of bruises, but the swelling seemed just a little better. Either that or I was just getting used to the idea. The nurse came in and checked her I.V., smiled at me, and slipped out, but Kara still woke up. When she saw me, she did her best to smile as I scooted my chair closer to her bedside. "Hi, neighbor." "Hi, beautiful." "I don't feel beautiful that's for sure." "I just look past the blue and yellow shades of your bruises and see the real you. How are you feeling?" "About the same I guess but a little less pain." "The swelling around your face seems better today." "Does it?" "It does and you can talk a little better." "I'm glad for that." "Does it hurt to talk?" "No, just to breathe deep, cough, sneeze, and move." "Oh, is that all?" "How bad were you hurt or would you rather not talk about it?" Rose Tattoo "I don't mind. I'm not sure I can remember what the doctor said. I have what he called a small fracture above my left ankle, my left wrist is broken, I have cuts, sutures, and bruises everywhere, and I have I think he said six rib fractures." I didn't know what to say except, "Considering what was left of the car, you are very lucky." "I know." "Have you seen what's left of it?" "Yes, Nancy showed me." "Do you know what happened?" She looked up at the ceiling and paused, so I added, "If you'd rather not talk about, it that's okay." "No, I don't mind. As you know Burt and I always rode to work together." "Yes, I remember." "I think you know he had a drinking problem." "Yes, or at least I was pretty sure he did." "On top of that, I found out he was having an affair. Anyway, on the way to work we got into an ugly argument, the worst argument we'd ever had in fact. I remember him suddenly stomping on the accelerator and we took off. I don't know how fast we were going, but it was fast and it scared me. Then he veered into the cement at the bridge. That's the last I remember until I woke up in the emergency room. Apparently his side of the car took the brunt of the impact." I was stunned. Was he trying to kill Kara or both of them? "Kara, I don't know what to say." "I know, I still can't believe it myself." "I'm so sorry about Burt." "Thanks but right now I'm so full of hate and hurt, I'm not even grieving for him." "I'm sorry I brought up such a sad memory." "It's still on my mind almost constantly, so don't worry about it." I wanted to change the subject so I told her, "I mowed and trimmed your lawn and I'm keeping an eye on your place, so don't worry about any of that." "I didn't even think about that, thank you." "You're welcome." "There is one more thing you could do for me if you would." "Just name it." "Get my key from Nancy and empty the refrigerator. It's going to be a few weeks before I can be home again." "I'll take care of it. Are you expecting her this evening?" Before she could answer from behind me I heard, "Yes, she is" and Nancy was standing there smiling. "Hi, I didn't even see you come in." "I could tell." I stood up and said, "I'll go and let you two visit." Nancy handed me the key and I leaned down and kissed Kara's forehead again and just said softly, "Keep getting better, I want to see you home again." "So do I." Nancy gave me a light hug and said, "Thanks for coming up and thanks for taking care of the fridge." "Not a problem." I gave Kara one last look, smiled and left. I went home still in a state of shock over what had happened. In a way, I felt sorry for Burt too. He was fighting some demons that I wasn't aware of. His drinking problem was worse than I had ever guessed, and the affair thing shocked me. He couldn't have asked for a better partner in life than Kara. No doubt he objected to her giving him hell for his frequent drinking excesses. I went home and let myself into her house. It seemed strange to be in there with them not home. I emptied the fridge and took the contents home with me, and kept some things and threw out the rest. Within a few days her facial swelling was almost gone, but it would take a lot longer for the bruises to disappear. Her stitches were removed after a week, but her broken ribs continued to cause her a lot of pain. It had been ten days since the accident when I went up to see her the next time, and she was sitting up a little straighter in bed and eating. She gave me one of her best smiles and I said, "Don't let me interfere, we can talk later." "I'll be done in a minute." When she pushed her bedside table away I moved it away from the bed. "Barry, I'm being discharged tomorrow." "How can that be?" "Well, there really isn't a lot more they can do for me. It's just a matter of a lot of time and healing now." "But, you can't take care of yourself." "No, that's for sure. I'm staying with Nancy for at least a couple of weeks, maybe more." "Do you feel ready for that?" "I don't know, but I think so. It's poor Nancy that I'm not sure about. She is more than willing to do it, but I never saw her as good nurse material, and I'll still be high maintenance for a while." "Of course, are you even getting out of bed?" "I just started, but it hurts like hell. My ankle doesn't hurt much, and I'm getting along with my wrist, but I guess I must have sprained my knee or something, because it hurts, and of course my ribs are giving me fits." "I've had broken ribs, so I know what you mean." "They're going to get me up and have me sit in that side chair in the morning before my discharge, and show me how I can make it a little less painful." I took her hand in mine and looked at her as I asked, "Do you think you're ready for this?" "I think so. Barry, it hurts no matter what. At least I'll be at Nancy's, and not in the hospital anymore." "I wish I could do more for you, but I just don't know what it would be." "I'll be okay, but it means a lot knowing you're there if I need you. Thank you for worrying about me. You'll have to step out though I have to use the bedpan." "I'll leave then and let you rest." "You will come see me at Nancy's won't you? "Of course I will. I'll wait until you're settled at her place, but I'll be there and probably drive Nancy nuts." Once again I kissed her forehead, but then I leaned down and gently kissed her puffy lips. "Take care and I'll see you in a couple of days." "Bye Barry, and thanks coming in." Chapter Four On Thursday after I left the office, I went over to the Northeastwood shopping center and bought two flower arrangements, one for Kara and one for Nancy, for being the nurse, and then called to let them know I was coming. Getting to Nancy's for the first time, I managed to make the wrong turn and went far out of my way, but I finally arrived there. When Nancy opened the door I handed flowers to her and said, "This is for the nurse." "Thank you Barry, that's so nice of you, come in." I followed her to the living room where she had Kara settled in the easy chair with pillows around her. I set the other flowers down next to her and then sitting close to her said, "I feel very bad that I didn't get you these a lot sooner. I apologize." "Thank you, you didn't have to do that." "I wanted to. You look much better today." "I feel better. Of course I'm full of pain medications too." "Whatever it takes, it's good to see you up instead of in bed too." "It feels good, but you should have seen what it took to get me here." "I'm sure." I turned to Nancy and asked her, "Is there anything I can do for you nurse? I could go buy dinner so you don't have to cook for example." "Thank you, but we're set. When I knew Kara was being discharged, I cooked up a few meals ahead and froze them. Would you like to stay for dinner?" "No, thank you it's a little early for me. My schedule is a little out of whack today." "Bad day?" "Not really but I didn't get to lunch until after two." I didn't stay a long time because it was easy to see that Kara was still pretty uncomfortable, and I was afraid she was trying to put on a good face for my benefit. That alone is tiring. I kissed Kara gently again, and told her I'd be back to see her in a couple of days. Nancy walked me out and gave me a nice hug and then kissed me too. "Thank you for the flowers, Barry." "My pleasure. I keep thinking there is something I can do for you, but I'm at a loss to think of it." "We're doing pretty well all things considered, but I promise I'll call you if I need anything at all." "I hope so." I gave her another hug and said, "If I'd known that Kara had such an attractive sister, I would have been bugging you a lot sooner." She smiled and watched me get in the car and leave. I went to Nancy's two days later and could see the progress that Kara was making. Her swelling was almost gone now and I told her, "I see a sparkle in your eyes that I haven't seen for a very long time." "I'm feeling so much better. It won't be long and I'll be able to be home again." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nancy smile and silently clap her hands. The three of us talked for a while, but I knew it was time for dinner so I put my hands on each side of Kara's face and kissed her. "It will be good to see you home again." Her ribs were healing nicely and she gave me a cautious hug and a smile. Once again Nancy walked me out and we shared an embrace too and then a kiss. "You know Nancy I could get used to this." She just smiled and patted my cheek. I was home no more than half an hour when Nancy called and said, "Barry, I forgot something. I was going to have you get all of Burt's things out of the house if you would." "Of course, I guess I should have kept the house key then. "I guess. Could I bring it over to you?" "Of course, but I'll come get it if that would help." "No, I need to get out of the house for a bit. My neighbor will come over if Kara needs anything." "I'll put the coffee on." "Got anything stronger?" "I'll see what I can do." "See you in half an hour." Nancy pulled in and when I met her at the door I was treated to a warm hug and a kiss. I led her to the kitchen and showed her what I had to offer and she poured herself a couple of fingers of scotch. "Thank you lover, I need this." "It isn't easy being a nurse." "Tell me about it." "Kara bugging you?" "She's been so sweet, but I'm just not used to having somebody living with me, at least not for that long." "How much longer do you think it will be?" "At least another week would be my guess." "I'm sure she's ready to get on with her life too." "She's getting pretty restless. Her ribs feel just good enough that she overdoes it, and then she hurts like sin." Chapter Five We talked about Burt for a few minutes, and she was as surprised as I was about the affair. She handed me the key again, and I asked her, "So what is it you want me to do?" "Strip the house of anything that reminds her of him. Clothes, shoes, photos, whatever you see." "That won't take long." "No, probably not." "If I find anything I'm not sure about I'll put it aside and ask you." "Okay. In fact call me anyway and I'll pretend that you need me." "I'll do it Saturday morning, so I'll call you by noon." "Great." I walked her to the door and we shared an embrace again. "You look so much like Kara, but I'm pretty sure you aren't twins." "No, we're a year apart." "Two pretty girls in the same household. I'll bet your dad lay awake at night worrying." "I'd like to say we were angels, but that would be stretching it, especially me." "Somehow I'm not surprised." She smiled and kissed my cheek. "See you Saturday, handsome." "See ya." After breakfast Saturday morning, I pulled out a few large black plastic bags and went next door. Once again, as I let myself in I felt like I was breaking the law. The first and most obvious thing to do was to empty closets. I pulled out everything from his closet and put them on the bed, and then more or less folded things as I put them in the bags. It took a while, because he had quite a wardrobe. I double checked the closet shelves and then the chest of drawers. I emptied the drawers of his things and put them into a bag too. That left the triple dresser. For whatever reason, I always used the right hand drawers for my underwear and such so that was my guess for Burt. Of course, I had to be wrong and was soon looking at a large drawer full of Kara's panties and bras. I just stood there smiling to myself and wondered what she would say or think if she knew what I was doing right then. I couldn't resist touching them for a second and then closed the drawer and moved to the left ones. I dumped the top drawer on the bed, and then did the same with the middle drawer. When I opened the bottom one it had a lot of miscellaneous junk in it. I left that for the moment, and bagged the contents from the bed and then went back to the junk drawer. Most of what I found didn't seem to have any value except perhaps to Burt, so they went into a trash bag. Then I came across a computer disc. I thought about that for a minute. If it were important data it would be in his office. I put that aside and decided to look at it later and decide about it then. I looked under the bed because I had a habit of keeping a pair or two of shoes there. I found nothing, so went through the bathroom and took out all of his shaving gear and cologne, and once again it felt odd to be looking at Kara's make up and other very personal things. Then I moved on through the house and took what few pictures I saw that he was in. I'd ask Nancy about them later. I looked through his office, but I really didn't know about any of that. I didn't want to stumble into their financial things, so I left all of that alone. It took me two trips to drag everything to my car and put the bag with the pictures and the computer disc in the house. I had some lunch, and then with coffee in hand went to my computer with the mystery disc in hand. The very first file I opened was of a naked woman. I couldn't see her face, so I didn't know who I was looking at. It could easily have been Kara. The only distinctive thing I saw was a small rose tattoo high on her left hip. Just below her waist actually. I saw the same woman in the next two photos and then I saw her with Burt. I could have gone a long time without seeing Burt with an erection, but there he was with her. I stopped and thought about it. If it really was Kara, why was it stashed down under his junk? Wouldn't that be kept someplace a little more meaningful? I looked at all of the pictures and they got more graphic and more detailed, but I never saw her face, just that rose tattoo every so often. I pulled the disc out of my computer and slipped it into its paper sleeve and went to call Nancy. I had to think about that disc before I showed it to her. I heard her pick up the phone and say, "Hello?" "Hi it's Barry." "Oh really. Okay I'll be there in half an hour or so." I had to laugh. "I'll have the bottle out." "See you soon." When she arrived she bounced out of her car and came up the walk. When she saw me standing in the doorway she smiled and said, "You are a lifesaver." "Glad to be of service." I got the best embrace and kiss yet from her, and she went in ahead of me. She was wearing a top that was one of those short ones and her jeans rode low on her hips. The result was there was a very nice and tempting gap that showed me a lot of skin. She poured herself another drink, but this one was a lot smaller. "Nancy would you go over to Kara's house with me and make sure I didn't miss anything?" "Sure." "Also, I have some pictures to show you before I pitch them." She tipped up her glass and then said, "Let's go next door." She checked the drawers and then looked in the closet. As she asked me, "Did you check these shelves?" she reached up to the shelves to feel around. There on her left hip was a rose tattoo. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. How could she do that? I knew she wasn't one to be tied down and I was sure she liked to have a good time but...with her brother? I just sat on the edge of the bed. "Oh yes, I checked the shelves." I just had to be civil to her and then I'd sort it all out later. I had to remind myself that I'd always said things like this were none of my business but...this involved Kara, sweet wonderful Kara. I kept my silence and did my best to behave as I showed her the pictures that I had bagged up. "I say dump all of them." "That's what I'll do then," "Anything else to ask me about?" "No, I don't believe so." "I better get back then, and thank you for doing that." "You're welcome." At the front door she hugged me and I touched her lower left hip. "Nice tattoo by the way." "Thank you." We kissed again and then she went home to Kara. All I could think about after that was Nancy and Burt. It was only two days later after I was home from the office when Kara called me. "Hi Barry." "Well hello, this is a nice surprise." "I'm home." "Wonderful, mind if I come over?" "I was hoping you would." "Be right there." When I opened her front door I called out, "Hello?" "I'm in the kitchen Barry." When I got there she was sitting there with a magazine in front of her. "That doesn't look very comfortable." "It isn't too bad." "Why not the easy chair?" "I'm afraid it's too low for me right now." "Let me get a couple of pillows and see if that works for you." "Thank you." With the pillows in place, she backed up to the chair and I bent over close to her and gently put my arms behind her. She put her arms around my neck and the two of us slowly went down until her butt was settled into the pillows. She let out a big sigh and said, "That feels wonderful." "Good." "But you'll probably have to help me get out of it." "That's no problem. You look much more comfortable." I stayed with her for about an hour and a half and then she yawned and asked me, "Would you help me into bed? I think I better take a nap." "Of course," I bent over her again and before I could get my arms behind her, she gently pulled me down and kissed me. She didn't say a word and we just looked at each other. My arms went behind her then and with her arms around my neck the two of us stood up. "That went so well, hardly any pain at all. Give me a minute to get into a night shirt or something okay?" "Just call out when you're ready." When she called for me, I went in and she was standing there in baggy sweat pants and what amounted to a tee shirt. She backed up to the bed and with her arms around me again, I lifted her legs and the two of us eased down until she was on her back. Kara continued to hold me close and then kissed me again, warmer and longer than ever before. "Thank you." "You're most welcome." "I just need an hour to rest. Wake me if I don't wake up by then, would you?" "I'll do that. I'll be back in an hour then." "I think I might be able to get up by myself." "Maybe, but let's not push it just yet." There was a part of me that worried about her hurting herself and a part of me that wanted her to need me and to be close to me. Chapter Six I left for an hour and bought her a small flower arrangement as a welcome home, and then stopped at my place to freshen up before going back to see her. I went in and put the vase of flowers on the coffee table and then eased into her bedroom to check on her. She was lying on her back and she was still asleep. I just stood there looking at her for several minutes. She was so pretty to me, even with her hair in disarray and in baggy sweats and tee shirt. I had to wonder, how could Burt ever have cheated on her? I stepped over to her and kissed her lips very lightly and she stirred. She opened her eyes and looked up at me and smiled. "What a wonderful way to be awakened." She put her arms around me and with surprising strength pulled me down to her. I slipped an arm behind her and we shared a very gentle embrace for a minute. When she let go, I rose up just enough so I could look at her again and brushed her hair back with my hand and then kissed her tenderly. "Did you just get here?" "A few minutes ago, I wanted to just look at you for a minute." "Why? I'm such an awful mess." "I don't think so at all. You look a lot like Nancy only a lot prettier and I like looking at you, ready to get up?" "I'm ready." I helped her up and she said, "Go on out and I'll be right there." I went out and waited for her. When she appeared she was still in her sweat pants and tee shirt but she had brushed her hair and judging from her rosy cheeks, she had washed up. She stopped in the middle of the room and looked at the flowers. "Barry, you shouldn't have." Rose Tattoo "I wanted to. It's to welcome you home." She came over and hugged me as firmly as she could without hurting too much. "I'm so glad I have you for a neighbor." I knew what I wanted to say but decided against it for the time being. We went to the kitchen and she told me, "Sit down and keep me company while I fix dinner." "I'd be glad to help." "You've done quite enough. I can do this. It won't be fancy, but it will be ample." She soon poured me a cup of coffee and we talked while she made dinner. When I saw her reaching for something on one of the upper shelves, I got up to help her and stopped. Her left hip was exposed and there for me to see was a rose tattoo. I almost forgot what I got up for, and by the time I recovered, she'd accomplished it herself. I sat back down and sipped my coffee in silence. I didn't know what to think now. So I had been too quick to judge Nancy? Maybe it had been Kara all along. But then why did he have it stashed under everything in his bottom drawer? If I had sexy photos of my wife, I wouldn't hide them. At least that was my line of thought. Now do I ask her about them? I decided to wait for while and think about it some more. Maybe I was missing something obvious. We had dinner and then more coffee, and I helped her pick up the kitchen and load the dishwasher. We went to the living room and I helped her into the easy chair again and once again she pulled me close. "I almost don't want to get well. I'll miss all of this attention and care you're showering on me." "I'm your willing slave." I knelt next to her chair to stay close to her and casually mentioned, "I couldn't help but notice you have a rose tattoo." "So you looked at my butt did you." "I most certainly did and I'm a big admirer of all of you, including your butt." She smiled and continued, "Pam, Nancy's and my best friend, Nancy, and I had a women's shopping weekend a while back and all three of us got the same tattoo in the same location. I still blame it on too much wine. Does it bother you, Barry?" "Oh no, it's small and rather nice looking. All three of you did it?" "I'm afraid so." "Curious. Did Burt get along with Nancy and Pam?" "Oh God, yes. He thought both of them could do no wrong." "That's nice." This whole thing was going from bad to worse for me. We spent the remainder of the evening like a married couple, she in the easy chair and me on the couch watching television. A little before ten Kara told me, "I think it's my bedtime." I got up and went to help her up. "Tomorrow, I have to start doing this myself." "If you can that would be wonderful, but if you can't that would be wonderful too." She knew what I meant and she kissed my cheek as I bent down. We stood up in one smooth move and then she said, "Give me ten minutes or so to get ready for bed." "Let me know if you need help." I couldn't hide my smile and she gave me a knowing look and said, "I'll keep that in mind." As she disappeared into her room I sat back down and watched more television. "Barry, I'm ready," I heard from the bedroom. I went in and she was wearing a soft short blue nightie that looked so alluring on her. I just stood in the doorway and smiled like a country bumpkin. "I want to just stand here and take in what I'm seeing." Then I walked over to her and just pulled her to me. I wanted to say something, but I had to remember it had only been a few weeks since Burt had died. I saw no evidence that she was grieving for Burt, but it still just didn't seem right for me to push things right then. I looked at her again and we kissed. Not the gentle kiss of appreciation or friendship but a kiss that would only be shared by two people who were very close and cared for one another very much. In silence, I helped her lie down and I showed no hurry to stand up again. I did straighten up and then pulled the hem of her nightie down so it wouldn't be uncomfortable under her. "Barry, would you lie down next to me for a minute?" I had already kicked my shoes off much earlier, so I carefully climbed over her and lay down on my side. We looked at each other for a minute and then both of us moved closer to each other. With her left arm over me and my right arm over her we came together and kissed softly. That kiss made me move closer and come up over her and she pulled me down to her until I was almost lying on top of her from the hips up. I was afraid I would hurt her, but she showed no signs of pain. We stayed like that and just showered each other with kisses. Kara paused and just looked up at me and slowly ran her fingers through my hair and touched my face. "I'm so glad you're here, but I'm so confused." "Want to talk about it?" "I keep thinking I should be in mourning, but I'm not. I just want to pretend that Burt never existed. I don't want to use the word hate, but how can I not feel bitter after what has happened? On top of that, it feels so right having you here with me like this." I kept my weight on my elbow and touched and caressed her face with my hands as she talked. "I can't speak for others, but then I don't really care what other's think anyway. It does feel right being together. I've admired you ever since you moved here, so to me, you are an answer to my dreams. I don't know what is considered proper and I don't want to add to your worries or problems, but I want to be with you every minute you'll allow it." We stayed close for another minute and then I rose up. "I better let you get some sleep. I'll be over in the morning before I leave." "You don't have to do that." "I'd like to though." "Then by all means come over." I got off the bed and leaned down to kiss her one last time. "Goodnight, love." "Goodnight, Barry." I looked at her one last time and then shut the light off and left. Chapter Seven Friday morning, I got ready for work and went over to help Kara up. Did she really need my help now? Probably not at all, but I didn't care, and if she was just playing the role of an invalid that was fine too. It was an excuse to be close to her again. I let myself in and went to her room again. She was on her back just as before and I silently went over and softly kissed her. It took her a minute to stir and wake up but I was content to just watch her. After she opened her eyes she just looked at me for several seconds and then pulled me down for another kiss. "I wish I could have you do this for me every morning." "Be careful what you wish for." She just smiled and I helped her up. I went out and waited while she went to the bathroom and put herself together, and then she came out still in her nightie. "I wish you didn't have to go to work today." "Me too, want me to wait until you dress or anything?" "No, I want to clean up and just try to put myself together." "Okay. I have something I have to do, but I should be home before six." "Come over when you get home and I'll have a surprise for you." "I'll get here as fast as I can." I was very busy all day long so time passed quickly for me. As soon as I got home I called Nancy. When she didn't answer I started to hang up, but at the last second I heard, "Hello?" "Hi, it's me." "You just caught me coming in the door." "Sorry. I need to stop by for a minute if that's okay." "Yes I guess so." "I'll be there in half an hour then." I picked up the computer disc with the mystery woman on it and drove to Nancy's. When I went in she hugged me and then asked, "What's up?" "I have to apologize to you." "For what?" "Can we sit down?" "Sure I'm sorry." I sat next to her and continued. "While taking Burt's things out I ran across a computer disc in his bedroom junk drawer. Something told me I should check it out so I did." "Okay and?" "It had a lot of photographs on it, photographs of a naked woman, a woman with a rose tattoo." Nancy smiled but said nothing so I continued. "This woman was having a great time with Burt which isn't bad, except when you were over the last time I saw your rose tattoo and..." "Damn, don't tell me you thought that it was me." "Well, yeah." "How the hell could you think that?" "Well, I didn't know you weren't the only one with that tattoo on the left hip. I know I jumped to conclusions and that's why I'm here to apologize." "I can't believe you thought I could do something like that." "I really didn't think so, but I was at a loss for another explanation. I never would have guessed that three of you got that same tattoo and in the same place." "Okay, I guess I can see your point. So you got to see Kara naked then." "I don't know because I never saw the face." "But, you saw everything else." "Oh I sure did, several times and in several positions. Unfortunately I also saw Burt at his finest." "So do you think it's Kara?" "I don't know, the build seems similar, but that's all I know. It just doesn't seem that if it was Kara he would put it in the bottom of his junk drawer like he was hiding it." "I see your point." "Would you look at it and see if you can tell?" "That means I have to look at Burt's ass too." "Yes, that and his other attributes." "Oh great, okay let's go to my bedroom and take a look." Nancy's bedroom was huge and at one end she had set up a small office area. She sat down and I handed her the disc and stood behind her. She paused and asked me, "Is this why you seemed to suddenly act cool toward me?" "Yes I'm afraid so." She just shook her head and proceeded. Her computer booted up and she slipped the disc in and waited. When she opened the first file she paused and studied the naked woman and then moved on to the next one. Most of them didn't even show the back of the woman's head, but she got to see Burt front back and side as she moved on through the photos. When she finally saw the whole woman from the back she stopped and looked at it before moving on. This went on for awhile and I was getting pretty uncomfortable looking at amateur porn with Nancy. Don't get me wrong I don't mind looking at porn, but this was weird to me. She turned around and looked at me smiling. "How long have you known Kara?" "Something over three years, do you know who she is Nancy?" "Well I hope I've convinced you it isn't me, so that leaves Kara and Pam right?" "Right." "You guys are so predictable." "What?" "You were so busy looking at her physical charms you never looked at her hairstyles." "Well no, I guess not." "That woman had two different hairstyles in the pictures that I looked at." "Okay." "She has fairly long hair." "Okay." "How long is my hair?" "Fairly short. "Okay, at least you looked at my hair, but somehow, that isn't very flattering. Now do you ever remember seeing Kara with a hairstyle like this" and she pointed at the computer monitor. I looked at it closely and admittedly I looked at her hair for the first time. "No, I don't ever remember her looking like that." "So Sherlock, I have to say that we're looking at that tramp Pam." "Son of a bitch." "I can't believe that bitch did that." "Kara said that Burt thought that you and Pam could do no wrong." "Well, he was wrong. She screwed up badly. Had he not killed himself Kara would have found out sooner or later. Now the question is do you tell Kara." "Damn, I don't know. I guess I have to. Not because of Burt since he's dead anyway, but because of Pam. Kara can't go on thinking that Pam is such a good friend now." "I have to agree with you." Nancy handed the disc back to me and stood up. She looked at me and asked, "You're falling for Kara aren't you." "In a big way." "I kind of thought that maybe you and I might get together for a while." I kissed her cheek and said, "I think you'd be too much woman for me." She just smiled and said, "Thank you, but to put it simply, bullshit. You were already hooked by my sister." "I have to admit I've been an admirer of hers for all of those three years." "Go make her happy then." "I sure will try. Nancy, thanks for your help. You're one hell of a sister and a wonderful friend." She just smiled, patted my ass and said, "Get out of here." After putting my car in the garage, I went straight over to Kara's. I opened the door and called out to her and she appeared from her bedroom. I just stared at her. She was wearing very nice fitting gray slacks and black heels and a beautiful rose colored silk blouse. "You look beautiful." "Thank you. I was hoping I could get you to take us out to dinner." "I'd love to. Want to go now?" "I'm starved." We went out and she took my arm as we walked across the front lawn to my place and then headed for my favorite restaurant. We had dinner and wine and held hands, talked, laughed and acted like lovers. There was no way I was telling her about the disc right then. It would just have to wait. Chapter Eight When we got back to my place, I put the car away and we went inside. "Would you like a cup of coffee or anything?" "I don't think so. Could we just sit and talk?" "Of course," and with both of us on the couch we turned toward each other and she took my hand in hers. "Barry, my ribs are about healed, but I have some other healing to do too." "I know you do Kara. You've been so strong, but I have to think it just isn't that simple." "It isn't but...I really had lost what love I felt for Burt. The drinking alone was driving us apart, then when I found out about him having an affair that was about the end of our marriage. Barry, I'm trying to keep control of myself, but I'm not doing very well. I want to be with you all the time, and when we're apart I'm thinking about you. I'm pretty sure it isn't just because you've been so helpful and sympathetic, but I want to be sure. What I'm trying to say is be patient with me. If for any reason you don't think you can be patient or that you don't want to be with me in the days to come, say so now please before I get in over my head." I just looked at her for a second. How could I explain how I felt about her so she would truly know that I would be there for her? "Kara when you and Burt moved here three years ago, I was infatuated with you and that never left me. Whenever I saw you in the backyard, I felt compelled to say hi to you and at least have a short conversation. The more I noticed that Burt had a drinking problem, the more I cared for you and worried about you. Then you had the accident. I couldn't get to you fast enough. I had to see for myself that you were going to be okay. I needed to feel that I was doing whatever I could to help you. I worried about you, I hurt for you, and I couldn't wait until you could come home again. The more I did things for you the more I wanted to do. I'll never do anything to hurt you. Kara honey, I'm so in love with you, I can't see or think straight. She threw her arms around me and just held me tightly. I knew she couldn't say she loved me, but I knew she did and that was good enough for now. When she looked at me again she had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. Her eyes and her gentle touch told me what I wanted to know. We just held each other close and every so often one of us would whisper something to the other one. She leaned back and we looked at each other. "Barry, are you sure what you feel is love and not sympathy?" "I have no doubt whatsoever. I love you more than life itself." "It could take me a while to get my thinking straight." "I'm okay with that. Why don't you spend the night here with me?" "I want to I really do but..." "We don't have to make love. Don't get me wrong, I want that so very much. But I just don't want to be away from you, especially right now. I'll even sleep in my clothes if you want me to." She laughed a little and said, "No, that won't be necessary. But we could be starting something." "I can only hope so." "Then I want to stay here with you." "Want me to go over and get you something to sleep in?" "I don't think that will be necessary." "Do you really think we can behave ourselves?" "If we put our minds to it I think we can." "It isn't just my mind that I'm worried about." She laughed again, but the subject of the two of us being naked together didn't come up again. It wasn't long before both of us decided we were tired enough to go to bed. As much as I wanted to I didn't try to undress her. That would be asking for trouble. But I did watch her undress and I almost forgot to breathe. When she slipped into bed I undressed and joined her. We tempted fate by lying close and then holding each other and kissing. But by some magic we didn't do anything more except to talk. "Barry, I have a confession to make." "Okay." "I really didn't need your help to get in and out of the chair or bed." I tried not to smile as I said, "I had a strong suspicion that was the case, but I didn't care. It gave me an excuse to be near you." Somehow we finally fell to sleep, but at some point in the middle of the night something happened and we made love. It was wonderful. It was beyond wonderful and afterwards we fell asleep in each other's arms. When I woke in the morning, we were still close together and when I stirred she woke too. We looked at each other and almost laughed. "Barry, we didn't do very well did we." "Depends on your point of view, but I think we did very well indeed." She kissed me and got up to head for the bathroom as I watched her sweet tattoo bounce out of sight. I was next in the bathroom and then found her a robe to wear, and I just slipped on a pair of jeans. For a good part of the morning, we talked about us, sipped coffee, kissed, and nearly ended up back in the bedroom again. I still hadn't forgotten about Pam, so when we settled down a little I asked her, "So you never learned who Burt was having the affair with?" "No, but I'm sure I would have eventually." "Do you still want to know who it was?" "I...do you know?" "I know." "How?" "I found a disc with pictures on it when I pulled his things out of the house." "So you've known all that time?" I had to laugh. "No, I didn't know who she was because her face was never shown. But her rose tattoo was in plain sight. When you told me about you three women I went to see Nancy and she solved the mystery." With a shocked look on her face Kara said, "Don't tell me it was Pam." "It was Pam." "Damn her." "Kara, I didn't want to tell you but you need to know about her." "Yes I do. I'll think of some way to confront her that won't be pleasant for her. It may take me some time, but that's okay. I assume the photos were rather telling?" "Oh, there was no doubt at all about what was going on." "Thank you for telling me." Kara settled down after that and said, "That just makes it all the easier to put the past behind me as far as Burt is concerned. So you've been thinking about this tattoo business all this time?" "It's been bugging me to say the least. I was almost certain it wasn't you." "Kind of makes you wonder who took the photos though doesn't it?" "Oh great, now we have another mystery." The End.