AFTERNOON WALKS
My name is Carol, I'm 50-years old and married. For a year or more, I took long neighborhood walks with my girlfriend Mary. We usually walked in the mornings and sometimes in the afternoons, depending on the weather and our schedules. Our discussions, sometimes more intimate than others, involved our kids, relatives and husbands. Over the many months we became good friends and I missed her when she wasn't able to join me. I don't remember when but after about 10 months or so, we met a man who was also taking a walk and he joined us. His name was Ralph, about our ages and was good company. We found out he was a widower and had recently moved into the neighborhood. He told us over and over again how fortunate he felt running into Mary and I. We didn't mind the company but the personal intimacy of out chats soon was eliminated.
About a month ago, Mary began to have heart problems, had to go into the hospital and was unable to join on our daily walks. I continued to walk with Ralph but it wasn't the same although he was fast becoming a enjoyable friend. Ralph was a very talkative person and told me all about his jobs, where he had been and how he missed his wife and the fun they had together. Some of this made me feel uncomfortable because my 30-year marriage with my husband no longer the intimacy or intensity it used to have. In so many words, I eventually admitted some of my problems to Ralph. It wasn't long after that he asked me in for a cu[ of coffee after a walk. Since I had no plans, I accepted.
After the first time, stopping at his house became part of our regular walks. Ralph was always polite and courteous until I began to notice a change in his demeanor. Where we usually had coffee at his kitchen table, he wanted to sit on the living room sofa. He also began giving me subtle compliments on my looks and my figure. I took this all in as he certainly boosted my ego. One day, after a warm afternoon walk , Ralph suggested that maybe we should stop and have a glass of wine instead of coffee. (because of the warm weather, I was in a pull over top and a pair of shorts). Bringing out two glass of wine, Ralph noticed and mentioned the sweat on my top. He said that he would like to wash and dry my top.
(To better understand my surprise, the following is what I remember of our conversation following his comment and his persuasiveness)
"Carol, I don't mean to be insensible but if you let me , I want to wash and dry your top before you go home. Its no big deal."
"I don't mind, it will dry and I can wash it later."
"You look uncomfortable, let me take care of it."
"I only have bra underneath, I don't think it would be appropriate."
"Don't be silly, I've seen ladies in bras, you don't have anything to be worried about. You'll still be covered."
Besides being persistent and persuasive, Ralph had a way about him that was hard for me to ignore and continued to push until I finally relented. Standing over me, I raised my hands and he slipped off my sweaty top and took it to the laundry. When he came back, he brought the bottle of wine and refilled my glass. I was left in a white sports bra. Sitting next to me on the sofa, Ralph put a hand on my knee and mentioned how good I looked and that he was glad that I let him help. After a little more casual chat, he moved closer and got more assertive.
