It had been three or maybe four years since I first met Kerry. That first connection was purely by accident. I was a forty-year old single man just going to my Father's house on the beach down in Florida for a badly needed two-week vacation.
Things for me had been tough for quite awhile. Just a year before my Wife passed away from Cancer. Sherry had put up a long and difficult struggle in her efforts to win the battle. Medical science had no real answers for her case. In the end she passed quietly, almost relieved that the pain and suffering had come to an end.
Sherry and I had known each other since Junior High. We dated throughout High School, then parted ways as I went off to College and she choose to stay back in our small Midwestern town and continue on at our local Community College. At our twentieth class reunion we reconnected, felt the old passion we once shared and got married quickly. We never even had time for a family before she was diagnosed with her Cancer.
When I met Kerry she was with her family, her Mother was a close friend of my Step Mother's. I had know idea other guests were even going to be at my Father's place when I booked my airfare. They were driving down from the cold Wisconsin winter that February for the same sun I was in search of.
Along with her parents Kerry's younger brother was included in the journey. They arrived just two days after I did. I was a little annoyed that my privacy was going to sacrificed as I would now be having two young people at the beach with me, certainly I knew I would be expected to keep a close eye on them.
Kerry was a cute 16 year-old girl back then, normal in every sense of the word. During that week however my thoughts of being annoyed changed. Kerry became a close confidant; I was able to share my feelings with her. I had never expressed to anyone what I was going through in losing Sherry, and the way it all happened. I was surprised how patient Kerry was, as I would just babble on towards the end of our time together.
I don't remember for certain, but I think it was just three days before the family had planned to leave for the journey back north that a phone call came and the news was not good. Grandma had taken a turn for the worse, and they were leaving the next morning to be close to her.
Strange things happened that evening. Kerry's Mother and my Step Mother were on the phone several times with the airlines. I did not know this but they were trying to find a reasonable flight back home for Kerry at a later date. That plan was never able to become reality.
The following morning everyone gathered around the faithful family van and watched as Kerry's father skillfully packed everything back in for the trip home. As the family started to get seated, Kerry jumped out and ran over to me. We shared an incredible hug that brief moment together. I could see a kiss on her lips that never happened. But the tears on her checks left me speechless.
As I said in the beginning, this all happened three or four years ago. My life was progressing, but going nowhere. For many years I had been working for big companies all over our beautiful Country. I while I was very successful in my work and well paid, I was missing something important. One day while taking the train into Downtown Manhattan it dawned on me, I am really just a small town boy in the center of mainstream big city life. I didn't belong here.
Without hesitation, I embarked on a new plan. I sold everything I had ever worked for, quit my big city vocation, and drove myself back to the place where it all began. When those last few miles clicked off the odometer, I realized I had made the right decision. I was finally back home, the place I had always called home no matter where I lived. I was back to my hometown in Northern Wisconsin.
My goal was to start my own retail business and that is exactly what I did. Within a month I was open and starting my new adventure. It was hard to find the kind of help I needed, I could not afford the best wages. Then out of the blue I received a call from my Step Mother. She had the perfect person to do the bookkeeping and organize the office while I was out selling.
I'll admit I had some nervous moments waiting for my candidate to show up for her interview. She was now 20 years old, studying business at the local community college. She needed part time work and wanted to be able to put something on her resume' that would make sense later on.
As Kerry walked through the front door I swear Mother Earth stopped spinning briefly. All of 5'2" with the petite body of a gymnast, both of us were speechless. It was never a question of filling the position; it came down to when could she start.
I will always be confused regarding what our relationship is all about. Was I really just a father figure to her? Was I trying to relive my childhood with Sherry? I gave up on trying to answer the unanswerable question. I just sat back for the first time in my life and let things be whatever they were going to be. It didn't take long, within a week we became very close, we shared most everything about ourselves with each other.
There were some moments of playful flirting that first month. But Kerry had a boyfriend her own age. I certainly was not in the mix. That changed suddenly when Kerry came into the office on a Sunday while the business was closed. She had tears flowing down her cheeks. She ran to me just like that time in Florida many years ago. Brent, the now former boyfriend had cheated on her in a very public way!
This time it was more than a hug, we embraced each other. I held Kerry gently in my arms and let her grieve the lost relationship. After awhile we sat down in my office on opposite sides of my desk. We still held each other's hands and I let her feel her emotions that afternoon. I remembered those days on the beach in Florida when I let my emotions out to her for the first time.
The following week, there was no casual flirting. It was a straightforward chase for each other. We never let a chance go by that we did not reach out a finger and caress each other as we passed. Our first kiss happened at her desk. Her lips were moist and glowing as I walked by her sitting in the chair we had just purchased. I swung her chair around knelt down on my knees and smack, to both of our surprise. The second kiss followed just moments later, it was not a surprise. We melted into each other's mouth; she did not hesitate for a moment. I willingly accepted her tongue deep into my wanting mouth.
Close your eyes for a moment and remember that first real make-out session with your first real love. That was how intense we made that experience feel for each other.
If not for our age difference, I was now 45 and she was 20, I think neither of us would have thought anything about getting together. We knew we had a genuine connection, but both of us were apprehensive about going public. When we were together it was perfect! But saying goodnight each day was heart breaking. It kind of felt like we were having an affair without benefits except for some of the most passionate kisses I have ever felt. But father time had different plans for us.
This arrangement went on for months. The intensity of the kissing became monumental. The chase became our own reality, not a game. Each time we would racket it up. Both of us grew impatient with the situation as it was. We wanted more, much more of each other. Damn the age difference.
The teasing and flirting actually helped us to bend the walls that separated us. Then we started an accidental story line altogether. It started out so innocently with a quick casual comment. I asked Kerry if she would mind staying late one night and stock some new inventory, I had plans with an old friend. Not sure if it was anger, or being left out of the evening, or just being a girl.
In her snottiest voice all I heard was, "Yes Master!"
As I was about to walk out the door I looked back at her.
"Well then Slave, make it happen!" was my reply.
The door stayed closed for a few more moments and our eyes just fixed on each other. Neither of us knew what to say to that exchange. Never before had either of us been speechless! When I returned in the morning, the shelves were presented as perfectly as I would never have imagined.
Later that day after classes, Kerry showed up at her normal time. I was anxious, anticipating her arrival. I had no idea what to expect. What walked through the door was the most beautiful lady I have ever seen. Her hair was perfect. Her makeup was perfect. She had on her favorite short jean skirt and pretty but form fitting blouse.
As Kerry walked by, actually provocatively passed in front of me, she reached out her finger and let it glide over my stomach. Her eyes stayed fixed on mine as she went to her office. Game on!
