Sadie waved goodbye to Jake, her husband, and Max, her 18 year old son. They were off on a fishing trip a few miles north of their holiday cabin. Fishing was not her thing and as the weather had only just started to clear, halfway through the holiday, she thought it would be a great opportunity to just kick back in the garden, read and get some sun. She sighed, however, as she walked back into the living room and saw the sulky image of Jon slumped on the sofa. Jon was Max's 19 year old friend and had been on some trips with the family before but this time... Well Sadie could not work out what was wrong with him! He was sulky, moody, lazy and basically being a pain in the ass. He had not wanted to go on the fishing trip saying he wanted to 'chill' here.
'Well, Jon, what you gonna get up to today?' Sadie asked as cheerfully as she could.
'Dunno,' Jon shrugged, 'what you doin'?'
'Well I am going into the garden to read, relax and sunbathe!'
'Ok, cool.' And with that he fell silent, staring at his feet. Sadie decided to give up and to not let his presence spoil her day!
She went to her room to change into her bikini and a pair of shorts. She was 40 years old and although she had thickened a bit around the waist and hips, she still had a great figure. Her greatest asset was her breasts β although she had not always thought that! She had been a very petite teenager and her 32dd breasts had always been an embarrassment to her. Now however, she was a confident, mature woman and enjoyed the fact that men always took a second glance at her cleavage! She swept her shoulder length brown hair into a clasp, rubbed sun lotion all over and took her rug and book outside. She had just settled onto her stomach and opened the book in front of her when she heard footsteps whispering across the grass. She turned her head around; shielding her eyes against the sun, she saw Jon striding towards her. He stopped beside her, hands in his pockets, eyes on something in the distance.
'Um, can I get you a sandwich, Mrs Ellen?' he asked.
'No thanks, Jon. I'm fine.'
Er, some juice?'
'No thank you.'
'Water?'
'Jon, I don't need anything right now. I'm fine!'
'Oh, ok,' and he plonked himself down on the grass beside her, sitting cross legged.
What on earth was the matter with the boy? Sadie thought. He had something on his mind that was sure and she got the feeling that he wanted to tell her but couldn't. Perhaps he had a crush on a girl at college and didn't have the courage to ask her out. Maybe he had a crush on a guy at college! Sadie smiled to herself, she was so glad that she was not that age again and going through the agonies of teenage angst. Well, if he wants to tell me he will until then...she carried on reading her book. She became engrossed in the story for a while until she heard a soft, regular breathing noise. She looked across at Jon and he was lying down, hand under his head and fast asleep. His long, floppy blonde fringe had fallen over his eyes, covering them. She thought, not for the first time, that he was a very handsome young man. He was tall, with a muscular build and his body always seemed to contain an energy that he never seemed to know what to do with. She shook her head with a smile and went back to her book.
An hour later she woke him.
'Hungry?' She asked.
'Mmm β a bit,' Jon replied sleepily.
'C'mon then. Let's go make those sandwiches you were on about earlier!'
They ate their sandwiches in silence. Sadie was wracking her brains trying to think of ways to bring him out of this mood.
'Ok!' she said suddenly, 'Let's do something this afternoon!' He lifted his head to look at her.
'Yeah?' he answered, 'Like what?'
'Well, about two miles east of here there is a lake with a waterfall and some caves. Fancy swimming and exploring?'
'Yeah! Cool!' his face lit up. Sadie was surprised, she had expected the usual "No...maybe tomorrow" reply.
'Ok then let's go!' Sadie packed a small bag with a towel, sun lotion and a bottle of water. Jon added only his towel, mumbling about having already put his swimming shorts on under his pants, and shouldered the bag.
'Thanks, Jon,'
He shrugged. 'No worries, Mrs E.'
She grabbed her shirt from the sofa, tied it round her waist and they made their way to the little path at the back of the house that led to the woods.
It was a beautiful day, sunny, warm and still. The woods were in their summer glory β especially verdant and plush after the recent rain. Sadie breathed in the woodland smells. They made their way fairly easily along the path, having to avoid only a few wayward branches and trails of ivy. Sadie loved these woods. She had been coming here ever since she was a child and her father had left her the cabin when he had died 5 years ago and now her family came here as often as they could. She never tired of the peace and tranquillity they brought her. She hoped perhaps some of it might rub off on Jon! He did seem to be relaxing β he was taking in his surroundings, examining a few plants along the way.
'Nice!' he said, 'These trees are like really old!'
'Yes, Jon. These woods have been here for centuries.'
'Cool! It feels like you are going back in time, to some kinda lost world!'
Sadie laughed, 'Yes it does feel like that!' He suddenly caught her by the shoulder,
'Hey!' he said.
'What? What is it?' Sadie looked up at him, being at least 6 inches shorter.