**This is true story -- one that I think back on often. Names have been changed, but all the relevant details are true. This is my first-time writing, so I would love comments and feedback. Thank you!**
I was 24 when I finished graduate school. I had a steady boyfriend for the past year and a few months prior, we took the big step to get our own apartment. It was moderately sized and along with that, came a moderately sized rent. Thankfully, soon after graduating, I was able to secure my first full-time job. I was, like many people, excited and nervous. Excited to start earning money and start the slow march toward retirement and nervous to be working at a real job with people I have never met before. On my first day on the job, I found out that I would be sharing an office with a woman named Penny. Penny was in her late 40s and had been with the organization for 20 years at this point. She was the expert in our department on a number of items and, in hindsight, probably was not thrilled to be sharing an office with this fresh-faced girl with no work experience.
I'm not going to lie -- the first few weeks were a little bumpy. Between getting to know the job, understanding the organizational procedures, trying to get a grasp on the culture, and sharing an office with Penny, I was struggling. I came home most nights and told Jim (my boyfriend) that I was sure Penny hated me and I didn't think it was going to work. Between glasses of wine, he kept encouraging me. I kept going back. A funny thing happened. Penny and I started to get along. We bonded over mutual hatred of another staff person in our department, our love for dogs, and a penchant for long lunches. Since Penny had been there forever, when she and I went to lunch, no one seemed to mind when we came back almost 2 hours later. Soon she was showing me the ropes at work, sharing all the insider gossip, and even texting with me after hours. I told Jim I had made a friend! I was excited and so was he.
We didn't have a lot of money in those days, fresh out of graduate school, new jobs, etc. But we managed to scrape together enough money for a week-long trip to South Carolina. We were excited and looking forward to a week of laying on the beach, swimming, and even going out to eat. We were also excited to be able to spend a week, feeling like real adults, and enjoying some sexual time with each other. It was going to be fun. At work, I had started talking about the vacation more and more with Penny, blabbering on like a fool. After weeks of this, Penny finally told me she was envious -- she never had taken any real vacation. She had a long-time boyfriend (John) who was almost 50, but they never really went anywhere. Despite her love to travel, John was a homebody, so they spent many long weekends and summers at home or maybe sometimes at her parent's camp in the woods. As we got closer, with just a few weeks left, Penny asked me a question that I never thought would alter my life.
"Hey, would it be weird if I tagged along on your vacation? I can pay my half. I would just love to sit on the beach for a week and I know John wouldn't be interested." She was nervous asking me, clearly worried what I might say. I shrugged and said I didn't think there would be an issue, since we had rented a 2-bedroom unit.
"I'll ask Jim, but I don't think he'll care. And what would be great! It would give me someone to talk to and lay out with all day. Jim can only lay on the beach so long." I smiled ear-to-ear. That night, I went home and told Jim and he was game. His only concern was the possibility of Penny hearing us fool around in our bedroom. I told him not to worry, it wouldn't be any different than someone in a hotel hearing us.
I told Penny the next day and she was excited. We spent the next few weeks discussing the trip, looking at bikinis, shopping during lunch, and basically acting like two excited kids, despite our big age difference. A few days before the trip, Penny texted me.
"Hey girl! Guess what? I told John about the trip and he actually said he'd love to go. Do you care if he comes too? I wasn't sure, but I figure there is space. We'll pay for half! Let me know!" I turned to Jim, showing him the text.
"Well, what do you think?" he asked me. I shrugged and said I didn't really care -- if they paid half, who cares if it was one person or two. Jim nodded in agreement. I quickly replied to Penny.
"Sounds great Penny! Glad he came to his senses. I'll see you in a few days!"
A few days later, after a lot of packing, a decent amount of arguing, and a lot of driving, we finally ended up in South Carolina. We got in around 8pm and were happy to find the condo we rented was quite nice. Both bedrooms had their own en-suite bathroom and there was a large living room, kitchen, and a balcony that looked directly at the beach and ocean from the 3rd floor. It was wonderful! Jim and I also got to meet John for the first time. John was what I would describe as burly -- more of a blue-collar type guy. He stood about 6'1", maybe 230 pounds, sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and fairly broad chested. He was very nice -- almost quiet and laid back. Especially compared to Penny and me, as we babbled incessantly. He towered over Penny, who was only 5'3", around 140 pounds, blonde hair, blue eyes, and large D cup breasts -- the product of three kids from an earlier marriage.
By contrast, Jim and I were fairly average in terms of our physical appearance. Jim was lean, standing 6 feet tall and around 175 pounds, with thick, short brown hair and hazel eyes. I was taller than Penny, but not much -- 5'5", around the same weight, with long brown hair, blue eyes, and much small B cup breasts.