This story, as is all stories, isn't written for everyone. If you enjoyed it, thank you very much and you're welcome. If not, thank you for visiting.
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I did the dandiest thing. I went on a cruise with my son. First one I've ever been on but I've seen a lot of videos about what's there and the places they go and what they do. We had dinner with the captain. Of course there were a lot of other people there so it was more or less a sales thing but everything was delicious. I actually swam in a swimming pool on a ship on the ocean. How's that for weird. Had some booze too. I like booze but not too much. I'm 52 but I get around good so we got in some nice dancing and I got handed off fairly quick so the kid and I didn't dance all that much.
His name isn't kid. He got the Durango Kid on his mind when he was young so we called him kid but not all the time, just every now and then so he could remember. His name is Michael. I've heard him called Mike but I try to get Michael more in his mind. He's 22. There are a lot of very nice gentlemen on those cruises. Michael said he expected me to disappear for a night or two. Well I did think about maybe an afternoon. They were some really nice gentlemen for that but I didn't. Michael and I stayed in the same room. We do that whenever we can when we travel. He takes one bed and I take the other.
I saw him dancing with some nice young ladies but he didn't disappear for a night or two either. I don't know about the afternoons and didn't note any indications. Sometimes I'm nosey. It's fun being nosey. He didn't ask me to stay away from the room for a while either. I wouldn't have minded. Maybe he didn't want to ask. We spent two days getting home from the ship. We ran all over the place and had a lot of fun but we finally got back so he could get back to work. He works on his education when he's not actually at work but he doesn't seem to be in any hurry about finishing up for his degree.
He does air conditioning. Designing a system for a place and installing and all that. He's quite good at it. He certainly has this house nice and cool and another system altogether for his place, as he calls it. He has the attic and the space above the garage. The attic is as big as the house so he has a full house floor plus the garage space and it's a two car garage. He has a kitchen and everything else. He could take that whole floor and set it on the ground and it'd be a complete full house and not small. He has three staircases from there to downstairs and one of them goes right down to the garage. He had it finished off the way he wanted it. It took a long time.
He pays me rent but I opened up a separate account and put his name on it too and I deposit all his checks in that account so when I go it'll be his. I put money in and take some out so he doesn't get suspicious but I'm careful to leave his there. I have my moments. He wants to take me to this nude beach. He wants to get me matched up or something or other. I've had a lot of life and I'm happy. Besides, I don't want to walk around with a nude son. That's crazy.
Anyway, that's more or less what got us to where we are. We spend a lot of time around each other. He doesn't cave man it upstairs all the time or be reclusive. I was mixing up a cake and he sauntered into the kitchen and put his arm around my shoulder. I kept working but looked at him. I finally gave him a blank look and he took his arm back and sauntered out. I finished the cake and put it in the oven but was wondering about Michael.
I found him reading and said, "Did you need something?"
"No," he said. "I was trying something out." He didn't say what.
I said, "What were you trying out?"
"I wanted to see what a female's reaction would be if I put an arm around her shoulder," he said. "That's all."
"Michael, if you were fishing and got a really big fish and a female put her arm around your shoulder would you let the fish go and go with it?"
"No," he said. "I wouldn't."
"I was making a cake," I said. "If it was on a moon lit night or the lights were down and it was warm and dreamy and quiet and a male did that to me I would respond differently. More personal. More intimate."
"Ok," he said. "Dumb, huh?"
"You create the mood and let it work in your favor," I said. He quietly closed his book and put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in to his side. My head naturally lay on his shoulder. There weren't that many lights on, just one for his reading. It was quiet and evening time, dark out. It was nice. He was doing it again. I opened my eyes and sat up and said, "Like that. That would work fine. Why did you want to know in the first place?"
"I'm interested in girls and I'm trying to hone my approach," he said. "I found out what I needed to know. See, it worked. Now I know."