John sat beside the hospital bed holding Jan's hand looking at her angular face and her dark blue eyes that had once been so expressive. Now they were dull and listless. Her skin, once tanned as if she spent a lot of time outdoors now had a sickly pallor.
Physically she had been arresting rather than beautiful or even pretty. She had the sort of features that were finely boned, chiselled, and stamped with both intelligence and strength. She was a woman who had once radiated unconscious sensuality and energy.
Tall and slender, John had always been proud to be seen with her when he was younger, but now she looked ravaged, and instead of appearing, as she once had, ten years younger than her forty two years she looked ten years older. Apart from his anxiety about her sickness her looks might have mattered little to John; he loved her very dearly and always had, and for him she was always beautiful.
He had been away at an overseas university on a one year scholarship when his father, Brian, had been killed in a road accident. He had flown home to attend the funeral and be with Jan. She was so distraught that he almost decided to give up the scholarship and stay with her, but she had insisted he continue his studies.
Loving her he had left feeling guilty, and now, at the end of the year, he had returned to find her like this, and he felt even guiltier. The death of Brian, her grief and her struggle to keep the business going had debilitated her, and what had at first seemed like a common cold, which she had neglected, had ended up as pneumonia, and she had been hospitalised.
Smiling at her and speaking softly he said, "When you get out of hospital we'll go away for a proper break and get you really well."
"The business..." Jan started to say, but John interrupted her.
"The business can wait, you're more important."
"The business" was furniture restoration, very much in fashion as people sentimentalised about times past and wanted to furnish their homes with old but restored furniture. Jan and Brian had established the business soon after they got married and it had prospered.
John had wanted to join in the business, but his parents had insisted he follow what seemed to be his talent for mathematics.
"There's those Chippendale...," Jan started to say weakly, but again John interrupted her.
"I'm working on those so don't worry, I can cope and I'm not taking any more orders. It can all wait until you've had a proper break and are fit again. We'll take the Incredible up the river and find ourselves some quiet spots, it's not been out since father died, has it?"
As if the effort to speak was too much for her Jan shook her head wearily.
"Has Old Harry been looking after her?"
Jan nodded.
"Then it'll be in good order. As soon as you're out of here I'll let him know we're taking her out."
Jan managed a wan smile and said in a hoarse whisper, "Bossy."
John returned her smile and said, "It makes a change, you were always bossy with me."
Jan nodded again and pressed his hand.
A nurse entered the room with that, "It's-time-time-you-left-the-patent-needs-rest" look on her face.
"Okay, I'm going," he said to the nurse, and then to Jan, "I'll see you again tomorrow."
* * * * * * * *
The doctor had said that Jan had been thoroughly run down but essentially she was physically sound and would recover well. When finally Jan came out of hospital she was certainly looking a lot better. As if to reinforce John's insistence on the Incredible trip the doctor had said, "Now take it easy for a while or you'll be back in hospital."
John telephoned Old Harry to let him know that he and Jan would to taking the Incredible out, and Old Harry said in his verbally economic way, "Been a while, but I'll 'ave 'er ready."
The Incredible was an old steam driven river craft that had been used for tourist trips. Its previous owner had retired, and Jan and Brian, with their enthusiasm for restoring old things, had bought it early in their marriage and had worked on it. It has to be admitted that they did not restore it completely to the original, having no wish to stoke a boiler furnace. At considerable expense they had installed a diesel engine and added quite a few modern conveniences.
Once John had been enthusiastic for them to take the boat out, but as he got into his teen years his enthusiasm waned. They had even thought about selling the boat but had never quite got around to it. Now, having been guarded and maintained by Old Harry in his small marina, it was ready for them.
"Ready to go," Old Harry assured them as they brought their gear and supplies on board. "'ow long you out for?"
"Couple of weeks," John replied, picking up Old Harry's word parsimony.
Old Harry had kept the boat in immaculate condition and at the first turn of the key the diesel roared into life and then settled to a steady beat as John took the boat out into mid-stream and then turned it up river, heading towards the more remote parts.
The boat was made up of an interior that had two bedrooms, lounge/dining area and kitchen combined, with the steering and controls in the front of the lounge area. Towards the stern there were the toilet, shower room and laundry that Jan and Brian had installed. There were open bow and stern decks, the latter used as a swimming and fishing deck.
Over past years they had negotiated the river many times with its shifting sandbars and its fallen tree snags and there had been favourite spots for mooring. At first they passed other boats, mainly rented houseboats, either moored at the bank or on the move, but after passing through a lock they saw hardly any other craft apart from a few small fishing boats with their hopeful anglers.
By late afternoon they reach a bend in the river with a sandbar that had deep water on the upstream end. Jan said, "Let's moor here darling it's always been one of our favourites and very quiet."
John swung the boat in to moor. Alongside the low bank John handed the wheel over to Jan who with the engine at low revs held the boat against the current while John leapt ashore to tie up. When he came back on board Jan cut the motor and silence, interrupted only by the soft rippling of the current against the boat and a distant bird call, seemed to engulf them.
John looked at Jan and already the river seemed to be working its magic. Devoid of makeup her face had lost its hospital pallor and was showing a faint flush of colour. He had made the right choice in bringing her here.
As if afraid to break the silence they went out on to the rear deck and took in the scene. A group of pelicans cruising in search of prey ignored them, and a pair of dignified swans seemed to survey them for a moment and then turned their attention elsewhere.
The sandbar began a few metres downstream from where they were moored. It was fringed with tall river gum trees interspersed with low scrub and behind the trees the sun was sinking towards the horizon.
"It's so beautiful," Jan murmured, "we must go to the sandbar tomorrow."
In the evening light the place seemed to come alive. A flock of sulphur crested cockatoos screamed and shrieked low over the river on their way to their nightly roosting place. A small group of Kangaroos hopped down to the sandbar and started to drink, and farther along the bar some emus also drank. The swans took off rising slowly from the water and disappearing downstream. Birds called as they settled for the night.
"It's...it's like a new beginning," Jan said softly.
John looked at her questioningly but Jan was gazing over the evening calm of the water.
He thought he caught her meaning. Her sickness and mourning for Brian were being soothed away by the flow of the river, perhaps carrying them away to the estuary five hundred kilometres distant -- the river that had been there long before humans first came to this land forty thousand years ago, and if not destroyed by the works of man would be there long after humans had gone from the face of the earth.
Looking at her John felt that he could see Jan beginning to look like her old self. He felt a stirring in his groin, a stirring he had experienced in her presence when at about the age of fourteen he had first became aware of Jan as a desirable woman. He had tried to suppress his feelings of desire, but had never been completely successful. Now, in this lonely place and with Brian no longer present, those feelings became even more imperative.
Jan sighed and said, "Let's eat."
* * * * * * * *
They had spent the evening drinking red wine and watching old videos on the small television set powered by the petrol generator. They sat together on the divan; Jan snuggled up against him as if seeking his protective comfort. Using no perfume her closeness and the fragrance of her femaleness further fuelled John's desire for her, and he was glad of the heavy denim of his jeans that at least partially managed to hide his erection. He had been relieved when Jan suggested it was time for bed.
John had not been with a woman for several weeks and had not masturbated for the past three days. The two bedrooms were side by side and as he masturbated John was intensely aware that Jan was separated from him by only a few centimetres of cabin wall. As his sperm shot out he tried to suppress his groans for fear Jan might hear him. It took another session before he could finally go to sleep.
He woke next morning with an erection and would have masturbated again, but the smell of frying bacon was permeating the boat, and so he got out of bed and as the aroma of his previous masturbating was obvious he took a quick shower before going to join Jan and breakfast.
She turned and smiled at him as he entered and asked, "Did you sleep well?"
He remembered his activities of the past night and flushed slightly but said, "Yes, quite well, and you?"
"Oh yes, not too badly." As if embarrassed Jan turned back to the eggs she was frying, and said over her shoulder, "Thank you for suggesting this trip, I think it will do me a lot of good. I shall have a swim today."
The one thing that John had dreaded about this trip was precisely this. They had been a very uninhibited family and when they had taken trips on the river and were sure they were well way from observers they had always swum naked. This was the reason he had lost his enthusiasm for the river trips. The sight of Jan naked had driven him nearly mad with sexual frustration. Was she going to swim naked now?
He had woken with a good appetite, but now he had to force down the bacon and eggs. He tried to find a reason to stop her swimming.
Jan had been an exceptionally strong swimmer, but he asked, "Are you sure you're fit enough to swim?"
Jan looked at him a challenging smile on her lips. "Of course I'm fit enough. I'll swim out to the middle of the river and then back to the sandbar and I'll sunbathe for a while and start to get my tan back; and, young man, I expect you to join me."
"Oh but surely it would be better if you..."
"Aha, afraid I'll beat you to the sandbar, are you," Jan chuckled.
"No...no..." John stuttered, "I'm concerned about..."
"Then don't be," Jan butted in, "We swim to the middle of the river and then to the sandbar, and I bet I'll beat you."
The ego of youth would not let John refuse this challenge, and so he said, "Right, you're on."
Breakfast over, they cleared up and John checked the engine oil and coolant level and then the moment had arrived. Jan came out on to the swimming deck naked. She lowered the short swimming ladder and for a few moments stood looking out over the river.
John gazed at her: her slim body and swell of her breasts like those of a young nubile girl, and above all her long shapely legs at the top of which he could see the shadow of pubic hair over her prominent mons and a hint of her sweet womanhood beneath.
She turned and laughing said, "Well come on, let's swim."
John lowered the engine cover and stood, but hesitated to join her. His penis was already erect and hidden only by the shorts he was wearing and he said, "You go ahead, I'll catch up."
Jan went down the swimming ladder and then struck out in a leisurely fashion for mid-stream. John took off his shorts and underpants and quickly went down the ladder and the water covered his embarrassment.
* * * * * * * *
Jan reached approximately mid-stream and then began to swim back angling towards the sandbar. John, also reaching mid-stream turned back, but started to make for the Incredible.
Jan rolled over on to her back and floated and seeing his direction called out, "No, the sandbar, come on I'll beat you there."
Reluctantly John changed direction and started to swim strongly towards the bar. If he could get there before Jan he could lay face down on the sand and hide his swollen penis. But Jan had a head start and by the time John reached the shallows she was already sitting on the sand watching him.
