“Everything’s ready,” Susan said into the phone. She was sitting on the stairs, which were newly covered with luxurious mint green carpet. “I’ve redone the carpet through the whole house, and the master bedroom is completely new. Everything is painted, and fresh. I took all that ghastly ‘modern’ furniture from the sixties out of the living room. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
The conference call was with her two closest friends, Katherine Freestone and
Monica Duncan. Susan had spent the last four months flying back and forth between
Chicago and Texas, redoing the house, while Robert wrapped up his job at the
pharmaceutical company and prepared to retire.
”Can’t you two come down some time this summer? Of course, we’ll want you to
come back in November for the Thanksgiving party. There’s always been one at
Miller’s Bluff, and I’m not about to break tradition now.”
Monica, Katherine and Susan had been a threesome since college days. When Robert first laid eyes on Susan and fallen head over heels for her, he found that he could spend more time with Susan if he found dates for Susan’s friends amongst his frat brothers. Since all three women were gorgeous, it hadn’t been a difficult task. As young wives of med students, the girls had become even closer, and it was an uncommon week when they didn’t talk on the phone at least five or six times. Moving back to Texas might be an awful adjustment if Susan couldn’t afford the phone bills. Robert had already said that his venture in consulting would have them visiting Chicago on a regular basis. Susan was glad. Texas had always been home to her, but after so many years she was very comfortable with Chicago, and would miss lunches with her best friends.
“We’d love to come down, Sus.” Katherine said.
“But we know how much Robert has missed you,” Monica added. “We’ll let you have a little time to yourselves first. You two will be like newlyweds.”
“I’ve missed him too.” Susan smiled. She reached down idly and played with the lace to her keds. “He called me last night from Iowa, so I’m expecting him to be here tomorrow.”
“When I asked why he didn’t have that car shipped down, he and Ron looked at me like I’d asked them to abandon a small child on a doorstep.” Katherine said. Robert had spent the last two weeks at her home after the Thompson’s house sold.
“Men! Sometimes they just amaze me,” Monica said.
“It would be like that for him. He loves that ‘vette. And he’ll be able to drive it year-round down here,” Susan smiled indulgently.
“Still, he was chomping at the bit to get going the other day. So, how long do you think it’ll take for you two to ‘christen’ the house?” Katherine asked, slyly.
“Oh, Kat,” Susan laughed.
“Mon and I have a bet. Knowing you two, you’ll have done every room in the house within a week.”
“It’s a big house, Kat. You must have a lot of faith in us.”
“From what you’ve always told me, I think it’ll take you less time than that,” Monica said.
“Every room, huh?” Susan was intrigued.
“Without him knowing it’s a bet.” Katherine warned. “Although I don’t think you’ll have any trouble convincing him.”
“No, I don’t think I will.”
“Well, I have to run, Sus. You know I can’t be late for a hair appointment with Henri.”
The hairdresser they had used for years was a stickler for time. “Of course. Hugs.”
“And kisses,” Monica added.
Susan sat on the steps, smiling as she turned off the phone. She had few secrets from Katherine and Monica. She didn’t hear her husband enter through the back door and make his way into the foyer.
He stopped and watched her. She was wearing white keds, blue jeans, rolled up above her ankles, and a sleeveless white cotton blouse. Her blonde hair was pulled back with a dark headband. It was her summer uniform when here at the ranch, and she looked every bit as beautiful as she had at the age of twenty-one.
“Hello beautiful.”
She jumped, not knowing there was anyone in the house. Then she turned and her smile grew wide. She lay the phone down on the stairs, leaped down the three steps and flung herself in his arms. “Robbie!!”
He bent down to kiss her. She would have questions and he would happily tell her all about his trip, but she tasted so good. Words could wait. He squeezed her tight, and the kiss deepened. His hand made its way down her back, under her shirttail and up her bare back. With an expert flip of his wrist, her bra came undone.
She laughed. “Well, you haven’t lost your touch,” she said softly as his lips moved down her jaw and he nuzzled her ear.
“Mmmm, I missed you.” Both hands were under her blouse now. One hand moved underneath her bra, his thumb finding her tight nipple. His other hand moved inside the waistband of her jeans.
“Want to see the rest of the house first?” Part of her aim was to make the house theirs, not her parents.
“Looks great,” he said carelessly, unbuttoning her shirt. “I’d rather see you.”
She moved her hand around the waistband of his slacks. Robert had never liked jeans. The hardness she felt at his fly wasn’t caused by stiff material. She laughed, remembering Mon and Kat’s bet. He was certainly off to a good start. “Take me here Robert.”
“In the foyer?” He murmured, hands moving over her body.
“In the foyer, the dining room, the kitchen. Let’s do every room in the house.”
He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. She could see his amusement. “Your Dad would roll over in his grave.”
“He’s not here to stop us.”
He looked around as if seeing the house for the first time. “Where’s Maggie?”
Susan had to laugh at that. “Silly thing. You have me halfway undressed before you ask that?”
He made a half-hearted attempt to tuck her breasts back into the cups of her bra. He grinned. “I guess I forgot.”
“She’s in Brownsville with her daughter who had a baby a couple of days ago.”
“Oh, really?” he slid the cotton blouse off her shoulders, then slid her bra straps down her arms. His attention immediately went to her breasts. His hands cupped them reverently then he leaned down to kiss them. “The whole house, huh?”
“Ummmhmmm.” She sighed. He felt so good.
“I think the foyer is a good place to start.” He lowered her to the floor.
Two days later she awoke next to her husband under the down comforter. Sunshine streamed in the window. They had made a good start on the bet. She watched him sleep and mentally counted off the rooms in her mind. The foyer had been first, then they’d simply moved to the study for the afternoon. She hadn’t expected him to be there for supper, so they had fixed cold cuts in the kitchen together, then he had started things at the sink while she was washing up the dishes. He had never suggested that position before, and she was glad of all those exercise classes she had taken while in Chicago, or she would never have the agility for it. She would never claim it to be her favorite, though.
They spent the evening on the patio, drinks in hand, while he told her about his trip and they watched heat lightening play in the distant clouds, providing a spectacular light show. After speaking with her on the phone the night before from the motel in Iowa, he had gotten a few hours sleep, then he woke in the wee hours drenched in sweat. The air conditioning in the room wasn’t working. Robert had never had patience with tossing and turning uncomfortably in bed, and without Susan there to suggest other bedroom activities, his thoughts had turned to her and he decided to get on the road. He had driven through deserted country roads at considerable speed before the sun came up, hit the Texas state line without slowing down, and had hastened to Miller’s Bluff and his wife.
They peeled off their clothes and entered the pool at midnight, a full moon shining down brightly on them. Susan didn’t know if the pool and patio counted as another room, but it had been fun anyway. They went from pool to shower, then to bed, where they only slept. Robert woke her early the next morning, obviously taking up her suggestion of every room in the house with relish. To her knowledge, he hadn’t even noticed what the bedroom looked like. He had eyes only for her. When he got up, he left her to doze, but returned with a mug of coffee for her a little later. She was a bit sore when she stood up. It had been a while since they’d had the leisure to be quite so active.
He unpacked the car while she fed the horses. Other than an overnight bag, the car only contained two thick brief cases and a box of files that he would be working on for his friend’s research company. He organized things in the drawers of the thick antique wood filing cabinets that she had cleaned out for him in the study, then met her in the living room and pulled her onto the couch. After lunch he had again helped with dishes and then pulled her into the large formal dining room. Other than painting and carpeting, Susan had done little to the room with its lovely mahogany dining table that could expand to seat more than a dozen and its ornately carved chairs. Robert sat at the head of the table without hesitation, removed the denim shorts and panties she was wearing and sat her on the table in front of him.
He didn’t pleasure her orally very often but when he did, he was tender and thorough. Susan had pushed the table runner and silver candlesticks aside and lay back, relaxing completely into his ministrations. She spread her arms to grip the edge of the table as he stimulated her to a higher plane of existence. She screamed out his name when she came and he told her he had never tasted anything better at that table.
They started the second floor yesterday afternoon. There were four rooms on the second floor, not counting the two bathrooms. One was a guest room; in fact, it was the room she and Robert usually stayed in when visiting, and the first room Robert had ever stayed in at Miller’s Bluff. They tumbled onto the bed and got that one out of the way quickly. After their activities in the dining room, Robert was most urgently ready.
The second room she had changed completely. It had been her room as a child. It faced the south and in the winter it was bright and sunny. In the summer, it was difficult to cool, but there were large windows to the south and west that caught any breeze stirring. Her mother had left it just as Susan had left it as a teenager, white and frilly. When visiting without Robert, Susan had continued to use it the way it was. Although her mother had never said anything, Susan got the feeling that her parents both hoped someday she would leave Robert and move back in. They couldn’t quite accept losing their little girl. Now the entire house was hers, and Robert was still with her.
After repainting and carpeting, she had moved in all of Robert’s exercise equipment from the basement in the Chicago house. Robert liked to stay fit, something she had always been proud of. Monica’s husband, Charlie, was very sweet, but he now had quite a beer belly. Robert might have some gray hair, but his abs were still tight and his rear was quite enjoyable to watch. He liked to get up early and exercise before breakfast. She had put in an entertainment system, with music, a television and a VCR. You could listen to music or watch TV while stepping, walking the treadmill or rowing. There was also room for a sofa bed and an easy chair. The bathroom opened into this room and she had changed it from the pinks and frills of her childhood to a wildlife décor, with navy and hunter green. Although he would share this bathroom with guests, it would mostly be his. The thick plush towels had his initials monogrammed on them.
This was the first room Robert seemed to notice. He recognized his exercise equipment, noted the entertainment center with a smile, glanced at the bathroom and smiled at her. “I like it.”
Susan nodded. “I think we’ll spend a lot of time in here. It should be quite comfortable.”
Robert moved to the stereo, chose one of his favorite albums and joined her on the sofa. They spent a leisurely afternoon enjoying each other. Robert had volunteered to cook that night, grilling steaks and vegetables while Susan took care of the horses for the evening. They spent the evening on the patio again. She was really enjoying this.
She got up and went to fix breakfast. It wasn’t her favorite meal, but she knew what Robert liked. He poked his head into the kitchen shortly after she began cooking but she sent him up to the exercise room for a half hour.
She fixed waffles, bacon and coffee, and fixed a tray. She carried it upstairs. There were two rooms left: the bedrooms on the north side of the house. She hadn’t touched them. Perhaps it was the same reason that her mother hadn’t ever changed her room. The last two bedrooms were Helena’s and Melissa’s. She remembered the summer they were ten years old. They had spent two months here and her mother had allowed them to choose new furniture, curtains, colors of the rooms. They had been so incredibly proud of their choices, and even though that had been twenty years ago, Susan knew that these rooms in this house were very much the place both girls considered ‘home’. She wasn’t ready to mess with that; maybe she never would be.
Melissa’s room, light and airy with wicker furniture and lace curtains had a small table and two chairs by the glass French doors that opened onto a faux balcony. A brass baker’s rack held a delicate collection of blown glass figurines. There were delicate watercolors on the wall of New Orleans and Paris. The other wall held two equally delicate Japanese embroideries. Melissa had added those much later, after she had graduated college and begun traveling.
She heard the shower cut off in the other bathroom. Shortly, Robert stood at the open door. He looked around the room. She poured the coffee and he stepped hesitantly into the room.
“Sus?” He asked softly. “This is Missy’s room.”
“Well, it’s still our house.”
“I know… but…” His words faded out. He walked over to the shelves of glass figurines. He glanced at the bathroom door that led through to Helena’s room, then back at Susan. He looked at the table and sat down in one of the chairs. With false heartiness he said, “Breakfast looks great.”
“You’re not chickening out are you?” Susan joined him at the table. She found this highly amusing.
He covered his waffles with syrup. “Don’t be silly. It’s not that I’m chicken. It’s just that… well, it feels like an invasion of privacy.”
“Missy is more than a thousand miles away, if she’s even home. More likely she’s off traveling and even farther away. Besides, this is our house.”
“Well, of course it is, darling. I know that.” He glanced almost nervously at the bed.
Susan decided to let him off the hook for a little while. They talked of other things while they ate. She wanted to go to town later today to do some grocery shopping. They decided to go together and have lunch in town before she shopped. When they were through eating, they stacked the tray with the dishes and Susan stood. She took his hand and led him to the bed. They sat on the edge of the bed and she could sense his reluctance. She placed her hand on his thigh and kissed him. As her hand began to rub him, he began to relax. His arms went around her waist and they slowly lay back on the bed. The springs squeaked and startled them both, but he smiled at her and began to unbutton her blouse.
She wasn’t wearing a bra this morning. He lay on his side, kissing her with more and more enthusiasm as he caressed her breasts. She reached to unfasten his pants, and heard the ringing of the telephone.
They both jumped. Susan smiled and patted him on the shoulder. She rolled to the edge of the bed and headed to the hall. Robert sighed and propped himself on his elbow. There was an old telephone attached to the wall. She picked it up.
“Hello?”
“Mother? It’s Melissa.”
Of course it was Melissa. She was their expert at interrupting them. Susan hadn’t heard from her in two weeks. Melissa’s timing always amazed her.
“Hello, Missy, sweetheart, how are you?”
“Fine Mom. I wanted you to know that I’m here with Cake.”
“You’re visiting Helena?”
There was a moment of silence. Susan turned and saw Robert at the bedroom door.
“Mom? Haven’t you watched the news this morning?”
“The news? No, darling. We’re still… moving in here. We haven’t had the time.” Or the inclination, she thought silently.
“Mom. They lost contact with the Jupiter mission day before yesterday. They’ve decided to declare them dead. It’s all over the news.”
“Dead? Lee? Oh, my!”
Robert was by her side in a heartbeat. He took the phone. “Missy? What’s going on?”
Susan leaned against him while he nodded and murmured into the phone.
“Missy? Can you get us tickets out of Austin?”
He listened for a moment. “Okay, and a car in Orlando. Yes, we’ll pick up the tickets at the counter. We can be there by then. How is Helena?”
Susan’s heart was beating wildly. She knew how devoted Helena was to Lee. She must be devastated.
“Reporters? At a time like this? You tell her we’ll be there soon. And talk to someone in the damned space program. They ought to be protecting the families from that sort of harassment.”
Robert hung up the phone and both moved toward the stairs. They needed to pack. Poor Helena. What she must be going through. Robert was explaining what Melissa had told him.
“She says there have been reporters on Helena’s doorstep since yesterday morning. The vultures. They want to her side of the story and aren’t taking no for an answer. We may want to bring her back here for a while. That’ll give those a reporters a challenge.”
Susan startled at the word. Her friends’ challenge seemed so trivial compared to what Helena was experiencing. All thoughts of the last few days vanished as Susan prepared to go to her daughter.
