My Son's Best Friend

"We were talking about scandals, some members we know about, but quite a few we talk about are only assumptions on our part."

"So, what if that's true?"

"Don't you see; when Vivian and Doug join, the rest are going to have a field day assuming all sorts scenarios. I don't think we've ever had a May to December affair." Pam started laughing, but far more controlled than Carol. "Vivian, you are going to make a lot of friends who will continually be giving you the third degree, asking all sorts of personal questions. No doubt one or two will throw themselves at Doug. I hope you're thick skinned." With lunch over Pam went back to the shop and Carol drove me home.

Having laid everything out on the bed before packing it away, suddenly realized while talking with Pam and Carol in the shop and making purchases, my nervousness had disappeared. My attention was channeled elsewhere except for the time Carol raised the subject of the red bikini. Looking at the packet now lying on the bed wondered if I could ever pluck up sufficient courage to wear it. Never having experienced it before there was this feint feeling deep inside of me, a slight glimmer of excitement, wondering if this was the start of things to come.

Chapter 3

Douglas was true to his word by having all day Sunday off. However, I wasn't quite sure whether it was to keep an eye on Mr. Heath who, at about 9:00am, just as we were finishing breakfast, drove up in his truck. Douglas couldn't get out there fast enough, suggesting he go and introduce himself. When he came back he started following me around, complaining that he was bored. I suppose when you think about it, having dedicated his life to working an eighteen hour day, seven days a week for a number of years, it becomes difficult to suddenly reduce your hours. "Go for a walk. Tour the estate in one of those electric carts; see if it's being maintained to your satisfaction. Go for a swim in the pool. Douglas I'm not trying to stop you working I just want you to relax more. If you'd rather work, do it here in your office, where I can keep an eye on you and if necessary, break your day up. This afternoon after finishing the housework perhaps we can do something together, if your still of the same mind."

An hour later I took a cup of coffee into to him. His office which he hardly used and usually very tidy, even immaculate, had been transformed. His hi-fi was producing soft classical background music. Technical books were open and scattered about his desk. Standing in front of his long whiteboard, which was fixed to the wall, his arm was almost a blur, as circuit sketches notes and calculations miraculously appeared out of nowhere. Already three quarters full it wouldn't be very long before he would come to a grinding halt. "There's a coffee on the table." I just about heard his grunt. Working with his back to me he never even turned. "You're running out of space." There was a second grunt and a mumble. "I'll photograph it then rub it out when it's needed, there are a couple of spare widescreen electronic whiteboards with integrated printers at work. I'll arrange for one to be delivered here they can set it up in my office." I wasn't sure whether he was talking to me or the whiteboard. Obviously he was too engrossed to chat, so it was time to return to the kitchen.

The site which greeted me, having strolled around to the tennis court, was rather comical. Apologizing to Mr. Heath for laughing at him standing there in his socks, covered in thick dust from head to toe, shaking small stones from his shoes. I asked him if he would like some lunch but he'd brought his own food and drink. When he enquired if we proposed to join the tennis club, told him. "We're intending to apply for membership, but neither of us has played before, so we don't know what their attitude will be."

"I wouldn't worry, you'll have no problem becoming a member; they will greet you with open arms."

Being a nice warm day, for lunch I placed two loungers with a low table between them, by the pool. Partly from the tiles and partly the sky's reflection, the water seemed unusually blue. While putting the finishing touches to lunch, Douglas appeared in the kitchen. "Lunch, where are we eating, do you need any help?"

"Nearly ready, by the pool, no thank you."

He stood there watching me for a few seconds, then turned and left. As I carried our lunches on a tray down the steps to pool level, noticed Douglas had removed the low table, pushed the two loungers together and placed the low table his side. "Place the tray on the table and come and sit down." Sitting on the lounger, I became very aware of his closeness as he passed me my lunch, only to sit and eat in silence, not chatting until afterwards.

"Did you get much work done today?"

"No didn't get anything done today."

"What was all that on your white board then?"

"When I'm in the office at work, everything is directed at the company's current business, resulting in lost opportunities to develop new products. I've had new ideas for some time, but have been too busy to develop them. However, today, because there were no interruptions, I managed to get back to the work that got me where I am in the first place. Viv, you were right, I shouldn't go into the office over the weekends. I can work here say, Saturday and Sunday mornings on new developments and that's not classed as work. Saturday and Sunday afternoons we can relax playing tennis, swimming or walking around the estate anything you would like to do. Does that meet with your approval?"

In the warm sunshine Douglas's eyes were beginning to close so I stopped talking and allowed him to drift off. Around 4:00pm Mr. Heath, having finished for the day, found us still sitting by the pool with Douglas still asleep. He nodded towards Douglas.

"Alright for some:" His comment annoyed me.

"I bet you don't work an eighteen hour day, seven days a week. This is his first Sunday off in, I don't know how many years."

"Wow, no wonder he's so successful. Anyway, I've cleared away the gravel and swept the area. The court's surface looks in good condition, and doesn't require any treatment. I've repainted all the lines, now need them to dry and harden, I'll be back Wednesday evening to fit the net, after that you may use the court."

"So shall I pay you now?"

"No, that's okay we can leave payment until Wednesday, see you then."

Douglas was woken by Mr. Parson's truck backfiring, and just for that second never knew where he was. He looked at me and smiled; an impish smile, a smile reminding me of his younger days.

Carol turned up Monday morning desperate to find out what progress Mr. Heath had made. She seemed a little disappointed the court wasn't finished and it needed me to explain that the newly painted lines had to dry and harden before the net could be fitted. She seemed a little happier when I told her Mr. Heath was fitting the net Wednesday evening and we can use it after that. "Would you like a lesson Thursday? Morning or afternoon it matters not to me?" I wasn't sure, suggesting that I shouldn't get too far ahead of Douglas. She erupted. "You need as much advantage as you can get because once he starts playing, his speed and strength will have you running around the court like a headless chicken, you'll be outclassed in no time. Technically I'm better than Ron but when we play; providing he's trying he will always win. His serve is much too strong for me, and mine causes him little problems."

"Alright, Thursday afternoon would be best for me say 2:00pm."

"How about you persuade Doug to come to the tennis club, as our guests on Sunday? You can have a look around and fill in membership forms."

As with every other evening Douglas was home late, and as with every other evening I sat with him while he ate, telling him about my day. We spoke of Carol's offer for me to begin tennis lessons, and Sunday's invite to the tennis club to have a look around and possibly complete membership forms. "Are you available Sunday, Carol suggested we could have lunch there, what do you think?"

"I've decided to take your advice and close the office weekends. I had a long meeting with Ron and asked him for his opinion and he was very enthusiastic. That means, like last week, Saturdays will allow me to concentrate on new developments working in my office here. One thing, the work I will be doing will be top secret, no one must know, not Carol nor Ron, no one, can you keep a secret like that?"

Late Wednesday afternoon Mr. Heath turned up and fitted the new net, and I must admit it completely transformed the court from a sorry state to something you find in a luxury home magazine. Even Carol, when she turned up Thursday afternoon to give me my first tennis lesson said it compared favorably with the club's courts. While I'm dressed in jeans and tee shirt, Carol turns up in her full tennis outfit, and her skirt looked even shorter than the ones I bought.

"I thought you would have been ready? I'll wait while you go and change."

I told her, "There's no need for me to change, this is fine."

"Go and change, we are not going on the court with you dressed like that. Off you go."

Watching Carol's antics made me feel so self-conscious when practicing serving and running around. Totally aware that my short tennis skirt was flapping around providing potential onlookers with sights even my deceased husband was not familiar with. Serving caused me the greatest difficulty, having only about ten minutes practice, then fifteen minutes of ground strokes, forehand and backhand, just hitting the ball back and forth over the net. We ended with another ten minutes of serving practice then Carol called it a day. As we wandered back to the house, Carol told me she had brought her costume and to put mine on and we'd go and relax in the pool. She followed me into my bedroom and began to strip off; I just stood there embarrassed and turned away. "Vivian, are you going to change?"

"Yes in a minute." She must have guessed at the level of my shyness to expose my body to her.

"If you're like this in front of me, how will you cope down the club, in the changing rooms sometimes the girls wander around naked?"

"Are the showers single cubicles with doors, or are they communal showers?"

"The men have communal showers, the girls are more modest with shower cubicles, and they do have doors."

Carol realized my predicament and left, allowing me to change in solitude. By the time I reached the pool she was already in swimming, well actually, she was floating on her back. She was wearing a very skimpy bikini, which left little for the imagination, something I failed to notice when we were in my bedroom together. She instructed me to stand close to the inlet grill where the water was the warmest and just relax; no swimming or messing around. It wasn't until the following day that I realized what she meant, and why she limited our practice to only thirty five minutes, my arms and legs were aching. Douglas said I was waddling around like a duck.

Saturday he stayed home and worked. As the previous week we had lunch by the pool, after which he dozed off for an hour. In the afternoon he went back to work however, it only lasted for a couple of hours before he finally gave up, determined to make use of the pool, in which he asked me to join him. Seeing Carol's body displayed in her skimpy costume; influenced my decision to wear my new blue two piece costume. Wearing the red skimpy bikini would have been far too embarrassing for me, even though it wasn't quite as revealing as Carol's. Strangely, at first, Douglas's costume, being quite brief caused me some embarrassment, probably because I assumed he would be wearing the boxer type shorts Matthew wore. My embarrassment did not last long; it was my first time seeing him virtually naked and was unable to take my eyes from his body.

Sunday Ron and Carol picked us up and drove to the tennis club where we were introduced to their friends, although Douglas already seemed to know most of them. It was mostly the females of the group who seemed to know quite a bit about us. I was quickly coming to the conclusion that Carol was a compulsive gossip, which as a friend can have its disadvantages; on the other hand it can also have its uses. We basically broke into two groups where Carol, me and the girls, went our separate ways from Ron, Douglas and the girl's spouses, or as in several cases their partners. Before going into lunch, which I stupidly assumed would be just the four of us, turned out to be the whole group. When Brian and Pam arrived, Ron introduced Douglas to Brian then the three of them went off to look around the club. Likewise Carol, Pam and I went off in a different direction to see the ladies side of things. The changing rooms and showers weren't quite as bad as the impression Carol gave me, and we finally caught up with the men at the six court indoor facility.

Lunch was a new experience for me, never having been involved with such a large group of hyperactive people that way. There must have been at least a dozen of us all sat around a large round table, in the center of the clubhouse. The food was excellent freshly cooked, although we had to wait a while before it was served, time that allowed the drink to become free flowing. Neither Douglas nor I drink very much, we have the odd glass of wine but that's usually about it. However, some of the men must have been practicing for years, the girls too. The more wine consumed, the louder the conversation became, until a member of the committee asked for the noise to be kept down. Personally, although I wasn't making a noise, I still felt guilty, and wanted to get away from the group as soon as possible.

After lunch Douglas said that Brian had offered to open the shop for him to get kitted out and would I like to go with them. It was a good excuse to get away from the rowdy element of the group. Feeling uncomfortable in their company, probably because the group became the center of attention; their boisterousness made me cringe. It wasn't that I considered myself a superior person, but always put it down to my strict upbringing, accepting that my standards slightly deviated from the normal. As the three of us made our way to the shop, Ron and Carol decided to tag along. Douglas looked extremely handsome in his tennis shorts and Fred Perry shirt confirming they were comfortable to wear. With Brian's help he selected a racket and associated equipment and except for the bathing costumes, purchased more or less, the same items as I did.

With all Douglas's purchases complete we rejoined the group, and stayed at the club most of the afternoon, with Douglas mainly in conversation with Ron, obviously discussing work. We did have the opportunity to fill in the membership forms after which I went for a walk around the outside courts to compare their standards with our own court. When one of the girls, who had moved into my seat, saw me returning to the club house, moved back to her own seat with a sheepish look on her face, obviously hitting on Douglas. Not that there was much I could have done about it, but Carol did warn me.

Douglas had been leaving work earlier a couple of evenings each week, to receive tennis lessons from Ron. As summer slipped into fall, then later when the days became shorter and the evening too dark to play on our outside court, Ron transferred Douglas's lessons to the clubs indoor courts. Although during the day Carol and I could still play on our own court, although we would take our kit when we accompanied the boys to the club. If, and only if there was a spare court available without any pre-bookings, we would take advantage and play. We had an understanding with the booking clerk, that if anyone, unable to play during the day, turned up looking for a game, we would relinquish the court to them. It was a rare event when someone turned up on the off chance; usually we managed to complete our time slot.

As the year began to run down Carol mentioned the New Year's Eve Ball, it's really a dinner and dance, and wondered if Douglas had said anything. Of course I knew nothing; Douglas hadn't mentioned it, and why would he want to take his housekeeper when he had a full list of younger trained escorts at his beck and call. Carol tried to pressure me to ask him, when I refused she said she would ask him. Angrily I told her not to interfere if she wanted to remain friends; my parents had caused enough problems trying to manipulate my life.

Douglas brought the subject up about a week later, inviting me to be his companion for the evening; it made me wonder if anybody had mentioned anything to him. Organized by the Chamber of Commerce, he explained that it was a very formal occasion where ladies wear evening gowns and the men black tie, with the evening's proceeds going to charity. Apologizing, I graciously declined his offer because unfortunately my closet did not include any evening gowns. Douglas gave me that look of a child who can't get its own way, by clenching his lips and screwing his eyes up.

"Every year I always buy the lady who accompanies me a new gown, in fact a whole new ensemble, will that suffice. Now will you accompany me, however, before you decide you need to know that I choose what the lady wears?"

"Thank you, your kind offer is accepted."

I could hardly contain myself, not only because of the new clothes, but mainly excited and inquisitive, wondering what his choice of clothes will entail. From what Carol said in the past, about Douglas being a bit of a lad, the gown is bound to be slightly revealing, but not dangerously so, because of the occasion.

The day Douglas took me shopping to buy the gown I could have died from embarrassment. Apparently he's well known in the ladies department of these exclusive department stores, for picking out all sorts of ladies garments. There was no hint of embarrassment on his face when he was handling garments which even made me blush and feel uncomfortable to handle. First we started with the gown; he knew exactly what he wanted. He asked the assistant, "Have you a slinky royal blue satin and silk strapless evening gown, in madam's size."

Calling me madam was a touch of brilliance because it immediately put doubts in the assistant's mind about who exactly she was dealing with. Over the years she had learnt that Douglas was someone of importance, who was showing respect to an older woman. From that point on, the assistant was extremely respectful while referring to me as madam. There was nothing on display in the department which he considered suitable so she made her apologies and went off to the store room where she thought there were several appropriate gowns available.

The assistant returned, pushing a rack on which five gowns hung, each encased in a protective plastic zip up cover. She removed the first gown and asked me to hold it up against myself. Straight away Douglas shook his head. "Don't like it." The second gown got the same treatment. The third gown he liked, and asked for it to be put to one side for me to try on, then continued to review the remaining gowns. Gown four he didn't like but gown five he did, and it also was put aside with the other for me to try on. Douglas wasn't keen on gown three when I actually tried it on, with it being a bit on the tight side. However, he did like gown five, it was a reasonable fit, and didn't seem overly concerned when the assistant said. "The gown is not quite royal blue it's a shade lighter called admiral blue."

I liked the gown and the color. It was slightly more revealing than the previous gown which didn't cause me too much concern, because, as in days gone by, Douglas seemed to be enjoying the view. He began talking to the assistant as if I wasn't there. "I like the gown but it doesn't seem suitable to wear with a bra." The assistant agreed. "She needs to wear something, can you recommend anything?"