PADI Cake, PADI Cake

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A love of adventure brings true love to an older woman.
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komrad1156
komrad1156
3,777 Followers

"So is this something else on your bucket list, Spencer?"

"I've never been a fan of that term, but yes, it is something I've wanted to do for a very long time. When Jeff was alive we talked about it several times, but with both of us working and him deploying so often, it just never happened, you know?"

"I understand. And sorry about my insensitive choice of words. But yes, after we went to war in Iraq, all of our husbands were gone all the time. It seemed like they'd just get home then turn around and leave again. Iraq, then Afghanistan, then back to Iraq."

Spencer looked down then said quietly, "Not everyone came...home...from all of those deployments."

"Oh, Spencer, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to imply that..."

Spencer smiled and said, "It's been eight years, Millie. No offense taken. How is Brian, by the way?"

Spencer Monroe didn't want her friend's sympathy. She was simply stating a fact. A fact she'd lived with ever since that fateful day so many years ago.

She changed subjects as soon as the conversation began heading down Sympathy Lane. She and Millie Thomas hadn't seen each other since her late husband, Marine 1stLt Jeff Monroe, was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery three months after his memorial service at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, which took place exactly one week after his death in Afghanistan. She had no idea it took three months, even for someone like the late Senator John Glenn, himself a retired Marine Corps officer and national hero, to be buried in Arlington.

Spencer loved Millie and was thrilled to see her even if it was just for a few hours on her way across country for what might well be her husband's last tour of duty at Camp Pendleton in southern California. Spencer knew that she and Jeff would have been stationed there at least once had he lived as he'd fully intended to make the Marine Corps his career, but God or the universe or...something...had had other plans.

She'd nearly fallen apart when the white staff car pulled into her driveway that hot August day back in 2009. The events were still vivid in her mind'd eye even now.

She held out hope against all odds even after a Marine captain and a staff sergeant, both in dress blues, got out of the vehicle. But when she saw the Navy chaplain dressed in white, she knew.

Her knees had buckled and she'd fallen to the floor and began sobbing. The three men could see her as they looked inside, and the captain, who was from Jeff's battalion, knew her and Jeff personally.

He'd had to break a window to open the door in order to let them in. The window got fixed that same day, but her heart had been shattered. Over the years, she'd learned to hide it well, but Millie knew how badly Spencer had missed him. Perhaps one day she would find someone else, but for now she had her hobbies, and, okay, her...bucket list.

"If I could stay, I'd take the class with you, Spencer," Millie told her. "It sounds like a lot of fun."

"I'm really excited about it. I'm just glad it's summer, you know? The water will still be cold in Puget Sound, but with a wet suit, I think it'll be bearable. Besides, all the early stuff is done in a heated pool so..."

"Oh, I see. You really are roughing it then, huh?" Millie teased.

She and Spencer laughed, and for a moment it seemed just like old times. Except that, unlike Millie, Spencer no longer had a husband, and although they'd aged well, they didn't look quite the same anymore, either. Spencer had been 22 while Millie was just 21 the last time they'd seen one another. Both women had been distance runners, and Spencer had since done so many incredibly challenging physical things over the years that she was in far better condition now than she'd been even when Jeff was still alive. Even so, she knew she no longer looked the same. She also knew that considering the alternative, the inevitability of aging was not only unavoidable, but fine by her.

She'd rarely dated over the intervening years, but that wasn't due to any lack of opportunity. She just hadn't been ready—at all—the first three years, and her still heart wasn't in it the next three even as she began to try and reach out. But these last two years, she'd discovered she could still love again, and to her great satisfaction, her body had also learned the same lesson. Spencer smiled when she thought how making love really was a lot like riding a bike after her first time in nearly seven years.

For now, getting her open-water diving certification was the next 'great thang' on her to-do list, and she was signed up for the class that began on Monday of the following week.

Spencer had a degree in interior design but had never worked. She'd met and married Jeff during her senior year of college, fell crazy in love with him, and had thoroughly enjoyed being a housewife. There'd been no need to work. They both agreed to wait to have children and Jeff made more than enough for them to get by on and even put a little away each month. Life had so simple, easy, and sweet.

After the death of her ruggedly-handsome Marine husband, she'd had no interest in working as she knew she'd be incapable of focusing on mundane things like home decor, something she'd once dearly loved. And thanks to Jeff's planning and the government's willingness to care for the families of its fallen, she hadn't been forced to work from a financial standpoint.

The day after she learned of her husband's death, she'd been handed a check for $100,000 for what was ironically called a 'death gratuity' payment. Four weeks later, after filing for his insurance benefits, she'd received another check in the amount of $400,000.

Spencer had spent a fair amount of the money from Jeff's SGLI (short for Serviceman's Group Life Insurance) to fund the trips and things she'd done to keep from losing her mind. At the time, she couldn't even think about other men so she'd learned to skydive and ski. She'd also learned how to race cars and climb mountains. In fact, she'd ended up in Seattle, Washington, because her last climb had been Mount Rainier, a 14,000-foot snowcapped peak she could see on clear, summer days, from her modest home in the small town of Sumner, Washington, located about 35 miles due south of Seattle.

She was now seriously thinking about either starting her own business or perhaps taking a job as an interior designer to get her feet wet, so to speak. For now, learning to dive was priority number one while seeing underwater treasures like shipwrecks was a close second.

"It's been so good seeing you again, Spence! I'd love to stay, but I've gotta get to the airport or I'll miss my flight," Millie finally said. "I've gotta turn this rental car in first, so I really do need to run."

"I'm so glad you stopped by," Spencer told her sincerely.

Just as she was leaving, Millie stopped and asked her dear friend a question.

"Is there anyone in your life, Spencer?"

"No. Not really," she replied noncommittally. Spencer had no desire to get into a lengthy discussion about the men she'd dated or the one with whom she'd made love for the first time since Jeff. She especially didn't want to have to try and explain how it had been with a guy she'd met while preparing for her Rainier climb just several months ago.

He'd let her know early on he was interested and although he was very good looking, she'd never taken him seriously because he was only 20 years old. And yet after she'd summited Rainier, she still couldn't think of a reason other than the age difference, not to at least go out with him. After all, a date wasn't a marriage proposal and she was more than a little bit interested in finally seeing how her body would react to someone she found attractive.

She stopped by the store where he worked selling gear to climbers and campers to ostensibly thank him for all his help and to let him know she'd completed the grueling climb. The following evening she was having dinner with him and several hours later she was having...him...for dessert.

Spencer was thrilled with the way her body had responded. So much so that she had a rather torrid affair with this tall, gorgeous, much-younger man. She only called things off because he made it clear his only real interest in her was physical.

That had been fine until, one day, it wasn't. There was no shame in what she'd done, and Spencer felt none. It had been consensual and honestly, a whole lot of fun. But it also made her painfully aware of just how much she missed being married and how much she wanted to have children before that ship sailed. So with that, her first and only real fling had ended as quickly as it had begun.

"Sorry. That's really none of my business," Millie replied before Spencer could answer.

"No, it's fine, Millie. The answer to your question is no, there's no one currently in my life, but I am definitely ready for a serious relationship. I just have to meet the right guy and that's no easy task—especially after having already met and married him."

Millie was getting very close to pitying Spencer again so the latter said very cheerfully, "Give me a big hug before you go, okay?"

The two old friends held one another tightly for several seconds before Millie finally said goodbye.

She turned around again when she got to her car and said, "He's out there, Spencer. Just be willing to look anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes the right guy is well, right in front of us, while we're looking all around and...right passed him."

"I'll remember that, Millie," Spencer said as her friend got in the Dodge Challenger rental and drove off.

Spencer was grateful for the visit, but it was so different and so strained that she was almost relieved when Millie finally left.

To avoid thinking about all of the memories her visit had stirred up, Spencer sat down and started reading (or rather re-reading) the materials she'd been given when she up for the course.

"The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is the world's largest recreational diving membership and diver training organization founded in 1966 by John Cronin and Ralph Erickson," is how the booklet began. She devoured every word until she felt ready to tackle this latest new challenge in just two more days.

She'd purchased, rather than rented her equipment, as she tended to go "all in" on anything she did and diving would be no exception. As far as she was concerned Monday couldn't come soon enough, and although the weekend took its sweet time ending, Monday did finally roll around.

Spencer showed up fifteen minutes early and signed in up front. The man who checked her in smiled and let her to know to ask if there was anything he could help with. She asked where the women's changing area was, and he pointed down the hall.

"Men on the right. Ladies on the left," he told her. "Then just go out to the pool and Gray will take it from there."

"Gray?" Spencer asked.

The older man she guessed was somewhere around 50 or so smiled again then explained.

"Gray is short for Grayson. Grayson Clark. He's my nephew and the best diver I've ever worked with. Well, except for his dad, my brother Ernie."

"Oh, okay. Are you the owner then?" she asked as that seemed reasonable.

"Oh, no. I'm Ted Clark, and this is Gray's shop. It belonged to Ernie, until he passed away 14 months ago last week. Gray couldn't legally own it or become a certified PADI instructor until he turned 18, but as a year ago last week, both of those things happened on the same day."

Spencer's brain made a tentative connection between the events then let it go.

The man leaned toward her and said as though he was sharing a state secret, "He's the youngest certified instructor in the state and by far the best. He's been diving with me or his dad since he was five years old. There's nothing he hasn't done when it comes to the water. Oh, and he's got a pretty good head for business, too, and the shop's done great with him in charge. I enjoy being here and well, when a woman as pretty as you comes in, that's just an added bonus."

Spencer could see he was still a very attractive man for his age, and it was also obvious he was in excellent shape. She smiled back and thanked him for the compliment and the information.

"Had you not told me that, I think I'd have been a little concerned when I found out how old he is," she told him. She smiled then said, "Or...isn't."

"You'd probably guess him for 25 or so rather than 19, but I understand even 25 might seem a little young when you're putting your life in that person's hands. I've put mine in Gray's many times on some very tough cave dives and exploring old shipwrecks. I can assure you, he's as good as they come, Mrs. Monroe."

She had signed in and yet he seemed to remember her by face.

He saw her puzzled look then said, "I may be old-er, but I'm not blind. Men tend to remember the really beautiful women they meet."

"Ah! One of the perks of the job, right?" she said playfully, secretly flattered at the compliment.

"I only look. Especially when I see a wedding ring," he said nodding toward hers.

Spencer still couldn't bring herself to take hers off even after all these years. She was always upfront about it if asked, she just never volunteered information.

"I appreciate you respecting something so important," she said with a kind smile.

The man smiled back and said, "Marriage is a sacred covenant so even if I was a little younger, I still wouldn't even try to make a move," he said in a non-threatening way.

"Thank you, but because you're such a nice guy I might not mind if you made a move," she said pleasantly but not in a way that said she actually was interested.

"Honestly? I'm not that old, but I know when a woman is out of my league," he said with a pleasant smile. "And since Ernie's death, this just isn't as fun as it used to be. I'm seriously thinking about calling it quits, but not until Gray's got everything firmly under control."

Ted looked up and smiled then said, "Knowing that boy, it won't take much longer. In fact, I could probably disappear tomorrow and no one would notice."

He smiled again then told Spencer, "Enjoy the class," before addressing another young woman who had also signed up for the same class.

Spencer set her things down in front of an empty locker and began undressing when the woman who'd come in just behind her set her things down next to Spencer's.

"Are you taking the beginner's open-water class, too?" the other woman asked. She was younger than Spencer and also very good looking.

"I am," Spencer replied pleasantly. "I understand our instructor is a bit on the young side, but he's supposed to be very good."

"Um...have you seen him yet?" the girl asked.

"No. Why? The man out front said he looks older than 19. Do you think he looks even younger?"

"No, he definitely doesn't look younger," she said with a devilish grin. "He looks...hot. I'm talkin'...radioactive hot."

"Oh, okay. I guess that can't hurt, right?" Spencer said agreeably.

"That's the only reason I'm taking the class. I don't really even like to swim, but when my friend told me Grayson Clark was teaching it..." the younger woman said as she stripped down to her birthday suit. "He graduated from Sumner high two years after me, but even back in high school he was to-die-for cute. Now, he's just flat out freakin' gorgeous!"

Her body was firm and tight and...young. Spencer's was every bit as hard and firm, but she had to have somewhere close to ten years on the attractive blonde standing next to her.

"He's supposed to be really good and very experienced in spite of his age," Spencer said again trying to keep things professional.

"Oh, honey, I don't care how much experience he does or doesn't have. I'll be happy to let him practice on me—all day long!"

Spencer smiled weakly as she pulled on her one-piece bathing suit.

"I hope I still look that good when I'm your age," the girl said completely unaware that her comment was as much of a slam as a compliment.

Spencer grabbed her mask, snorkel, and fins, and excused herself without further comment.

"I'm Tonia, by the way," the girl said as Spencer stepped around her.

"Hi. I'm Spencer," came the reply as she tried to hurry and get away from the younger woman was already very close to getting under her skin, something that rarely happened.

When she glanced back, Spencer was stunned to see Tonia removing her wedding ring and drop it into her purse.

Tonia saw her looking her and said, "What? The rock makes it harder to get a really cute guy's attention," Tonia said shamelessly. "If you wanna ditch yours, too, it'll be our little secret. Don't get me wrong, you haven't got a chance with a guy like Grayson, but you're still kinda cute in that...mature sort of way. As long as we're clear Grayson is gonna be taking me home with him before this class is over, we shouldn't have any problems."

Tonia set her purse inside the locker, snapped her lock shut then said, "And trust me, honey, I plan to get my money's worth. But hey, there could be another hot, young guy in the class, so..."

Spencer didn't respond. She didn't even react. She just turned away and fought off the urge to call her what she was. To her chagrin, Tonia followed close behind and kept on talking as though this kind of conversation was the most normal thing in the world.

"I mean, monogamy is so overrated, don't you think? I love my husband and everything, but we've been married for four years and together for six. Four years! That's like...all of high school, you know? Speaking of high school, we were high school sweethearts, for God's sake. He's great and all, but as they say, variety is the spice of..."

Tonia grabbed Spencer's arm and stopped talking but only briefly.

"There he is! Oh...my...God! He is so hot!" she bubbled.

Spencer turned to look and she did a double take when she saw him. If that was Grayson Clark, she understood what all the fuss was about. This guy, this...Grayson...was as good-looking a guy as she'd ever seen. Jeff had been incredibly handsome, but Grayson really was...on fire. Spencer had to admit, 'radioactive' seemed like the perfect word.

Her first thought was he was too perfect making him seem contrived or too good to be true. Her second thought was how her first thought couldn't have been more wrong, as he gave her the impression he was a kind of conglomeration of a lifeguard, a bodybuilder, and a male model all rolled into one. And...he was at least six-feet tall, another um...added bonus.

Warning bells went off in Spencer's head as her next thought was, "This kid has be full of himself."

It wasn't fair to assume that before meeting him, but were he a nice guy, too, it...it just wouldn't be fair. The 'good' thing was he was way to young for a serious relationship with someone her age, but then again, after having spent some romantic evenings with a hot 20-year old, she decided she wouldn't throw him out of bed for eating crackers; not that she had any intention of ever inviting into her bed.

Spencer laughed out loud at the old saw about 'eating crackers' she hadn't heard in years.

"What's so funny?" Tonia asked.

Before Spencer could answer, her new 'friend' went to get up and said, "I am so gonna hit that. Be right back so save my spot, okay?"

Just seconds later a balding, overweight man of about 45 asked if he could sit next to her and Spencer patted the spot beside her, smiled, and enthusiastically said, "Absolutely!"

Spencer thought she heard the man ask how she was doing and may have even replied. Her attention was focused on Tonia who had already touched their young instructor twice in a matter of seconds. The flirting was direct and shameless yet Grayson seemed unfazed by it as he smiled and joked around. His smile, she couldn't help but notice, was as perfect as his very dark hair which was as perfect as his physique which was, well...perfect.

komrad1156
komrad1156
3,777 Followers