The Food Desert

An older woman answered the door and was more than eager to show me the car. It had belonged to her late husband, his pride and joy. She was asking considerably less than the book price and I asked her why. "I need the money. We didn't exactly plan well for our retirement."

I gave her book value, writing a check on the spot, telling her I'd be back when the check cleared to do the title transfer. She was standing in the drive crying when I left. It had 39,000 miles on it and was in pristine condition. I rarely drove it, and never in bad weather. I just liked owning it.

It was jet-black and shining in the lights. Kara ran her hand over the hood in wonder. "It's our dream car. How long have you had it?"

"I bought it two years ago." I told her the story of how I came to own it on the way to the venue. She just smiled and held my hand. We made our grand entrance and were soon surrounded by people who either knew me or her. Most remembered her introduction from last year and looked at us, speculating about the fact we were together and that Kara no longer wore her rings. We did nothing to enlighten them. It was our business.

The night went well. I insisted Kara join me on stage to announce that year's winner, an earnest young woman who ran a nonprofit she had propelled to national prominence. She made sure she hit me up for a donation in her acceptance speech, using humor to make her point. I'd have to make sure to give her a check later.

Kara and I mingled separately and together. I did see her in a deep discussion with another woman that ended in tears and hugs. I got distracted by one of the attendees trying her best to seduce me. I'd run into this sort of thing before, and mostly found it humorous. She was right in the middle of her pitch, reaching out to stroke my arm, when I felt a hand clamp down on it.

"There you are, honey. It seems every time I lose you I find you in conversation with an attractive woman. Do I need to be jealous?"

I grinned, knowing she had staked her claim and was telling the woman to back off with her gestures and words.

"Not in the least, honey. Miss Dawes and I were just discussing things we found we had in common. Miss Dawes, if you will excuse us?"

We walked away from a stunned woman, grinning. "Thanks, I think. What just went on there?"

"She isn't for you. All she sees is dollar signs. I know the look. There for a while I had it, after we split up. A period, by the way, that I'm deeply ashamed of."

"We all grow up eventually, honey. I hope whoever she actually hooks onto she ends up loving."

She gave a little smirk. "I hope he has the good sense to have a bulletproof prenuptial. He's probably going to need it. It's been a long day, Stevie. Can we go home now?"

She had me unzip her, shedding the dress as she moved through the suite until she was in bra, panties, garter and hose. She did a little twirl. "Like it? I wore it just for you. It's been years since I wore stockings. I forgot how good they feel. Now go take a cold shower and come to bed."

I did just that. When I came out she was already in bed so I slipped in, snuggling, surprised to feel her naked. "I want skin on skin contact. It's been a long time. I know I've been a terrible tease, but I promise; when I'm ready, I'll make it up to you."

I woke up to a raging erection. There was a small hand wrapped around it, moving slowly up and down. I groaned with pleasure. "Oh good, you're awake. Remember last night and the promise I made? Well, I think I'm ready now. You need to be gentle at least at first. It's been over two years. Love me, Stevie."

The first time was slow and languid, straight missionary, eye to eye, lips to lips until we got close to the end. Then I rose up and thrust rapidly and forcefully. She moaned out a climax and I followed her a few minutes later. We were both huffing like we'd just finished a marathon. She rolled us over until she was on top. I felt the tears and caressed her gently. Finally she rose up and placed gentle kisses all over my face.

"Thank you, Stevie, for making me feel like a woman again. Let's take a shower and see if two old people can do it again."

It appeared we weren't as old as we thought. We did it in the shower and again in the bed, an hour later. Then we took a three hour nap and another shower, ate a room service dinner, and went back to bed. Two hours later, we fell into exhausted sleep.

I woke up to hear the shower running and her voice as she sang. That was one of her tells when we were young. If she was particularly happy, she sang. I got up and stumbled into the bathroom.

"Good morning, honey. Don't you even think about getting in here with me. My little kitty is pretty sore and I don't think I can take another round right now. Order breakfast, will you sweetie?"

I did. She came out in a towel after it was delivered and ate like she hadn't had a meal in a week. When she was finished she stood and shrugged the robe off. She had on a matching bra and panty set in a light sky blue. "Take a picture."

"What?"

"I want you to take a picture of me. Several pictures, front and back views. I want you to look at them over the next several days and remind yourself it really did happen."

I took over a dozen photos as she posed and strutted. The she made me strip down for her set of pictures. She shot a close-up of my butt. "I love how firm it is, how much I enjoy grabbing it when we're going at it hot and heavy."

We made out like teenagers before she pulled back. "Time to get dressed and rejoin the real world, honey. I have to go back home and you have to run off to wherever your next store will be."

It was a bittersweet farewell. We kissed like we might never see each other again.

"Don't call. Email me. That way you can take your time, edit your thoughts, say what you really mean instead of blurting something out in the heat of the moment. That way, whatever you wanted to communicate will be out there forever. So don't say anything you think you might regret later."

It took me a little time to realize she was right. If I took the time to write it and send it through the ether, it was out there forever. It's one thing to bare your soul in whispers while wrapped in your lover's arms, quite another to do it where anyone could find it.

We were cautious at first, general chitchat about our lives. She told me about properties she listed, and the social functions she had to attend to keep in the public eye. I emailed her from whatever state I happened to be in, telling her about the problems I ran into.

I sent her a picture of Miguel's new baby, a boy he named Michael Steven, after his best friend and his mentor. She didn't reply for several days.

I got a long missive that seemed to be all over the place. "He's a beautiful boy, secure in being born to loving parents. I'm sure he'll have a wonderful and happy life, especially with Uncle Steve and Uncle Michael watching out for him. Aside from breaking your heart, you know what my biggest regret is? Never giving you a baby. Mickey tells me you were an excellent parent, standing up and raising a child not biologically yours when his birth mother disappeared. He talks with real pride of how lucky he is to be your son. I've often wondered that if we had had a child, would I have strayed. I like to think I wouldn't have, but we'll never know. I was petty self-centered then, a child playing at being a woman. I may have been a horrible mother."

She rambled on for a while before stopping. "I'm going now. For some reason I feel the imminent need to cry my eyes out. I want you to know this before I go. I love you. I've always loved you, even when I tried my best to convince myself I didn't. I loved Bob the same way. He still owns a lot of my heart even as I'm pouring it out to you."

It took me most of a night to craft my response.

"I never stopped loving you, even at the height of my pain over your betrayal. When you showed up that day, I ran because I knew if I stayed you'd work your way back into my heart and I wouldn't be able to stand the pain when you betrayed me again. That was probably a mistake but neither of us were what you'd call deep thinkers. Maybe it was for the best. I'd never have had Sandy and you would never have had Bob. Perhaps it took loving them to realize what true love was all about.

"It's only been a couple of weeks but I find myself missing you pretty badly. Clear your weekend and meet me at the cabin Friday morning. Plan on staying until Tuesday. If you can't, I'll understand. Don't get your hopes up about a romantic weekend. We'll have Friday, but most of the family is coming up Saturday. I know you've already met most of them, but this will be your 'formal' introduction to the family. Consider it a preview of what you can expect if we become a couple."

I didn't get a reply for eighteen hours. "Be there by nine. We probably need to air the place out, make a run to the store for supplies including plenty of propane and charcoal. I'm really looking forward to this."

I called her up. "I have a better plan. I have to go right by you to get there, so why don't you pack your things and I'll pick you up about seven. We'll get breakfast and lay in supplies along the way so when we get there, we're there. No running and more relaxation."

She sighed. "Excellent idea, honey. I could use some relaxation right now."

*****

She was waiting, her bag packed and ready to go. Gone was the professional meticulously groomed look, replaced with jeans, tee shirt and sneakers. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and it reminded me strongly of her when we first got together. The memories were almost overwhelming. Kara gave me a light hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm really looking forward to this weekend, but right now I'm starving!" She directed me to a small cafe that was justifiably famous for their breakfast. I got a more traditional breakfast, but she had a spinach and goat cheese omelet and fruit. Kara gave me a bite of the omelet and it made me regret my choices.

She noted the back of the SUV I'd rented was almost empty. "I'm surprised. You own grocery stores. I thought you'd have it jammed full."

"You know I always believe in buying local, a holdover from my farming days. There's a Farmer's Market on the way that's open today. I want to stop there, and there's a little Mom and Pop grocery just a few miles past. I looked it up online and it's supposed to have an excellent meat department. You're not in a hurry, are you?"

Kara sighed happily. "I'm on vacation. I don't care how long it takes us to get there."

We traveled, enjoying the scenery, talking about nothing. The market was a fairly large one. I would have stayed a lot longer if it hadn't been for Kara. I bought the bulk of purchases from an old guy in his sixties. He grew his stuff without chemicals and knew more about food than I could ever absorb. He had recipes, nutritional facts, even gave bits of food history on the stuff he sold. I would have been him twenty years on, a full-time factory worker and part time farmer if my life hadn't taken another direction. His wife joined him before we left, a small woman with thick white hair. The love between them was obvious and he bragged about their upcoming anniversary. Thirty-seven years together, a milestone not many couples reached.

Kara liked the little grocery store. It wasn't much bigger than my first one, but it was neat, clean and well organized. She had made a list on her phone as we traveled, and while I pushed the buggy she checked things off. In the end, we had to get another buggy just for the meat. The owner was also the butcher, and we talked while he filled our order. He was surprised at the amount we ordered.

"This is a lot of food for just you and your husband," he said to Kara. She just grinned.

"Oh, we've got the kids and the grandkids coming, as well as a few friends, plus the grandmothers. We may have to come back. This bunch likes to eat."

I smiled as the owner and his wife wished us a nice vacation. We had probably spent more than any four of his regular shoppers. While the place was clean I noticed it looked a little threadbare. I asked if it was a family business and the wife said it was, sadly.

"It was started by my great-grandfather. I bought my brother and sister out when my father died, and Ralph and I have run it ever since then. I figure we'll run it until it's time for us to retire and close it down, unless someone buys it. All of our kids have good careers and none want to run a little grocery store in the middle of nowhere. We've thought about selling, but just can't seem to let go. It will break our hearts when we shut it down, but that's life for you. It's too bad, really. This is a great location and there's a lot of potential here."

We were less than half-an-hour from the cabin. As we unpacked the groceries, she grinned. "You're thinking about it, aren't you?"

"'Bout what?"

"Buying them out."

"Well, it is a good location. If it goes out of business it'll create a little food desert, and you know how much I hate those."

After everything was put away, we walked down to the dock, slipped off our shoes and let our toes dangle in the water. I looked out over the little lake as we sat. "I still can't believe this is mine. Never in a million years did I think I'd own something this grand. Seems kind of selfish that it sits idle so much."

"Don't overthink it, honey. You deserve this. And as that extended family of yours grows, I don't see it sitting idle very often. Oww!"

She squealed and jerked her feet out of the water. "Something bit me!"

I looked down into the mostly clear water. There was a school of fish swimming around, bream or crappie, and they'd seen those pale toes and thought they looked tasty.

"Relax, it's just a school of fish that thought your toes looked edible. I wonder what kind of fish are in here?"

Kara was on her knees, looking down on the fish. "The original owner put three hundred catfish, three hundred bass, and five hundred crappie in when he built the lake. That was eight years ago and I doubt anyone's fished it more than five times."

That was all it took to get us back into the SUV. I'd seen a bait shop just past the grocery store. There was a major lake ten miles up the highway and the shop was well stocked. I talked it over with the owner and ended up buying six five foot rods with Zebco 33 reels, three open face combinations, and two bait-caster rigs, along with two tackle boxes full of everything we would need. I also bought a small Styrofoam cooler and filled it with cups of worms. Then it was back to the grocery store for chicken livers. The owner grinned when I told him what I wanted and asked me to wait a minute before returning with a large carton. "This is full of gizzards and hearts, packed in liver blood. The fish won't tear them off near as fast. If you didn't buy any from the bait-shop, you might want to pick up a couple of bags of shrimp."

I picked up five pounds, really glad I had room in the cooler.

*****

We grilled a simple meal, eating on the patio under torches filled with oil meant to discourage bugs. It didn't take long for the cleanup and she disappeared, coming back with a bottle of wine and two glasses. I'd been a strictly beer person before Sandy, but she'd acquired quite a bit of knowledge about wine in her travels, and she not so much shared as forced me to learn. We kept a full rack of wine in our kitchen pantry and almost always ended the day with a glass.

I took a sip, savoring the flavor. "Australian?"

She seemed shocked. "How did you know?"

I shrugged. "Lucky guess."

She grinned. "If you say so. I think, my dear ex, that you've come quite a bit more urbane as you've aged."

"You know, you don't have to act so surprised. Evolve or die, as the saying goes. I'd hate for you to think I was still a Neanderthal." She used to accuse me of being a caveman in a past life, especially when I had her thrown over my shoulder naked and was running to the bedroom.

Her eyes got wistful. "I miss the caveman."

"I've missed cavegirl."

"I'm afraid it's cavewoman now."

"Even better."

Her smile was genuine. There was a full moon rising and she talked me into walking down to the lake to watch the reflection as it rose to full glory. She had held my hand the whole time.

"I remember a time when we wouldn't have let this go to waste. We would have been naked and splashing by now."

She'd sat, drawing her knees up, looking across the water. I took advantage and slipped out of my shorts and tee, soon standing naked behind her. I grunted and she looked back. Even with just moonlight I could see her eyes widen. I pulled her up, tugging at her top. It didn't take her long to start helping and soon she was as naked as I was, the only difference being she looked a heck of a lot better. She reached for me and I grabbed her, hoisted over my shoulder and took off running towards the end of the dock. Kara must have realized what I was going to do because she started pounding on my back.

"Don't you da... AIEEE!"

Her scream turned into a gurgle when we hit the water. I was very happy to feel how warm the water was as I let her go and we both popped up.

"Asshole! You scared me."

"Ug. No talk. Love on woman now." I grabbed her from behind, one hand firmly latched on her breast, and paddled backwards until I hit bottom. Then I started nuzzling her neck, planting little kisses on it. I massaged the breast I had until her nipple popped up, then switched. She was cooing and wriggling that exceptional butt against my suddenly rock-hard erection. She turned to me and I lifted her out of the water until I could latch on to a nipple, giving it a thorough tongue bath before switching to the other.

Kara wrapped her legs around me, pulling my head up and doing her best to swallow my tongue. I felt her move around a little until she slid down. I slipped right into her, marveling at the heat and the velvet feel. I grabbed her bottom and started lifting her up and down until I was grunting for real. She was moaning and wriggling, being as active as possible. Just when I thought I couldn't hold back any longer she threw her head back and stiffened, vocalizing a throaty howl that echoed off the lake. When her muscles locked down on me it triggered my own release. We stood wrapped up in each other for what seemed like forever until she sighed and slid her legs down.

She rubbed my chest gently. "I'm really pleased you didn't turn into a couch potato, honey. Now help your woman out. We need to shower and get to bed. The family is coming early and we need to be up and have breakfast prepared."

I carried her out of the water, glad my legs didn't give out. When I put her down she kissed me again. We showered in the outdoor stall by the pool, making sure we were clean all over.

We got upstairs and she pulled on a sexy but conservative gown, sat at the bedroom vanity and tried to get the snarls out of her hair. I took her brush and stood behind her, gently pulling at the stubborn clumps until they were gone, then giving her about fifty more strokes before I declared the job done. She had her eyes shut in pleasure and I studied her face. She would never pass for thirty again but she was still very attractive, especially with her face relaxed as it was now.

We snuggled together, fully intending to make mad passionate love, but age and the day caught up with us and we were asleep in minutes.

*****

We woke, still snuggled when the alarm on her phone went off. 5:45 AM. She stretched against me before giggling and turning the alarm off. She rolled over, gave me a very nice kiss, then jumped out of bed, smacking my ass. "Up! We need to shower and start breakfast."