Funny, it’s not at all the same thing that I felt when I was a young woman. Back then, all Jack had to do was smile at me and my knees gave way. I thought the sexual chemistry we had was true love and it would last forever. It didn’t. In fact, the fire between us cooled down rather quickly. While I’m not frothing at the mouth to have sex all the time anymore, I’m enchanted by Kenny. I appreciate him. I can’t believe how thoughtful he is.
The night before had been a full moon. Kenny had secretly purchased two pairs of cross-country skis, and he’d gotten one of his friends to run a snowmobile around the pond to groom a track that they could ski on. After they finished the dinner that Georgia prepared for him, he announced, “And now, for this evening’s entertainment, I’d like to invite you out for a moonlight ski.” She was pleasantly surprised when he walked her outside to show her the equipment and the pathway around the pond. They both knew how to use the poles and skis although they hadn’t gone out in many years.
Kenny was a true gentleman in that he took responsibility for the safety of those he cared for. Georgia could tell Kenny was a bit uneasy about the darkness when he removed the glass dome from the gaslight on the dock to allow the bulb to shine brighter. “Wait until we find the trail before you put your skis on. I have a flashlight in my pocket we can use when we get there. And I want you to remember that I’m concerned about the spring that flows in from the far side of the pond. When we get out there, you hang back and let me make sure that the ice is firm.”
Georgia asked, “Oh, but it’s okay for you to fall through the ice?” They had recently bought some equipment to boost the signal of their cell provider across the property. Georgia had a thought. “I’m going back to the house and get my cell phone to have with us, just in case there is any emergency.” Kenny stopped her with the tone of his voice, “Maybe this is a bit impetuous for our first time out. We should have tried it in the daylight first. I just thought that it would be fun.”
“It is fun. I think it’s romantic and spontaneous. Forget about the phone. We’ll take our chances. The element of potential danger may heighten the experience.”
He took off on the trail with scissor-like strides, barreling along in front of her. If she could have read his mind, she would have known that he was trying to smooth the surface down even more for her. They quickly found the skiing to be vigorous exercise, but not particularly difficult. When they neared the spring Kenny had been talking about on the far side, he stopped. It was silent except for the faint sound of falling water.
“I can hear it running, but the ice along here seems pretty solid.”
Georgia was breathing deeply as they stood together in the quiet. Once she caught her breath she said, “The moon is so bright we don’t need any other lights. You were right about this evening, Kenny, it’s lovely! What a gorgeous blue color everything is. Doesn’t it seem mysterious? Cross-country skiing is a great workout; I’m not cold at all.”
She reached out to him, but it felt like a long stretch because they were both anchored to their skis. He also put his arms around her, and they were just able to manage a peck on the lips. Even in their somewhat awkward position, Georgia found that she was suddenly inflamed by his touch and the exotic look of their surroundings. She felt down near her feet and unfastened her bindings, stepped out of them one at a time and, facing Kenny, straddled her legs over his narrow skis. They properly embraced and shared a heartfelt and very long kiss. He dropped his mouth to her neck and murmured, “I am so happy right now I don’t want the night to end.” She stroked the hair on the back of his neck as she surveyed the starry dome of the night sky. The brisk clean air was a powerful aphrodisiac.
“Kenny, I want you to know I realize how lucky I am to have found you. There is no place in the world I would rather be. No place at all.” They slipped their padded gloves off and ran their hands under each other’s down jackets. Georgia squealed, “Your fingers are cold! No, never mind,” she added. “Leave them; they’ll warm up after a while.”
They savored the touch of each other’s flesh with tender caresses. Kenny asked her in a raspy voice, “Do you want to go back to the house? Should we take this inside?”
“No.” She found she was feeling bashful but let out a low laugh. Georgia decided to be bold. “I want to do it here. We have sweaters on, let’s just take off our jackets and make a bed out of them.”
He felt like he had to tease her about her shameless idea. “Out here in the open?” he protested, though he loved the novelty.
She was nearly bursting with passion. “Who’s going to see us? We are the only ones crazy enough to be out here at night in the dead of winter.”
Their interlude was intense and over quickly, but they lay very still afterward with Kenny on top of her, holding onto each other for dear life, allowing the afterglow of orgasm to fade slowly, slowly away. Georgia said, “My heart is full. I feel safe and completely at ease. Maybe I never have been this content.”
Kenny chuckled. She asked him, “What?”
“I don’t know if I can get back up again.” As they scrambled to get on their feet and adjust their layers of clothing, they both laughed out loud.
He told her, “I feel like a teenager again. Georgia I want you to know I am very impressed with your bad behavior tonight.”
“Bad is a relative term.”
They joked about it the next morning, and Georgia was still visualizing each thrilling moment as she soaked in her tub that night. Not only did we have a great time, but today we have Linda’s party. It’s fun to have hours to get ready. I love my new fit and flare dress. It’s going to swing around when we are dancing. That’s a sensation that I’ve always enjoyed.
Her black lace dress had been a real find. The shoulders were sheer, and a silk lining was inserted from the bustline down. The handkerchief hemline followed the pattern of the lace, and it had been marked down fifty percent. The savings had inspired her to spring for a new pair of high heels. She mused, What is more fun than wearing a new outfit to a party? Georgia was standing in her robe in front of a magnifying mirror mounted on the wall that telescoped toward her when she pulled it forward. She carefully applied foundation and lined her eyes in a dark blue. Next came mascara, blush, and the final touch, a coral lip-gloss. She glanced over at a clock and was surprised when she realized that Kenny was quite late. That wasn’t like him at all. She found herself reassured when she heard the front door open. “I’m in here honey, getting dressed.” She was still primping when, mere seconds later, he appeared behind her in the mirror. Something about his stance made her whirl around. “What’s going on?”
He looked sheepish though he smiled. “Do you have any champagne?”
“I have some sparkling rosé. It’s in the fridge.”
“Please just wait here,” Kenny said as he strode out of the room. But Georgia was so curious about what he was doing that she slipped her dress over her head and followed him into the kitchen, padding along in her bare feet.
“Tell me what’s happening. You have a weird expression on your face.”
“Hold on. Let me open this.” A pop sounded and Kenny poured a little of the wine into two glasses that Georgia handed him from one of her cabinets. He gave a filled one back to her and lifted his own in the air. “A toast—to the next part of our life. The best part.”
Georgia loved the idea of the toast, but she really wasn’t certain what he meant. She tilted her head to the side and made a quizzical face.
“We are going to take a year and travel around the world. I don’t even know if people do that anymore, but I have always wanted to. I just like the sound of it.”
“What!? As fabulous as that sounds—I can’t leave my job. I have to work.”
“No, you don’t. You do not have to work. Not anymore.”
“Will you please tell me what’s going on and what you are so excited about?”
They both sat down on the stools at the kitchen island, but turned them so they were f
acing each other. Kenny took both her hands in his. He couldn’t speak but made sounds like he would split his sides laughing. It went on so long that Georgia grew impatient and hit him on the shoulder, trying to prompt him to start talking. Finally, he calmed down enough to explain. “You already know I’ve been meeting with the Vermont Land Trust about the acreage that goes up behind my house. It’s sixty-five acres, and I don’t use it except to snowshoe and hike. I thought if I turned it over to them, I could still do that, but I wouldn’t have to pay taxes on it. So, I’ve been gathering information about that possibility. I had looked into subdividing and selling the land as building lots too, but I really hate the idea of it being developed.”
“And?” She had no idea what was coming.
Kenny was in such a state that he ran out of breath. He gulped. “Just by chance, I met a couple in the waiting room of the office of the Land Trust a few weeks back and we struck up a conversation. They came to see my property at noon today. Very nice, very old people with British accents. They’re obviously loaded. A couple hours ago, they called and wanted me to come down to the Land Trust office for an impromptu meeting. This is what they’re proposing: they buy my entire property and live there for the rest of their lives, at which time it will pass into the hands of the Trust. It will never be developed except as used by the state for logging and demonstrating maple sugar production. They are even giving me the opportunity to work with them on setting limits that are acceptable to us.”
“Us?”
“Yes, because I will be living here with you on the pond. We can set some rules in place, covenants they call them, so we won’t be bothered by traffic when my house eventually becomes the maple center. Georgia, do you know what blew me away? Get ready for this! They offered me two and a half million dollars!”
“Two and a half million? That’s insane.”
“I know. Think about it. If we live in your house, our bills would be modest. We have this two million plus in the bank, my retirement investments, your teacher’s pension and savings. You can retire and we can travel.”
Georgia was so stunned she reached up and held Kenny’s face firmly in both her hands. She stared directly into his eyes for several seconds without blinking at all. She was thrilled to her core. Finally, she gathered her wits about her and said a single word: “Burma.”
Kenny held on to both her forearms as he gave her a tentative yet exalted response: “Thailand!”
Still rigid with astonishment she gasped, “Indonesia.”
Kenny’s emotions were swelling now from what at first had been near disbelief to a dizzying acceptance of the possibilities. “Australia!”
She had let go of his face and was now clutching Kenny’s shoulders, dancing for joy and completely swept away by the moment. “Vietnam! Then, Kenny, let’s come home for Christmas. There’s no place better than Vermont for the holidays. After New Year’s, we’ll take off south. Mexico! Argentina! Chile!”
They jumped up and down and roared sounds that usually come from more primitive primates. Once they had worked off their jubilant energy, they lifted their glasses to toast each other once more.
Georgia said, “I don’t know how I found you, Kenny Simmons, but the best is yet to come.”
Thirty-Four
“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.”
—Nora Ephron
At seven o’clock, Margot was impatiently waiting for her mother at the party. Both her brothers were already there, and the three of them were standing together watching the door where the guests were entering. She wanted to get their family picture out of the way, and then she felt she could relax and enjoy herself. Margot had a long-time crush on Linda’s son, Carl, who was home from medical school for his parents’ big event. He was funny, handsome, and was going to make a lot of money when he became a surgeon. The second their portrait was snapped, she was going to find him and monopolize his time until she was called to the stage to sing her song. Linda had asked her to do, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
Margot had selected a flirty red chiffon dress to wear tonight with nude high-heeled sandals that made her legs look lithesome. When she sang Cyndi Lauper’s lyrics, she planned to draw a bead on Carl from the stage and sing right to him, especially the part about,
“Some boys take a beautiful girl…”
As she wanted to make a killer impression on him, she had rehearsed the song extensively. Margot had gone so far as to call Joey, the band’s piano player, who also gave music lessons, and hiring him as a vocal coach. It was going to be a wonderful night. If only her mother would arrive so they could get this party started. Finally! Georgia walked in and Margot thought, Mom looks pretty good in that dress, and who knew Kenny would clean up so nicely? That’s actually a pretty sharp suit he’s wearing.
“Here are my children.” Georgia beamed at the three of them. “How is everyone?” She kissed and hugged each one like they hadn’t seen each other in years.
Margot was glad her mother looked so happy. She’s practically glowing. Strange, it’s possible I’ve haven’t ever seen her like this. I can’t put my finger on it . . .
Sebastian said, “Mom, we’ve been waiting for you to do our picture.”
Georgia shot a glance at Kenny. She felt conflicted. Should I ask him to pose with us? The kids don’t know what’s going on; they may not even understand how much time we have been spending together or what he means to me.
Kenny’s intuition was attuned to her and she was grateful when he said, “Georgia, I’m going to get our cocktails. What would you like?”
“Thank you,” she said with a sigh, “I’ll have a gin gimlet with extra lime.”
Georgia’s family had been to this party and had their portrait taken so many times she kept a photo album of the pictures, organized by year, on the coffee table of her living room. She also hung a beautiful frame that displayed the most recent image in her dining room.
After each brief shoot on Valentine’s Day, they were asked to choose one shot out of the four or five the photographer had captured. The next day Georgia couldn’t wait to see it and would get on the photographer’s website and download it. She had a thumb drive in the shape of the state of Vermont that she only used on this occasion, when she took it to the local pharmacy to make an eight by ten glossy print. Once she got home with the picture, she would switch out last year’s and add it to the older photos in the leather-bound book. It was a tradition she wouldn’t break for anything. Although, I do hope that by next year, Kenny can be in the portrait with us.
She and her three children gathered before the black background and posed. The photographer drew Georgia to the left in front and Margot on the right, with her sons behind them. Only three shots were needed. Looking into her camera’s playback screen the artist told them, “You guys look great. Come see this. I got it. Sometimes it’s really easy.”
They all agreed they loved the second one and were happy to be done, so yielded their spot to the next group. Kenny was leaning on the bar waiting, and when she approached, handed Georgia a green cocktail in a tall, stemmed glass. Her kids went off to find their own friends while Georgia scanned the crowd for Linda and Yvonne.
She asked Kenny, “What are you drinking?”
“A Rob Roy with bitters.”
“This really is fun to have mixed drinks. It makes the night so special.”
Some people in the crowd were dressed to the nines in tuxedos and long satin dresses. Others, like Georgia and Kenny, looked smart in their cocktail attire. There were also a few men who had simply looped a tie over their favorite T-shirt and put a cardigan or rumpled jacket over it.
Sebastian and Christopher looked almost like twins in their slim, European-cut, black suits. As planned in advance, Linda’s awkward surgical cast was draped in red and pink feather boas. She wore a rhinestone tiara that read “Valentine,” and she sat in a high-backed Queen Anne style red velvet chair. It gave her the imperial effect of holding
court from her throne. She swished her boas back and forth in time to the rhythm of the piano music and smiled brightly at everyone.
After the band came in and set up, two of the musicians readied themselves to lift Linda and her chair onto the stage. Sebastian and Christopher jumped in to help, each man taking one of the four corners of the base. It struck the crowd as a deliberate parody of Queen Cleopatra in her palanquin being carried on the shoulders of her slaves. The room spontaneously burst into applause.
Once situated, Linda accepted a microphone from the lead guitarist, and everyone could hear her laughing hysterically into it as Joey whispered in her ear. Her laughter was so contagious that it took a few minutes for the audience and the speaker to calm down.
“Welcome, everyone. Peter and I always feel so blessed to have our family and friends gather here in our home just to celebrate love on Valentine’s Day. This night is especially significant to us because it marks our twentieth year of celebration.”
The crowd exploded again, held their beautiful drinks in the air, and waved them back and forth. A chant began that took several minutes to settle: “Whoo! Whoo! Linda! Peter!”
Georgia saw Margot lean into Carl’s shoulder a little as they exchanged a pleased look. Everyone seemed to be feeling romantic. As Kenny put his arm around Georgia, Rolland leaned over and kissed Yvonne. Christopher slapped Sebastian on the shoulder playfully as only brothers do. Over the course of the night, many guests said they were especially grateful the event had been held despite Linda’s injuries.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” When total silence had been restored, and she had the audience’s attention Linda said, “Tonight, things will be a little different than previous years. I’m going to sing a short set, and then we will bring up special guest stars. If I have any juice left later in the evening, I’ll come back for a few final songs. I hope you can all understand.” She flipped her boa around so it revealed her cast. Her guests applauded to show their support. “Since we’re taking a departure from the way things have been done in past years, I decided to start off with a different song. This is for my husband Peter, the best bartender in the Valley.
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