Chapter Two
Later that day, Caleb called Maddy. She was extremely excited. Caleb did not call her that often, only about half as often as he wrote her. Maddy and he were often in vastly different time zones. That seemed to make calls rarer and rarer.
Hence, when he called this time Maddy fumbled to answer the phone and almost dropped it in her haste to pick it up. It was almost as if she was afraid that if she did not answer his call immediately, she would have to wait another two months to hear his voice.
“Hello?” said Maddy, breathless when she answered the call.
“Maddy,” said Caleb, “how’s my favorite girl?”
Maddy could hear the smile in his voice. It made her smile too. “Hey, Caleb,” said Maddy, “what’s up?”
“Just wanted to call to say happy birthday in advance,” said Caleb. “Wouldn’t want to miss it, and chances are that I won’t be able to call that day. So I thought, better early than late right? At least this way you’ll know beforehand.”
Maddy was crestfallen. “I was hoping you’d call,” she said. “In fact, I was kind of hoping that you’d...be here for my birthday? I mean, I’m turning twenty one. It’s only ever going to happen once. It’s a pretty special day, I wish you’d come.”
Caleb made a few sounds of hesitation before saying, “Maddy, sweetie, I’m going to be in Fiji that day. It’s going to be impossible for me to skip work I’m so sorry. This is actually a really important trip. Its part of this new tour that my company is providing, meant to be exciting experiences for people looking for adventure.”
Maddy was disappointed but she decided that she had to learn to live with it. Caleb had never visited her before, why would he do so now? At the end of the day he had his own life, just as she had hers. It was unfair of her to expect him to simply drop everything he was doing and come over to visit her for her birthday. That wasn’t how things worked, after all. People had their own lives, their own tangents that they were following as they discovered themselves. Caleb was no different.
“You’re right,” said Maddy. “I’m glad that you got such a great job, Caleb. It’s good that you are enjoying life.”
“Don’t think it means that I don’t love you, sweetie,” said Caleb, his smile reappearing in his voice. “I am definitely sending you a birthday present, and it’s going to be a special one considering that it is your twenty first birthday. Don’t think for a second that I don’t realize the importance of this day.”
Maddy’s heart skipped a beat in excitement. “Really? A present? What did you get me?”
“It’s a surprise,” said Caleb coyly. “Just enjoy it when it arrives, and let me know if you like it or not.”
“So am I ever going to meet you again?” asked Maddy. “I mean, it’s been almost a decade. I kind of miss you.”
Caleb laughed and said, “I kind of miss you too. It’s been hard living this life for so long. I don’t know if I can handle even another trip. But then again... what else am I going to do? Where else am I going to work? It’s not easy to get a job in this economy, you know. I guess we’ll have to see.”
Maddy was disappointed. She wanted to see him again. It had been so long, and Caleb had become such an important part of her life. He knew everything about her, and she knew everything about him. She wanted him to start being a physical presence in her life now, and she wanted to be able to talk to him in person.
She was slowly becoming tired of letters and occasional long distance phone calls, of trying to imagine what he looked like by looking at old pictures of him. She realized that she had never really stopped thinking of Caleb as a father figure. It was to his credit that he was able to be there for her throughout her life, making her feel safe and comforted through mere words on paper.
However, she did not want him to know how she felt at this moment. She did not want to spoil the moment of joy she was feeling by having this conversation with Caleb. She wanted it to last forever, but since that was impossible she would have to settle for prolonging it for as long as possible.
In order to preserve the joy of this conversation, Maddy changed the subject. “So are you writing me a special letter for my birthday?”
“What makes you think I haven’t written and sent one already?” said Caleb.
“Really?” said Maddy. “Two letters in the same month? It really is my birthday.”
Caleb laughed and said, “It’s nothing special. Just me wishing you a happy birthday and telling you how special you are. You know that right? That you’re the most special girl in the world?”
Maddy laughed it off but deep inside she was moved by his words. She knew that he meant what he was saying. Caleb was not the kind of guy who would just say things for the sake of saying them.
She thought she heard something different in his voice this time. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but it was disconcerting nonetheless. He had sounded something other than fatherly when he had said that. Caleb never really sounded fatherly while talking to her. He was too down to earth and friendly with her to act that way.
However, over the course of their over decade-long relationship Maddy had never quite heard him use that particular tone with her. It was loving, but perhaps not as platonic as it used to be.
Maddy wondered if she was imagining things. She began to think about her feelings towards Caleb and realized that she was extremely conflicted.
Chapter Three
The days preceding Maddy’s birthday went by in a flash. She suspected that it was because she just couldn’t wait to see what Caleb’s present was. Maddy awoke to her Aunt Matilda serving her breakfast in bed.
She had seemed to be overcompensating for something ever since that day Maddy had caught her speaking to someone on the phone. Maddy wondered what it was that Aunt Matilda was hiding from her, and how she was able to hide it for so long. Aunt Matilda never kept secrets. It just wasn’t compatible with who she was. Unless that secret would have a major impact on someone’s life, of course.
After enjoying breakfast in bed, Matilda went downstairs. Moments after she got down, Ronald burst in with balloons and a cake. Maddy said that it was too early for cake, to which Ronald replied by saying that it was an ice cream cake that he had bought for later on.
He then took her shopping with their group of friends. Maddy enjoyed herself immensely, but she found herself quite distracted throughout the day. There were two main causes of her distraction.
First and foremost was Caleb. She had felt something in his voice that day, something different. It had been a tremor of sorts. She may even have imagined it altogether. However, whether the tremor existed or not, she had definitely heard it and it had affected her immensely. Maddy realized that it may even have stirred something inside her as well. This confused her. She just didn’t know what she was feeling or how she was going to process or rationalize it.
The second major thing that was keeping her mind occupied was Aunt Matilda’s secret. She was definitely keeping something from Maddy. The fact that she was keeping a secret for so long meant that it was a huge secret. There was no other way Aunt Matilda would have been able to manage keeping quiet for so long. Whatever it was that she was keeping from Maddy, it held great significance.
Additionally, based on the way that Aunt Matilda had been overcompensating since that day by cooking all of her favorite foods and buying her surprise gifts, Maddy got the feeling that whatever the secret was it had something to do with her.
She maintained that she was doing these things because it was Maddy’s birthday week but that was odd behavior for Matilda. Maddy had had twenty birthdays before this one and Aunt Matilda had not made such a huge fuss over any of those. She had baked a cake on the day and thrown parties but she had never turned it into a weeklong affair.
Eventually, Maddy got home in order to get ready for the party that Ronald and Aunt Matilda had planned for her. When she arrived, she saw a package waiting for her. It was from Caleb.
&n
bsp; Maddy rushed up to her room with it and tore the wrapping paper off as soon as she entered and locked the door. The gift turned out to be a bottle of perfume.
Maddy was confused initially. It looked like an expensive bottle of perfume, but there was no emotional value attached to it. It was so unlike Caleb to send her something so superficial. He was the kind of guy that gave gifts that meant something. This time around he had even mentioned that he couldn’t wait to get Maddy’s reaction after getting the gift. This was not the type of exciting gift that one gave if one was expecting a huge reaction.
Maddy shrugged and decided to put it on. If Caleb had sent it to her, it was special no matter what. He had obviously had something in mind while sending it. Maddy sprayed the perfume onto herself and gasped when the smell reached her nose. She had tears in her eyes.
This was the perfume that her mother used to wear. It was a very rare perfume and Maddy had never been able to remember where she had gotten it from. Maddy had kept the last bottle of perfume her mom had been using before she died and had put it on in order to remind herself of her mother. Smell is the best sense for reliving a past memory. It was the gateway to remembering every other sensation one had felt while experiencing the memory firsthand.
After that last bottle of perfume had been finished, Maddy had searched all over town for a place that sold it but she had never been able to find it. She had told Caleb that she really wanted this perfume and that it helped her remember her mom without getting it depressed. It allowed her to remember the good times she had enjoyed with her mother.
Caleb had promised years ago that he would find the perfume and send it to her. He had kept his promise. Maddy noticed a note that had come with the package. It read,
To my special little girl,
There is no letter. This perfume contains all the words that I could ever say. Being able to give this to you is the one of the most important thing I have done in my life. I bought one for myself too. I hope that when we both smell this perfume we can remember who it represents. Your only mother, my first love. I hope it helps you understand how much I love you, too.
With all my love
Caleb
Maddy had to stop herself from weeping. This was the best gift he could ever have given her. She should never have doubted his gift.
She applied another spray of perfume, laid down and closed her eyes. She started remembering her mother. Her smile, her perpetually messy hair, and the way her nose wrinkled when she was frustrated or amused. These things were what made her who she was. Maddy could now remember her every day. She loved Caleb for giving her this gift.
Chapter Four
Maddy had been different the previous day. The perfume she had been wearing had made her stand a little taller, smile a little stronger. She also couldn’t stop thinking about Caleb, and this had begun to affect her behavior.
She had started to gaze off into the distance while someone was talking to her. She had found nothing interesting in the past couple of days apart from the thought of Caleb.
This was a bothersome situation to be in, as Maddy did not quite understand what her feelings towards Caleb were anymore. Pushing these thoughts from her mind, Maddy went to Ronald’s place to spend the night. They had not been able to have sex in a while and they were both desperate for each other’s touch.
When Maddy got to Ronald’s dorm, he opened the door, looked at her and the wordlessly picked her up. Shutting the door behind him, he gently lay Maddy down on the bed and kissed her neck. He was being exceptionally tender today. Maddy liked it. She wanted it to go slow today, wanted to savor every moment of the sex.
Ronald’s cock was out and he was pressing the tip of it against her clit. Maddy moaned in pleasure. He was thrusting extremely gently, pushing his cock against her clit ever so slightly. The teasing was driving her crazy. She loved how he was almost inside her yet not inside her at all. Her pussy seemed to be drawn to his cock, it ached for him yet he did not give it the satisfaction of penetrating it.
Maddy desperately grabbed for his ass as he brought her closer to orgasm. She just started thinking of Caleb without even realizing it. She was confused and considered stopping, but it felt too good. She didn’t want this to stop. She wanted it to be Caleb on top of her, she wanted it to be him penetrating her.
Maddy was shocked at this realization, but her shock was covered up by the utter ecstasy that she was feeling. Yes, she wanted Caleb. She wanted him to be the one fucking her. She wanted him to make use of her pussy, to pleasure it as he pleasured himself. She wanted to make him happy that way.
She clawed Ronald’s back and whispered, “Harder.” Ronald obliged. He finally gave her the release of putting his cock into her pussy, thrusting deep into her. He did it slowly but firmly, holding her down as he penetrated her. Maddy gave a slow, shaking moan as he entered her. She had never felt this turned on before. Her legs were quivering, her entire body was shaking and she had no idea how to process the amount of pleasure she was feeling. It felt so good that it hurt.
Maddy’s pussy stretched as he fucked her, her tits responded to him as he sucked her nipples. But were they responding to Ronald or to Caleb? Ronald was fucking her, but who was she fucking? It was his cock inside her but her eyes were closed and she was only thinking of Caleb. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, even in this most private of moments.
All of her emotions had been pushed aside. Her guilt at fucking Ronald but thinking of Caleb, her guilt at thinking of Caleb in the first place, even her confusion at what was going on inside her body were all swept away by the wave of ecstasy that was enveloping her, slowly pulling her under.
This was beyond taboo. Maddy knew that this was technically wrong, and that she was probably going to regret all of this later on. She knew that when she was done she was going to have difficulty looking Caleb in the eye at least for the first few minutes after her orgasm.
Then the climax hit her and even the objective contemplation of the thoughts that she was unable to feel were gone. She was flowing downstream in a torrential river, she was being ricocheted off the river banks and the current was pulling her ever deeper. She was drowning, she couldn’t breathe. The ecstasy was consuming her, leaving room for nothing else, not even breath.
When the climax hit its peak Maddy drew a breath so fierce it was as if she was breathing for the first time in her life. With the breath that she had just drawn, Maddy screamed. She was everywhere and she was nowhere. Her pussy was the only part of her that mattered. She felt a cock throbbing inside her and she knew he was coming. He was filling her up.
The two of them lay gasping on top of one another. Ronald was kissing her on her lips, her cheeks, her neck and her forehead. “I love you,” he kept saying. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Maddy managed to respond between gasps. She wondered if it was Ronald she was saying it to or Caleb.
Chapter Five
Maddy returned home, her pussy sore, her body still reeling from the orgasm, and her mind consumed in a tempest of confusing thoughts. In the frenzied sex that she had enjoyed the previous night, Maddy had completely forgotten about the secret that Matilda had been keeping from her. She was about to be reminded of it in a very shocking way.
“Maddy,” said Aunt Matilda, sitting on the sofa in the living room. “Come and sit down with me, I need to talk to you.”
Maddy sat down next to her aunt on the sofa.
“Sweetie, we recently came into some money,” said Matilda. “It turns out that that time Robbie got injured while he was still working at the ice cream factory was the result of negligence. Now that the factory was owned by a new company, they wanted to remove any previous liabilities and that meant paying off people who had the grounds to sue them. We’ve gotten a great deal of money as a result.”
“Aunt Matilda, that’s great!” said Maddy, hugging her aunt. Matilda reciprocated, but Maddy felt more sadness in her hug than happiness. “What’s wrong?” she asked Mat
ilda.
“We... well sweetie you know that since you came here we have provided you with everything right?” said Matilda.
“Yes,” said Maddy, cautiously. She didn’t like where this was going.
“We’ve never had any savings, never been able to buy a home, never even been able to go on a vacation,” said Matilda. “We’ve never complained, but this money is a huge windfall for us. We just want to focus on ourselves, now, enjoy our lives a little, you know?”
“I’ve always said that you guys should enjoy yourselves more,” said Maddy.
“I know, I know,” said Matilda, “It’s just that... with this money we can go on a cruise around the world. It will last two years. Even after we are back we’d have enough to finally afford a down payment on a house. We’d finally become home owners. But before we do that, we need to travel. We need to see the world and do things that we’ve never been able to do before.”
“So... what are you trying to say?” said Maddy.
“I’m just saying that you’re a grown woman now,” said Matilda. “You can move out and take care of yourself.”
“Can you guys help me get an apartment or something?” said Maddy. “I mean, I’m ready to be on my own but I’d appreciate a little help in this department.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” said Matilda. “We have talked to Caleb. You can move in with him.”
“Really?” said Maddy. “But Caleb doesn’t live in any one place. He moves around the world. How am I going to live with him?”
“He’s going to move back,” said Matilda. “We told him about what we wanted to do and he was all for it. He was the one that suggested that you move in with him. He was happy to move back, said that he was fed up with moving around so much. He’s coming back for you, Maddy.”
Maddy couldn’t help but revert to her twelve-year-old self. She couldn’t help but feel abandoned. But at the same time, she felt a surge of excitement. Caleb was coming back. She was going to be living with him. Then she remembered last night and her thoughts tumbled around inside her head in the maelstrom of her confusion.
Man of the House: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance Page 3